Author Archives: Regular Contributor
Talkin’ ‘bout my generation: How do different generations approach their charitable giving?
March 22, 2020The differences between generations has been a popular topic in recent years – and with good reason. The five adult generations currently living in America (yep, it’s five – people born in 1996 are now adults, so we’ve added Generation … Continue reading
Hiring the Executive Director: Keystone of board responsibility
January 15, 2020Embracing new leadership models: Free Press and Free Press Action recently announced Craig Aaron and Jessica J. González will lead the organization together as co-CEOs, saying in an email announcement, “We see clear benefits in sharing responsibility for the organization’s … Continue reading
Board Leadership: Reaching consensus
June 4, 2019What does it really mean to reach agreement in a group? Many nonprofits operate with the goal of consensus in mind – the idea that we should work together to reach decisions that everyone on our team can support. This … Continue reading
Technical Assistance: Choosing to change board culture
May 8, 2019Diversity has been the talk of, and about, boards for a long time, albeit with more talk than action. Boards of nonprofits remain, according to BoardSource’s 2017 Leading with Intent: Overwhelmingly white Pretty evenly split between male and female, but … Continue reading
What your organization needs to become resilient
April 3, 2019The term “financial resilience” has proliferated in the capacity-building community as a north star for nonprofit organizations. But how do you get resilient, especially when it comes to your finances? Based on FMA’s 20 years of supporting small to mid-sized … Continue reading
Is your board giving policy helping your diversity initiatives — or holding them back?
February 12, 2019Adopting a board giving policy has become fairly commonplace in our country’s nonprofit sector. Board giving policies provide clarity about the board’s anticipated role as individual donors, as well as the organization’s expectations in terms of fundraising participation. This practice … Continue reading
How and why your organization’s culture and values matter
December 11, 2018Ensuring a clear, strong mission statement and equally solid core values are two of the most important policies that a board is ever asked to create, as these are the core ideology the defining elements ̶̶ of an organization’s culture. … Continue reading
Kicking off the new year of board leadership learning
November 6, 2018For those of us involved with the Dodge Foundation Board Leadership Series, each New Year actually begins in the fall. We leave the champagne and hugging for January, but we do a pretty good job in October of looking ahead with a sense of hope and new possibilities. Our New … Continue reading
New Jersey celebrates Arts in Education Week
September 10, 2018It’s back to school time and that means next week is National Arts in Education week. It is such a critical time to show your support for arts education in New Jersey. Arts Education creates not just artists but … Continue reading
Board Leadership: Financial Projections Help to Flesh Out Scenario Plans
April 11, 2017Allison Trimarco’s post “Living in (and Planning for) Interesting Times” does an excellent- — and practical — job of walking organization leaders through the process of scenario planning in conditions of uncertainty. As Allison says — “The right time to … Continue reading
Annual Conference Will Offer Education, Inspiration to the Social Sector
November 10, 2016The Center for Non-Profits will present its annual New Jersey non-profit conference, Charting Our Course, Claiming Our Future, at the Palace at Somerset Park on December 7, 2016. The conference will explore the challenges and opportunities non-profits face, individually and … Continue reading
Pro Bono Partnership Pundit: Board Engagement — When Missing Lunch is a Good Sign
August 23, 2016Pro Bono Partnership is served a regular diet of questions about nonprofit board roles and responsibilities and about developing an effective board. We can help explain the legal niceties that apply to the first topic, and provide some practical ideas … Continue reading
Arts Ed Now: A Look Back at Teen Arts Festivals
June 8, 2016After numerous county festivals in March, April and May, the final New Jersey Teen Arts Festival of 2016 was held at Ocean County College on June 1-3. The three-day, statewide festival brought students to campus from throughout the Garden State. … Continue reading
Board Leadership: Finding the Levers in Your System
June 7, 2016We recently concluded the 2015-16 Board Leadership Series with a workshop titled “Turning Learning Into Action.” Near the end, I posed a question: “Can you effectively influence something that matters to you by focusing on changing something else?” The answer … Continue reading