What will happen in October (breast cancer awareness month) and all the pink products come out — will there be less donations, less support for breast cancer research? My students have asked me in class — will the Koman foundation recover?  I think a bigger question to ask is — will the color pink recover? Most importantly, will support for breast cancer research and awareness recover?

In this weeks finance class my students will be analyzing the financial statements of the Hull House Association.  I believe there were hard decisions the board of directors could have made to prevent this closure from happening.  In their 2008 990 (the only 990 available) they had a net income of 1mil and negative unrestricted net assets of $4.5mil.  I don’t even know how they got to be so in the red but clearly–they spent money that wasn’t available.  I am looking forward to a lively discussion with my students!

The biggest issue I’ve encountered while working in nonprofits is the lack of planning for volunteer management.  Like the case with nonprofit operations in general, many nonprofits don’t make the time to strategicly plan their volunteer recruitment and retention efforts.  All volunteers should be managed just like another member of the staff and should be able to:

1. Complete an volunteer application
2. Receive a job description
3. Be oriented and trained on the job
4. Receive communication on a consistent basis from the staff and board
5. Be evaluated and recognized for their efforts

I learned this the hard way t0o — its not “oh we need some volunteers this week so lets recruit them” but let’s plan in advance the volunteers we need this years, the skills we are looking for from those volunteers, and how we are going to recruit them.

One of the required readings for this section was the Strategic Volunteer Engagement Handbook. This helpful handbook lays out how nonprofits can effectively manage their volunteers.

Then there was the Nonprofit Workforce Coalition and spent a year working to develop a campaign to promote careers in the nonprofit sector.  We hit a wall when we realized that funding for the campaign would take away from funding for our organizations.

The I joined the Next Generation Leadership Forum, a committee aimed at documenting and replicating nonprofit leadership best practices. This Forum was started by the Craigslist Foundation but also dissolved when continued funding could not be obtained for the forum.

Now — there is the Initiative for Nonprofit Talent and Leadership started by the Independent Sector and supported by many national nonprofit organizations.

The Initiative for Nonprofit Talent and Leadership aims to create a set of goals and strategies that will serve as the foundation for a national cross-sector effort to better prepare, train, and sustain leaders to constructively and collaboratively address the complex challenges our society faces.

I hope this initiative is different than the other forums and committees that I described above.  I hope funders and the coalition members work to sustain this initiative long enough to influence leadership practices in the nonprofit sector. In addition, I hope this initiative builds on the work that has already been done to document nonprofit leadership best practices.

The first session I attended was the Teaching pre-conference workshop. The workshop was coordinated by Mary Ann Feldheim.  Mary brought together representatives from nonprofit academic organizations including:

• Dr. K. Tom Liou from the American Society for Pubic Administration (ASPA). The mission of ASPA is to advance the art, science, teaching, and practice of public and non-profit administration. Liou – ARNOVA Presentation

• Roseanne Mirabella, President of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) & Will Brown, create of NERF – Nonprofit Education Resource and Forum Website –to share resources and syllabi.  Will is part of the ARNOVA educational committee that created a teaching resource website.  Nonprofit faculty members submit syllabi, cases and other teaching resources.Mirabella and Brown ARNOVA Presentation

• Katherine Campbell, Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration.  CCVA advances the profession and practice of volunteer resource management. CCVA Resources – ARNOVA pane. CCVA Slides – ARNOVA panel

• Laural McFarlend, members of National Association of School of Public Affairs Education (NASPAA). The mission of NASPAA is to ensure excellence in training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service. NASPAA also serves as the accreditor tor for public service degree programs.NASPAA Presentation on Nonprofit Standards

• J. Patrick Murphy and Sean Shacklett, the Nonprofit Academic centers Council (NACC).  NACC is a membership association comprised of academic centers or programs at accredited colleges and universities that focus on the study of nonprofit organizations, voluntarism and/or philanthropy. Established in 1991, NACC is the first group entirely dedicated to the promotion and networking of centers that provide research and education in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

• Marcia Cross, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. The mission of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is a national alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofit organizations dedicated to educating, preparing and certifying professionals to strengthen and lead nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit Leadership Alliance – ARNOVA Presentation 2011

These organizations have many nonprofit management education resources available to faculty, students, practitioners and funders.

