Vision vs. Mission: How to Hit the Bullseye of a Perfect Combination
Since everyone is heading back to school, we thought we’d start this blog out with a POP QUIZ! The sentences below are a mix of vision statements and mission statements. Can you tell which is which? Smithville is a vibrant, thriving and self-sustaining community....
How to Manage Change in Your Nonprofit
Summer is filled with highly anticipated superhero movie releases. While superhero epics seem like the Greek mythology of our time, with towering men and women possessing deity-like capabilities to save the world, there is something human in their approach that we as...
Expert Advice on How to Reopen Your Nonprofit
How has nonprofit life changed since the COVID-19 pandemic started? What should change forever? What should be reconsidered? Now that we are close to herd immunity, many nonprofits are tackling big and small questions across all aspects of their organizations about...
Is Your Nonprofit on Life Support? A Financial Check-up for the Social Sector
After our recent national survey and webinar, which we discussed in a recent post, I wanted to dig deeper into the financial results. First, the bad news from the survey – due to COVID-19, 17% of nonprofits reorganized, 13% reduced overhead and 10% postponed...
What You Should Do Instead of Working on a New Nonprofit Strategic Plan This Year
Last Sunday, we sprung forward with Daylight Saving Time. It was a perfect analogy for how many of us are feeling – we have been in a holding pattern for the past year and we are ready to spring forward into 2021. Right now, the No. 1 question I have been hearing is:...
Is Your Nonprofit Sustainable and What Does Nonprofit Sustainability Really Mean?
“Sustainability” has been a buzzword in the social sector for the past few years, but what does it really mean? Everyone agrees that sustainability is an important factor to evaluate the resiliency of social sector organizations, but few have agreed on a simple path...
The Great Nonprofit RESET: Nonprofit Trends & Actions for 2021
Pivot. I imagine you’ve heard or used this word to describe your nonprofit’s activities in the past year. With the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our economy and public health, nonprofits have indeed had to shift quickly to answer the call of their communities....
How to Use Theory of Change to Map Your Nonprofit’s North Star
Finding your direction in the social sector can be daunting. With limited resources and so many competing interests vying for our time and attention, it would be helpful if we had a compass to guide us toward our “north star” of social change – whether it...
Which Strategic Plan is Right for You?
While there are numerous books and websites on strategic planning, the process of developing a plan can seem prescriptive. But, it shouldn’t be that way. Strategy for any organization can be tailored to set forth the ways in which an organization will negotiate its...
Fail Early, Fail Cheaply: 4 Steps to Vetting New Opportunities for Your Organization
Because the social sector is in the business of changing the world, we often have an inclination to see every need or idea as a call to jump into action. The result of taking on too many opportunities comes in the form of mission creep, donor confusion or staff...
