Our weekly blog, Social TrendSpotter provides you with the latest trends and ideas within the social sector. It merges current thinking with the edge of innovation to inspire, to encourage, to educate and – ultimately – to create a better sector. Social TrendSpotter includes original analysis, but also highlights the latest sector-wide thinking into a user-friendly resource where social sector professionals and students alike can draw inspiration, share ideas and develop new thinking on best practices.
Falling in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
Valentine’s Day always offers a little glimmer of hope that the worst of winter is behind us and spring is on its way. When the tulips and irises start blooming in the spring, it feels like a fresh start. We’re lucky enough to get these windows of inspiration a few...
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Quiz: Is Your Organization Resilient?
When I was growing up in rural Texas, my favorite tree was a tall willow in the backyard. I loved to climb it and spend hours reading in its branches. But, I also loved to watch it sway in the wind, especially during a wild Texas thunderstorm. It never mattered how...
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Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: How to Make Culture a Priority in Your Social Sector Work
Have you ever been to a coalition or staff meeting where a newcomer asks a pointed question to the leader of the group, and everyone around the newcomer cringes while s/he stands oblivious to the battle s/he just instigated? Being an outsider or a newcomer to a group...
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Advancing Equity as a Core Value of the Social Sector
This week, the country honored the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., an American Baptist minister and activist who embodied the Civil Rights movement until his assassination in 1968. In honor of his great legacy advocating for social justice, this is the...
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Is Innovation OUT? Is Impact IN? Food for Thought for the Social Sector
Food critics and bloggers are constantly rating what is in and what is out. (In case you are wondering, sour is in, bitter is out.) The social sector is having the same discussion – trends show that innovation is out and impact is in. While this dichotomy brings...
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Are You Chasing Money or Your Mission? The Mission-Money Matrix Can Help You Find Out!
When I started with the nonprofit Phoenix House right out of college, I was an idealist. I pursued any program and every grant that would help our clients. I believed success would come from the quantity of grants submitted. Now, with nearly three decades of...
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Out with the Old, In with the New: Words to Know in the New Year 2019
I have always been fascinated by the Titanic. When the movie came out and the exhibition opened, I was first in line for both. I am fascinated by it not just for its story or the glamour of the time, but because of why the ship met its tragic fate. The Titanic – the...
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Favorite Inspirations to Celebrate the Holidays
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Holiday Hustle: Top 5 TrendSpotter Favorites of 2018
The end of the year is always a special time for rejuvenation and reflection. This past year my favorite word has been “reimagine.” The word itself lulls me into both a state of reflection as well as thoughtful action. It allows you to hold up a mirror to yourself as...
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