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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Lessons from Dr. Seuss on the Power of Storytelling
On March 2, children and adults alike celebrated Dr. Seuss Day in classrooms across America. I love 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 taught us,...
Want to Stand Out from the Crowd? Social Marketing Lessons from “Don’t mess with Texas”
Saturday was 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 resonated with so...
15 Years and Counting: Making Social Impact the Bottom Line
Fifteen years ago, I started Social Impact Architects with one disruptive goal: to reimagine nonprofit consulting. As every social entrepreneur does, I started with the problem. Based on my experience and research, I identified key issues in the nonprofit-consultant...
Email Etiquette: 5 Strategies for Clear, Concise Communication
When I grew up, we had a party line phone, and it was expensive to call people. So, you had to really think about what you wanted to say and be as concise as possible. Fast forward to today – calls, texts and emails are free. With that freedom, something has gotten...
Boost Your Nonprofit Donor Engagement with the 5 Love Languages
Valentine’s Day was yesterday, and love is in the air! While it is commonplace to celebrate your loved ones on this day, more social sector organizations are using this day to celebrate supporters and employees. For some inspiration, my friends and fellow consultants,...
Managing Nonprofit Conflict Resolution by Inviting Dissent in Decision-Making
The media was abuzz last week with the "Wheel of Fortune" – "Pink Orchid" debate. It nearly broke the Internet with a million views in two days as people watched and rewatched Megan Carvale guess the puzzle with five blank letters: P_N_/_RC_ _D. Whether you hear “Pink...
Can Nonprofits Lobby? The Answer is YES!
Each year in February, state legislative sessions begin across the country. It is an exciting time and opportunity for nonprofits – with new possibilities for proactive policy change to better address social issues in our communities. Whenever I discuss this the...
Q&A on Successful Nonprofit Collaboration
I just had lunch with a dear friend who asked me a question I often hear as a teacher, consultant and community advocate: “Why is collaboration so hard?” I laughed a little and then explained it was the same reason why personal relationships are difficult. People go...
How Nonprofits Can Start a Sustainable Social Enterprise in Four Steps
The start of a new year is an excellent time to contemplate new ideas. Based on our latest Megatrends webinar (video + slides coming soon!), one of the top ideas that nonprofits are considering in 2024 is starting (or expanding) a social enterprise...
