Making Time to Say "Thank You" By Jessica Traynor We all know why writing thank you notes is good practice. Why don't we? Is it because we have so many donors it's hard to keep up? Wouldn't that be great! When I was a fundraiser, thanking the donor was...
During holiday season, remember to give to nonprofits By Liana Toscanini and Jim Klocke Charitable giving from individuals is the lifeblood of the nonprofit sector and critical to maintaining the social fabric of the commonwealth. But during this year's holiday season, there's even more of a reason...
You’re a leader. Now you need some followers. By Mark Avnet I was watching rehearsal by the CEO of an ad agency in preparation for his all-company meeting. In spite of advice from his coach, he continued making his case exactly the same way each run-thru, his...
WOMEN IN TRANSITION: THERE IS A PLACE FOR YOU IN THE NONPROFIT ARENA By Stephanie Lawrence With the transition to parenthood I learned that as much thought and effort we put into crafting a roadmap for ourselves, unexpected events happen that take us off course, and we...
GO- NO GO: DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING By Penny Brierley-Bowers Data-driven decision making is catchy and cliché. Leaders and consultants often espouse the virtues of making data-driven decisions as a way to support and excuse their strategic decisions. But what is it really, and is it as foolproof...
ENCOURAGING GIVING BACK IN THE BERKSHIRES The Giving Back guide is a free publication designed to facilitate connections between nonprofits and individuals wishing to donate or volunteer. It’s got a handy directory of 1,000 Berkshire nonprofits by category, meaning that a resident interested in getting involved...
GETTING READY FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING By Sarah Glatt Developing a strategic plan can be the most rewarding but sometimes also the most overwhelming project an organization embarks upon. For this reason, it is critical to fully understand the process in order to ensure effective use of valuable...
Summer reading What’s on my reading pile? Summer is supposed to be the time we get to actually read all those articles. Many are collected in a folder on my desktop, others are in a physical stack with magazines and books I’ve also flagged for future...
A CLOSER LOOK AT “COLORBLINDNESS” By Gwendolyn VanSant We all have bias. We all have preferences that are a result of our cultural context. We cannot fight against this fact, but we can take responsibility for navigating the outcomes of our biased behavior. First, I want to name...
YOUR VOICE COUNTS! I meet regularly with nonprofits and consultants, read articles every day from publications like Nonprofit Quarterly and Guidestar, participate in webinars, and stay on top of our local news. Over the last three years, we’ve collected a lot of good ideas from all of...