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.
More Than Marketing: Storytelling Is the Shot of Adrenaline Your Nonprofit Needs
Spring has sprung, and it is just what many of us in the social sector need to re-energize our efforts. Spring inspires us to think about new possibilities, adventures and dreams and encourages us to take steps toward positive change. One change we have noticed is...
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Snag Talent with a Bit O’ Irish Luck
This week, we embrace wishes for good luck as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Those of us who work in the nonprofit sector feel lucky beyond St. Patrick’s Day because of the many intangible rewards that come with our line of work. But, we also know, as the...
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Lessons from Dr. Seuss on the Power of Storytelling
Last week, children and adults alike celebrated Dr. Seuss Day in classrooms across America. I got to visit an elementary school and read my favorite Dr. Seuss book – Oh, the Places You’ll Go! – to an enraptured audience of young learners. As Dr. Seuss...
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Want to Stand Out from the Crowd? Social Marketing Lessons from “Don’t Mess with Texas”
Saturday is Texas Independence Day – when Texans signed a declaration of independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas. To this day, Texans are fiercely independent, which is why our unofficial state slogan, “Don’t Mess With Texas,” has...
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5 Leadership Lessons from Coach K
For those of you who are familiar with Social Impact Architects, you already know that many of our team members are graduates of Duke University. So, we were really excited last week when Coach K became the all-time winningest coach in college basketball....
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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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