There is much buzz around “social enterprises." And, for good reason. Social enterprises are organizations (nonprofit or for-profit) that run lines of business that directly embody their mission while making profit.
With constant turnover in leadership in the nonprofit sector, most Board volunteers will eventually be involved in an ED search. Be aware, this is not the same as a search at a for-profit for many reasons.
In Boardrooms across the country, a similar suggestion is being made…”Get Leonardo DiCaprio/ Lady Gaga/Bono/insert famous person here, to support us.” Then you are in like easy street…right?
You start thinking about all the changes you want to make, starting with shaking up the programs/services offering and finally getting rid of that lazy accounting assistant that no one can stand. Right? Wrong!
Successful nonprofits (NFP) have found a way to have an open dialog between staff and board regarding fundraising and have found that clear expectations and planning drives the conversation to a win/win.
Can you tell if your organization is in survival, sustainability or significance mode? Would you know what key factors to look at to find out?
Our world, and particularly the “do gooder” industry, needs more voices calling for change, progressive thought and most importantly, strong leaders open to doing things in a fundamentally different way.