Fall 2015 – Digital Issue

Making Things Work: Considerations in Nonprofit Strategy

Features

• Welcome
  
  
• The Nonprofit Ethicist
  Skimmed money hidden in an attic, a quid pro quo between fundraisers, and a tempting, misdirected donation. The inimitable Nonprofit Ethicist weighs in. by Woods Bowman
  
  
• The Four Impulses of Nonprofits and What They Each Create
  This article, adapted from Lester Salamon’s new book, The Resilient Sector Revisited: The New Challenge to Nonprofit America, looks at four competing impulses governing how we approach our work. by Lester M. Salamon
  
  
• The Eight Building Blocks of Strong Nonprofit Brands
  Can brand trump performance? And what does this mean for your organization? by Peter Frumkin
  
  
• The Marshall Project and the Rise of the Single-Issue Nonprofit News Site: A Conversation with Bill Keller
  The Marshall Project’s Bill Keller discusses the importance of “niche” and how this idea has played out vis-à-vis the new trend of online news sites.
  
  
• The Strength of Citizen Government: Local Grassroots Advocacy
  Local community and neighborhood groups face a Goliath-like political landscape—yet, according to Berry, there is reason for optimism in city politics. by Jeffrey M. Berry
  
  
• Housing First and the Research and Practice Relationship in Advancing a Field
  Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub, describes the role formative research integrated with advocacy has played in the advancement of Housing First. by Ruth McCambridge
  
  
• Looking Back at the War on Poverty: A Conversation with Sheldon Danziger
  This interview with Sheldon Danziger centering on the War on Poverty writ large surfaces the critical importance of public perceptions about whether or not an approach works.

Departments

• Dr. Conflict
  How do you rein in a renegade ex-board member? The incomparable Dr. Conflict’s response may surprise you! by Mark Light, MBA, PhD
  
  
• Human Development and Social Change: An Expanded Perspective on the Work of the Nonprofit Sector
  This article explores the usefulness of developmental theory for the nonprofit sector, using different donor types to illustrate the three stages of development. by Jennifer Amanda Jones, PhD
  
  
• Why Every Philanthropist Should Be Active on Twitter
  According to Jay Ruderman of the Ruderman Foundation, many philanthropists are removed from the challenges they wish to address. “Like all things worth doing,” he says, “philanthropy requires getting your hands dirty.” And tweeting, he suggests, is a great starting point. by Jay Ruderman
  
  
• Toward a Theory of Sector Selection
  More and more, nonprofits are behaving like businesses and businesses are upholding—or at least claiming to uphold—social values. So how does today’s social entrepreneur decide on which organizational form to take? This article offers a framework built on foundation theory and early conceptual models to help the entrepreneur make an informed decision. by Peter Frumkin and Suzi Sosa