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.
Need Census Data for Your Next Grant? Try the Opportunity Index
We have all been here: it is one week before the grant proposal deadline, and your team is scrambling to find or verify the latest statistics on the community you serve and how they compare to the statewide average and similar counties. We need to know household...
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Are You Elevator-Ready? The 6 C’s for a Dynamite Nonprofit Pitch
Nothing strikes fear in the heart of a nonprofit staffer or board member more than the dreaded question, “Tell me what you do?” After almost a decade of training on storytelling and now the launch of our popular new e-learning course, I can pinpoint why it is so...
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6 Resolutions to Rise Strong in the Social Sector
I have been thinking a lot lately about the factors that help those of us in the social sector overcome the obstacles that inevitably confront us on our path toward positive change. Some of the greatest lessons I have read on the subject have come from Rising Strong,...
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5 Easy Steps to Boost Your Organization’s Performance Through Core Values
We are always on the lookout for trends, especially positive trends from the for-profit space to incorporate into nonprofit settings. Recently, we have heard a lot about great corporate cultures like those of Zappos and technology companies. When we...
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Pearls of Wisdom: Advice to Rising Social Entrepreneurs
As social entrepreneurs, we are lucky. We live each day knowing that we are making a difference in the lives of others. It is a blessing, but it isn’t always easy. Now we have a new generation of millennial social entrepreneurs starting out – inspired by...
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Prescription from the Pulpit: What Pope Francis Teaches Us About Change
This week, many of us are celebrating the religious holidays of Easter and Passover. We have also witnessed the heartbreaking fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral. In this time of change, it reminds me of one of my favorite parables – Moishe and the Pope. Over a century...
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Hot Topics in the Social Sector, Podcast-style
Podcasts are all the rage. According to an annual survey by Infinite Dial, last year 1 in 4 people listened to them. Now, that number has risen to 1 in 3! A few people have asked me to start a podcast, and I strongly considered doing so. But, I have since realized it...
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The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Opportunity Zones
I often encourage my nonprofit clients to think big about the communities they serve and to become a catalyst for new development within these communities (e.g., grocery stores, place-based centers). But, nonprofits are limited in what they alone can do. And,...
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The Five C’s of an Effective Policymaker Meeting
Spring has sprung! We are not only enjoying the weather, but we are also heading to city halls, state capitals and Washington, D.C., to advocate for those we serve. Advocacy isn’t something that comes easily to everyone. I come from a long line of unsung heroes who...
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