The presidential election has become—quite unfortunately—a daily case study in crisis communications. Nearly every day this fall—and sometimes more than once a day—one or both of the major candidates has been forced to respond to a crisis, whether it’s negative news about his or her past with the release of damning audio or leaked emails,…
Retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal knows a lot about leadership. And this former Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. troops in Afghanistan has already shared his wisdom with the military, corporate clients, high government officials and readers of his management book, "Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World."…
Nonprofit CEOs may play an invaluable role in changing the world, but they still make less than their for-profit counterparts. The average nonprofit CEO makes a little more than $120,000 a year, according to the 2016 Charity CEO Compensation Study by Charity Navigator. The exact figure is $123,362, taken from an analysis of tax filings…
Last week, I had the pleasure of talking to someone who runs one of the largest direct marketing programs in the nonprofit industry. This program is not just massive from a revenue perspective, but also from a complexity perspective. Running this program is a large job. So, I asked how she manages to keep her finger on everything. She told me about the "wall exercise"...
If you find yourself in the discussion of new money or “what have you done for me lately, major gift officer,” then, hopefully, the content of this post will be helpful to you. If nothing else, I hope it will serve as a reminder to seriously value the good donors who are currently in your care. They are good people who have made a commitment to you. They deserve your careful attention, respect and love. Let me explain...
Tragedy has hit Haiti—again. Local officials put the death toll from Hurricane Matthew above 1,000, and a cholera epidemic is likely to drive that number higher. At the center of the devastation, in the rural western part of the country, homes have been shredded by fierce winds and crops have been wiped out. Residents, who…
I was sitting in my office the other day when a staff member wanted to meet with me. This individual came in to submit his resignation—he had taken a position at a different institution. I had hired this person and it was a joy to work with this individual. This employee has all of the…
Ever had a fundraising goal “handed” to you out of the blue? I bet you have, and you’re not alone. But that doesn’t make it right. I’m sick of development directors being expected to perform miracles. And that’s generally what’s happening when their fundraising goal is created without their input. When that happens, I know…
Change is certainly happening within the nonprofit sector and the philanthropy that funds it. From efforts to make philanthropy better at addressing inequity, to movement away from the overhead myth (and other myths), we are witnessing important shifts in how we tackle (and fund that tackling of) social challenges. But I’m hungry for more. And more could emerge from honest and transparent conversations about…
One million high school students across the U.S. who lack internet access will receive a tablet, laptop or smartphone on loan from Sprint to help them complete homework assignments, the network announced on Tuesday. The devices will serve as part of a pilot program Sprint has created to help close the gap on internet inequality.…
