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Nonprofit Leadership Tips from the Basketball Court
As a former all-American and professional basketball player turned nonprofit leader, I see tons of similarities between life on the court and as an executive director of a small nonprofit. Everything I learned playing the game comes in surprisingly han …
Ask Rita: Employees Who Cross Jurisdictions: Which Law Applies?
Dear Rita: Our Northern California nonprofit provides job coaches to clients in the community. Our job coaches work in different cities during the course of a week and potentially in the same day. I know some of these cities have their own minimum wage …
Volunteer Management: How to Get it Right
How essential are volunteers to achieving your nonprofit’s mission? In our recent study, we learned that the lack of understanding about the essential nature of volunteers and the staff who lead them (called Volunteer Engagement Professionals–VEPs) un …
Succeeding When You’re Small: Lessons Learned from DonorsChoose.org
Although the Blue Avocado audience consists of community-based organizations, we can still learn from the experience of those who started a nonprofit out of their basement and grew to be nationally recognized leaders in the field. DonorsChoose.org is o …
What Millennials Really Want: Professional Development
I’m not sure about you, but professional development (PD) at my last job consisted of little more than a few forgettable webinars and a yearly training that supported my work, but not my career. While my work was challenging and fulfilling, there were …
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 …
4 Things Your Nonprofit Can Do to Recruit & Retain Millennial Leadership
If a key leader at your organization left their job today, who would fill their place? Developing the next generation of nonprofit leaders is critical to the future of every nonprofit organization. Millennials now makeup the largest generation i …
Connection is Key: How knowledge Sharing Helps Organizations Grow and Prevents Isolation
“Change does not happen in silos, and we don’t want our nonprofit partners to spend time reinventing the wheel.” Linda Baker, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, 2016 Does your organization send out a newsletter of key activities or good practices to …
In the boardroom: Asked to join that board?
Asked to join that board? Here’s what to look for before you sign on the dotted line Most board recruitment is relationship-based. Often a friend or colleague, already serving on a board, will recruit you to join their Community Benefit Organiza …
Data Visualization: User-Centered Design
Our partner organization, Your Part-Time Controller, offers helpful advice on how U/X and user-centered design methods can better communicate visual stories in a way that advances the mission of your organization. How to use data visualizations …