The panel discussion mostly focused on the pros and cons of standardizing nonprofit curriculum. Some were in support of standardization and others had hesitations.  Several panelists and participants emphasized the importance of sharing learning outcomes and rubrics.

There was agreement that there are silos in nonprofit management education and work needs to be done to identify the common threads and skills that help people cope with the realities of nonprofit management.

• @CGCareers It’s not just about the ED, it’s about every single leader in your organization. John Ryan at Center for Creative Leadership. #nplead
• @CGCareers ”If we’re not developing leaders FROM w/in communities, I fear that we will not actually solve pressing problems.- John Rice #nplead“
• @RafaelLopez2 Disconnect b/w intent of #nonprofit sector & practice real, esp around racial and gender diversity- @echoinggreen Cheryl Dorsey #nplead
• @StephenBauer: Because we have under-invested in nonprofit talent we are not benefiting from top talent – Melody Barnes #NPLead
• @StephenBauer “Spriggs – How do we convince the public that human service infrastructure is worth investing in for our long-term sustainability? #NPLead“
• @kcambell We need to add human capital when talking ab jobs infrastructure. Its more than physical capital, we need training & skills -Spriggs #NPLead
• @saif305 “Nonprofits contributed over $779 Billion to US GDP – American Urban Institute”Melody Barnes – WH Domestic Policy Council #nplead
• @paulschmitz1: Dr. William Spriggs asst sec of labor, nonprofits 3rd largest employment sector after retail & manufacturing #nplead
• @RafaelLopez2 “Nonprofits employ over 13.5 million people in US, 10%of the American workforce. #nplead“

Yet, people are excited and acting like this is new information.  I have come to the conclusion it doesn’t matter what is being said in the sector but who is saying it.  Hopefully now that members of the white house are saying nonprofit leadership is important — things will really change and ALL funders and the general public will support nonprofit leadership, capacity building, and infrastructure.  As I’ve said before the culture of the nonprofit sector needs to change.  I personally am excited to teach Human Resource Management to nonprofit graduate students at Grand Valley State University in January and equip them to be better leaders, support and develop all the staff within their organizations, and not just value diversity — but practice cultural competency!

In the last ten years I’ve seen funders (foundations, corporations, individuals) stop funding organizations like VSD because it isn’t trendy.  Funders are obsessed with seeing the return on their dollars that needed infrastructure and capacity building organizations get pushed aside.   I’ve seen popular nonprofit management support organizations and nonprofit university programs go out of business due to lack of funding.  Some might argue that this is the natural life cycle of organization, however I disagree.  There will be a clear void in San Diego nonprofits with the closing of VSD and will be difficult for other organizations to take up the slack.  When will funders and the general public see the need to fund infrastructure and capacity building? Few foundations like the Community Foundation of New Orleans, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and the Boston Foundation get it and provide general funding to infrastructure organizations.

1. Identify an issue
2. Research the issue
3. Create a fact sheet
4. “Brand” the issue
5. Map the possible supporters and detractors
6. Form a coalition
7. Develop educational materials
8. Launch a media campaign
9. Approach elected officials
10. Monitor progress on the issue

Students enrolled in her Nonprofit Advocacy course provided context and real life case studies in the book.  I especially enjoyed reading about her students who passed a “Breaking the Tire Cycle” Bill to clean up the Tijuana River Valley.

Pat will be visiting the Johnson Center on Philanthropy on Wednesday, October 12th to speak at the Nonprofit Lobbying Symposium.

I read two amazing books this summer that I will be using in my classes — these two books are Darian Rodriguez Heyman’s book Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Nonprofit Managers and Professionals,  and Dalya Massachi’s book Writing to Make A Difference.

