The natural tension between the staff and the board revolves around the question of who owns what. It is imperative to understand leadership relationships. When people volunteer their time, expertise, financial support, and goodwill, there is a natural sense of ownership. Coordinated leadership on the part of the CEO and the board is essential.          

The non-profit professional leader may be viewed as a partner with the board, of course, but is answerable to the board. The President, CEO, or Executive Director needs to be flexible and adaptable to be able to deal with different people as the board changes. The Board needs to validate the CEO, as well as recognize and respect staff at every level. Consequently, there needs to be a high level of trust between senior management and volunteer leaders.

In Fundraising for Dummies, certain assumptions are being made:

• You’re a current or aspiring fundraiser
• You’re feeling the impact of the shifting economy and want practical ideas for effective fundraising
• You don’t have a huge staff or open-ended budget
• You care about the mission you’re raising funds to support and want to make a positive difference

Civility is in retreat. From Parliament to the kindergarten playground, from election campaigns to scientific research - fact, logic, and reason are giving way to epithets and accusations in what many have described as a race to the bottom.

We may bemoan this development for many reasons. Some of the issues we face today have the potential to alter the viability of our planet. Others have the potential to seriously damage our economic system and thereby our standard of living. We may even observe that no great culture or state has been improved or sustained by a blend of outrage and ignorance delivered at high volume.

Comfort, such as it is, may be found in our chosen sphere: the world of philanthropy. We have the distinction of being civil by definition, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Consider the last dozen, or the last hundred, conversations you have had with donors or prospects. How many times did you raise your voice, shout down someone trying to speak, or tell the donor he or she was a fascist, a lunatic, or a pervert? 

The 2010 FORA The Networked Nonprofit:  Using Social Media to Connect with People and Further Your Cause, Allison Fine, September 30, Downtown Toronto.

FORA is a series of breakfast lectures on current trends in civil society developed for senior nonprofit sector leaders.  Each event includes a recently published book focusing on ground-breaking trends, issues and ideas impacting nonprofits.   

$97 + HST early bird rate until 15 days before event; $117 + HST after            

Mary Singleton, Event Coordinator, 416-267-1287  mary@hilborn.com

Technology mogul Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett are calling on their fellow American billionaires to give away at least half their wealth to charity, a move that some say could change the face of philanthropy. 

The goal is to create a social expectation that the rich should give away their wealth and to create a peer group that can offer advice on philanthropy.