All nonprofits have growth in mind. When you grow your organization, you raise more funds. You increase your impact on the community. And you spread the word far and wide about your admirable mission. The recipe for growth requires one vital ingredient you already have access to. This ingredient is leadership. You are likely an … Continue reading How to Identify and Support Future Leaders at Your Nonprofit
The Power of Small Wins
What is the best way to drive innovative work inside organizations? Important clues hide in the stories of world-renowned creators. It turns out that ordinary scientists, marketers, programmers, and other unsung knowledge workers, whose jobs require creative productivity every day, have more in common with famous innovators than most managers realize. The workday events that … Continue reading The Power of Small Wins
How to Collaborate Without Burning Out
According to research from Connected Commons, most managers now spend 85% or more of their work time on e-mail, in meetings, and on the phone, and the demand for such activities has jumped by 50% over the past decade. Companies benefit, of course: Faster innovation and more-seamless client service are two by-products of greater collaboration. … Continue reading How to Collaborate Without Burning Out
10 Ways Your Brain Reacts to Uncertain Times
Volatility. Uncertainty. Complexity. Ambiguity. These four words (shorthanded to “VUCA”) describe the type of high-stress, high-demand scenarios that can rapidly degrade one of our most powerful and influential brain systems: our attention. During uncertain times, we are all living in VUCA conditions. Compounding the constant health and economic concerns, we are facing unprecedented levels of … Continue reading 10 Ways Your Brain Reacts to Uncertain Times
A Mental Trick to Help with Challenging Conversations
Imagine the colleague with whom you have a very challenging relationship, the person who makes the most innocuous conversation tense and uncomfortable. Now imagine the following scenario: You’re sitting at your desk working away when a message from that person pops up on your screen. You open the message and it reads: “I got the … Continue reading A Mental Trick to Help with Challenging Conversations
Five For-Profit Practices That Philanthropy Should Avoid
Judy Park, Kavya Shankar and a group of Stanford MBA students interviewed millennial donors from the Silicon Valley startup world and these conservations showed a pattern of overreliance on certain for-profit principles in the nonprofit realm, despite potential flaws. One young tech executive in San Francisco said she wanted to maximize return on investment. The … Continue reading Five For-Profit Practices That Philanthropy Should Avoid
Don’t Waste Your Time on Networking Events
Large, traditional business networking events are a time-honored institution. They have been a staple of aspiring and successful professionals for so long that most networking advice focuses not on whether you should attend, but on how to make the most of these events when you do attend. In theory, they’re one of the best ways … Continue reading Don’t Waste Your Time on Networking Events
10 Ways to Reduce Interviewer Bias
Strangers often get a bad deal when it comes to being accurately assessed during interviews. While people who are known to the hiring manager are assessed on their past performance, strangers are judged on their motivation to get the job, a bunch of generic competencies, the depth of their technical knowledge and the quality of … Continue reading 10 Ways to Reduce Interviewer Bias
5 Ways to Create Meaningful Connections in a Virtual World
This list was initially created by Dr Andrea Dinardo for students embarking on a new career during covid-19 but it is equally useful for fundraisers trying to make online connections with new supporters. It also includes EQ techniques helpful for everyone. Find out more here: https://drandreadinardo.com/2021/02/09/meaningful-online-connections/
How to Network with Powerful People
How do you get the attention of powerful people you want in your network, but are the least likely to respond? Senior executives are busy, see less value spending time with someone lower on the hierarchy, and are likely to miss or ignore requests through email or social media. Michael C. Wenderoth is an Associate … Continue reading How to Network with Powerful People