'Tis the scary season. With Halloween just around the corner, here are some examples of tricks as well as treats.

Tricks

Boooooo - Bad governance at WE Charity

Don't be haunted by bad leadership - take a look at your board policies and bylaws to make sure there is nothing scary there.

The WE Charity scandal highlighted the need of good governance. Murky leadership practices combined with a bad case of founders syndrome led to months of headaches for WE Charity. To learn more about good governance check out this useful research on governance and resources on better Boards.

Booooo  - Stealing money from a disabilty charity

Give yourself a treat - put a review of accounting practices on your next senior staff and also Board agendas.

An accountant who worked for the disability charity New Visions stole nearly a million dollars. In the trial it came out that the CFO, Marcia Montayne, had taken money to fund a platinum lifestyle including a trip to the World Cup. 

While this story is scary, it serves as a good reminder of the importance of financial controls. This helpful overview of accounting practices by Bill Kennedy is a great start.

Treats

Yaaaay! - Great stewardship leads to great rewards

Prioritize your top 10 donors and reach out before year end. You never know where it may lead.

This lovely case study highlights how great stewardship led to a surprising, and positive result.

Yaaay! - Easy ways to steward donors

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Stuck in a time-crunch but want to thank your donors?

Here is a great set of 5 simple ideas you can easily start today.

This Halloween, take a few minutes to decide how to be sure you get the most treats from your donors and avoid the biggest tricks of bad management.

Hilborn Editor Ann Rosenfield is a working fundraiser. She has seen way more treats than tricks in the charity sector.