As this post comes online, my husband and I are nearing the end of a week of vacation at the cabin of friends in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. The brief respite from the busyness of careers, volunteer activities, and family commitments is a much-needed reminder of one of God’s most precious gifts [...]
Generosity in quotes
July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“Our thanks are due to God for all temporal blessings; they are more than we deserve. But our thanks ought to go to God in thunders of hallelujahs for spiritual blessings. A new heart is better than a new coat. To feed on Christ is better than to have the best earthly food. To be [...]
The career saboteur in the mirror
July 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I’ve noticed an uptick in advice about coping with a bad boss and/or belligerent co-workers (or obnoxious colleagues on a nonprofit board, dare I suggest). Mostly the ones to whom the counsel is directed – the aggrieved ones – are presented as blameless and without “sin.” Enter columnist David Perlmutter with news that at least [...]
Friday afternoon reflections on another week of generous matters
July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Creating presentations that connect: About one in five working adults would rather do taxes, go to the dentist, or work on a Saturday than sit through one more PowerPoint presentation. So reports a study commissioned by SlideRocket to gauge public perception of presentation software. Although the results are comical—nearly 30 percent of respondents say they’ve [...]
It takes a team to win the board game (part 2)
July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In my last post, I added a governance spin to two of four strategies from consultants Jack and Suzy Welch’s advice about “How to Build a Winning Team.” Now I’m back with commentary on the remaining two points. (The Welch’s words are in italic and mine are in regular face.) Third, winning teams are honest. [...]
It takes a team to win the board game (part 1)
July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Newsweek isn’t where I expect to find advice on developing strong boards. However, a recent issue of the magazine provided just that with an article titled “How to Build a Winning Team.” It’s immediately obvious (at least to me) that the four-step approach suggested by consultants Jack and Suzy Welch is as useful in the [...]
Friday afternoon reflections on another week of generous matters
July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Getting the most from board meetings. According to the 2010 BoardSource Nonprofit Governance Index, many nonprofit boards struggle to take fullest advantage of meeting time. Only 39 percent of boards are prepared “to a great extent” for meetings (e.g., read materials in advance, follow up on assignments). According to chief executives, 38 percent of meeting [...]
Reaching Millennials through stewardship evangelism
July 13, 2011 By 2 Comments
Here’s a tip for pastors and other congregational leaders eager to attract young adults to the Christian faith. Challenge them with straight talk about money. Sounds crazy, I know, and especially to Boomers who’ve spent a life-time tuning out the teachings of Jesus on the topic. But a new generation of stewardship evangelists are finding [...]
The board chair-CEO relationship is like a pair of chopsticks.
July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“The board chair-CEO relationship is like a pair of chopsticks. One is much more effective with the support of the other.” Sounds like something from the mind of Forrest Gump. In fact, this bit of wisdom comes from a real-life board chair of an actual charity via a survey sponsored by the Canadian consulting firm, [...]
