What We’re Learning
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The Diversity Problem in Our Sector
Nonprofits have a diversity problem. Big time.
One reason for this is that we’re not doing a good enough job developing a diverse leadership pipeline, especially when it comes to leaders of color (and…
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A Graphic Re-visioning of Nonprofit Overhead
Most nonprofit leaders agree that we need a new way to communicate about the true costs of our programs and the vital importance of strong organizational infrastructure. But we have not yet developed…
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Why Art and Music Matter in the Fight for Social Justice
In my conversations with folks from arts and music organizations these past few years, though, I sense some existential angsts. A colleague asked me, “People are wondering what…
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The Diversity Problem in Our Sector
Nonprofits have a diversity problem. Big time. One reason for this is that we’re not doing a good enough job developing a diverse leadership pipeline, especially when it comes to leaders of color…
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Collaboration for Social Change
What We’re Learning
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Maximizing Nonprofit Internal Controls: An Essential Guide for Even the Most Pure
Whether your nonprofit is more like an intimate family or an enormous well-oiled machine, fraud can occur, and when it happens, it can damage your reputation, relationships…
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Few would argue against the notion that boards of directors are supposed to represent the interests of “owners.” Yet, despite the intuitive importance of specifying ownership, over 70 percent of nonprofit board members interviewed regarding…
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A Master Class for Philanthropy in Listening
Throughout America today, headlines reveal political division, racial animus, and horrific episodes of gun violence sparked by xenophobic ideology. Along comes a new show on PBS — Family Pictures USA — that portrays a…
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READY? SET? GO?
One of the most frequently-asked questions we hear at CNE is “how do I start a nonprofit”? From personal experience to perceived community need to a desire to share resources, people consider starting a nonprofit organization for…
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How to Capture the Support of Younger Donors
We’ve entered a period in philanthropy that is governed by a new set of gravitational forces. Sweeping innovations ushered in by the Information Age have produced a generation of
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Unbalanced: A Map of Nonprofit Stakeholders
It goes without saying that nonprofits take many different shapes and forms, but all have a variety of stakeholders—that is, individuals and entities with a stake in their work, either because it can…
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Ignite Your Board Members’ Passion
Imagine this. Your gala is three weeks away, and even accounting for last-minute registrations, you are well below target. You review the list of table captains. The poorest performers? Five of your board members….
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Should Your CEO Serve as a Board Member?
The Nonprofit Ethicist weighed in on the question of executive directors serving as board members of the nonprofits they lead. In short, the Nonprofit Ethicist didn’t like it.
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What We’re Reading
12 Reasons Why You Should Gracefully Resign from a Nonprofit Board
Are you a valuable and valued board member for a nonprofit? If not, a graceful resignation and reassignment may be good for you and the organization.
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How College Towns Could Benefit More from Throngs of Student Volunteers
Millions of college students volunteer at soup kitchens, animal shelters and other nonprofits near where they go to school. The arrangement gives these young adults valuable experience that…
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This Nonprofit Job Board Requires Decent Wages
“If we want to talk about living wage, we have to do more than talk; we have to actually do something.” This statement may sound like it comes from a nonprofit…
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Where Have All the Donors Gone?
Not every trend is worth wringing your hands about. And one of those is how much money people give globally or nationally. This article is about the trend everyone in the social benefit…
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Watching “When They See Us”: Reflections as a White Woman in Nonprofit Leadership
When we watch a truly great film, especially one about real, unspeakable events that happened in plain view, like Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, our watching…
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How Reverse Mentoring Can Lead to More Equitable Workplaces
To establish more diversity, equity, and inclusion across sectors, we need to reimagine the traditional mentor and mentee relationship to shift power to younger and less experienced colleagues who possess…
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More for Members
What We’re Reading
Tito’s Vodka Gives Its Employees the Power to Choose Charities
The company gives each worker a budget to support nonprofits. It has limited its marketing budget in favor of giving more away to good causes.
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The Nascent Nonprofit Organization—What Happens Before a Nonprofit is Born
Is thinking about starting a new nonprofit organization enough to say that a new nonprofit has been created? Is gathering information or talking to people about starting a new…
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What We’re Reading
Vacation Tips For Nonprofit Professionals Who Suck at Vacationing
If you are terrible at relaxing and recharging on vacation, perhaps some of these tips may help. Or not! Thank you to the colleagues who provided them, some while they…
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Giving Drops Despite Advisors Pitching it More
Almost every metric monitored by the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) decreased during the first quarter of 2019, leading to concerns about the growth of charitable giving for the rest of…
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