All Blog Posts

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

👋 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