Starting with Nonprofit Management 101–I love this book for several reasons.  First, because it is written by leading experts in the field.  A few years ago I wrote a blog post: My NP Times Top 50: The Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders You Should Know and I feel like Darian did the same thing with his book.  He went to his vast network and he recruited the leading experts in all areas of nonprofit management to write the chapters in the Handbook — for example he turned to Kivi Miller – expert in Communications and nonprofit newsletters, Kay Sprinkle Grace–expert in Fundraising and individual giving, Pamela Davis–expert in Risk Management and Insurance.  Being a great nonprofit manager is not just about having the necessary skills sets, it is also about the networking and knowing who or where to go to for further resources. When I teach nonprofit finance, fundraising, human resources, or information technology, I want my students to know the leading experts in the field of nonprofit management and to read chapters in Nonprofit Management 101.

Another reason I like the book is because it is practical.  I have been using Josey-Bass’s Handbook of Nonprofit Management and Leadership for many years now but it is primarily theoretical, so I am pleased to add Nonprofit Management 101 to my students’ reading list.  The only critique I have about this book is some nonprofit management subjects cover more chapters  than others. For example: fundraising received 6 chapters devoted to the subject and nonprofit finance and hr both only had one chapter each devoted to those subjects.  I would have liked to have more chapter coverage on those subjects as well.

The next book I read over the summer was Writing to Make A Difference by Dalya Massachi. This book provides practical writing tips and writing exercises for nonprofit employees at ALL levels of an organization. I WISH this book was around when I started working in the nonprofit sector.  I’ve worked very hard over the years to improve my writing skills and I am thankful that Dalya’s practical book will strengthen the quality of written work in the nonprofit sector.

I apologize to Darian and Dalya its taken me so long to write these book reviews!!

When the new Executive Director came on board, he/she announced the new name change (to the surprise of the members) and added new programming that would draw in new revenue but not directly benefit the members. As a result of these changes, the members were furious, they voiced their opinions at the annual membership meeting and threatened to pull out from the organization. But to the members dismay, the Executive Director and board did a series of things to not include the members in the changes ahead.

Members are struggling with how to proceed. They want to pull out, but the organization offers some unique programming that they feel they cannot get elsewhere. The members also like the bonds that they have formed with one another.

What should they do? 

Update-The Executive Director recently resigned and the board announced they will be returning back to their original mission and focus as a membership organization.

What should the members do?

Should they stay or should they go.

The report received a variety of press coverage:

• Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Nonprofit Times
• Forbes Blog

Key findings from the 2011 report include:

1. Although the HR function is viewed as critical within many organizations, it still remains a low priority for most organizations. Eighty-four percent of nonprofit respondents agreed that the HR function is critical to their organization’s ability to fulfill its mission, yet few prioritize the HR function within their organizations. The majority of respondent organizations (52 percent) do not have a dedicated HR professional and 55 percent rely upon existing staff to handle new programs and or initiatives.
2. Nearly a quarter of nonprofits lost staff in 2010. However 60 percent of those organizations indicated that they intend to hire or are considering the creation of new positions in 2011. This finding was consistent irrespective of the size of the organization.
3. When nonprofits lay off staff, 81 percent report using existing staff to fulfill the duties of the eliminated position. This is a worrisome trend as it could lead to
   burnout and premature turnover.
4. Turnover remains low. Economic improvements are not being realized as quickly as anticipated. Findings from this year’s survey revealed that turnover remains low within nonprofit organizations. Turnover rates for respondent organizations were calculated at 13 percent compared to last year’s rate of 21 percent. This low turnover rate is an indication that the economy might not be improving as quickly for nonprofits as it is for other sectors.
5. It’s still “who you know” when it comes to nonprofit recruitment. Nonprofits primarily use in person networking and newspapers to recruit job candidates. This is surprising considering the rapid growth and affordability of social networking tools over the past few years. This practice also has the potential to negatively impact diversity efforts.

