Leading with Purpose

Are all nonprofits, by definition, social justice organizations?  This is a question that I pose to students in the Masters in Nonprofit Leadership program.  It is followed by questions like:  given that our purpose is to work on behalf [of some portion] of the public good, does that mean we should all also be working for social, environmental, civil, etc., justice?  Or, is the job of working for justice in whatever area fall only to those organizations with that explicitly in their missions?

Now, think about Read more

January 10th, 2019 0 Comment

Giving by Generation

Conflicting data about fundraising is, unfortunately, nothing new.  It is akin to the data on drinking alcohol:  don’t do it; do it in moderation for certain health benefits.  Nor is it new to feel overwhelmed by all the data, even when it isn’t conflicting.  So when three different sources predict that 2018 donations will fall because of last year’s changes to the standard deduction, people pay attention.

The American Enterprise Institute, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Tax Policy Center have all said that Read more

June 28th, 2018 0 Comment

Maximizing Trust

This is the season of hope, so let me share some findings from recent studies that give me hope.

The recent American Express “Perspectives on Nonprofits” survey found that 71% of Americans trust nonprofits to address our most pressing issues more than they do government or industry.

Think about that for a minute.  The Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy found that 94% of wealthy families believe that nonprofits can solve the world’s problems.  Such confidence in our sector!  Are you maximizing that potential?

And the third biennial Read more

December 10th, 2010 0 Comment