On May 6, 2013, The Aliveness Project in Minneapolis took the next major step in fulfilling its mission. It cut the ribbon on its new home at 3808 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis. Thanks to the gifts of many generous donors and a loan from the Nonprofit Assistance Fund, it can now renovate and move to [...]
These days, everyone is throwing around the i-word. Surely what leader doesn’t love to be hailed as innovative, cutting edge, creative, with the next big idea that will change the way [insert activity here] is done? I can’t say I have pinpointed the all-encompassing description for what innovation in the social sector truly is, but [...]
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Central Chapter invites you to: Reaching Out, Connecting Within Wednesday, May 15 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Best Western Kelly Inn – St. Cloud HBH is a sponsor along with the Initiative Foundation, Central Minnesota Community Foundation, and Mutual of America. This event is designed to be a “summit” in [...]
One of my favorite activities in nonprofit communications is boiling down messaging to the bare essentials to really get at the heart of the transformative change our clients are making happen. In the nonprofit world, we have a tendency to focus on our organization and how wonderful it is in our external marketing. We assume [...]
Today is a snowy day. Things are moving very slowly on the roads here in St. Paul. It’s a good day to reflect, in between shovels of snow, and look at big picture issues. Like the importance of mission. Too often, tactics take over and drive the process, leaving mission in the dust. While it’s [...]
Within each and every one of us, lies huge creative potential. Think back to the world of make believe you played as a youngster. Some of my fondest memories as a child were pretending I was a boxcar child living in the woods behind my grandma’s house. Some of us have released our creativity, but [...]
While meeting with a client recently, I unexpectedly and happily ran into Don and Mary Streufert, two dear friends I hadn’t seen for a number of years. In the mid-1990s, Don was the executive director of the Center for Reducing Rural Violence, a program launched by the Blandin Foundation, for which I was a regional [...]
Our clients hear this phrase often – build a culture of philanthropy in your organization. In a not-for-profit organization, philanthropy is everyone’s job; it isn’t the exclusive jurisdiction of the CEO and the development staff. In fact, one person or one department simply can’t handle it alone. A healthy culture of philanthropy means that everyone [...]
As promised at the Wednesday Storytelling for Good workshop, here are a few links to organizations that have found their voice and are inspiring others to join in their movement, through effective storytelling. Who: World Wildlife Fund: “How a Prairie Fire in the Great Northern Planes…” Form: Online story So What? Helps you understand [...]
As children, we are taught to gather around on the floor to listen to stories. For many parents, reading a story is the last thing we do with our little kangaroos before tucking them in for the night. Corporations like Target are master storytellers. They actually create stories within our own minds that tell us [...]
127