Summer Reading List

Remember those infamous summer reading lists? Why didn’t that fun seem to continue past high school? Oh yeah, I still have a reading list, it’s just now a giant pile on my table (and spilling onto the floor) of work-related books, articles, as well as personal guilty pleasures like (gasp) Ayn Rand. I was [...]

Are you a Best Managed Nonprofit?

Detroit-area nonprofits listen up! Crain’s Detroit Business is searching for the Best Managed Nonprofits. For all the details and an application, read Crain’s article about this year’s search: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20090730/FREE/307309991/-1#
Crain’s states that this year’s search will focus on ways nonprofits are meeting the challenges of the economy. Applications are due August 10 so [...]

Resource Friday: Utilizing Research to Support Your Work

A couple months ago MNA with the Council of Michigan Foundations, and the Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University released the 2009 Economic Benefits of Michigan’s Nonprofit Sector report. This report, released every three to four years, helps demonstrate the strength and size of Michigan’s nonprofit sector and should be used by nonprofits when [...]

AmeriCorps – Getting Things Done

It is an exciting time for AmeriCorps. Saturday, May 9 kicked off the third annual National AmeriCorps Week – a recruitment and recognition initiative to bring more Americans into service, salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their powerful impact, and thank the community partners who make AmeriCorps possible. It also provides an opportunity [...]

Celebrating Our Diversity

I often think that the word “diversity” is an over-used and under-appreciated term. However, Michigan’s nonprofit sector is about as diverse as anything. Our sector is geographically diverse, with organizations in every county of the state, and operationally diverse, serving every subsector of our economy including health care, education, human services, environment and the arts. [...]

Voices for Service

National service and volunteering is now all the rage, but it certainly wasn’t always that way. When I was mentored into the nonprofit sector around national service in 1993, national service was also all the rage. However, in just nine short years, what was a national movement, almost became a note in history.

The [...]

Some Delicious Nonprofit I.T. Resources

If you’ve heard of Delicious (www.Delicious.com or formerly http://del.icio.us) then you know that it’s social bookmarking site that lets you tag websites of interest to you and share those links with people who might also find them interesting or helpful. You can share your Delicious bookmarks friends, co-workers, and the world at large.
For the [...]

Gift of Life Campus Challenge

More than 90% of Americans believe in organ donation, but most do not know how to sign up in their own state. I believe in organ donation, and I hope you see the benefits in it as well. If you have ever known an organ recipient, you have witnessed the [...]

Giving Wisely This Holiday Season

Every year Michigan residents make generous donations to charities that do good work in our communities. Despite all the good work of charities, I want to remind you of a couple steps you may wish to follow to make sure your donation is used wisely. You can also view a Top Ten List for Donors [...]

Ethiopian Nonprofit Leaders Fight for What We Take for Granted

I went to Glasgow, Scotland to attend the CIVICUS World Assembly. CIVICUS is an international civil society building organization and the World Assembly “is a forum for international civil society representatives to get together, exchange ideas, experiences and build strategies for a just world.”
At the conference, I was introduced to two nonprofit anti-poverty activists from [...]