In this morning’s New York Times there was an interesting article about dreaming. Apparently, we all may be dreaming in fast rewind i.e. with the outcome first as a way of processing memory. I would love to relive portions of my life — aspects of it — with such a learning aid in place .
Governance from the Ground Up (Jan 07)
This morning I was reading a report about a community organization I have gotten to know fairly well over the past few years. When I was first introduced to the organization, it was in pretty tough shape. Dedicated staff who had committed themselves to the organization over three decades had aged and although they were
Starr Crossed Foundation Dollars (Apr 07)
Not long ago, I was shocked to hear that, in a public meeting, a former community development colleague of mine had launched into a tirade against the dangers of increased regulation of the nonprofit sector. Like warning teenage sleepers about Freddy Krueger, she cited the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as an example of the hazards of regulation
Starr Crossed Foundation Dollars (Apr 07)
Not long ago, I was shocked to hear that, in a public meeting, a former community development colleague of mine had launched into a tirade against the dangers of increased regulation of the nonprofit sector. Like warning teenage sleepers about Freddy Krueger, she cited the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as an example of the hazards of regulation
Moral Court for Charity
In June of 2004, the Senate Finance Committee prepared a table for a long panel of witnesses to testify on charitable accountability, a diverse group including national trade associations, national nonprofit ratings entities, and specific issue and interest representatives of the nonprofit sector. At the end of the table sat Derek Bok, the former president
Taking Philanthropy to the Max
Roughly a year ago, Montana’s senior senator, Max Baucus, stunned the annual meeting of the Council on Foundations. At that time — still the ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee — Baucus made a few off-hand comments about Congressional attention to charitable reform legislation and then read a prepared speech about the need
Taking Philanthropy to the Max (Jun 07)
Roughly a year ago, Montana’s senior senator, Max Baucus, stunned the annual meeting of the Council on Foundations. At that time — still the ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee — Baucus made a few off-hand comments about Congressional attention to charitable reform legislation and then read a prepared speech about the need
Philanthrogate? Philanthropy on the Presidential Stump
It’s hard to keep track of the presidential candidates without a scratch sheet. You have to know who’s in the race, their starting gate positions, whether they run well on turf, in the mud, their times in longer and shorter races, and past finishes. Of course, presidential candidates aren’t tortured like race horses which are
Presidential Candidates Mess with Nonprofits (Aug 07)
After the withdrawal of former Virginia Republican Governor Jim Gilmore from the presidential race, America's always brilliant and satirical national newspaper The Onion put it best. When asked to comment about Gilmore's bowing-out, a man-in-the-street commentator replied, "Well, I guess the 'nobodies no one's ever heard of' vote is up for grabs again." This issue
Presidential Candidates Mess with Nonprofits (Aug 07)
After the withdrawal of former Virginia Republican Governor Jim Gilmore from the presidential race, America’s always brilliant and satirical national newspaper The Onion put it best. When asked to comment about Gilmore’s bowing-out, a man-in-the-street commentator replied, “Well, I guess the ‘nobodies no one’s ever heard of’ vote is up for grabs again.” This issue
The Whistle-blower: Policy Challenges For Nonprofits
See also Rick Cohen’s sidebars to this article, titled “Whistle-Blowers by the Numbers,” and “Does the Law Protect Whistle-Blowers? “
NOT a Spin-Free Zone: Reflections on the Utility and Price of Nonprofit Spin
AN NPQ CLASSIC:
The nonprofit sector uses spin routinely, and while ours generally does less harm, we would do well to own up to our tendencies and to consider both the utility and the price of our most frequently told half-truths.