The Social Sector often uses basic tools, like hammers and nails to change the world. Instead, we need power tools. 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 motivate and to take action so we can all ultimately 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.
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What is the Difference between Social Innovation, Social Enterprise & Social Entrepreneurship?
I am often asked how I come up with blog topics. To answer, some come from collective client work, some are sparked by life experience and others are inspired by great questions from audience members. Since I’ve been back out doing speeches, workshops and keynotes,...
Starting a Nonprofit: Choose Your Own Adventure Carefully
We are living in unprecedented times. As a result, my team at Social Impact Architects is getting even more calls, emails and social media messages from folks who want to start a nonprofit as a way to help. It reminds me of my favorite books as a kid. Remember those...
How to Spot Your Nonprofit Competition
It’s been 14 years since I graduated from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, but it seems just like yesterday. And I still remember the day I learned one of the most important lessons about competition from an unlikely source – Dave Thomas, the founder of the...
Is Innovation OUT? Is Impact IN? A Candid Discussion 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 a similar discussion, especially post-pandemic – trends show that innovation is out, and impact is in. While...
Top Questions on Strategic Planning
With the new year in full swing, we are getting lots of calls on strategic planning and retreats. We often say that the point of a strategic plan isn’t to create a piece of paper; it is about creating clarity and momentum for your organization. So, we believe this...
2022 Nonprofit Trends: Leaning in on Global Interconnectedness
True friends have an uncanny ability to drop into your life and give you insights when you least expect it. This happened last week when I was catching up with Sommer Neff, a longtime friend and colleague (and a hell of a grant writer, if you need one). We were...
Favorite Inspirations to Celebrate the Holiday Season 2021
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Nonprofit Trends & Inspiration: Top 5 TrendSpotter Favorites of 2021
In August, I got the opportunity to visit Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, where Americans as part of the Allied Invasion landed on June 6, 1944, to liberate Europe. It was a sobering day. Three things struck me: 1) the courage of the men and women on the...
Top Skill for 2022: Emotional Intelligence in the Social Sector Workplace
What is the strongest predictor of success in the workplace in the 21st century? Emotional Intelligence. According to Talent Smart, 58% of success across all roles was tied back to emotional intelligence. In addition, when studying high performers in companies, 9 out...
