Social Trendspotter Weekly Blog
Is Innovation OUT? Is Impact IN? A Candid Discussion for the Social Sector
Food critics and bloggers are constantly rating what is in and what is out. (In case you are wondering: sour is in, bitter is out.) The social sector is having a similar discussion, especially post-pandemic – trends show that innovation is out, and impact is in. While...
Top Questions on Strategic Planning
With the new year in full swing, we are getting lots of calls on strategic planning and retreats. We often say that the point of a strategic plan isn’t to create a piece of paper; it is about creating clarity and momentum for your organization. So, we believe this...
2022 Nonprofit Trends: Leaning in on Global Interconnectedness
True friends have an uncanny ability to drop into your life and give you insights when you least expect it. This happened last week when I was catching up with Sommer Neff, a longtime friend and colleague (and a hell of a grant writer, if you need one). We were...
Favorite Inspirations to Celebrate the Holiday Season 2021
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Nonprofit Trends & Inspiration: Top 5 TrendSpotter Favorites of 2021
In August, I got the opportunity to visit Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, where Americans as part of the Allied Invasion landed on June 6, 1944, to liberate Europe. It was a sobering day. Three things struck me: 1) the courage of the men and women on the...
Top Skill for 2022: Emotional Intelligence in the Social Sector Workplace
What is the strongest predictor of success in the workplace in the 21st century? Emotional Intelligence. According to Talent Smart, 58% of success across all roles was tied back to emotional intelligence. In addition, when studying high performers in companies, 9 out...
Reasons We Are Thankful
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Need Help with Market Research? Try Secondary Research First
I just binge-watched the Hulu crime comedy, Only Murders in the Building, which is a series built around Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short solving a murder in their building. Detective stories, legal thrillers, murder mysteries – have you ever thought about...
The 5 C’s of Employee Retention
One of my favorite things this time of year is hearing the results from Merriam-Webster on the new words of year. In 2021, they focused on our new professional world. Digital nomad, co-working and gig worker all topped the list. We have also heard about new trends,...
Show Me the Money: Turning Donors into Investors Through Your Annual Appeal
Countdowns to the holidays have already begun showing up as memes on social media. Of course, in the social sector, that means we are already working on our year-end appeals. In the coming month, we will collectively send out millions of solicitations to help reach...