The Caster Center co-organized three symposia around the country to present these key findings to the general public and bring in experts on the topic of human resource management and risk management.  Last Friday, over 75 people attended the San Diego symposium.  As part of the planning process, I collected best practice nonprofit HR resources and presentations from the presenters.  These resources and presentations are available through USD’s IdeaEncore online library.

This is exactly what the IRS has been doing — and I’m happy about it.  I think it is great that the IRS added an e-postcard filing system for small nonprofits.  I also think it is about time that the IRS clean its database.  Yes, there may be a few organizations that slip through the cracks that didn’t realize their tax exempt status has been revoked — if so, that is sad — because these organizations don’t know how to manage their paperwork to run a proper nonprofit organization.  Oh, and I realize there are some mistakes that the IRS has made on the list.  But instead of freaking out that there are $275 fewer nonprofits in the USA, let’s focus on the fact that the IRS is cleaning “house” and keeping track of the real nonprofits out there.

I’ve often thought about writing a post but then was reminded of that looming deadline I have approaching.  In less than 3 weeks I will defend my dissertation and if all goes well, I will become a Ph.D!!  It has been a long road to get here but a wonderful one.  I am so thankful for my amazing professors and mentors I have encountered along the way.  All four years have led up to this moment — where I will defend my dissertation study and then be sent out into the world.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for this experience and how my PhD program has prepared me for my future endeavors.   If you or anyone you know is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. with a specialization in nonprofit and philanthropic studies, please have them contact me. I’d be happy to share with them about my experience and the various programs that offer a similar type of experience!  Each year that I’ve been in the program I’ve written about my experiences:

• Confessions of a first year doctoral student
• Confessions of a second year doctoral student
  • Learning to write all over again…
  • Advice for PhD students: preparing for a career in academia
  • Being a Nonprofit Researcher in the 21st Century
• Confessions of a Third Year Doctoral Student: Interpersonal Skills Matter the Most
• Confessions of a Forth Year Doctoral Student: Persistence Pays Off
  • Choosing a Dissertation Topic
  • So you want to teach at the university level…here are some strategies I’ve learned

A lot of exciting things have happened in the past couple of months including, my first peer reviewed article was published in the Journal of Public Affairs Education!  It is titled: How We Could Measure Community Impact of Nonprofit Graduate Students’ Service-Learning Projects: Lessons from the Literature.

I love this work and I am really excited to see where it takes me next.  I’ve been interviewing for faculty jobs in nonprofit-focused master’s degree programs — so we’ll see!!

On another note,  I organized the social media team for the BenchMark 3.5 conference: The 4th Conference on Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies.  BenchMark 3.5 was designed to consider the development of nonprofit/nongovernmental management, voluntarism, social entrepreneurship, and philanthropy as a field of study in higher education.  I am so thankful for the team, which was primarily made up of graduate students from DePaul University.  The social media team wrote over 30 blog posts from the conference – I’m still putting them up on the conference blog!  The social media team also took numerous videos throughout the conference, which are also posted on the blog, and they tweeted the conference using the hash tag #benchmark3  If you are interested in learning more about the field of nonprofit management and philanthropy as a field of study in higher education please check out the conference coverage!!

The reality is the majority of nonprofits operate with budgets less than $500k; they are small businesses with limited resources.  Even organizations that have $1mil or $2mil budgets have limited resources, especially when it comes to staff training and development.  In last year’s Nonprofit Employment Trends survey we found that only 4% of nonprofits with less than $1mil have a human resource manager.  The majority of organizations have an executive director or other senior staff member who manages the human resources function in addition to their other responsibilities. We also found that the majority of nonprofits use current employees to staff new initiatives.  This puts increased demands on employee time and less time for employee development.

