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.
We love when the best “Social TrendSpotters” – you – share your experiences, observations and suggestions with us. Share your ideas here, and follow us on Facebook (@socialimpactarchitects), LinkedIn (@social-impact-architects),Twitter (@socialtrendspot) or Instagram (@socialtrendspot) for our latest posts and other insights.
Are Nonprofits in the Customer Service Business?
We have all experienced bad customer service. Now with Twitter, we witness our friends’ bad customer service experiences, too. Frustrating and infuriating for the customer, bad customer service can also ruin a brand. And, unfortunately, it isn’t unique to...
Spinning Your Wheels? Tips for Avoiding the Activity Trap in the Social Sector
Every now and then, I feel like I’m caught in a human hamster wheel – racing from meeting to meeting, but wondering afterward – what did I really accomplish? When this happens, I pick up one of of my favorite, well-worn books, The Time Trap by R. Alec...
How Can Nonprofits be Agile?
I remember the first time I heard the word “agile” used in a business context. I was intrigued by it and how it was being used by a group of software developers in the IT sector to revolutionize their industry. They wanted to find a better way to manage the process of...
Hot Nonprofit Trends for Summer 2018
July 4th is my favorite holiday – everyone comes together united in celebration for our country, connected to our family and friends, and reminded of our collective past as immigrants and pioneers forging ahead to build a better world. With Fourth of July celebrations...
Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Risk Management in the Social Sector
"When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." - John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy’s quote about crisis representing danger as well as opportunity is absolutely true. The headlines...
Playing the Long Game: Best Practices for Fighting Poverty
Like many Americans, my eyes were glued last week to the Olympic women’s halfpipe snowboarding event, watching 17-year-old American Chloe Kim defy physics with back-to-back 1080s (three full rotations) and a nearly perfect score of 98.25. Even more...
3 Olympic Leadership Lessons
When you think of the Olympics, a number of images come to mind — gold medals, athletes at the top of their game and patriotism. I was honored to attend the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Nothing prepared me for experiencing the Olympics in real-time in...
The New Tax Law: How It Will Impact Your Nonprofit Organization and 5 Solutions to Mitigate Your Risk
While many of us were awaiting a well-deserved holiday break, we started to hear rumblings of the possible unintended consequences of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 for nonprofit organizations. Some think that charitable giving was overlooked in the final...
2018 Nonprofit Trends: Focusing on Collaboration
I’ve been reading a biography about Steve Jobs and came across a story I loved and wanted to share. Steve Jobs lived down the street from an elderly man who took an interest in him and shared life lessons with him. One day, he asked Jobs to come into his garage, and...
