Ask Willy Fournier whether his organization’s revitalization is a “renaissance” and he’ll tell you “No. Not yet.” But it’s something perhaps far more important: a symbol of resilience - and even some defiance - in the wake of years of...
If I told you my kid was a computer hacker, you’d probably think of Julian Assange, the breach of US government computers, and every data theft movie you’ve ever seen. A hacker, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a person...
There’s a story about two masons at work. When asked what they were doing, the first mason replied, “I’m laying bricks,” and the second said, “I’m building a cathedral.” Similarly, Kate (not her real name) had two recent encounters with...
A strategic planning or visioning exercise should be a time of hope and opportunity for any company or organization. A successful process will engage staff and stakeholders to better inform decision making and to communicate relevant information along the way....
Editor's Note: Are your nonprofit meetings unproductive? We partnered with Gord Sheppard for a free webinar on February 25, 2016 that helps you improve all of your meetings. Whether you're a board member, executive director, manager or staff member, you'll...
Measuring impact. If you’re a small or medium-sized nonprofit, these two words often come off as intimidating. Scary, even. Only large nonprofits have the resources – both financial and human – to effectively and thoroughly measure the difference they make,...
For the Silicon Valley set, the concept is old hat. Business incubation — where a company, economic development organization, government or academic entity provides services or mentorship to an early-stage venture, entrepreneur or start-up — has been around for decades,...
When I say "dynamic nonprofit leader", I bet your mind instantly goes to someone in particular. Someone who has a certain charisma, who gets the job done, is a force to be reckoned with and usually is an inspiration to...
The cartoon Calvin and Hobbes occasionally featured a game called Calvinball in which the little boy made up the rules, changing them as it suited him. While it made for humourous reading, playing his game would not make for a...
Back in my grad school days, I was in a seminar called ‘Public Intellectuals, Institutional Critique’ where, among many other things, we grappled with the embrace of all things “excellence” in the academy. As I delve deeper into my work...