These realities often conflict with the needs and wants of employees, especially younger workers.   Younger workers often think and express “my boss needs to teach me, mentor me, develop me as a manger.” Case in point, Maria Walker’s article More than Just a Boss.   Yeah, Maria’s tips are great to sustain younger employees longer than 12 months in an organization, but are these tips really realistic?  Maybe 1 in a 100 organizations have a boss who truly mentors and develops their employees, but the realities of the current state of nonprofit organizations, prevent younger workers from having a boss like that.  I am totally supportive of trying to change the way that nonprofits currently operate.  In fact, I believe all nonprofits (and all companies for that matter) should operate like Southwest Airlines.  Southwest is known for putting their employees first and as a result, their employees are happy workers!  Many nonprofits are a long way from operating like Southwest, so in the meantime employees need to be flexible and find ways to thrive in the current realities of the workplace.  Or, employees can purposefully seek out nonprofits that focus on employee development, of few of these organizations do exist!

One of the main ways that employees can thrive in their careers in the nonprofit sector is through tapping into personal and professional development opportunities outside of their organizations.  In How to be a Nonprofit Rockstar, Rosetta and Trista explain 50 ways employees can seek out professional development opportunities, many of which are OUTSIDE of the walls of their own organization.  Case in point, I would not be as successful as I am today if it wasn’t for all the professional development that I obtained outside of the workplace.  These professional development opportunities included networking, blogging, graduate education, etc.

My theory of change in the workplace

From my experience, I believe there is a change continuum that exists in the workplace.  The younger the person, the more they want and push for change. But this push for change often conflicts with experienced workers who are comfortable with how things are.  Older workers might push for change but at a lower rate than younger workers.  If younger workers are patient and wait it out for a couple of years, they can adapt and grow as the  organizational environment around them adapts and grows.

What do you think?  Do your experiences match up with the realities of the nonprofit workplace?  Do you agree or disagree with my theory of change?  I want to hear your thoughts.

The majority of grad students are enrolled in PhD programs that don’t teach them how to teach so they have to learn to teach by trial and error!   Four years ago I was asked to serve as Teaching Assistant for the nonprofit finance class.  I was excited to be able to start teaching, but I have to admit I really struggled.  I’ve since improved A LOT but this is because of all the feedback and support that I received from my professors and mentors.  They taught me key teaching strategies to become an effective instructor.

For those of you interested in dabbling in the teaching profession or becoming a professor, here a few teaching strategies that I learned (from my mentors and professors) and I use in the classroom setting.

1.  Be prepared:  I learned from my mentor that it takes AT LEAST three hours of preparation for every one hour of teaching.  In order to be successful you MUST carve out time to prepare for each class. Each week I prepare pages and pages of teaching notes.  I also do a practice run through of my teaching notes at least once before I teach each class session.  During the practice run I work through any glitches or inconsistencies in my notes.

2.  Be interactive:  I was mentored and developed as an instructor in a very applied learning environment.  When I create my teaching notes each week, I make a conscious effort to add discussion questions and group activities.

3.  Be organized: This strategy was told to me during one of my faculty job interviews.  Students want professors who present learning objectives at the beginning of each class and teach with a clear beginning, middle. and end.  I am still improving in this area and I am so thankful that I have a very organized co-instructor who creates learning objectives for each class session along with the agenda for each class.

4.  Be flexible:  I learned this strategy the hard way.  Many things can happen during the class session that you cannot always prepare for.  For example, for one class I guest taught in I had planned a very interactive discussion but for some reason the students did want to speak and respond to my discussion questions. As a result of this experience I learned that I ALWAYS need to prepare additional lecture points, in case students don’t answer my questions.

5.  You don’t have to know everything:  This was the hardest thing for me to learn.  I know a lot, but when I teach students sometimes ask me questions that I don’t know the answers to!  That’s OK.  My mentor taught me to say, “let me look that up and get back to you next week” (and actually follow up with them the next week) or ask the student “why don’t you look that up and tell me what you find”.

The most important strategy in teaching is to prepare as much as possible but understand that you cannot prepare for every situation!  Teaching is often organic and evolving.  I am continually learning and developing as an instructor.  Do you agree/disagree with the strategies I have listed above?  If you teach, what strategies have you learned to be an effective instructor?

