News and Insights

Focus on Family Economic Well-being

May 18 2015

NPO CONVERSATION
vegetables We invite leaders of nonprofit organizations to join us each quarter for a brown-bag lunch discussion about issues, ideas, and concerns in the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

The meetings are a time for us to “talk shop” and move beyond the usual conversation between foundations and nonprofit organizations. Each session focuses on a particular topic. Guests will learn a little about GMA and a lot about their peers’ perspectives on important issues.

Next NPO Conversation: Thursday, June 4, 2015
Advance registration is required; scroll down for details.

Topic for Conversation: Family Economic Well-being

We are all too familiar with discouraging reports of income and wealth inequality, stagnating wages, and the restructuring of the global economy to the disadvantage of ordinary working folks. However, within this troubling context, we know that many nonprofits are working with very low-income families with imaginative programs that are anything but downbeat.

We’d like to hear those stories.

Don’t Fear Change!

Apr 01 2015

Common Transitions Can Make Nonprofits Stronger

“Change is all around us,” said one nonprofit leader, “yet we tend to get stuck in our organizational habits.” This idea was echoed by others at GMA’s NPO Conversation in March, but the resounding sentiment I heard was that transitions provide the chance for an organization to explore new approaches, grow more resilient, and, yes, change.

Change – both contextual and organizational, and planned and unexpected – is to be expected, particularly in greater Boston, with a new governor, a first term mayor, a new school superintendent, an outgoing transit manager, and continual pressure on staff from salaries in the private sector and well-heeled mega nonprofits. The leaders we spoke with over an informal lunch shared their perspectives on leading through the challenges of common transitions and emerging as a stronger organization.

Long-time staff easing out of their role
When a long-time staff member or key leader decides to step back from their role, concerns about the stability and longevity of the organization are bound to surface. Continue Reading »

Leading through Transitions

Feb 12 2015

NPO Conversation Wednesday March 4, 2015

We invite leaders of Boston-area nonprofit organizations join us each quarter for a brown-bag lunch discussion about issues, ideas, and concerns in the nonprofit and philanthropic community. The meetings are a time for us to “talk shop” and move beyond the usual conversation between foundations and nonprofit organizations.

After reading about this quarter’s topic, please let us know if you would like to register.

TOPIC: Leading through Transitions

Boston is awash in transition: new governor, first year mayor, incoming school superintendent, outgoing MBTA manager, shuttered homeless shelter, depleted snow-removal budget. Nonprofits and businesses will likely adjust accordingly, but not without facing the challenges of uncertainty and change.

In setting goals and strategy, nonprofit leaders and their boards often consider how they will respond to potential changes in the environment in which the organization operates and to changes in its leadership. We are interested in your experience in planning for and managing transitions prompted by change in these two key areas.

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