In their book, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather MacLeod Grant describe the key practices they uncovered in studying a cross section of nonprofits that achieve large-scale results. Their key findings:Continue reading
The trend toward accountability in the nonprofit sector and the resulting need for performance evaluation is a problem facing the substance-abuse treatment sector, according to an article in The New York Times on Dec. 22, 2008. The article explores the concept that few rehabilitation programs have the evidence to show that they are effective. Continue reading
Most foundations are not making changes they and their grantees say are essential to supporting nonprofit success, but there is evidence of a gradual shift to more nonprofit friendly grantmaking practices, according to a new survey from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.
The research, conducted by Harder+Company Community Research, was the second-ever comprehensive survey of the attitudes and practices of all staff ed grantmaking foundations in the United States. It builds on a similar study conducted in 2003 by the Urban Institute in partnership with GEO.
There is a pronounced disconnect between the ways in which grantmakers are supporting nonprofits and what nonprofits say could contribute most to their success. Further, many grantmakers have not adopted practices that they themselves see as important for effective grantmaking.
In focus groups through GEO’s Change Agent Project and in surveys conducted by colleague organizations, nonprofit leaders have consistently pointed to two critical areas where changes in grantmaker practice can lead to better support for nonprofits:
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A December 15 recent radio broadcast on NPR highlighted the gap in how this country provides a social net for the poor. The “Hunger in America,” episode of On Point, hosted by Tom Ashbrook, featured guest Joel Berg, who is author of the book “All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America” and Executive Director of the NYC Coalition Against Hunger which represents more than 1,200 nonprofit soup kitchens and food pantries in New York City. Continue reading
One artist addressed this issue at the Second Lives exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design in Manhattan, which runs through April 19, 2009. In a commentary on what language means today, the artist uses icons to depict a conversation between two people who meet on board an airplane, an icon-rich environment.
After reading the story in icons, which features a running narrative below it, museum goers are invited to engage in their own dialog using only symbols. A computer features a dictionary-style listing of icons from which to select and construct sentences.
Does it work? Well, you could form a limited range of sentences using the icons, but I wasn’t able to decipher the icon sentences that other museum goers had left. I believe that two reasons account for this.
The first is that icons derive their meaning, in large part, only after repeated exposures. That’s why in many cases, icons are still accompanied by text below them. Another factor influencing the readability of icons is context — the environment in which the symbols appear provides clues to what they mean.
In all, this is an interesting commentary on how the nature of language is changing in a time when IM texting has given rise to widely understood abbreviations, emoticons are commonly used to convey base emotions, and corporate logos have become a shorthand for a range of values and stories.
WAKE UP CALL: So what ramifications does this have for us as a culture? On the upside, symbols provide a shorthand for allowing people to communicate with each other quicker and easier than ever before. On the other hand, in a world that increasingly communicates through visual rather than written methods, we need to be aware of the ways in which nuanced and complex thought is being compromised.
As the member of a grant allocations committee of a nonprofit, I was tasked with rating each grant application on a score card that posed the following questions:Continue reading
Why don’t nonprofits value intellectual capital, particularly marketing expertise, when it can prove crucial to the success of their cause? I encountered that question when I learned about a nonprofit organization that was planning a campaign to raise $300,000 for food pantries and safety net social services, as well as to engage the community in volunteering on a regular basis.Continue reading
Citing a $6 billion state deficit, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy reported at the recent Connecticut Nonprofits Conference that the last eight years have brought “an assault on social services.”
“Government has an obligation to provide for its citizens.” He delivered a passionate call to fund the state’s safety net, starting with a 1.5% average increase in nonprofit aid. “The needs of the least among us should be taken care of first.”
Fellow presenter and NYU Professor Dr. Paul Light predicted massive consolidation in the nonprofit sector due to recession. Smaller organizations will likely join together to reduce administration costs.
According to Light, nonprofit organizations represent a $1 trillion sector, powered by 11.5 million employees and 61 million volunteers.
He views a reduction in the number of nonprofits as inevitable and a chance to strengthen the sector. Instead of avoiding the situation, we should embrace the opportunity to start a strategic dialogue regarding which organizations should go under and which ones should survive.
WAKE UP CALL: As a member of the nonprofit community, how can you engage peers to begin open, honest communication about the challenging times ahead?
As an expert in branding for nonprofits, I found it refreshing to hear a fellow nonprofit expert discuss the concept of the nonprofit sector’s brand as a whole. Without using the word “brand” specifically, NYU Professor Paul Light pointed out that no one refers to “nonprofit-ness,” although the term “businesslike”Continue reading
While most nonprofits nurture cultures protecting the status quo, designers are inclined to push the limits. I was struck by the lessons in risk-taking and pushing limits when I witnessed my friend Matthew McNerney, donned in a skeleton costume no less, display daring moves of acrobatic bravado in a bubble off the West Side Highway. The occasion was the culmination of eight weeks at the Trapeze School New York, a post-Halloween celebration of flipping, flying and finesse. Watching this performance, I realized how personal risk-taking translates to nonprofits:
WAKE UP CALL: The success of organizations lies in their abilities to think creatively in solving problems – or more specifically in providing an organizational culture that not only allows, but rewards creative thinking (for example, in tolerating the inevitable mistakes).
Businesss guru, Tom Peters has written about the need for ensuring that a small group of people in each organization push the organization’s limits. He calls this the Lunatic Fringe, those people who ask “why?” and who ultimately lead to breakthroughs and necessary changes. He asks, “how lunatic is your fringe?”, a good question for nonprofits to ask themselves.
As we steel for a recession, we need to be aware of the tendencies to become more conservative and to squelch the innovative thinking needed to spur solutions. Ensure that your nonprofit retains a culture that fosters creative thinking.
