July 4, 2018
I’ve watched with interest the passionate debate about NANOE and the nonprofit credentials newly available to the charitable sector. I hadn’t been too concerned with what the traditionalists said about NANOE – after all, a new national organization in any industry threatens the status quo. But when a fundraising colleague wrote an uninformed news column questioning the validity of NANOE and credentials I hold, I knew I had to speak out. Certification, […]
May 20, 2018
The NANOE Scandal – The National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE) is a scandal to the elites of the nonprofit establishment because we dare to question their authority. We have the audacity to thwart their attempts to govern the nonprofit sector with broken models, arrogant piety and ever-increasing rules and regulations. Because we question the establishment, NANOE is accused of hubris. This is comical because it is precisely the hubris of the establishment […]
May 1, 2018
We live in a frenetic sound bite culture of 24/7 distractions. Especially in the nonprofit world, there are a multitude of discussion, topics, webinars, feasibility studies, board trainings, conferences, organizations, political issues and books that (while well intentioned) only distract you from growing your organization’s impact. You don’t have to work in our sector for very long to feel overwhelmed and confused. There are days when we wonder if anyone is listening […]
March 17, 2018
For too long, Americans have used the term “nonprofit” in a way that means “against profit.” Let’s be clear: to operate as a nonprofit does not mean operating at a loss each year. Rather, nonprofits sow whatever gains they have back into their missions to change and save lives. There is nothing wrong with a nonprofit innovating and taking risks for the sake of achieving a heroic mission of scale. In the […]
February 22, 2018
There is no denying this: Starbucks has created an experience for customers that keep us coming back again and again. There are more than 8,000 Starbucks in the U.S. and each location provides the same products and service. Enter any Starbucks and you smell the rich aromas of coffee from all over the world. Order from a barista (not a server or coffee maker) and you are called by name. Sit down […]
