Business Planning, Business Planning, Collaborate, Feasibility Studies, Grow, Growth/Scaling Plans, Organizational Assessments, Program Development, Social Enterprise, Social Impact Architects, Strategic Planning
Because the social sector is in the business of changing the world, we often are inclined to see every need or idea as a call to action. The result of taking on too many opportunities comes in the form of mission creep, donor confusion or staff burnout. Research...
Business Planning, Organizational Assessments, Program Development, Social Impact Architects
When I visited South Africa, Kruger National Park had an exploding elephant population. They had to move many of elephants to a nearby wildlife refuge, but they only had equipment to move the smaller ones – the females and the young. They couldn’t move the adult males...
Evaluation Planning, Impact, Impact Measurement, Organizational Assessments, Program Development, Social Impact Architects
When you travel outside the United States, you get an opportunity to reflect and be inspired by what you experience. My recent travel as well as the recent news of migrants coming to the United States to “achieve the American dream” has made me reflect on where we are...
Board Development, Feasibility Studies, Grow, Growth/Scaling Plans, Impact, Lean Start-Up, Organizational Assessments, Program Development, Social Impact Architects, Strategic Planning
As the pandemic becomes more manageable and we explore possibilities for the future, I find that many executives and board members are reflecting on the “state of their organization.” Many are asking the question: “Where do we go from here?” I was recently asked by a...
Grow, Growth/Scaling Plans, Impact, Impact Measurement, Logic Model Development, Organizational Assessments, Program Development
When I started with the nonprofit Phoenix House right out of college, I was an idealist. I pursued any program and every grant that would help our clients. I believed success would come from the quantity of grants submitted. Now, with nearly three decades of...
Client Flow/Design Thinking, Evaluation Planning, Impact, Impact Measurement, Lean Start-Up, Logic Model Development, Program Development, Theory of Change
At a recent forum, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria was asked the ONE thing that children need to learn. His answer? “Intellectual discipline.” He defined it as the ability to wade through noise, discern the facts, analyze findings and form a point of view. We echo this sentiment...
