Category Archives: Leadership
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
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
Confronting plastic pollution, creating equitable communities and mapping sustainability issues
May 16, 20182018 New Jersey Sustainability Summit is June 18 Although the sustainability movement in New Jersey is experiencing significant momentum, important work is still on the horizon. There is perhaps no more powerful way to jump start fresh interest and energy … Continue reading
Mayors are the new front-line leaders on climate change
February 28, 2018Sustainable Jersey Gold Star in Energy provides pathway to goal Franklin Township Mayor Phil Kramer was distraught when it was announced the United States was pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords. “I actually said to myself, someone should do … Continue reading
Board Leadership: The doctor will see you now
November 27, 2017Robert Frost once wrote, “An idea is a feat of association, and the height of it is a good metaphor.” As a former English teacher and current consultant to non-profit organizations, I couldn’t agree more. I thought about metaphors as … Continue reading
Sustainability ingredients: Innovation, persistence, partnerships, and leadership
November 22, 2017Sustainable Jersey 2017 special awards announced This week, Sustainable Jersey celebrated the 82 municipalities, from 18 New Jersey counties, that achieved the Sustainable Jersey certification in 2017. Sustainable Jersey has almost hit the 80 percent participation mark this year with 445 … Continue reading
Feeling Burned out? 7 Steps to Get Back Your NGO Mojo
July 25, 2017You’re probably so busy that you don’t have time to read this post. But, please stop multi-tasking and resist the pull to check your phone. I have an important question: Lately, when you walk into your non-profit job in the … Continue reading
Pro Bono Partnership Pundit: Sorting through the dreaded 501c3 reporting obligations
July 18, 2017Paperwork. Reporting requirements. I know. This isn’t a very captivating topic. But many tasks that nonprofits need to attend to aren’t captivating. But this is an important topic, one that if ignored could put your nonprofit at significant risk of … Continue reading
Sustainable Jersey: Commit your town to climate progress, instructions included
June 28, 2017Helping NJ cities and towns meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement At the recent New Jersey Sustainability Summit over 300 local and statewide leaders convened to pledge their commitment to a sustainable future and learn the practical … Continue reading
Survey of the Social Sector: Rising Demand, Resource Gaps, and Opportunities
June 15, 2017The Center for Non-Profits has been surveying the New Jersey non-profit community at least annually since 2001 to gauge the effects of the economy, funding and programmatic trends, and other issues in our field. This year’s report, New Jersey Non-Profits … Continue reading
Board Leadership: Relationships Among the Parts
June 13, 2017Faithful readers of the Dodge Blog know that I have repeatedly urged practitioners in the social sector to “plan backwards” from a shared vision of success, using qualitative assessment rubrics as a tool. If you make time for the process … Continue reading
CNJG: Embracing Philanthropic Future Shock or Bracing For It
May 17, 2017We are doing a lot of thinking about the future at the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers these days — the future of New Jersey (with a new Governor next year), the future of philanthropy (with new forms of giving … Continue reading