Money Talks, Ethics Walk
I do NOT believe for a moment that breeches of ethics and displays of questionable to unsavory to downright illegal behavior are more plentiful in the nonprofit sector than the for-profit sector. But they do evoke a very different response for me. Sad to say, whenever I read of an ethics violation in the corporate world—of which there have been far too many examples in the last 10 years—I now just shrug my shoulders, and admit to saying, “That’s to be expected,” and then move Read more
Own Your Reputation
How often have you heard: “The only thing we have is our reputation?” You’ve probably heard it from a parent, teacher, advisory, mentor, sales coach—you name it. As it is for individuals, so it is for organizations. The most prized possession an organization has—for profit or nonprofit, though my concern here is only with the latter—is its reputation. So, why oh why would we turn it over to others to manipulate?
It is why I rail so against most nonprofit’s conflict of interest policies, designed to Read more
When Boring is Better
Developing policies are a bore and a waste of precious time. At least that seems to be the thinking of most board members, as demonstrated by the amount of time and energy boards commit to their creation, reliance upon and monitoring. And yet, they are among the most important things a board should be doing as they provide for clarity, increased efficiency and, most importantly, allow the board to ensure that an organization’s values are both practiced and protected. Along the way, they do a Read more
