When we were first introduced to Sam Brown, it was clear he had a story to tell. The Captain, now retired, has visible burn wounds, something we were aware he had sustained while serving in Afghanistan. The details of how he sustained them – and his journey back home and to recovery – quickly took a back seat to the strategic and operational planning work we did with him and the other leaders of Allies […]
Must Reads
What is a non-profit to do? Diversify: An ongoing conversation.
by Errika Flood-Moultrie
If you take a look at the most recent census projections, the United States is becoming a more ethnically diverse population. As we look at these projections, reaching out to these ethnically diverse populations is not only the right thing for a non-profit, but it is going to become a necessity in order for non-profits to engage these populations in their missions, programs, boards and yes, their development efforts.
The reason this […]
Give Time for Time
by Katie Sirakos
In his blog post on Harvard Business Review’s website, author Anthony Tjan asks readers to reflect on five questions in the context of how we think about our time at work. As we head into 2012, I challenge everyone to think of how Anthony’s questions apply to you and your workday habits.
1. Are you working towards a purpose?
This question centers on our ability to articulate the “ “why” as opposed […]
Tweet That!
by Stepheni Jordan
A recent article in Philanthropy Today, titled “Nonprofits Are Expected to Use Social Media During Disasters,” touched on the idea of keeping a close watch on social media outlets in the time of disaster. The article reports that today’s American appears to expect nonprofit organizations that provide disaster aid to consistently check and respond to requests for help and information that are submitted to those organizations via Facebook, Twitter and other social network […]
Spaced Out
by Katie Sirakos
When was the last time you heard someone say something positive about life in a cubicle?
In a September 2011 article, “Vision Statement: High-Performance Office Space,” Harvard Business Review authors write of the transition one large organization, pharmaceutical company Lilly, made from a traditional “cube farm” (a.k.a. cubicle-laden) office layout to an open plan design. The authors state traditional cubicle office plans have “significant drawbacks, according to the workplace-strategy consultancy Lilly hired, […]
The Emerging Capital Market for Nonprofits
Old view: every (_____) years, our nonprofit organization runs a capital campaign to a) build a new building, b) fix the building we built during the last capital campaign, c) try to persuade donors to “invest” their money in our endowment fund. In between campaigns, we manage as best we can…
New view: our nonprofit/social benefit company continuously requires capital investment to: a) strengthen our ability to produce, analyze, and consume outcome data, b) research […]
Improving Development Team Performance: Talent Analytics are Key
In a recent article in the Harvard Business Journal (October 2010 issue) authors Davenport, Harris, and Shapiro take a look at “people performance” as it directly relates to profit at high performing companies. What they found is not surprising for Best Buy, Google, and Comcast, but could be groundbreaking in the area of grooming and retaining talent in advancement offices in the social sector. For nonprofit organizations suffering from high turnover of development professionals, the […]
What is Strategy?
Vision, mission, core purpose, goals, objectives, strategies, tactics, performance measures, core competencies, BHAGs, SWOT analyses…?! The world of strategic planning is awash with terms that are widely circulated, inconsistently used, and often misunderstood. In this classic paper, Harvard professor Michael Porter presents what may be the clearest explanation of strategy available to nonprofit leadership.
Click here to access What is Strategy and let us know what you think!
Discovering Your Core Purpose
Before Good to Great, before Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras gave the world the Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal — the BHAG — in the Harvard Business Review article Building Your Company’s Vision. This is one of the most clarifying models we have encountered for building a powerful, shared vision for an organization’s future — an absolute must-read for nonprofit leaders!
Click here to access Building Your Company’s Vision and […]
The Hard Work of Measuring Social Impact
Measuring outcomes and social impact is one of the most important and difficult challenges facing nonprofit leaders. In this article, the roles of a nonprofit organization’s “Theory of Change” and strategy are discussed in the context of the cost/benefit. Measuring impact is complex, and it isn’t free. Here is some thinking on where and how to focus your organization’s efforts to measure social impact.
