A recent study from the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network titled “Stepping Up or Stepping Out” revealed an alarming statistic for those concerned with the future of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector: 45 percent of the most skilled and experienced respondents plan to leave the nonprofit sector, citing frustrations over burnout, career paths, and professional development.

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Share your ideas for the 2013 IS National Conference today! Your insights and contributions will help ensure the conference will address key issues important to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.

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Cara Underwood, Senior Program and Public Policy Manager, Southern California Grantmakers

This afternoon, Independent Sector brought together attendees from the Public Policy Action Institute (PPAI) and NGen Pre-Conference for the Luncheon Keynote and Conversation with a Sector Leader to hear from two of the field's greatest champions about leadership, policy, and the future of our sector.

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Guest post by Laura Callanan, Consultant, Social Sector Office, McKinsey and Company

In 2010, McKinsey & Company released the findings from our Learning for Social Impact initiative. The importance of a learning culture was highlighted as critical to making social impact assessment successful within an organization.

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Guest blog post by Pamela Acosta Marquardt, Founder and Director of Donor Relations of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

We tend to think of data as merely the facts and figures that represent our cause. But when taken and wrapped in our passionate stories, that data becomes an emotional pitch by which we engage others.

Stories have served many purposes over time. Some stories help record history. Some create timelines. Others serve to engage their listeners in a way that compels them to action. Those are the stories that we must become masters at telling. We need to become experts at sharing our causes in such a personal and passionate way that our audiences recognize opportunities to become heroes and feel compelled to take steps to make a difference. I use my story to make the data compelling and actionable to the audiences I’m trying to reach.

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