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Ego Checks, Spaghetti Sauce, and Other Suggestions for Nonprofit Collaboration
My dad is a fan of saying, “Many hands make light work,” as I’m being voluntold to help clean up after dinner. Now how does being elbow deep in burnt on spaghetti sauce relate to nonprofits? It’s hard work but collaboration makes it easier. One …
The Gentrification Phenomenon: A Nonprofit Dilemma
A Saturday morning walk through the Lower West Side (“Pilsen”) community of Chicago may trick you into thinking you’ve accidentally stumbled across the southern U.S. border. The sidewalks are crowded with pop-up artisan markets, stands selling homemade …
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the latest Blue Avocado! As a longtime reader, I’m thrilled to be serving as guest editor. I know that I’ve often used Blue Avocado as a resource, a reminder, and a refuge during those stressful nonprofit emergencies, and I’m happy to presen …
Point-Counterpoint: Too Much Influence or Not Enough – Should Nonprofits Be Allowed to Support Political Candidates
After signalling his intentions to do so at the National Prayer Breakfast in February, on May 4, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at weakening the Johnson Amendment, an act that has received mixed reaction from the nonprofit world …
Is Diversity as Good for Business as it is for Communities? New Study Says Yes
Primary to the missions of nonprofit organizations is making communities stronger. Advocates for nonprofits tout the importance of diverse communities and social safety nets because they are the right thing to do. But is a multi-faceted, inclusi …
In These Turbulent Times for Nonprofits
2017 has already brought many new challenges for the service sector, and we can expect more to come. So there is no time to waste in getting ready for whatever changes your nonprofit may face. As leaders, we are continually using internal …
First Person: I Am A Young Social Entrepreneur
Editor’s Note: What does it take to be entrepreneurial? We invited Anika Stephens to share her recent experience in an incubator for young leaders who have already made a positive social or economic impact in their communities and her advice for …
Divorce and the Nonprofit Board Member
Over the course of seven years, I have served on the boards of two nonprofit agencies and on the education committee of a third. I’m a professional academic, with the organizational skills and the flexible schedule that make me valuable as a vol …
Robert Egger: “Our Sector Is About To Be Hit, And Hit Hard” A Blue Avocado Interview
For 24 years, Robert Egger served as president of the DC Central Kitchen, which has created more than 30 million meals and helped 1,500 men and women gain full-time employment. Today he runs the astoundingly successful L.A. Kitchen on the same m …
Ask Rita in HR: What About Marijuana Decriminalization?
Dear Ask Rita in HR: Since Proposition 64 was approved in the recent California election, I have been receiving a number of questions from employees who are asking how these changes in the marijuana law will affect our nonprofit’s drug policy. W …
