Hoping for the Best While Preparing for the Worst: Nonprofit Risk Management Q&A with former Secret Service Agent James Savage
As businesses reopen around the country, the question on every social sector CEO’s mind right now is – when should we open? What is the right thing to do for our employees, customers and clients? I sat down with my good friend and colleague, James “Jim” Savage, to...
Q&A on COVID-19
I got the news late last week that my social entrepreneurship class was postponed due to COVID-19, so I decided to share my lesson in today’s special blog, which includes many questions I have been receiving from clients.Whether you are a young entrepreneur just...
If You Can Write a Grant, You CAN Write a Nonprofit Business Plan
Earlier this week, one of my favorite management gurus, former CEO of GE Jack Welch, passed away. On my bookshelf is my well-worn copy of “Winning.” I bought this book before business school, and it gave me many gems that I used there and during my time at the...
A Check-Up for Your Nonprofit: Avoiding Organizational Decline or Failure
We have all done it. We wait until we absolutely have to go to the doctor when we are feeling poorly. But, delaying medical care until you are in severe pain can lead to an urgent trip to the emergency room, large medical bills and, at best, a lengthy recovery. The...
Where is Your Organization in the Nonprofit Lifecycle? Why All Nonprofits Need This Crucial Piece of the Puzzle
As another year comes to a close and we explore possibilities for the next, I find that many executives and board members are reflecting on the “state of their organization.” I was recently asked by a client about the best way to determine where to focus energies in...
Social Alchemy: Transforming Problems into Social Change
My favorite graduation gift is the bestselling book, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I share it with anyone I can, because it speaks to all of us who want to find our own destiny. As one of the mentors tells the protagonist, Santiago, “When you really want something...
Top Questions on Social Enterprise
Last week, I was thrilled to teach students seeking Duke’s Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership, offered each October, for the ninth time. (They may have been the best class so far!)It doesn’t feel like fall until I get to share my hard-won wisdom from being...
How to Review Executive Director/CEO Performance
Governance expert John Carver was famous for saying “organizational performance is synonymous with chief executive performance.” In other words, if an organization is performing well, the CEO must be good. And, if an organization is performing poorly, it is the CEO’s...
How Nonprofit Leaders Can Ensure Every Part of Their Organization Advances Social Change
We have achieved a landmark shift in our culture – corporations are joining nonprofits in the effort to create positive social change. What started with conscious capitalism and Benefit Corporations has now rippled into full-blown philanthropic efforts by Fortune 500...
Can Your Nonprofit Manage a Crisis? Follow These 5 Tips to Hold onto Your Halo in a Crisis
As professionals in the social sector committed to doing good, we’d like to think we’re immune to public relations crises. But, just like corporations, socially minded businesses and nonprofit organizations are susceptible to events, be they natural...
