Nonprofit Stories and Power

Nonprofit Stories and Power

In the world of nonprofit communications, few things are more powerful than a community member’s story. Nonprofit organizations frequently use first-person accounts to illustrate the need for, or impact of, their programs. A story is powerful in a different way than a...
Customer Service Problems in a Broken System

Customer Service Problems in a Broken System

Remember that time you called your doctor’s office and you got the hospital’s automated voice system. You landed in a type of purgatory where even if you pushed “0” for the operator, you might or might not get a human being. Well I landed there in a recent issue with...
The Role of the Board in Strategic Planning

The Role of the Board in Strategic Planning

The final post in this series addresses another sacred cow. Over the course of my 34 year professional nonprofit career, I have constantly heard “it’s the Board’s job to design the strategic plan.” It’s time to rethink this and get clarity about the Board’s role...
Where is Community Engagement in the Strategic Planning ?

Where is Community Engagement in the Strategic Planning ?

One of the key elements in any strategic planning process is to engage stakeholders, especially those who may be service recipients at a human services organization. As we engage the community, we do not want to 1) set expectations that will not be met and disappoint...