Perfection Paralysis
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There’s a famous proverb attributed to Voltaire: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I get the feeling Voltaire may have spent some time hanging around nonprofit…
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Sins of Commission
A central principle of nonprofit development is that individuals should not get paid on a commission basis. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, paying nonprofit fundraisers commissions is unethical…
Read More Too Much Information
Three aspects of the digital age: It’s very easy to find information, and it’s ridiculously easy to disseminate information, but it’s no easier to assimilate information than it was a…
Read More A Board’s Most Important Role
Good nonprofit boards put a lot of time into strategic planning, creating effective policies, and raising funds – all very important roles. But very few put enough time into their…
Read More Playing the Percentages
Ah: the end of the year! Donors are racing to register their charitable contributions before January first. Nonprofits are counting on a December bounty. But what, besides tax advantages, is…
Read More Leading From Behind
The death of Nelson Mandela has triggered international recognition that he was a singularly remarkable man. In leading the movement to end apartheid in South Africa, Mandela attracted accolades not…
Read More Self-Interest
My recent blog post, “Wall Street Muscles In,” certainly got some attention: my largest readership ever for a single post, and a record number of comments both in this space…
Read More Wall Street Muscles In
I really wish I’d been wrong in my earlier warnings about the growth of commercial donor-advised funds. But the latest Philanthropy 400 rankings from the Chronicle of Philanthropy indicate that…
Read More Missing the Obvious in Nonprofit Ratings
[Note: This post is simultaneously being published as an opinion piece in the October 6, 2013 edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.] Americans love ratings and rankings. We like to…
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