nonprofit field
Hi everyone, as a dashing and debonair nonprofit blogger, I get lots of emails venting about coworkers, from those who leave dishes unwashed for days to those who are passive-aggressive (see “12 types of people who get on everyone’s nerves in nonprofit.”) Our work is very complicated, with so
ED Life
I want to begin today’s post with a story that is truly terrifying. Don’t read this by yourself in the dark: “It was a dark autumn afternoon. Jose, a Program Director, walked into his ED’s office for his annual performance review. Jane’s skin looked pale and
Finance
Hi everyone, I am back in the US after a rough 24-hour trip with a two-year-old that ended with us at US Customs declaring that we had brought back several packages of vegan deer jerky made from soy protein. “I have never heard anyone declaring that before,” said the officer,
nonprofit field
Hi everyone. First off, last week’s post—“When you don’t disclose salary range on a job posting, a unicorn loses its wings”—resonated with lots of people, and was shared nearly 7,000 times on social media [Update: It's now been shared over 40,000 times]
nonprofit field
Hi everyone, I just returned from giving a keynote speech in at the Chatham-Kent Nonprofit Network's annual conference (in Ontario Canada) called “We Are Unicorns: Why Nonprofit Peeps are Awesome, Magnificent, and Downright Sexy.” It was an easy speech to give, since we are all those things, and
Board Relations
Trying to be a good father, I read to my two-year-old son every day. And also feed him daily. Since he turns two this Friday, I thought I would write him some more children's stories. I want to give him a leg-up early just in case he wants
nonprofit field
Hi everyone. I hope you are still in the middle of your break and are catching up on your favorite shows and spending time with your family. Or just sleeping. Our sector needs it, and you deserve it, you sexy smart hardworking nonprofiteer you. I have been off for a
Fundraising
My team, this week will be our organization’s annual fundraising event. These three words have struck fear into the hearts of even the bravest of us since the beginning of time.The intensity of the past fortnight must be acknowledged. I see it on your weary faces, gaunt from
ED Life
Hi everyone. Our computer got infected with a virus, so I couldn't work on my blog post today. I am on a tablet, typing approximately one word per minute. This paragraph has taken one hour so far. I'll put up the post later. Meanwhile... An Executive
ED Life
Hi everyone. For the first time in my eight years with the organization, my board has decided to conduct a performance review. These are two words that send chills up and down every Executive Director’s spine, on par with “budget deficit” and “annual event.” The board had a clandestine
nonprofit field
[Note: The set of creatures originally comprised Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Lion-Turtle. Due to copyright and other reasons, it has been changed.]Most of us in the field have done various “behavioral styles” activities. With so much of our work being relationship-based, it is important for us to understand one
Office Culture
For the past several weeks, VFA has been packing all our stuff and doing other things to move to our new office location. This year, it dawned on me how important work space is. I mean, seriously, we spend like 50% of our time at the office. (In fact, VFA