Tag Archives: Technical Assistance
Dodge TA: Building the board you need to grow in tumultuous times
July 9, 2020Pennsylvania went into “lockdown” first. Within a week, New Jersey, and New York had followed suit. My conversations with board members and executive directors started on March 13, the day Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf announced that the Commonwealth would go on … Continue reading
Dialogue across difference: Engaging with polarized perspectives
February 10, 2020In this time of increased polarization, there is interest and concern about how to have productive conversations with colleagues, friends, family, and loved ones about diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice issues. By utilizing an intercultural developmental approach, we can … 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
Intercultural organizational development: Leaning into change
January 8, 2019Change can be challenging. It disrupts our sense of equilibrium, safety, and security. To manage change, we often try to overemphasize that which we believe we can hold constant. However, the only thing that is really constant is the … 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
Pro Bono Partnership Pundit: The ‘duty to read’
September 26, 2017If you have attended one of the workshops presented by Pro Bono Partnership that includes a discussion on nonprofit governance, you likely have heard us talk about the three legal duties of nonprofit trustees and officers. In New Jersey, these … Continue reading
Pro Bono Partnership Pundit: Raising Unrestricted Revenue
August 29, 2017Are you tired of endless grant applications, expenditure tracking, report writing? Do you know that you have great services and could probably market more great services or products through a natural expansion of your programs? Are you thinking it would just … 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: Board Performance and Inertia
June 20, 2017I tend to be uncomfortable with change. I know I am not alone. People’s resistance to change has spawned many different uses for the word “inertia” that have nothing to do with physics. There are cognitive inertia, business inertia, organizational … 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
Board Leadership: When Looking at Financials, Don’t Do What Seems Most Obvious
March 21, 2017In the nonprofit sector, we’ve gotten used to complexity when it comes to assessing the performance of our organizations. An organization’s “effectiveness” can be a complex combination of benefits to constituents, social and political impact, cost efficiency, and even environmental … Continue reading
Board Leadership: How to use a competitive advantage exercise to better understand your organization’s strengths
January 24, 2017How to use a “competitive advantage” exercise to better understand your organization’s strengths New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation – so it’s no surprise that it’s also densely populated with nonprofits. The National Center for … Continue reading
Board Leadership: David Grant Imagines If Hillary and Donald Had a Rubric
November 2, 2016The stunning levels of negativity, distrust, and cynicism evident in the political sphere this fall stand in stark contrast to the spirit I encountered recently in three days of workshops with staff and board members of New Jersey nonprofits, courtesy … Continue reading