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Embracing Unlikely Allies: Sleeping with the Enemy
I’ve been actively engaging my so-called opponents in the meat, dairy, and egg industries for 20 years. As president of the animal protection organization Mercy For Animals, I work to end factory farming and construct a compassionate plant-based food s …
Against the Current: Rachel Sumekh
I am one of many. We are primarily white, often men. We have led the nonprofit sector for decades, and it’s time for us to step aside. When my last gig ended, I dedicated myself to supporting a younger generation of leaders and helping them challenge t …
Time to Fold: Keys to Gracefully Winding Down a Nonprofit
It looked like the Cancer Prevention Institute of California had a royal flush of a winning hand—a 40-plus-year track record of groundbreaking research, a stellar global reputation, 85 dedicated employees, a balanced $13 million budget, and one of the …
#RiskyBusiness: Why Earned Income Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
“When will your organization be sustainable?” This question is asked of nonprofits at an increasingly alarming rate in recent years. Where did this come from and who decided it is such a critical metric of success? More importantly, how can you determi …
How to Cure Founder’s Syndrome
Founders—the people who create nonprofits—are remarkable. They miss sleep to build websites, skip lunch to meet with potential donors or partners, and do whatever it takes to turn their dreams of a better world into reality, creating an organization in …
Successfully Navigating an Executive Director Transition
Children’s Fairyland is the nation’s first storybook theme park; definitely not your typical nonprofit. So maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised when the park’s executive director said to me, her replacement, as she handed over the keys to the kingdom, …
How to Hire Great Nonprofit Leaders
We’re all familiar with great leaders. From popular culture to UN council meetings, to articles about CEO’s, images are emblazoned in our minds. They are great champions on the big screen, in the boardroom, and in the oval o …
Creating A Board That Works
Let’s face it. Board bashing is something of a sport amongst nonprofit leaders, especially executive directors and CEOs. There are two primary complaints I hear all the time, both of which are surprisingly solvable! First, too many nonpro …
A Nonprofit Leader’s Path to Becoming a Diversity and Inclusion Champion
You have decided to make diversity and inclusion an organizational priority. What first steps should you take to ensure success? What mistakes can you avoid? As CEO or executive director, your actions will have a significant impact …
Readers’ Thoughts: Secrets to Successful Succession
In the article “Whose Nonprofit Is It Anyway?” we included a survey to gather reader’s thoughts about the challenging topic of transitioning from a founder to new leadership. After taking time to collect and digest the results, here we report back on t …
