Articles by CharityChannel Members
CharityChannel members who have years of experience in their field may apply to join a Contributor's Panel. Once accepted to a panel by the panel's editor, the member will work with the editor to determine article topics and to prepare an article that is ready for publication. With tens of thousands of colleagues in the CharityChannel professional community, this is a key opportunity to give back to your profession by sharing your hard-won expertise and wisdom.
[ View All Articles ]
______
Governing the Networked Nonprofit Contributed by:
Brian FraserWednesday, December 05, 2012 (159 days ago)
These days we all need to understand the implications of technology for mission-driven work. This article explores how boards can lead and model ways to build and build on being a networked nonprofit.
______
Conversations that Change the World: Voice, Vibe, and Value for Good Governors Contributed by:
Brian FraserWednesday, February 01, 2012 (1 years 102 days ago)
Positive change requires us to be different, not just do something different or in a different way. Find out why this matters in the board room and how you can personally have impact.
______
Governing Yourself for Productive Board Work Contributed by:
Brian FraserWednesday, September 15, 2010 (2 years 241 days ago)
There is a pattern to the problems that lead nonprofits to engage consultants and coaches. The reasons boil down to dysfunctional teams of some kind – staff, boards, board committees, advisory groups, or other teams of people passionate about purpose. These dysfunctions are often a mix of lack of clarity in direction, lack of inspiration in communication, and lack of coherence in performance. Taken all together, they block the nonprofit’s desired productivity in making this world a better place to flourish.
______
Generating Good Vibes in Governance Contributed by:
Brian FraserWednesday, May 12, 2010 (3 years 2 days ago)
The sounds you create in conversations, one after another, are the vehicle for whatever vision you have co-created with your colleagues. The music of your voice gives life and energy to the dance of your vision. The vibrations set in motion by your voice invite others to join in a song of success that sets in motion the vibe of your organization. Jennifer Rubell co-owns a number of small upscale hotels in the Miami area. Her title in the organization is Director of Vibe and she’s responsible for intensifying the spirit of warmth and playfulness among the staff. I think board chairs should be directors of vibe for their governing bodies. Other board members can take such an initiative as well. Great sounding conversations are infectious. Organizations would attract and retain a lot more talent and wisdom on their boards if this quality of conversation was a priority for them. And it all starts with the sound of
your voice.
______
Govern Like a Jazz Group: A Core Chart for Optimal Flow in Nonprofit Governance Contributed by:
Brian FraserWednesday, October 07, 2009 (3 years 219 days ago)
Think of the last board meeting you participated in at one of the nonprofits in which you are involved. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), rate the flow of the meeting. Think of flow as a process in which the achievement of purpose progresses unimpeded. It’s something like a stream with no debris in it flowing smoothly to its destination. It’s also like a jazz performance in which all the musicians are in sync and their instruments blend harmoniously into a toe-tapping, body-swaying performance.
______
Jazzing Up Your Board Agenda Contributed by:
Brian FraserSaturday, February 16, 2008 (5 years 88 days ago)
Focusing on agendas as the way to reinvigorate boards may seem simplistic. But I would ask you to consider, for at least the few moments it will take you to read this article, that this focus may indeed be Oliver Wendell Holmes’ prized “simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
______
Navigating Transition Turbulence by Starting SMART Contributed by:
Brian FraserWednesday, October 04, 2006 (6 years 223 days ago)
Over the next five years, thousands of passionate and capable leaders will become executive directors in nonprofit organizations throughout North America. Two recent studies indicate the scope of this change. The 2004 National Executive Leadership and Transition study conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Managance Consulting surveyed 2,200 nonprofit organizations and found that 65% stated that they are likely to go through an executive transition by 2009. In contrast, just 57% had experienced a transition during the previous 10 years. In the 2006 Daring to Lead survey from CompassPoint and the Meyer Foundation, fully 75% of the 1,932 executive directors polled said they don’t plan to be in their current jobs five years from now. In addition, the survey found that organizations with fewer than 10 paid staff are more likely to experience transition during this period.
______
Nonprofit Board Members as Jazz Musicians: Leadership Lessons from the Masters of Change and Surprise Contributed by:
Brian FraserTuesday, August 08, 2006 (6 years 280 days ago)
Following a particularly testy nonprofit board meeting that surfaced conflicting ways of viewing the community in which the organization was operating, one long-serving member smiled wryly and said, “This
certainly isn’t Kansas anymore, Toto.” I suspect that most of us have had that feeling recently as we adjust to new and often unsettling environments for nonprofit endeavors.
CharityChannel's WE REVIEW
CharityChannel members who have been admitted to the WE REVIEW Contributors Panel are eligible to receive recently-published books from a variety of publishers (and some self-publishers) to review. Reviews are not limited to books published by CharityChannel Press, the publishing project of the CharityChannel professional community. If you are interested in reviewing books, you are welcome to apply. Note that, even though WE REVIEW has been publishing reviews for over a decade, it has recently been reorganized and re-launched. We took the opportunity to remove prior reviews, since our focus is on newly published books.
[ View all book reviews ]
CharityChannel Press Books
CarityChannel Press is the publishing arm of CharityChannel. Many of the sector’s most experienced, knowledgeable practitioners are part of the CharityChannel professional community. Because of its unique role in the nonprofit sector, CharityChannel Press enjoys a rich pool of prospective authors from which to draw. In addition, the CharityChannel professional community, consisting of tens of thousands of practitioners, forms a natural initial market for the books as does the greater third sector itself. Interested in writing a book or manual?
[ Learn More ]
CharityChannel Press Blog for Authors and Editors
CharityChannel Press is the publishing project of the CharityChannel professional community. In this blogging feature, the authors and editors of our books and manuals share their thoughts, ideas, insights, and advice on topics of interest to busy practitioners. Reading their blogs is a great way to get to know them and to learn about their latest books and manuals. Be sure to jump in and add your comment to blog postings.
[ View all the blog postings ]