First Person
Coming Out as a Christian
Kim Klein declares the that she is a Christian, calling for all who are religious to stand against the war on women and people of color.
Firing My Friend, the Founder
A board member shares a story about the difficult process of firing a nonprofit founder when money just wasn’t coming in.
Regrets of a Former Arts Funder
Rethinking what defines art and how the less mainstream types can be protected and encouraged.
The Board Just Fired Me …and I’m the Founder!
A nonprofit founder provides a first-person account of what it’s like to be fired from her organization — by a board that she had put together.
America’s Dirtiest Job: Nonprofit Telemarketer?
Should telemarketers really be despised? Blue Avocado readers share their experiences making telemarketing calls for their nonprofits.
The Board Told Me I Had to Join Rotary
Wondered how to break into the traditional civic leadership networks? Joan Dixon explains why the Rotary may be the unexpected solution.
Through the Valley of the Shadow of Failure
Cate Steane shares her experience guiding her nonprofit through a harrowing organizational crisis and living to tell about it.
True Stories of Grantseeking: A First-Person Nonprofit Story
There are three levels of exchange in the grantor-grantee relationship. Explore one of the least discussed: The one-to-one interaction.
Turning the Tables on Pride
Pamela Davis explains how everything we’ve been taught about this economy needs to change, with the false equivalency of price and value.
Switching Careers at the Worst Possible Time
Edie Boatman reflects on a year spent working in nonprofits — during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.