Checking the Headlines
When you grow up in a family where both parents are journalists, headlines are important. One of my sisters actually thought in headlines: whenever she did anything, good or bad, she’d write the headline in her head and then she’d tell my parents. Perhaps it is why I enjoy the “virtual clipping services” that gather the headlines on a daily basis and send them to me (and everyone else who subscribes). From a headline, I can quickly see what is going on in the world Read more
The Frivolous…The Dumb…and the Ugly
The Nonprofit Center was founded in 1981 as part of La Salle University’s School of Business by a businessman and a business academic who were well ahead of the curve. Both were steeped in the nonprofit sector and, thus, straddled both worlds. They saw the need for nonprofits to operate more like businesses, in some areas, and that there were valuable lessons that nonprofits could learn from the for-profit sector. Hence we landed in the School of Business, a rather atypical place for a Center 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
Red (or Pink) in the Face
None of us likes having egg on our face. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is currently wearing it big time. As they attempt to regroup from a series of recent blunders, we can look at the Komen example and learn from it.
First mistake: think very, very, very carefully before hiring someone who has recently run for, and lost, political office. Or, for that matter, someone who is stepping down from political office. Politics have never been for the weak-willed or mild- mannered. And while Read more
February 10th, 2012 0 Comment Creative Genius from Hardship?
As the media begins to warm up to the end-of-the-year giving frenzy when we see the annual stories on what should a donor look for in judging a nonprofit, we can expect to see coverage of salaries of nonprofit leaders, questioning if certain executive directors make way too much. (Well, maybe, if nonprofit leaders full of themselves hadn’t decided they needed to be called CEO instead of Executive Director they would have flown more below the radar. What’s in a name, anyway?) I’ve stopped counting Read more
