After seeing her neighbors in Brevard, N.C., struggling to get adequate internet access, Yvette Brooks founded her nonprofit Through the Trees to help rural and low-income families bridge the digital divide. The organization offers subsidies to help people mitigate the costs, assists people in applying for federal assistance, pays for upgrading lines from DSL to cable, donates devices to households and teaches digital literacy.

Humanitarian organizations operating in southern Turkey and northwest Syria are predicting that the effects of last week's deadly earthquake will require aid for months or even years after the initial rescue and recovery efforts. The work of groups such as Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres, the International Federation of Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies is challenged not only by damage but also by the tense political situation in the region.

Heroes and Horses, a nonprofit in Montana that helps veterans recover from trauma through a 41-day program on a ranch that connects them with horses and the wilderness, has received a $500,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The money will be used to build new facilities that will allow the organization to operate year-round and accept more applicants.

The VF Foundation has given $8.3 million in grants to organizations that promote sustainability, women's empowerment, community development and inclusive spaces. Organizations include WaterAid in Cambodia, which works to get people in the country access to water; and Shimmy Technologies in Bangladesh, which creates and tests video game-based training programs for women.

High-performing nonprofit boards stick to strategic plans, regularly self-assess, build productive relationships with key stakeholders and promote the organization's mission, writes Alyce Lee Stansbury, president of Stansbury Consulting. Stansbury cites recruiting new board members intentionally and cultivating positive relationships with donors as other crucial aspects of board stewardship.

You can exude confidence in meetings -- even if you're not -- by choosing a position in the room that puts you in the middle of the action, leaning in during conversations and speaking up when appropriate, writes executive coach Joel Garfinkle. "You're an expert in your area and the best means you have to get your point across is in your own voice, and with conviction," Garfinkle writes.

The 1969 Tax Reform Act helped ensure foundations were giving their money for legitimate charitable purposes and sought to separate the charitable and political spheres, but the waters have become muddied by the use of donor-advised funds which are not subject to the same rules and by the common practice of 501(c)(3) organizations transferring money to 501(c)(4)s, writes Craig Kennedy of American Purpose. To address these issues, Kennedy advises that donor-advised funds should be treated the same as foundations, and 501(c)(3)s should be prevented from transferring resources to 501(c)(4)s and engaging in political activity.

Girl Scouts of the USA has hired Bonnie Barczykowski, former head of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri council, as the organization's CEO. Barczykowski led the Eastern Missouri Council for 10 years and during her tenure led the $50 million "Her Future is Our Future" campaign that included scholarships and capital projects.

One of the key ingredients of an exceptional organization is a constructive partnership between the board chair and the chief executive. This resource featuring frequently asked questions about board chair-CEO communications is designed to help.