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Philanthropy faces key questions about AI, from who is shaping AI in philanthropy to ethical questions about where the money is coming from and what strings come with it. What is evident is that AI is here now, and the field seems behind. The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) found that only 11% of funders provide any AI implementation support to nonprofits. Three-quarters of nonprofit leaders say none or very few of their funders understand their AI needs. Funders are

When I was CEO of Philanthropy Massachusetts, we hosted a lot of panel discussions with foundation and nonprofit leaders. I was often surprised by how nonprofit colleagues were hesitant to self-advocate for what they needed from funders. We would be in a room with 30, 40 or sometimes hundreds of foundation staff, and there was a lot of generality and politeness. I longed for real specificity - I wonder if it was because I was thinking back to my days of running a small arts n

I recently helped a foundation board think through its role in advocacy, from funding grantees’ advocacy, coalition building and convening, to taking on advocacy themselves, such as publishing op-eds and asking board members to use their networks to educate policymakers. The conversation reminded me how much misinformation there is in the foundation community about what foundations can and can’t do. That confusion breeds fear of doing something illegal, and the fear too often

What if you had to wait three months to find out if you got the job? I've heard from a number of colleagues recently about their experiences enduring a long, protracted process as a candidate for a job in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Reports of three months or longer from first interview to offer are becoming common. Recent data confirms this is more than anecdotal. And this goes beyond Human Resources teams facing a record volume of applicants — this is an integri

September is when grantees start locking in the strategy that will carry them through year-end. Understanding the pressures they're operating under right now — not just the causes they represent — will make you a more effective and more responsive funder as fall unfolds. Your grantees are facing more competition for grant dollars than they have in years. Foundation leaders themselves are reporting sharply increased demand for funding, at the same time many nonprofits are abso

Boards tend to go quiet over the summer, and September is the last real runway to reengage them before year-end campaigns, ask amounts, and holiday stewardship are already underway. Waiting until October or November to activate your board means asking for help right when everyone — including your board members — is at their busiest. Here's how to use September well. Move from passive to active now, not in December. If board engagement has been mostly reports and updates over

Fall is often the most demanding stretch of the nonprofit calendar — starting programming for the year, year-end fundraising campaigns, grant deadlines, board meetings, all compressed into a few months. Staff are coming back from summer vacations right into that pace. How you manage the transition in September has a real effect on how your team performs — and how burned out they are — by December. Here are some key approaches to starting the Fall off right: Name the transitio

👋 In my career, I've been faced with some key organizational challenges and have come to understand how to look under the hood of nonprofit organizations. 🧑‍🔧 🖼️ I've formed a framework I often use to assess organizational health and leadership effectiveness that I call the Nine Pillars of Effective Organizational Development & Leadership: 1️⃣ Mission & Strategy → Implementation 🏗️ Is your work actually delivering on your mission? Do programs, people served, and work pla

The nonprofit sector is facing a tough paradox right now. 🫴 Demand for services in 2025 continued to rise — especially in human services, housing, food access, and mental health — while many organizations are operating with thinner margins, unstable funding, and an increasingly stretched workforce. 🙋Leaders are faced with heightened challenges: - Growing community need 🆘 (see Independent Sector’s December 2025 report) - Funding uncertainty 💸 - especially around governme

For the long 4th of July weekend, I traveled to the Berkshires and was reminded of the rich cultural heritage in the region when I attended a reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Led by local leaders and Berkshire County residents, the reading moved me as much by the parallels between 1776 and today as by the audience's gasps, cheers and applause. This reminded me of the many cultural outings I’ve had in the region. James Taylor and Carol

Nonprofits have spent the first half of 2026 absorbing federal funding cuts, stricter immigration enforcement affecting the populations many organizations serve, and a philanthropic sector that — despite rising asset values — has been slow to expand support beyond statutory minimums. I got curious about how much optimism (or pessimism) is actually warranted here, so I went digging through recent reports to try to answer a simple question: is there basis for hope? Turns out: s