Past Articles

Strategy

Good Governance! What is Going On?

Once again, a few local nonprofits find themselves in hot water over questionable policies and practices. This time, the culprits are Philadelphia city departments and regional agencies. Maybe it’s the water that causes this endless parade of misconduct and poor behavior.  
As you may have heard, both the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Delaware River [...]

Leadership

Slow Down!…What We Can Learn From Eagles Coach Andy Reid

What a strange time to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan.  On Sunday and Monday, September 20 and 21, Coach Andy Reid stated definitively that Kevin Kolb was the team’s starting quarterback.  On Tuesday, September 22, in the late afternoon Coach Reid appeared to completely reverse his position, and announced that Michael Vick is now the [...]

Leadership

How to present a new idea without getting lynched!

I’ve been watching the dues committee at a non-profit where I’m a member spend the past year, researching, studying, analyzing, considering, projecting and estimating what impact a new membership dues structure would have on the organization. I’ve also been watching them present this new idea to board members and some of our bigger donors [...]

Leadership

Anyone Know Why We’re Meeting?

Congratulations! You’ve limited your meeting attendees to those who need to be there.
Now, how are you going to keep from wasting their time?
Your valuable volunteers are smart. They can come up with great ideas and engage in really substantive conversations that result in good policy. That only works though, if they’ve been given time to [...]

Leadership

Delmarva’s call for community leadership: SmartDrive

Collaborations between corporations and nonprofits, another way of giving back to the community.

Leadership

Vet the Interim Exec: 6 Critical Steps Toward Making it Work

How do you get your money’s worth from an Interim Executive Director? First, make sure their skills match your needs. Then stay in touch. Six steps to making the Interim Executive Director position work for your organization.

Donors

Client Genealogy – Donor Genealogy

Donor Genealogy can help you focus your dollars and energy — and your board — where they will be most productive. This article gives an overview of how it works.

Marketing

6 Steps to Developing a Strategic Marketing Plan That Works

Why is it that I’m often met with those glazed stares when I’m brought in as a Strategic Marketing Consultant and I ask to see an organization’s “Communications Plan”. This should be as basic to any organization as an Operating Budget and yet it seldom exists as a comprehensive, integrated and well thought out document. [...]