Board members can be some of a nonprofit's most valuable fundraising assets, but that does not necessarily mean they should be the ones asking for the money. In organizations with professional fundraising staff, board members are often most effective when they open doors, build credibility, share their personal connection, and deepen relationships alongside development professionals. The board member brings access and authenticity; the fundraiser brings expertise, timing, judgment, and donor strategy.
Read MoreExecutive compensation should reward leadership, but employment contracts should also protect the institutions making those investments. Utah's approach to requiring public university presidents to repay money when they voluntarily leave early raises an important question: why should contractual accountability run only one direction? Talented leaders deserve competitive compensation, but organizations deserve meaningful protection when a leader chooses to leave. Good contracts should balance both.
Read MoreHow does a foundation remain faithful to its founder while responding to a world the founder could never have imagined? The answer is not in preserving old grantmaking patterns, but in preserving the purpose behind them. Donor intent should guide foundations toward enduring values while allowing the methods used to achieve those values to evolve with knowledge, circumstances, and need.
Read MoreTechnology has made it easier than ever to communicate, collaborate, and work from almost anywhere. But technology cannot create the relationships that make organizations stronger. A leadership retreat reminded me that some of the most valuable moments happen between the agenda items, when people share stories, discover common ground, and begin to see others as people rather than job titles. In an increasingly digital workplace, getting people together may be more important than ever.
Read MoreTeaching morals may be one of the most important (and difficult) jobs of parenting. Morals are not built through lectures; they are formed through ordinary moments, consistent examples, and the behaviors children see when no one is watching. The real test comes when children begin making those choices on their own, even when doing the right thing costs them something. Those quiet victories may never trend on social media, but they are the ones that matter most.
Read MoreColleges have a responsibility to keep their communities safe, and technology has an important role in doing that. But safety becomes something different when surveillance begins to influence what students and faculty feel comfortable saying. A healthy campus does not require agreement; it requires the freedom to question, challenge, listen, and disagree respectfully. The best universities use technology to protect people without creating an environment where people are afraid to express ideas.
Read MoreSome of the most meaningful gifts will never be wrapped in paper. They're found in shared experiences, a road trip, a concert, a ballgame, or an afternoon spent together without distractions. While possessions eventually wear out or are forgotten, memories tend to appreciate over time, becoming stories, traditions, and part of a family's identity. The greatest inheritance we leave may not be what we owned, but the moments we shared.
Read MoreFor years, I treated busyness like an accomplishment and vacations like an interruption. Somewhere along the way, work stopped being something I did and quietly became the lens through which I viewed nearly every day. This summer, I'm trying something different: being fully present with my family, putting work in its proper place, and remembering that rest isn't the enemy of productivity, it's one of its prerequisites. Sometimes the hardest thing a workaholic can do is simply step away.
Read MoreFor decades, schools invested heavily in technology, convinced that more screens would produce better learning. Now, many educators and policymakers are asking whether we've allowed the tool to become the teacher. Technology has undeniable value, but innovation should always be judged by outcomes, not novelty. Sometimes the best way to prepare students for the future is to rediscover the strengths of paper, pencils, books, and face-to-face learning.
Read MoreThe greatest governance challenge is not always an inactive board, it is an overactive one. When boards spend their meetings debating hiring decisions, software platforms, or operational procedures, they unintentionally neglect the strategic issues only they are positioned to address. Healthy organizations create a clear distinction between governance and management. The board's responsibility is not to run the organization, but to ensure it has the vision, leadership, and financial strength to thrive for years to come.
Read MoreWatching my nine-year-old daughter perform in Frozen reminded me that courage often looks much smaller (and much more powerful) than we imagine. Stepping onto a stage under bright lights, speaking lines, singing, and dancing before hundreds of people requires a kind of vulnerability that many adults still avoid. Confidence is rarely something we possess before the challenge; it is something we earn by facing it. Sometimes the greatest acts of bravery begin with simply taking that first step into the spotlight.
Read MoreOne of the hardest lessons parents ever teach is that not everyone deserves your trust. We want our children to believe in kindness, generosity, and the goodness of people, yet we also have a responsibility to prepare them for those who exploit those very qualities. The same applies in philanthropy, where trust is the foundation of every donor relationship and the very thing scammers seek to abuse. The goal is not to become cynical, but to pair trust with vigilance.
Read MoreWealth screening is a valuable research tool, but it was never meant to replace professional judgment. When organizations ask donors solely at their estimated financial capacity rather than at a level supported by trust, engagement, and demonstrated commitment, they confuse information with strategy. The strongest philanthropic relationships are built over years, not by algorithms.
Read MoreFor educational institutions, the greatest threat is not declining enrollment. It is refusing to adapt. Demographic shifts, rising operating costs, and changing student preferences are forcing colleges, universities, and independent schools to reconsider long-held assumptions about independence. Strategic mergers and affiliations should not be viewed as admissions of failure, but as thoughtful leadership decisions to strengthen missions, expand opportunities, and better serve future students. Sometimes preserving the mission requires changing the structure.
Read MoreDisaster recovery is often treated as a short-term response, but meaningful recovery requires long-term coordination, patience, and strategic leadership. Drawing on the Omaha Community Foundation’s response to the 2024 tornadoes, aligning donors, nonprofits, government agencies, and case management efforts can produce more effective outcomes than fragmented relief efforts. The lesson goes beyond disaster philanthropy: the most impactful solutions emerge when organizations focus on system design, collaboration, and sustained support rather than immediate activity alone. Recovery is not an event. It is a process that rewards discipline and thoughtful coordination.
Read MoreLeadership, fundraising, and education fail when systems become too focused on “the many” and lose sight of the individual. Research on personalized learning shows that when people feel seen, understood, and supported according to their unique needs, engagement and outcomes improve significantly. The same principle applies beyond the classroom. Donors, employees, students, and patients all respond differently when treated as individuals rather than averages. Scale effectively not by ignoring “the one,” but by building personalization into how they operate.
Read MoreThe Department of Justice’s decision to delay ADA digital accessibility deadlines for colleges reflects a reality many institutions have already understood: the scale of compliance work far exceeded the available time and infrastructure. Universities are not resisting accessibility itself; they are struggling with the operational complexity of auditing and rebuilding millions of webpages, PDFs, videos, and digital systems. The delay offers an opportunity to move from reactive scrambling to accessibility that integrate governance, training, and workflow design. The real danger now is not the extension itself, but the temptation to mistake more time for less urgency.
Read MorePublic debates surrounding labor disputes in higher education often focus on employees and administrators while overlooking the group most directly affected: students. The recent Portland Community College strike highlights how disrupted classes, delayed graduations, and interrupted learning create real personal and financial consequences for thousands of learners. Students are not secondary observers in these conflicts, they are primary stakeholders whose experience deserves central attention. In institutional disputes, the most important question may not be who wins, but who bears the cost.
Read MoreLeadership failures rarely begin with strategy; they begin with personal drift. When judgment erodes in private decisions, the consequences eventually surface in public credibility and institutional trust. A recent university leadership resignation underscores how personal conduct and professional authority are inseparable in roles of influence. For leaders, responsibility is not just about policy compliance, it is about disciplined choices when no one is watching.
Read MoreEmployee giving programs don’t transform through better messaging, they transform through leadership, systems, and culture. A recent example shows participation jumping from 1 percent to over 50 percent when organizations reduce barriers, increase incentives, and visibly prioritize internal engagement. When employees see impact, experience ease, and observe leadership commitment, participation follows. For nonprofits, employee giving is not just revenue, it’s a powerful signal of belief in the mission.
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