Navigating Nonprofit Megatrends: Strategies for a Shifting Landscape
Change is all around us – political, social, technological and even generational. Many sociologists say we are at an 80-year shift. Similar to the monumental shift from horse and buggy to automobiles, the very way we live is changing and it is impacting every...
15 Years and Counting: Making Social Impact the Bottom Line
Fifteen years ago, I started Social Impact Architects with one disruptive goal: to reimagine nonprofit consulting. As every social entrepreneur does, I started with the problem. Based on my experience and research, I identified key issues in the nonprofit-consultant...
Managing Nonprofit Conflict Resolution by Inviting Dissent in Decision-Making
The media was abuzz last week with the "Wheel of Fortune" – "Pink Orchid" debate. It nearly broke the Internet with a million views in two days as people watched and rewatched Megan Carvale guess the puzzle with five blank letters: P_N_/_RC_ _D. Whether you hear “Pink...
How Opportunity Assessments Can Help Nonprofits Size up New Opportunities
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...
Ideas to Impact: How Social Entrepreneurs Think About 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 to...
Tips for Combating Leadership Fatigue in the Social Sector
I think I speak for all of us when I say that this year has gone by in a flash – how is it September already? This year has presented some unexpected challenges with the twists and turns of the economy, politics and extreme weather incidents. As dedicated social...
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...
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...
Top Questions on Social Enterprise
I am thrilled to share to that I have been hired as consultant and facilitator for the 2023 Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership Program. In this role, I will be leading Duke’s Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership for working professionals. I have taught...
Easy Steps to Change Management in Your Nonprofit
Summer is always filled with highly anticipated superhero movie releases, with towering men and women possessing superhuman capabilities to save the world. These superhero epics offer much in their approach that we as social sector warriors can leverage for our own...
