Resources
We are advisors to superheroes.
Learn more about our clients, projects, and insights. Discover tools, case studies, news, and information.
Discovering Our Warrior/Artist
As we navigate the rocky pathways of our work, we need the skills and qualities of both a warrior and an artist. Warriors are undaunted—unwavering in their commitment to equity and social justice. As this purpose is challenged by current events, power dynamics, and...
Don’t Go It Alone: Building Community Ensembles
In today’s interconnected world, some of the most pressing challenges that nonprofits strive to address—economic inequality, social inequity, climate change—transcend borders and impact every aspect of our lives. So, why do we tend to tackle these problems in...
An Actor Prepares
by Carlo Cuesta When an actor walks on stage, we may think that their reflex is to perform. But after years of working in the theater, I know that’s not quite right. An actor’s natural reflex, due to many hours of training and rehearsal, is to listen. Next time you...
Good Promises
by Carlo Cuesta In the social sector, our work is driven by our mission, vision, and values. These are important touchstones that we feature prominently on our web pages and in our grant proposals. Some of us boldly paint them on the office wall for all to see and be...
Shared Creativity Amidst Collective Uncertainty
We’ve been feeling it for a while now: We’re living in a unique and challenging time. There’s no need to lay out a reminder of the last few years or provide statistics to prove the point. We know it in our bones. We’re in uncharted waters. At the same time, we at...
How To Make Better Decisions
Leaders spend a lot of time making choices and decisions. We often have to make dozens of them every single day. There can be pain in making a decision—sharing it, people reacting to it, worrying if it was a bad choice—and we often feel we can’t turn back and...
The Magic of a Great Meeting
In many organizations, try saying the word “meeting” and watch as eyes begin to roll. But there is a certain magic to a great meeting, when everyone comes together to elevate each other’s ideas, culminating in a deeper understanding of our collective goals. Equally...
Centering Progress to Grow Impact
Do you journal and reflect on the regular progress of your team? This may be counter to the requirements placed on you to measure how far you are from your output and outcome goals, but it is the only real way to build sustainable motivation within teams to achieve...
The Bridge From ED to CEO
When an executive director shifts to being a chief executive officer, it may sound like just a title change, but there’s more to it than that. With this transition comes a whole set of new capabilities that need to be resourced and developed. And this requires a...
Boards Need To Own Organizational Success
By Carlo Cuesta What’s your greatest value as a board member? Maybe it’s your ability steer your organization away from pitfalls with thoughtful advice gained from years of experience. Or your financial expertise in mitigating organizational risk. Perhaps it’s your...
To Truly Measure Success, We Must Learn Our Metrics
How can we truly evaluate success? It may appear our organization is doing well, at least according to the numbers. To measure our progress, we tend to focus on numerical metrics like numbers of people served, an increase in new donors, or whether we hit our capital...
Strategic Planning’s Dark Night of the Soul
You have a strong mission, a great team, and solid community support. You’re about to undergo a strategic planning process to determine how to take your organization to the next level. But you’re a bit nervous. Developing a plan is a journey that can profoundly impact...