Jun
11
Guest post by Phil Buchanan, president of The Center for Effective Philanthropy
This is the second in a series of six blog posts, which were originally featured on the CEP Blog.
It has become an article of faith that the “boundaries are blurring”
between nonprofits and companies, and that this is inarguably positive.
But what we need, today, is a clarifying – not a blurring – of what
differentiates the sectors.
The proponents of boundary-blurring
are often business school faculty, and they’ve been at it a while.
Harvard Business School (HBS) Professor James Austin predicted,
hopefully, more than a decade ago that, “We’ll see the stark
differences between NPOs and business diminish, revealing a new world of
integrated, rather than independent, sectors.” (Note: I feel compelled
to say that I took a course with Professor Austin while a second-year
student at HBS and he was among the best professors I had during my time
there, but I disagree with him on this issue.)
Read more...
Jun
8
Guest post by Anne Sherman, vice president for Nonprofit Strategy, at Growth Philanthropy Network
Like
many in the social sector, I believe strongly that leadership and
talent development are important factor in the effectiveness of
nonprofit organizations. Having worked for over 12 years with nonprofits
and foundations on strategic planning, I have witnessed first-hand the
myriad ways in which leaders—working at all levels of an
organization—can make or break a nonprofit's ability to advance on
achieving its mission. Weak leadership capacity can be a death knell for
a program or an entire organization. Strong leadership capacity, on the
other hand, can really distinguish an organization in terms of
programmatic quality and impact, success in raising money, and readiness
for growth.
Read more...
Jun
6
Guest post by Phil Buchanan, president of The Center for Effective Philanthropy
This is the first in a series of six blog posts, which was originally featured on the CEP Blog.
One of the great puzzles of the day is that we increasingly look,
starry-eyed, to business and markets to address or even solve our social
problems.
We idealize companies and markets in a way that defies reality, creates
unrealistic expectations, diminishes the contributions (past, present,
and future) of nonprofits, and confuses our conversation about the very
challenges we face. We do so despite the unrelenting procession of
examples of the downsides of unchecked pursuit of profit. And in so
doing, we run the risk of dismissing the vital role of nonprofits:
organizations seeking to make a difference without the pressure and
potential conflicts that come with the profit motive.
Read more...
Jun
5
What investments must we make in the sector today to develop and sustain the talent we need? Find out in Diana's blog.
Read more...
