I’ve been thinking about anchors. No, not the seafaring kind, though I do enjoy a legitimate opportunity to wear Topsiders now and again. I’m focused on community anchors – go-to neighborhood organizations – and how they’re evolving to address deeply-entrenched challenges of poverty and blight. Continue reading
InSights
Don’t hide your personality
What grabs your attention?
Which organization has invitations, flyers, or newsletters that are so good you just can’t help but pay attention?
Teach a Man to Fish…
The most successful nonprofit leaders have a relentless dedication to not only serve, but to empower their constituents. They strive to offer assistance that develops self-reliance. And they understand that success often means their organization will fundamentally change, or even run itself out of business.
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4th Down Conversion
Since 2003, Pulaski Academy, a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, has compiled a 111-21 record in football, winning the state championship 3 times. Why do I tell you this? Because they’ve done this without punting! Continue reading
Surmounting the insurmountable… just another day at work
Let’s face it: the social sector is not for the faint of heart. It tackles some of humanity’s most unremitting challenges. While the work can be fulfilling, it can at times seem too great. But within the sector there are (hundreds of) thousands of inspiring individuals who refuse to endorse the conventional thinking that suggests “it’s not possible to end [insert issue here] in one’s lifetime.”
A Recipe for Big Ideas
There’s no easy recipe for innovation, but I’m pretty sure it starts with a big idea. Here are five ingredients for creating an environment where big ideas thrive. Continue reading
When The Food Trust Parties, Everyone’s Invited
Last night marked the end of a fun tradition my boyfriend and I started this summer – sharing mouthwatering food truck finds, listening to great local music, bobbing and weaving through massive crowds, trying absurd new ice cream flavors (and I mean that in the most delicious way possible) and eating more desserts than any human should attempt in one sitting, then collapsing on a street curb in a food-induced coma to watch the rest of the excitement unfold – AKA the Night Market. Continue reading
Alternative Leadership Models
Meet ANP. ANP is an Arbitrary Nonprofit that was started by a charismatic individual with a love for delivering quality programming to high-need communities in Philadelphia. ANP is well-known within its neighborhood and the Philadelphia nonprofit sector, but remains relatively small, employing just a handful of staff and operating on a modest annual budget of $300,000. Continue reading
My secret to writing: it’s about you, not me.
Did anyone else get the opportunity to watch Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night? Regardless of political affiliation, professional commentators and casual observers alike seem to agree that the man is a masterful orator, and his most recent speech was certainly no exception. The excitement in the convention hall was palpable even in my living room. Though the speech was almost an hour long, I was glued to my seat. Continue reading
How to Effect Meaningful Collaboration (or, what I learned from a week away at Rock Camp)
I’ve been thinking a lot about collaboration lately. How can multiple actors best come together to merge different (and often competing) cultures and interests, to achieve a common goal? What are the conditions under which something truly significant results? What are the red flags that indicate despite good intentions all around, it’s time to chalk things up to “lessons learned” and walk away? Continue reading