ED Life
It’s been over two months now since I stepped down as an executive director. I wish I could say that, unchained from the shackles of leadership, I would be able to relax and recharge like I had planned. I haven’t been able to yet. I have to unlearn
ED Life
Hi everyone. I have almost exactly one month left before the sun sets on my time as an executive director. (If you want to sound majestic and full of gravitas, just add “the sun sets on [someone]’s time” to anything; for instance, “We have ten minutes before the sun
Donor Relations
Hi everyone, Halloween, my favorite holiday, is this week. So here are some scary stories that are guaranteed to send tingles up your spine. Make sure you don't read these alone. Also, if you're looking for nonprofit-themed Halloween costumes, check out #NonprofitHalloweenCostumes on Twitter ("Dress
ED Life
Hi everyone. This post is long and will deal with a serious topic that may rile you up. Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more of us who are supposed to be on the same “side” attack one another. “We progressives are eating our own” is a refrain I
ED Life
Hi everyone, this blog may have more typos than normal because it is (was) Father’s Day, and instead of spending it writing and “editing,” I hung out with my kids. They are in bed now, so I can finish this post. Before we launch into the subject, though, this
Board Relations
Hi everyone. This post will be longer than normal, so to keep your attention, I've added pictures of pandas. The pandas have nothing to do with the content of this post. They are just pandas. Some of you may know, if you are on our mailing list, that
ED Life
Hi everyone, before we launch into today’s post, my friend Oz recorded my Guided Meditation for Nonprofit Professionals. Check out Oz’s soothing voice as he guides you to the Land of Sustainability in this free 12-minute relaxation exercise. “Breathe in and out […] Your desk is completely clutter-free and
ED Life
Hi everyone, before we get into this week’s post, please take a moment to help people affected by the wildfires in California. Your donations and support in other ways make a difference. -- Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and all of us in the US will likely be
ED Life
This week, I read the Road Block Analysis Report by the Open Road Alliance that shows that the biggest barrier nonprofits face is…our very own funders. In fact, according to the executive summary: “Funder-Created Obstacles make up 46% of the roadblock dataset and include specific obstacles such as a
Donor Relations
Hi everyone. Before we begin today’s blog post , a couple of things. First, please go write a review of a foundation on grantadvisor.org (it’s like a Trip Advisor where you can anonymously review foundations). Second, if you’re an Executive Director or CEO of color, there is
ED Life
Right away, I could tell that the hotel was haunted. Or just really old. The elevator would occasionally bring me to the basement when I pushed the button for the third floor. Sometimes, it would stop on the second floor, and the door would open, but no one would be
Board Relations
Thank you Nonprofit Quarterly for publishing my piece last week on the future of the nonprofit sector. Except for the post on the misuse of the word " literally ," this is probably one of the most important things I've written about in the past four years. Due