Sustainability
Following a Founder or Long-Timer Requires a Hard Head
Blue Avocado asked for potential interviewees who had followed a founder or a long-time executive. We didn’t expect 58 people to respond.
The Sustainability Question: Why Is It So Annoying?
The sustainability question at nonprofits: How will you sustain this program or project when funding from the So-and-So Foundation runs out?
Deconstructing Nonprofit Sustainability
Maybe in some mythic past it was possible to think first about strategic impact goals, and then about how to raise the money. But today we know better: you can’t talk about what you’re going to do without talking about how to get the money.
Standing on the Shoulders of Movements
All our organizations stand on the shoulders of movements. Are you strengthening the movements that provide the nutrients for your org?
How Did This Happen? Part 2 of the Vanguard Foundation Story
Blue Avocado concludes an exploration of how it was possible for Vanguard Public Foundation to have come to such an inglorious end.
Decline and Fall of the Vanguard Foundation
Once acclaimed as a pioneer in philanthropy, the Vanguard Foundation is no more. This is Part I on some of the clues to its sorry demise.
Should Board Members Be Required to Give?
Are board giving requirements a best practice or a bad idea? Blue Avocado reports on trends and explore the real questions.
Finance Fear Factor Ratios
Watching indicators of financial health like performance-to-budget or reserve size are important, but may not say if you need to worry now.
Succession Planning for Nonprofits of All Sizes
Planning for executive director transition is called succession planning: Thinking in advance about setting the stage for strong transitions.
Thinking the Unthinkable: Maybe We Should Shut Down
For nonprofits, it’s hard not to think that closing down is the ultimate disaster. But sometimes a lack of money or energy forces the issue.