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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Can We Really Cut Child Poverty in Half?
I love moonshot goals – probably a carryover from my obsession with space exploration as a child. So, when President Biden first announced his goal to cut child poverty in half – I was all in and wanted to develop a community-based roadmap to make this happen in a...
Solving Social Issues in the Biden Era
Like many of you, after every presidential speech and opposition rebuttal, I am struck with two feelings: 1) inspiration for the power of prose in presenting new ideas and 2) bias toward action. I could not fall asleep last night with ideas and possibilities swirling...
How to Build an Inclusive Board
In 2020, every board we worked with was asking the same question – how do we as a board truly commit to racial equity and social justice? Last summer we wrote a post, “7 Actions Nonprofits Can Take to Be Anti-Racist Organizations” with some ideas that we have...
Top Tips for Mastering Nonprofit Logic Models
During COVID-19, everyone went into baking mode. Last year, it was all about banana bread. This year, for my family, it is about the best homemade ice cream for our upcoming Memorial Day Bash. We have a family recipe, but I wanted to kick it up a notch. I reimagined...
5 Tips to Hit a Social Business Pitch out of the Park
Spring always reminds me of one of my family’s favorite pastimes – baseball. When my nephew Alexander 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 finally...
What You Should Do Instead of Working on a New Nonprofit Strategic Plan This Year
Last Sunday, we sprung forward with Daylight Saving Time. It was a perfect analogy for how many of us are feeling – we have been in a holding pattern for the past year and we are ready to spring forward into 2021. Right now, the No. 1 question I have been hearing is:...
Is Your Nonprofit Sustainable and What Does Nonprofit Sustainability Really Mean?
“Sustainability” has been a buzzword in the social sector for the past few years, but what does it really mean? Everyone agrees that sustainability is an important factor to evaluate the resiliency of social sector organizations, but few have agreed on a simple path...
The Great Nonprofit RESET: Nonprofit Trends & Actions for 2021
Pivot. I imagine you’ve heard or used this word to describe your nonprofit’s activities in the past year. With the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our economy and public health, nonprofits have indeed had to shift quickly to answer the call of their communities....
9 Lessons from a Founding Father of Social Enterprise
I knew of Jerr Boschee long before I met him – he is a legend in the social enterprise space. I now am lucky enough to count him as a close friend and mentor. A standout in the field, he has held many noteworthy positions throughout his career. He is a former CEO...
