If you work at a nonprofit, you really need to read this report by the Nonprofit Quarterly. The Nonprofit Quarterly’s Study on (U.S.) Nonprofit and Philanthropic Infrastructure maps and examines the strengths and weaknesses of the network that supports nonprofits and philanthropy in the U.S. The report is even more relevant now considering how the [...]
Paul Schmitz on Lessons Nonprofits Can Learn From Obama Campaign
In a Successful Campaign: Lessons for Nonprofits Written by Paul Schmitz, CEO of Public Allies. Now more than ever, nonprofit organizations need to get ahead of the curve. We have entered a difficult period, when the need for nonprofit services will increase, and resources to pay for these services—public and private—will be constrained. The severity [...]
Pissed Off About Salary Disparities: Washington Post Discussion Keeps it Real
I’m over here reading the live transcript of the Washington Post online dicussion I mentioned about this morning’s article, Crunch Predicted in Nonprofit Sector. The people writing in with questions are really taking the big elephant in the room head on: low nonprofit salaries. It’s so striking and heartbreaking too, to hear these dedicated folks [...]
Make a Criticism Sandwich or How to Give Feedback When You’d Rather Get Your Tooth Pulled
Often one of the prerequisites to formal leadership positions is having the qualifications or experience of managing a staff. However for many people, the thought of telling someone else what to do is even worse than getting their tooth pulled! I’ve heard so many folks in the nonprofit sector lament that if only they were [...]
So You Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’: 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Start Your Own Nonprofit
In the Black community, we have a saying: Don’t start nothin’, won’t be nothin’. What this usually means is that someone is warning you not to push their buttons or otherwise create an unpleasant situation. i.e., if you don’t start a fight, we won’t be forced to finish it. I think this saying applies to [...]
Announcing Thurman Consulting!
I normally hate to see bloggers hawking their consulting services in every blog post, so I’ll just make this one announcement and skedaddle. I just launched Thurman Consulting, where I’m providing practical, authentic, and results-oriented management solutions to organizations working for social change. We’re even on the web! My mission is to help bridge the [...]
