While collaboration is not new, it certainly seems to be gaining momentum. Perhaps that's because more and more people and organizations are discovering that together we're not only stronger, but we're smarter. I experienced a genuine buzz of collaboration at the Colorado Nonprofit Association's 21st Annual Fall Conference and collaborated myself with my good friend…
Author: Richard L. P. Solosky
Richard has over 25 years of business development and marketing expertise. He is the founder of two software development companies and has over 10 years of nonprofit experience serving at various levels bridging both staff and board functions. He consults nonprofits in the areas of marketing and organizational development, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Western Michigan University, and a Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University. With a natural love of the outdoors and outdoor activities, Richard is an experienced skier, climber, and mountain guide; a twelve-year field-active team leader with Alpine Rescue Team, serving as President, Training Director, and as Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Region of the Mountain Rescue Association, he has resided in Evergreen, Colorado since 1990.
3 Steps to Systemic Strategic Planning
It must be the time of year, because lately I've seen several posts on strategic planning. Some have evocative titles like: "Does Strategic Planning Matter?", or "How Do We Keep the Plan off the Shelf?” Others are much less suggestive, placing their emphasis on tactics to make the process better. So, I guess I'll chime…
5 Steps to Crisis Management Nonprofits can learn from Emergency Managers
Just imagine, your organization is humming along, donations are at par with your goals, your staff is happy and motivated, and there is genuine synergy among stakeholders. What if this good situation were to go bad? What if… you were to lose a major donor, sponsor, collaborator, or key individual? What if a negative story…
One Africa Award – A Model for Success
Food Nutrition Foundation is a Zambian organization I am proud to have worked with now for about two years. It's been fun to watch them grow and mature and begin to shape ideas into programs and programs into community impact. They asked me what I thought about applying for the ONE Africa Award, a $100,000 award…
Indicators, Benchmarks, and Ice Cream.
Guest blog post by Jerome Stiller: If you're like me, you have to be vigilant to be sure that your waistline does not keep growing as you get older, like rings on a tree. It’s tough for me because I consider pastry, ice cream, and beer to be three of the four essential food groups…
Is Your Board… Bored?
We've all experienced a rut. You fall in and it seems like all you do is spin your wheels in that proverbial ditch. It can happen with the best nonprofit boards as well. You know it’s happening when… You've been talking about revisiting your vision, mission, and values statements, for like… forever! When you've gone…
No Magic Bullets
"Nonprofit organizations are stuck in a vicious cycle that threatens their ability to raise the resources they need to succeed." – "Underdeveloped", CompassPoint Like many of you, I subscribe to several industry groups and newsletters in the interest of staying on top of trends, notable wisdom, and topical conversations of interest to my community. So,…
Billboard in the Sky
Back in the early 90's, looking over the shoulder of my office manager, I'll never forget the first time I saw a webpage on the Internet. It was part of something included with her new computer and it was called America Online. My first thought was: "another place for me to receive advertising pitches, or…
Balance
We all understand balance, it's yin & yang, light & dark, heavy & light, just enough stuff on both sides to keep the equilibrium. But, in the world of nonprofit leadership, do we really understand what that means? While, board & executive staff relationships fall on both sides of the fulcrum, all too frequently, they…
Lessons From a Trust Fall
We build trust through positive actions and then use marketing channels to promote that trust. The best nonprofits understand effective marketing communications is critical to their success. So why is there so little emphasis on measurement in so many marketing campaigns? I saw this video the other day and it really made me laugh and…