Business Planning, Grow, Growth/Scaling Plans, Impact Measurement, Storytelling
Summer always reminds me of one of my family’s favorite pastimes – baseball. When my nephew Alexander was first learning to play, I got a chance to help him practice for a game. At practice, he was struggling with hitting the ball. Eventually, I realized the problem –...
Advocacy/Policy Change, Issue Based Blogs, Organizational Assessments, Retreats, Social Impact Architects, Storytelling, Strategic Planning
I loved Saturday morning cartoons, and one of my favorites was “SchoolHouse Rock” – especially the classic episode “I’m Just a Bill.” Many of us learned how the legislative branch works (or sometimes doesn’t) by watching this episode in our social studies classes....
Communicate, Fundraising, Impact Measurement, Marketing & Communication, Storytelling
If you’ve been feeling a sense of déjà vu, you are not wrong. The Ice Bucket Challenge has returned! This viral phenomenon during the summer of 2014 earned a top spot in the annals of fundraising history for raising more than $115 million for the ALS...
Business Planning, Communicate, Fundraising, Grow, Growth/Scaling Plans, Human Resources, Impact, Lean Start-Up, Marketing & Communication, Organizational Assessments, Organizational Culture, Social Impact Architects, Theory of Change
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for over a decade, but in 2024 it had its breakthrough moment, with discussions about its impact touching every industry, including the nonprofit sector. I first learned about AI at DevLearn in 2019, which inspired our 2020...
Communicate, Evaluation Planning, Impact, Impact Measurement, Program Development, Social Impact Architects, Storytelling
In 2020, The New York Times published a great article, “Social Programs Can Sometimes Turn a Profit for Taxpayers,” bringing Social Return on Investment (SROI) and cost-benefit analyses into the mainstream. In it, Seema Jayachandran, an economics professor at...
Board Development, Business Planning, Communicate, Grow, Lead, Organizational Assessments, Organizational Culture, Storytelling
Remember playing tug-of-war back in school? While its origin is uncertain, it has been around since the 8th century BC as a game of strength and teamwork. The concept is simple, but the strategy behind it is complex – it requires more than just power. True success...