Not-for-Profit & Higher Ed Sector

10/15/2026

The "leadership development deficit" is common in not-for-organizations. Here's an analysis of the root causes and suggestions for improvement.

Succession planning is the No. 1 organizational concern of US nonprofits, but they are failing to develop their most promising pool of talent: homegrown leaders.

10/14/2026

Organizations need to start their strategic planning with clear definitions of strategy, goals, vision, mission, and plan. It's strategy where there is usually the most confusion, There very little strategy in most “strategic plans.”

Start off on the right foot with these clear definitions

10/14/2026

“One of the characteristics of a highly successful nonprofit is the level of engagement between the board and the CEO. There needs to be a constant open and honest dialogue about the key issues the organization is facing and how to best utilize the talents, experiences, and knowledge of each respective board member to feel that their voices are heard, their actions matter, and their ideas are encouraged for open discussion. It is the responsibility of both the board chair and CEO to make sure each board member is engaged and an active participant.”

(image from pexels.com) By Dennis C. Miller We all know the tough challenges facing today’s nonprofit organizations, especially around federal funding cuts, growing demands for services and workforce retention issues on the organization. The board traditionally played the role of being a strategic...

10/08/2026

The signs of a board in need of significant improvement:
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/spotting_and_fixing_dysfunctional_nonprofit_boards #

Micromanaging, rubber stamp, and Balkanized nonprofit boards of directors are more common than not, and turning them into high-functioning governing bodies requires being on the alert for six warning signs.

10/02/2026

Important qualities for every board member: active, brave, curious and diplomatic. My favorite is brave:
“A brave director makes timely decisions with incomplete information, speaks difficult truths, voices the hard questions management hopes no one will ask, names the elephant in the room, and puts the organization’s interests above their own reputation or comfort.”

Every organization today — regardless of size, industry, life cycle stage, business model, or any other factor — is facing the same tidal wave of change. The world is experiencing more simultaneous macrolevel shifts than ever before. Some companies are feeling those changes sooner than others, b...

10/01/2026

“A long-term vision beyond one generation is necessary to build truly sustainable enterprises.”

Although Gandhi is best known for expelling the British from India and inspiring the likes of King and Mandela, he also wrote a lot about the behavior of good business leaders.

09/27/2026

My favorite is #2: "Know what you are getting into."

Seven practical steps to landing your first nonprofit board seat, from finding the right organization to interviewing well and getting selected.

09/26/2026

“A bad system will beat a good person every time.” W. Edwards Deming

09/21/2026

You may think that because you say something, people will hear it as you intended. That's often not the case.

Just because a meeting goes well doesn’t mean that the content was translated properly by every manager in the chain. Some in your team may…

08/31/2026

Group think, and its sibling self-congratulation, is a risk for every board. I've seen it way too often.

Healthy consensus and unhealthy conformity can look identical from the outside, but directors say knowing the difference — before it costs the company — is what separates a strong board from a compromised one.