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Well, now that you’ve seen our first issue, would you like to join us in shaping future issues? See more at About Blue Avocado (button on the right), but here’s a fast look:* Register so you can post comments. Registering is free, as is subscribing. Le …
Word on the Street about . . . Animal Welfare
There’s a lot of confusion between animal welfare on one hand and the rights of people who are pet owners. For example, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area wants to keep dogs out of some areas to protect the Snowy Plover. Unlimited access for dogs …
Word on the Street about . . . Sustainability
The trend in sustainability seems to be doing these grandiose reports and staying in consultant land, talking about 2030. They’re focused on these big plans. The plan is only 10% of the solution. We want to be sure there is implementation at the grassr …
Why “Blue Avocado”?
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, blue avocados grew wild and with abandon. Unicorns fed on them. Dragons sometimes mistook them for pterodactyl eggs. A few managed to hitch a ride on a meteor and ended up in Central America, where the …
Abolish Board Committees?
A fresh and radical idea: consider eliminating all (or most) of your board committees. Too many boards are bogged down by committees that are inactive or maybe even semi-fictitious. And board members can feel compelled to be on three or four committees …
Welcome to Blue Avocado’s first issue
Welcome to Blue Avocado : a new bite-sized magazine by and for people who work and volunteer in community nonprofits. Welcome, too, to returning Board Cafe readers, who can now access the Board Cafe column in an expanded magazine format!Blue Avocado …
Reasons to have – and reasons not to have – an attorney on the board
"We should have an attorney on the board." It's conventional wisdom we've all heard. We expect that an attorney would bring legal expertise (so we won't thave to pay a lawyer) and that she'll have a skill set, personality, and …
Can We Require An Employee To Take Her Meds?
Dear Rita, Our nonprofit provides services to people with mental disabilities. As part of our mission, we employ former clients. Can we require an employee/former client to take her psychiatric medications as a condition of continued employment? –Worr …
Promises, Promises: Rural Advocates vs. Big Philanthropy
In November 2002, a Yakima County, Washington, organizer filed a class action suit against the Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) for breach of contract. He argued that the community had done everything it was supposed to do to qualify for the gran …
Five Ways to Let Government Money Run You Over
Is government funding a way to expand what you do for important constituencies, whether they are families living with autism, low income people seeking legal help, or people attending your dance performances? Or is government funding a trap that will m …
