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.
Help Your Team Take Flight with Tips from Southwest
This month, we have noticed a common trend among our clients: many want to work on unifying their team. It makes sense – social sector organizations need strong teams to take on tough projects, management teams to lead programs and organizations and willing team...
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Spinning Your Wheels? Tips for Avoiding the Activity Trap in the Social Sector
Every now and then, I feel like I’m caught in a human hamster wheel – racing from meeting to meeting, but wondering afterward – what did I really accomplish? When this happens, I pick up one of of my favorite, well-worn books, The Time Trap by R. Alec...
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Passing the Torch to a New Generation: Why Succession Planning is Crucial to the Social Sector
In John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, he said: “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears...
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How Can Nonprofits be Agile?
I remember the first time I heard the word “agile” used in a business context. I was intrigued by it and how it was being used by a group of software developers in the IT sector to revolutionize their industry. They wanted to find a better way to manage the process of...
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5 Tips to Hit a Business Pitch Out of the Park
Summer always reminds me of one of my family’s favorite pastimes – baseball. When my nephew Alexander (pictured) was first learning to play a few years ago, I got a chance to help him practice for a game. At practice, he was struggling with hitting the ball, and I...
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The Do’s and Don’ts of Crowdfunding
I have watched with wonder this month as the RAICES crowdfunding campaign has gone viral across Facebook and Twitter. RAICES, a nonprofit in San Antonio that provides services to refugees and immigrants, has raised an astonishing $20 million dollars since...
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Social TrendSpotter’s Summer Superlatives 2018
July 4th is my favorite holiday – everyone comes together united in celebration for our country, connected to our family and friends, and reminded of our collective past as immigrants and pioneers forging ahead to build a better world. With Fourth of July celebrations...
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Putting Your Oxygen Mask on First: Self-Care for the Social Sector
Summertime. Bright skies illuminate the day and night – the days are longer and the nights are opportunities to unwind. Vacations offer a time to get off the grid and indulge in self-care. Nonprofit professionals are givers by nature, putting us at significant risk...
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Is Your Nonprofit on Life Support? A Financial Check-up for the Social Sector
The Nonprofit Finance Fund recently launched the annual results of their State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey. First, the bad news – 86% of nonprofits see demand rising, yet 57% are worried they cannot meet it. Many of the nonprofits (62%) say their top challenge is...
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