Note: This guest post from Karen Strong is the first in a series about facilitating difficult conversations on challenging topics. Her guidance applies to difficult conversations on all sorts of subjects – not just the climate crisis. Thanks, Karen! When was the last time you talked about climate change for more than a minute or … [Read more...]
Three types of change — and how to manage each type
What’s your comfort level with change? Do you embrace new stuff – especially unexpected new stuff? If you’re involved with nonprofits, you’re in the change business, like it or not. Nonprofit organizations exist to heal the sick, address threats to the environment, build affordable housing, end oppression, create transformative art, … [Read more...]
Power below radar: The innovation and influence of ad hoc groups
Note: My colleagues Christal M. Cherry, Renee Rubin Ross, and I have been exploring tweaks, hacks, and alternatives to the traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure. This post is the first in an informal series. – Andy When I say “nonprofit,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you picture the entire sector: a $2 trillion dollar industry across … [Read more...]
Consultants: First, do no harm
A former client called last week. He had hired a team of consultants to facilitate a two-day planning retreat and the event had gone badly. It’s a long story, but here’s the gist. The consultants did their homework and carefully prepared the agenda. However, once the retreat began, they faced a lot of tangents, conflict, and … [Read more...]
The COVID relief money you haven’t received … yet
Note: This guest post is from financial management consultant Cynthia Moore of Operation Fairy Godmother, cynthia@operationfairygodmother.org. Thanks, Cynthia! Did your organization take advantage of the PPP, EIDL, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, or other Federal grant and loan programs? For many nonprofits, this money was a godsend … [Read more...]
Decolonizing your bylaws: Robert’s Rules can buzz off
Note: This guest post is from Bonnie Chavez of Building Beloved Communities. Thanks, Bonnie! Generally, I don’t help to create new nonprofits. I can think of one exception: when a program has outgrown its fiscal sponsor and is ready to become a 501(c)(3). That’s when things get interesting. First, a little about my intersectionalities. … [Read more...]
Creating a climate-positive consulting business
As the summer winds down – a summer filled with drought, fires, floods, and other extreme weather – I’ve been thinking about the ways my consulting business engages with the topic of climate resilience. What am I doing to create positive change? Which of my behaviors add to the problem? How am I supporting my clients in taking … [Read more...]
The myth of dirty money, part 2: Weed in the woods
Note: This is a follow-up to an earlier post, The Myth of Dirty Money. My goal is to demonstrate the complexity of this topic, especially in rural areas with limited resources, and discuss how nonprofits can adapt. I used to take regular work trips to Humboldt County in Northern California. With support from NorCAN, a project of the … [Read more...]
The myth of dirty money
Imagine the following… After talking with a friend who says great things about your organization, I hop on your website – and I’m impressed. Based on this friend’s referral and my bit of online homework, I pull out my credit card and donate $50. Question: Should you accept my gift? Your response: What? Are you serious? Of course … [Read more...]
Why I stopped flying
In December 2018 – a full year before anyone had heard of COVID-19 – I boarded an airplane for the last time. This was a huge change for me and my business. Over the previous 25 years, I had worked in 47 U.S. states and across Canada, piling up lots of frequent flyer miles and spewing lots of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In … [Read more...]
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