There’s No Such Thing as Nonprofit Sustainability…and What To Do About It (Part 1)
This post is the first in a 2-part series on the role of funders in the lively topic of sustainability in the nonprofit sector. The series is based on session presentations made by the author at two regional conferences sponsored by the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University. The author […]
Leading Your Organization
“A strong nonprofit leader drives a sense of mission down through the organization, upward into the board and outward in the community.”* It has been some time since the first Nonprofit Management certificates and degrees were conferred upon those who aspired to lead organizations that serve the common good. Most of these programs focused […]
Start Planning Now for Leadership Succession
“Over the past decade, ‘board/generational succession’ has been identified as the top issue for foundation boards in 7 of the past 9 years….”* In the nonprofit sector, almost 50% of organizations don’t have succession plans according to a recent national survey. ** Leadership transitions are inevitable. They are natural moments of evolution and […]
Are We Making a Difference with Our Philanthropy?
“Roughly half of family foundations that responded to the National Center for Family Philanthropy’s first-ever Trends in Family Philanthropy survey reported that they are exploring how to assess their impact…” Learning about impact is getting increased and well-deserved attention from more foundations. Strategy + Action/Philanthropy has worked with family, private and community foundations around […]
New Partnership with Christina Milano
“The stakeholder analysis by Strategy + Action told us where the value of our program is and how we can build upon our strengths. We also learned where the gaps are in our efforts and how we can turn those into opportunities to better serve children, parents and educators.” Natalie Celeste, Member, Cleveland Schools Book […]
How Leadership Succession Planning Can More Deeply Engage Family and Board Members
By Jill Blair, strategy and organizational consultant, and Jeffrey M. Glebocki, CEO, Strategy + Action/Philanthropy This post is the second in a 2-part series on leadership succession planning. Read part 1 on the importance of planning for leadership succession now. Exponent Philanthropy members can explore these themes further in an article by the same authors in our Fall 2015 […]
Why It’s Important to Start Planning for Leadership Succession Now
By Jill Blair, strategy and organizational consultant, and Jeffrey M. Glebocki, CEO, Strategy + Action/Philanthropy This post is the first in a 2-part series on leadership succession planning. Exponent Philanthropy members can explore these themes further in an article by the same authors in our forthcoming Fall 2015 issue of Essentials. “Our foundation had succession planning […]
Change Demands More Than Programmatic Grants
By Chris Thompson, Director of Regional Engagement, Fund for Our Economic Future & Jeffrey M. Glebocki, CEO, Strategy + Action/Philanthropy Philanthropy should support efforts that help stakeholders understand the performance of key civic systems As grantmakers, we know the programs and projects we support are often by themselves insufficient to create the level of substantive […]
Leadership Succession Planning
What’s Success Got to Do with It?
Co-authors: Jill Blair, Strategy and Organizational Consultant & Jeffrey M. Glebocki, Strategy + Action/Philanthropy
Leadership transitions are inevitable. They are natural moments of evolution and change that affect people and organizations. Leadership transitions can be disruptive and create a sense of loss – so much so that we often choose to avoid thinking ahead about them. Transitions can threaten the well-being of an organization by disturbing the picture of what the future was supposed to look like. On the flip side, leadership transitions can sometimes provide an opportunity for new beginnings and open the door to revitalized or increased engagement by board and staff.
It’s not just about education
I recently bumped into a friend – a smart person, thoughtful parent, good teacher – and someone who is now managing building-wide school improvement programs at a local district. There’s an upcoming election for a new state school superintendent and I asked my friend for their take on the candidates: “I haven’t really been […]