Setting the Record Straight about Nonprofit-Focused Graduate Degrees

Research on the Nonprofit Workforce: Here’s a Brief Overview

New to Volunteer Management: Here’s a Brief Overview

New to Nonprofit Finance and Accounting: Here’s a Brief Overview

Three VERY IMPORTANT Manuals for Nonprofit Organizations

Happy New Year!

One of the main themes of the conference was the struggle between research that builds theory and research that informs practice.   I applaud ARNOVA for organizing sessions on Friday afternoon that had a practical application and focus.  I attended a session about learning organizations, where Angela Bies and Jeffrey Brudney (Editor of the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly) presented about the frequency in which NVSQ publishes articles related to nonprofit practice.  They concluded that only 32% of NVSQ articles are related to practice.  No surprise, I was disappointed by this small percentage.  However, several of my colleagues put this percentage in perspective and stated that other journals publish far less articles related to practice, and the field needs scholars who advance theory as well as scholars who advance practice.

The closing plenary speaker, Lynne Huntley, President of the Southern Educational Fund, also brought up the issue of research being related to practice.  She expressed that researchers need to recognize the position and privilege that we come from when we do research.  This is also known as the emancipatory view of knowledge.  She urged us to consider how those working in nonprofit organizations might create research questions differently than scholars in academia.

The topic of research related to practice is something that I think about constantly.  For me it’s not an either/or but I personally want to do research that has both theoretical and practical implications.  For example, last year I conducted a national survey of people’s perception of nonprofit careers.  This research informed Idealist’s Nonprofit Careers Month Initiative. While developing this survey, I also worked with Jessica Word, a professor from University of Nevada, Las Vegas to include questions about Public Service Motivation theory. Our goal was to see if Public Service Motivation theory could be applied to those working in the nonprofit sector.

Will is an awesome emerging leader in the nonprofit sector. He is a recent MPA grad from George Mason University and currently works at the League of Conservation Voters as their Manager of Grassroots Fundraising and Online Advocacy.

Please check out my new site, tell me what you like, or don’t like.  I’m always looking for ways to improve.  The goal of my new site is to make all the resources and links more accessible to you!

Check out Will’s blog where he writes about the process of designing my new website!  Thanks Will, you rock!!

Selecting a dissertation topic is like choosing a PhD program. You want to select a topic that is the right fit for you. Your topic should be:

1. Interesting to you
2. Manageable (something that you can actually complete)
3. Relevant to your field

My first dissertation topic idea focused on the Leadership Certificate Program that I was developing for John F. Kennedy University in the Bay Area. Due to budgetary reasons, this certificate program did not come to fruition so I had to come up with another topic idea.

The topic that I ended up selecting for my dissertation was the best fit for me because it related to the research studies that I had completed while working in the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research.

In the first semester of my PhD program I completed a literature review, titled: “How to measure the community impact of nonprofit graduate students’ service-learning projects.” The literature review set the stage for an extensive qualitative research study that I completed during the 2nd year of my PhD program. I interviewed 19 nonprofit organizations to determine the impact and use of master’s students’ applied projects. After I completed the local study, I wanted to study impact and use of experiential education within nonprofit organizations at a national level.

I originally planned to complete a much more extensive study of experiential education and its impact on the nonprofit community (isn’t this always the case with dissertations?!?) but my dissertation committee helped me get back into reality. I honed my dissertation topic into a study that was much more manageable and something that I could complete!

ARNOVA’s adhoc social media committee (John Ronquillo, Lindsey McDougle, Debra Beck, Taylor Peyton Roberts, and I) have been hard at work this year trying promote social media within ARNOVA. We are opening the door…very slowly, since there is a strong culture of hesitation and concern about social media in the world of academia.

Our social media objectives are to:

• Build awareness of ARNOVA.
• Promote ARNOVA membership and the work of individual sections within ARNOVA.
• Highlight new research articles, briefs, and books by ARNOVA members.
• Market new ARNOVA initiatives.

We should be really called the adhoc marketing committee, because that is what we are really doing. Providing free marketing to the association.

