Social Trendspotter Weekly Blog
Q&A on Nonprofit Mergers, Acquisitions and Exits
Everything changed two years ago – so much so, many futurists, including myself, shifted gears from long-range planning to week-to-week survival. Now, as the country begins to get back to “normal,” we have begun shifting back to long-term planning. For nonprofits, the...
Boost Your Nonprofit’s Advocacy Through Coalition Building and Grassroots Campaigns
Late summer and early fall are opportune times to reach out and connect to elected officials, since many federal policymakers will be home for August recess and most state policymakers will be gearing up for legislative sessions. There are many reasons to start...
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Board Members
Now that school is back in session, nonprofit boards will be meeting regularly and gearing up for the fall season of Giving Days, annual letters and strategic planning. Did you know that the Latin root for governance (gubernare) means to guide or pilot a ship? It is a...
Nonprofit Board Icebreaker
Due to summer vacations and COVID-19, we know many boards need some help not only getting acquainted but staying the course together. To that end, we wanted to share one of our favorite ways to accomplish this task – the game of BINGO. We use it two ways: as an...
Stand Out From the Crowd: Develop a Unique Value Proposition
With Giving Days coming soon all over the country, you may be asking yourself – how do some nonprofits make it seem so easy to raise money? They have one marketing trick in common – they use a unique value proposition, tailored to their donors. Every marketing...
5 Easy Steps to Boost Your Organization’s Performance Through Core Values
We are always on the lookout for positive trends, especially from the for-profit space, to incorporate into nonprofit settings. Recently, we have heard a lot about great corporate cultures like those of Zappos and technology companies. When we dissect what makes these...
Is Your Nonprofit Guilty of Neglecting Vision, Mission and Values?
Henry David Thoreau was spot on: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” When I work alongside social sector organizations, this is where I start. For me, the foundation of...
Quiz: Is Your Nonprofit Organization Resilient?
When I was growing up in rural Texas, my favorite tree was a tall willow in the backyard. I loved to climb it and spend hours reading in its branches. But I also loved to watch it sway in the wind, especially during a wild Texas thunderstorm. It never mattered how...
Hot Nonprofit Trends for Summer 2022
We are officially in the “dog days” of summer. Interestingly, this phrase refers to the sultry days of summer and came from the Romans, who associated it with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the “dog star” because it was the brightest star in the...
All You Need to Know about Charitable Giving Trends from Giving USA 2022 Results
At the end of 2021, readers of The Boston Globe were asked to describe the year – the top word: "exhausting," followed by "rollercoaster." One reader noted that there were "some highs and lots of lows." Each year since 1956, social sector leaders anxiously await the...
