Archive for May, 2010

Why do people give up their precious leisure time and their accumulated wealth to become engaged in philanthropic endeavors?
There is a ton of literature on the subject, but I have a very practical and ground-floor view, which I would like to share.
1. To do what we can to make this a better world.
Whether it’s [...]

I’ve often wondered why live comedy-shows begin with someone coming out and kibitzing with the audience before they go live. Shouldn’t they be backstage getting ready? Now I get it! They do this so when the show begins, the audience has already been energized and laughing so the show’s jokes draw immediate [...]

In our rush to become efficient, are we paying too little attention to the glue that holds our voluntary organizations together?
These days, Much attention is focused on how nonprofits can become more efficient by being more business-like in their operations. I believe that there is a lot to be learned from successful businesses. Why [...]

“Why are we in need of committees? Our Board members have enough to do without going to extra meetings.”
That’s a common complaint I hear while consulting various clients. The answer is simple, committees are the work horses of the board.
Committees are where the board finds solutions to problems and challenges that represent [...]

“It’s that time again to plan this month’s board meeting agenda.”

If you are an Executive Director, you know that this task comes up at least once a month.
What happens?
We usually pull out last month’s agenda, see what is needed to be added or deleted, and send it out. Some ED’s don’t change anything, not [...]