Disaster Relief Monopoly
Like a tabula rasa, I believe there is no such thing as human nature; rather, each of us is encoded as we as grow and are nurtured. I do, however, believe that the majority of people are basically good. And, when people are suffering, the majority of people want to help. Unfortunately, however, helping is too often reactionary rather than thoughtful. We are seeing the truth of that statement now, in the days after Hurricanes Harvey and the forthcoming Irma.
In the past couple of weeks, Read more
When Nonprofit Boards Fail
Years ago, a colleague said to me, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t drown his sorry ass!” She must have been thinking about nonprofit board members when she said that. I’m reminded of that turn of phrase as I think about all of the wake-up calls nonprofit boards have received over the years and all the near misses they’ve been granted. And, yet, so many still act as if they have no clue what it is they are supposed to be Read more
Check Your Moral Compass
So, what are the challenges of being a leader in the first part of this century? I am sure that every article, presentation, talk, etc. written/presented in the first quarter of a new century that addresses “what it takes to be a leader” (and, no, I did not do a search) at some point says “these times are different: we have a different environment, different values, different needs, etc.” And I am saying the same thing: these are not your grandmothers’ times anymore—or for most Read more
I Give to Charity
How do you say this without coming off like a spoil sport? I really am not in love with all of these “jump on the bandwagon” campaigns and new websites that let you buy whatever you want -from your routine shopping at Sam’s Club to your jewelry and shoes to your home redecorations at special online sites–while giving some percentage of the purchase price to charity.
On the surface, this sounds great. How could I possibly be against that when I call myself a champion of Read more
