Robbin' the Rich: Strategies and Ideas for Advancing the Common Good

Is Your Nonprofit A Hummer?

richrl — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:58:07 +0000

Another article on nonprofit greening with the best title in the world: “Is Your Nonprofit A Hummer?”

Nonprofits Like Free Stuff

richrl — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:57:52 +0000

So here is some:

Toolkit for Boards
Economic Value of Volunteers Calculator
Social Venture Financing Best Practice Survey
Organizational Effectiveness Series
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook

It’s (Not) Easy Being Green

richrl — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:39:31 +0000

Jolera is an interesting organization that was created to help nonprofits be more green. They also have created a program whereby nonprofits can earn “green certification.” Check it out here! And here is some information about green printing for your nonprofit! Last, advancing your mission with a green message from The Foundation Center (here).

sweet suite from google for nonprofits

richrl — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:41:10 +0000

Google has created a number of applications available for free to nonprofit organizations that are designed to enhance the capacity of those organizations. Check them out here.

Merge Madness

richrl — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:24:07 +0000

With so many nonprofits and so few resources, it begs the question of whether nonprofits should be more open to mergers. Mergers can lead to improved service provision with reduced overhead cost, as well as a culling of what is best and most effective of both organizations. However, some nonprofits struggle to even consider the notion of a merger due to territorialism and short-sighted thinking. To learn more about whether or not a merger is an advisable option, read this presentation.

Nonprofit Humor

richrl — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:26:13 +0000

Enjoy comics with a nonprofit perspective here.

Connect to Others with a Social Mission Online

richrl — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:16:32 +0000

There are a number of websites that exist to connect nonprofiteers, NGO-workers, and others with a social mission. To name a few:

Social Actions: “Social Actions helps individuals and organizations use social media to plan, implement, and support peer-to-peer social change campaigns.”

Web of Change: “Web of Change is an annual gathering connecting senior leaders working at the convergence of online strategy, technology, and social change.”

Social Edge: “Social Edge is the global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources.”

Building Movement Project: “[...] the Building Movement project, [...] is designed to explore and challenge (1) the current assumptions and expectations of how US-based social change nonprofit organizations should operate and (2) their impact on building larger movements for change.”

WiserEarth: “WiserEarth serves the people who are transforming the world. It is a community directory and networking forum that maps and connects non-governmental organizations and individuals addressing the central issues of our day: climate change, poverty, the environment, peace, water, hunger, social justice, conservation, human rights and more.”

NetSquared: “Our mission is to spur responsible adoption of social web tools by social benefit organizations.”

To Podcast or Not To Podcast?

richrl — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:07:06 +0000

This is indeed the question facing many nonprofits today. Podcasts can be an effective way to reach diverse audiences in a cost-sensitive and appealing way. However, many nonprofit workers do not understand how to create a podcast. For a helpful guide about creating a podcast, visit this page.

For examples of how podcasts can be used effectively to convery information about the nonprofit sector, visit 501c3cast, Nonprofit Law Podcast, About Online Volunteering: Resources Nonprofits Can Use from Macdonald Youth Services, Tactical Philanthropy Podcast, Innovatorz: the Voices of Leading Social Entrepreneurs, and Third Sector New England.

The Fourth Sector — For-Benefit Organizations?

richrl — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:59:13 +0000

There is a great deal of discussion about the ever-blurring boundaries among and between nonprofits, for-profits, and governmental organizations. Earned income strategies, cause-related marketing, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurism, and venture philanthropy are all well-known examples of outgrowths of the relations among and between various types of organizations. A popular idea is that eventually a fourth sector will emerge to provide needed services in ways that are influenced and informed by all three sectors.

To read ideas about the Fourth Sector, visit this site. Also, read this paper published by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund about potential new legal forms for Fourth Sector enterprises. Other interesting papers include this one from the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund about innovative approaches to solving social and economic problems, as well as this one from the Aspen Institute about visions, opportunities, and challenges for the business and nonprofit sectors.

The Leader to Leader Institute

richrl — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:09:53 +0000

The Leader to Leader Institute brings together leadership resources from all sectors to benefit nonprofit leaders. The Insititute was founded originally as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.

The Innovation in Practice section provides a searchable database of new methods of service delivery for nonprofits. Visit Innovation in Practice.

The Leader to Leader Journal “offers cutting-edge thinking on leadership, management, and strategy written by today’s top thought leaders from the private, public and social sectors.” Visit the Leader to Leader Journal.

For general information about Leader to Leader, visit their homepage.