07
2012Plus Ça Change
plus ça change A post by James V. Toscano Well, the long drawn out election process is over, with everything pretty much the same, albeit with early hints of a desire to get something done. President Obama returns for four more years, hopefully no more than one as a lame duck. Congress remains essentially the same, with the Democrats picking up one, possibly two, seats in the Senate while they have three more votes in their minority status in the House of Representative. Could we reverse the old saw and predict: “ Plus la même chose, plus ça change?” Pardon…
12
2012Advanced Fundraising Mnemonics
A post by James V. Toscano mne·mon·ics: the process or technique of improving or developing the memory. In this outing, we go from alliterative letters, e.g. WWW, PPPP, to catch phrases to capture more complex fundraising concepts. We often use catch phrases to provide the key to lists or formulations, e.g. “”My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas,” gives us the clues we need to list the planets in order from the sun, at least the old order of planets before Pluto got thrown out! The Roles of the Board Prince Paul Favors Fresh Oranges There is frequent…
02
201112 of My Favorite Nonprofit Resources
Post by Dania Toscano Miwa There are many more than 12 but this is just a start. The first 3 are Minnesota based, if you are out of MN, skip to number 4. 1. The Principals and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence – This document is available courtesy of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, which is also an excellent resource for Minnesota Nonprofits. 2. MAP for Nonprofits– Also Minnesota specific, but many of the services they offer, like their board boot camp can be adapted for any board. There are also templates such as an Executive Director evaluation template, local board position openings and a…
16
2011
The Golden Opportunity
Post by James V. Toscano As someone about to retire from his current position, I was intrigued to see the third Daring to Lead report and its significant findings, somewhat changed from the last two reports in this decade. As reported by my friends at MAP for Nonprofts, there were three key findings in the latest version: “Though slowed by the recession, projected rates of executive turnover remain high and many boards of directors are under-prepared to select and support new leaders.” “The recession has amplified the chronic financial instability of many organizations, causing heightened anxiety and increased frustration with unsustainable financial models.” “Despite the profound challenges of the role, nonprofit executives remain energized and resolved.”