The articles in this issue address difficult, thorny, seldom-addressed topics. There’s Firing the Executive Director, Court-Ordered Volunteerism, and the Failures of Strategic Planning. No wonder we added an article on why nonprofit folks should be in therapy. 🙂
As an executive director I often felt that my emotional well-being rose and fell exactly in sync with our income statement. And I keep thinking that my frame of mind shouldn’t be affected by the weather as much as it is. So here’s a toast to net revenue and to the sunny days of spring! Oh, and to the Year of the Rabbit as well. –Jan Masaoka
Actually, the Van Morrison song "Days Like This," which he wrote and recorded about 18 years ago, is similar to, but not the same as, the song "Mama Said" which was a big hit for the Shirelles back in 1961. That song was written by Luther Dixon and Willie Denson. — John Longville
As usual, terrific provocative articles on strategic planning and firing ED’s.
Jan – Just a quick thanks for your courage and wit, along with the good info. I think of that Van Morrison song way too often these days, but it’s worth it. Thanks for throwing something smart & edgy into my otherwise cluttered Inbox now & again. It’s refreshing.
Cheers, Paul
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Paul. It means a lot to us! Oh, and by the way, I think of "Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This" as a Shirelles song. 🙂
I find the quality of comments and articles on Blue Avocado refreshing, thought-provoking, and often inspiring. I would like to add that having been a subscriber (and donor) for a while now and reading past articles, I’m seeing a pattern emerge where topics are limited to very heterosexist standards (http://www.blueavocado.org/content/nonprofit-love) and limited views on gender (http://www.blueavocado.org/content/few-good-men-being-male-female-majority-sector) and weight (http://www.blueavocado.org/content/bigger-budget-and-smaller-butt-just-12-weeks).
I’d like to encourage you to consider how this reflects on Blue Avocado. It’s important as a resource to also be aware of how the perspectives that are promoted impact/perpetuate stereotypes, equity, “acceptable prejudices,” etc. There’s not a whole lot of space for or representation outside of a particular (pretty straight, in my opinion) context, which is saddening to me since so many of us are committed to our npo work out of a desire to affect true social change.
My perspective is that the quality of conversations/content (and the impact/reach of Blue Avocado as a resource) would benefit greatly from seeking out contributors and/or including examples from people that have more varied experiences. You’ve already impressively set yourselves apart with the poignant and relevant content, why stop there?
Thanks for all of your hard work!!
Thank you, Anonymous, for bringing this to my attention. I very much appreciate the comment, and thank you so much for taking the time to write. Jan
Thanks so much for the recent issue. I forwarded the article on strategic planning to my board and staff, as we will be beginning "some forward thinking process" this year. I look forward to the next issue and ideas for alternatives.
I also forwarded the article on court-ordered community service to the staff. We will discuss it and perhaps develop some guidelines at our next staff meeting. It is an issue with which we have struggled, given the longer term nature of volunteer roles in our organization and our direct work with children. It will be interesting to discuss it again within the framework of this article.
Again…always a pleasure to get your newsletter. It has so often been useful to me over the years. Denise S