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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Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Why Belonging May Be the Next Frontier in Community Design
Long before loneliness became a public health concern, the television show “Cheers” reminded us of something timeless. At its heart, it was never really about a neighborhood bar. It was about having a place where people recognized you, welcomed you and noticed when...
An Emerging Trend in Nonprofit Leadership: Professional Interim Leadership
One of the greatest joys of my work is traveling across the country to speak at conferences and to learn alongside nonprofit leaders tackling some of our sector's biggest challenges. I always come home with new ideas worth exploring. One topic that recently caught my...
Giving USA 2026: Winning Donors Through Head, Heart and Hands
As Americans celebrate Independence Day and our nation’s 250th birthday this weekend, I’ve been reflecting on one of the qualities that has always made our country unique. Nearly 200 years ago, French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville traveled across the United...
From Strategic Planning to Action: How Nonprofits Turn Vision Into Execution
This spring, we celebrated NASA’s Artemis II mission, and the return of humans traveling around the moon. Watching the capsule land safely down back on Earth reminded of something important: NASA did not reach this point through vision alone. The mission succeeded...
How Nonprofits Can Get Ahead of Economic Uncertainty
One of the hardest parts of nonprofit leadership is making decisions without having all the information. Should we hire now or wait? Should we launch the new program or build reserves? Should we invest in technology or hold onto cash? Leaders rarely get certainty...
Avoiding Analysis Paralysis: Market Research in the Age of AI
I love to travel. It’s not just about the trip itself. I also love planning the trip. Give me a destination, a cup of tea and a few hours to research, and I am a happy camper. Right now, I am digging into a trip to Scotland next year. A few years ago, I wrote a blog...
Top Questions on Strategic Planning (and the Answers Nonprofits Actually Need)
Too many nonprofits spend months creating a strategic plan only to place it on a shelf beside last year's annual report and forgotten board materials. But the goal of strategic planning is not to produce paperwork. It is to create clarity, alignment and momentum for...
How Can Nonprofits Build Trust Through Radical Accountability?
Every few months, another nonprofit headline grabs attention for the wrong reasons: questions about executive compensation, concerns about donor dollars, leadership misconduct or organizations making bold claims without clearly explaining the impact behind them. Most...
Success, Significance and My Next Adventure
One of the conversations I often have with students is about the difference between success and significance. Success is often individual and something you achieve alone. Significance is shared and always involves other people. Success asks: “What did I accomplish?”...