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.
Why We Should Live by the “Cowboy Code”
I have spent the last month crisscrossing Middle America, giving keynotes and leading workshops. (Shout out to the wonderful folks in Kansas City; Louisville, Ky.; Tyler, Texas; and Cincinnati who hosted me.) The Midwest and the South are such special places to me and...
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Faith and Charity: How Faith-Based Organizations and Nonprofits Are Working Together to Solve Social Issues
With various holidays in December fast approaching, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the roles faith-based organizations in the U.S. play in serving our communities. Some of the country’s largest and oldest nonprofit organizations have their roots...
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How Can Nonprofits Show Leadership in the #MeToo Movement?
When #MeToo hit last year like a hurricane, it revealed not only countless accounts of sexual harassment and assault but also vulnerabilities in the systems and processes meant to protect individuals and employees. Just like after any hurricane, now is the time to...
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Reasons We Are Thankful
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Show Me the Money: Turning Donors into Investors through Your Annual Appeal
You may have seen them – the countdowns to Christmas have already begun showing up as memes on social media. Of course, in the social sector, that means we are already working on our year-end appeals. In the coming month, we will collectively send out...
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What I Learned from John McCain
We stand together in American history between Election Day and Veterans Day. Moved by these two important dates, I’m feeling patriotic and thought I’d share something I have wanted to share for awhile. Many years ago, I was lucky enough to work alongside Senator John...
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Redefining the Path to Success: Moving from Ego-thinking to Eco-thinking in the Social Sector
Do you ever feel like a mouse in a maze looking for the ever-elusive cheese? For the social sector, the cheese is money and, with that money, comes impact and relevancy to our community as well as our stakeholders. Recently, we have seen the sector shift toward...
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Not-So-Scary Social Media Steps
Social media is taking over! This can be scary, but it shouldn’t be. Done well, social media can be one of the most effective ways to reach and expand your audience. But, how do we do social media well? We have asked ourselves this question and attended...
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From Planning to Action: Action Plans Help You Get Things Done After Your Strategic Plan
One of my favorite sayings is a Japanese proverb – “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” As we approach Halloween, many think about being scared by vampires and ghosts. These days I’m scared by meetings without agendas and action...
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