Word On The Street • January 6, 2010 • Email Print

"no texting." Doesn't that sum up everything when it's on the list of Ground Rules for a nonprofit meeting?

This large sign was photographed at a multi-racial youth organization by a staffperson who wishes her organization to be anonymous. So she will get a box of avocados delivered to her (this was a contest, remember?!) but we won't publish her name or organization.

Special thanks to everyone who sent in photos, especially runner up Robert Marsh of the Fordland Clinic in Fordland, Missouri!

Word On The Street • By Jonathan Spack • December 15, 2009 • Email Print

Jonathan Spack is mad. He's mad about  fallacies that he sees the nonprofit sector as having internalized -- fallacies that contribute both to poor management and to poor self-esteem. Here is his
First Person Nonprofit Rant.

Our sector suffers from a chronic self-esteem deficiency. For most Americans, personal wealth is the primary measure of social status.  If you've had financial success it must be because you're smart.  This social Darwinism carries over to nonprofit organizations, too, morphing
into a kind of sectoral Darwinism.  As a result, many people-- both inside and outside the nonprofit world - see our sector as being of secondary value and importance compared to the (for-profit) business sector.

The pervasiveness of this sectoral inferiority complex leads to some widely-held beliefs and practices that I consider harmful to our work, and self-destructive when they are inwardly focused. Here are a few that really get me going:

1. "It's a lot easier to run a nonprofit than a regular business."

The reality is that nonprofit leaders must . . .

Word On The Street • September 29, 2009 • Email Print

We're having a desk food potluck right now! Everyone gather up whatever food you keep in your desk and bring it to the conference room to share.

We asked Blue Avocado readers to tell us what they always keep on hand, and based on their responses, it looks like we'll have a lot of raw almonds, chocolate, and microwave popcorn at our virtual potluck. Meet some hungry readers:

Samara Azam gets a special notice because she cleverly included a screenshot of Blue Avocado in the photo she submitted of her Nutella.  "I know no one . . .

Word On The Street • By Jan Masaoka • September 14, 2009 • Email Print

Although we seem to be told constantly that we should be using Facebook and Twitter, a powerful application is quietly  making its mark in nonprofits without much fanfare. Instant messaging (IM'ing) is the old-but-new tool that is moving from tech companies to Main Street and to nonprofits.

"Our organization uses IM'ing all the time as a quick way to have short conversations, ask questions, etc. without having to run down the hall every time," says Hannah Wallisch of Danceworks (Milwaukee). "IM'ing is also useful when staff members are working from home, so they can still be in constant contact with staff in the office without tying up phone lines," she continues.

IM is for grown-ups now

Instant Messaging used be known as the communication vehicle of choice for . . .

Word On The Street • By Brian Bullington • April 11, 2009 • Email Print

At a Chicago meeting earlier this month, leaders of 35 community nonprofits engaged in a vibrant discussion about all things nonprofit in the economic crisis - collaboration, scaling back, fundraising woes and more. Donors Forum sponsored the gathering. Here's how participant Brian Bullington captured the exchange in performance poetry in the style of a poetry slam:

Wrong Collaboration causes frustration and the stench of tension
Economic mess: do more with less; I confess I need
A more focused
Stress
Hard choices: what to cut so the doors don't shut. Funding cut? So what?
We want the world.

That sounds tragic so be strategic. Trouble lurkin'? Expect less turkeyin'
How do you open the Bill Gates flood gates without going overboard on your board?
Buy in individual tie in.
Special events tickets down to ground level? Find something that resounds, reflects your mission,
Smaller scale chasing a smaller white whale.
Volun-teary eyed? Collaboration, consulting? Tech out sourcing? Colleges coursing with
Energy seeking experience