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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How Nonprofit Conflict Management Can Create Better Results
With spring here, communities across the United States are experiencing severe weather. Our hearts go out to communities in Mississippi that were hit hard last week by an EF-4 tornado. I take heart though, knowing that immediately after these storms, nonprofits and...
How to Review Nonprofit CEO Performance
Governance expert John Carver was famous for saying “organizational performance is synonymous with chief executive performance.” In other words, if an organization is performing well, the CEO must be good. And if an organization is performing poorly, it is the CEO’s...
How Nonprofits Can Get the Best Talent
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 Roman...
The True Obstacle to Hybrid Work: Productivity Paranoia
Many folks ask how I decide on blogs – the truth is ideas for topics come from many sources, but every once in a while I have a blog in mind and someone just writes it for me. That is the case with this article by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky and longtime colleague Agnes...
Why Corporate Social Responsibility Is Good for Business
In my Social Entrepreneurship class, I share with my students a continuum that places for-profit companies on the left and charitable organizations on the right. In recent years, for-profit companies and nonprofit companies have been moving toward the middle of the...
Is Your Nonprofit Ready for an Executive Transition? A Quick Guide for Nonprofit Succession Planning
In John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, he said: “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are...
Looking for the Perfect Match? 4 Nonprofit Interview Tips for Hiring the Right Employees
Happy Valentine’s Week! Since the nonprofit sector is in a hiring frenzy, we decided to share our hints on hiring employees, online dating-style. The best dating apps connect people looking for long-term relationships and match them based on compatibility. In making a...
Top Nonprofit Marketing Mistakes That Cost Money
One of my favorite days of the year is Super Bowl Sunday. The big game is not the only reason the day is interesting – the commercials are always a highlight. In my college courses, my students and I analyze Super Bowl commercials to find both good and bad examples of...
Why Failure Leads to Nonprofit Resilience and Success
With the Super Bowl right around the corner, one thing is certain: both teams will try hard, but one team will win and one team will lose. In fact, Tom Brady, who has been in more Super Bowls than any other player, won seven times but lost three times. Recently, he...