Resources
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Learn more about our clients, projects, and insights. Discover tools, case studies, news, and information.
The Power of Values in a Time of Reckoning
In the summer of 2020, as the world reeled from the pandemic and the shockwaves of George Floyd’s murder spread across the globe, a courageous group of artists, board members, and staff at the Penland School of Craft came together with one goal: to imagine the future...
Scarcity is Real—But So is Abundance
If you’ve ever stared at a spreadsheet wondering how your organization was going to stay afloat, you’re not alone. Many of us have faced the spiral of doubt: What can we cut? Who can we ask for help? Will this be the moment that breaks us? Scarcity is real. But it’s...
The Future Will Not Wait For One Leader to Save It!
History may credit Winston Churchill alone with leading Britain to victory, but real change depends on many leaders -- all showing up with courage, clarity, and care in the case of crisis. In a sense, there was never just one Churchill. Today, we need 10,000...
Connection Is the Strategy
There are very few nonprofits that can go it alone. Most of the field must rely on one another. Because of this, the most critical organizational currency is relationships: how we relate to our people, partners, and most importantly, how we connect with those we...
Executive Director/Board Chair Collaboration
The key to a successful board of directors is healthy collaboration between the board chair and the organization’s executive director. It sets the tone for how the board and staff work together by empowering the board to focus on governance while staff concentrate on...
Board/Staff Decision-Making Matrix
This decision matrix tool is designed to help clarify and delineate the roles and responsibilities between a nonprofit board of directors and the executive director or staff. By identifying who is responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed in key organizational...
Finding the Signal: Five Questions for Nonprofit Leadership Teams
Every day is bringing a new piece of information for us to grapple with. How do we listen for the signal amidst the noise? This is where continuous sense-making by leadership teams comes in. This capability lessens ambiguity and moves organizations from reactive to...
Churchill and the Second Arrow
"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill The Buddhist parable of the second arrow teaches a profound lesson about how we as leaders respond to adversity. According to the story, when we experience a painful event—let’s say loss of organization...
Addressing Uncertainty #3: Busting Our Assumptions
(Go here to read the previous post in this series) Most of us have heard the old adage—sometimes attributed to Oscar Wilde, but definitely uttered by Felix Unger in the in the 1970s television version of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple—“When you assume, you make an ‘ass’...
Addressing Uncertainty #2: Five Mindset Shifts We Need Right Now
(Go here to read the previous post in this series) As the future of social impact work grows more uncertain, clarifying our thinking has never been more crucial. This means challenging our assumptions and reframing our approach when necessary. Here are five essential...
Addressing Uncertainty #1: Position First and Plan Second
A strong position is a hedge to uncertainty. Once we’re clear on the most important elements of who we are and what we do, then we can begin to plan.
Investigating Kindergarten Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism in Minnesota
In May 2024, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) partnered with Creation in Common to investigate kindergarten attendance and chronic absenteeism in Minnesota. The study aimed to uncover the root...