The adhoc social media committee will be hosting a colloquy to discuss the future direction of ARNOVA’s social media efforts. We’d like to ePlease share with us through twitter, facebook, or by commenting on this blog about how social media has impacted your interactions with ARNOVA. Our goal is to encourage the board to create a permanent social committee to support the work of ARNOVA.

Since this bibliography was released, nonprofit organizations have continued to struggle to understand and appreciate human resource management and succession planning practices. Organizations like, Commongood Careers and Nonprofit HR Solutions are now providing human resource and talent management support to many nonprofits across the United States. In addition, new studies have been published about the nonprofit workforce. Here’s a brief overview of these studies:

Books about the Nonprofit Workforce and Nonprofit Careers

• The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to land a job that makes a difference
  
• Idealist’s Guide to Nonprofit Careers: For First-time Job Seekers
  
• How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar
  
• Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector

General statistics about the nonprofit workforce:

• Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Wages in the Nonprofit Sector, Management & Professional, Healthcare and Social Services, Education.
• Nonprofit Almanac, 2008
• Employment in America’s Charities – A Profile, 2006
• Work in the Nonprofit Sector, The Nonprofit Sector Research Handbook, 2006.

Retention, Turnover, and Vacancy

• Adapting Leading Talent Management Practices to the Nonprofit Sector, Accenture, 2010
• Opportunity Knocks Retention and Vacancy Report, 2008, 2009, 2010
• The nonprofit leadership deficit: A case for more optimism, 2009
• The voice of nonprofit talent: improving recruitment and retention by responding to the needs of nonprofit employees and jobseekers, Commongood Careers, 2008
• Staying Late: Comparing Work Hours in Public and Nonprofit Sectors, 2008
  
• The nonprofit workforce crisis: Real or imagined? Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 2007
• Building leaderful organizations: succession planning for nonprofits, Annie Casey Foundation, 2008
• Next Shift: Beyond the Leadership Crisis, Building Movement Project, 2007

Job Motivation in the Nonprofit Sector

• What works: Developing Successful Multigenerational Leadership, Building Movement Project, 2010
• Working Across the Divide: Job Involvement in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors, 2009
• Ready to lead? Next generation leaders speak out, CompassPoint, 2008
• NP2020: Issues and answers from the next generation, Johnson Center at Grand Valley University, 2008
• Promotions and Incentives in Nonprofit and For-Profit Organizations, 2007
• Worker Motivations, Job Satisfaction, and Loyalty in Public and Nonprofit Social Services, 2006
• A Comparison of the Values and Commitment of Private Sector, Public Sector and Parapublic Sector Employees, 2006

Compensation

• AFP Compensation and Benefits Study, 2010
  
• Guidestar Compensation Study, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Opportunity Knocks Wage and Benefits Report, 2010
• CEO Compensation Study, Charity Navigator, 2010
• There are also regional compensation studies (e.g., Northern California, Arizona).

Choosing a Nonprofit Career

• Is the Grass Greener? Sector Shifting and Choice of Sector by MPA and MBA Graduates, 2008

There are many different ways of viewing leadership and how people create social change. My favorite way of viewing leadership is as a collective process. Leadership is not about one person in an organization making singular decisions; it is about multiple staff members coming together to collectively move the agenda of the organization forward. Yeah, the CEO might be the face of our organizations, but as next geners, we are making things happen behind the scenes, we are making our CEO’s look good.

Additionally, collective means that leadership is happening among many different groups of organizations. Funders are starting to fund these groups of organizations (case in point the Social Innovation Fund from the Corporation for National and Community Service). Even so, this view of societal change needs to be taken a step forward and recognize that leadership flows throughout people, organizations, and communities.

So let’s rethink how we view leadership and how social change is occurring in our sector. I’m really excited that the Next Gen Leadership award went to Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM! because he understands collective leadership and his organization is truly creating societal change.

• Be Inspired: An Evening with Patrick Corvington
• Be Inspired Part 2: Conversation with NGen Leadership Awardee Darrell Hammond
• Conversation with a Sector Leader – Vivian Schiller, Head of NPR