The mission of our blog is to promote the
value of nonprofit organizations and nonprofit leaders, and to
strengthen the sense of nonprofit community in our region. We envision
that Roundtable staff will regularly post their thoughts, but we
envision this blog as a forum for nonprofit leaders to speak out!
Share your ideas, thoughts, frustrations, and visions with other
nonprofit leaders in our region.
- Chuck Bean
There is more to the arts than entertainment
Written by Eric Giles, on May 07, 2008
Although the performing, visual, and literary arts have always been viewed as primarily vehicles for entertainment there lies within a concept responsible for the vitality of any community: creativity. Creativity is the heartbeat of innovation and the core ingredient for problem-solving and entrepreneurial enterprises.
Daniel Pink in his recent book A Whole New Mind argues that the effective next generation leader will need to be a creative worker not just a knowledge worker. From an early age we are indoctrinated into a belief that creativity is the purview of the select few- the artists. This is a falsehood. In our everyday lives we constantly dip from our own creative well, whether it is creating a better filing system for the office, solving a problem on a project, designing a presentation, empathizing with a friend, or just finding an alternate route to work.
It is in our active experiences with the arts that we learn and hone our skills to adapt and innovate. We engage our imagination
Recently, I came across an interesting blog by current U.S. DHHS Secretary Michael Leavitt. He describes a recent Federal disaster exercise focused on a Pandemic Influenza scenario – similar to last year’s National Capital Region Pandemic Influenza Exercise for Nonprofit Organizations. The unique part of this Federal exercise was that the participants included journalists, including bloggers. As Secretary Leavitt states, “We invite journalists to participate . . . because managing their needs for information is a part of crisis management. We need to learn more about how bloggers would react and interact. Similarly, the Roundtable’s blog site is proving to be an effective and interactive communications tool for the nonprofit community. In addition to serving as a daily communications tool, it may also be very useful to communicate and receive critical information to disaster survivors – as was experienced during the California wildfires.
In the future, regional disaster exercises should also engage the media and blogger stakeholders. It is important to establish these relationships prior to a major disaster event so that we can effectively communicate the nonprofit “message” to the larger community. As Secretary Leavitt states, “The bottom line for me: Government needs to understand the blog world better, and factor it into the way we interact with people. A growing part of the world relies on bloggers for unvarnished information; something they are not sure they always get from us in government.” Do you trust blogs more than mainstream media for important information? If so, what blogs would you trust to deliver timely information in a crisis?
Ready to Lead- Seven Recommendations for Current Executive Directors (Part 2)
Written by Chuck Bean, on April 21, 2008
Last week I provided advice to current executive directors related to a few of the recommendations from Ready to Lead. The recommendations I discussed were all aimed at professional development of your staff. this week I want to discuss recommendations related to the structure of your organization and communications with your staff:
“Replace dated power structures.” To paraphrase in my words: “Don’t be an old-fashioned, top-down, cranky, General Macarthur-type.” You can demand a lot and hold staff accountable, but emerging leaders in the survey said they want EDs to be better supervisors and better communicators. Less hierarchy. More transparency.
“Pay reasonable salaries and provide benefits.” Whew, this is a big one! After the report came out, some seasoned EDs told me, “Chuck, what can I do about this? I’m doing all we can to fundraise already!” I don’t have the silver bullet answer – does anyone?!? But, I know we need to shift from “the whine” to cope with the reality of the DC-area high-demand job market (Arlington has a 2.3% unemployment rate!). The reality is that the local nonprofit community is going to compete not only with business and government, but also with the national nonprofits that are based here as well. Raise more money from individual donors is one answer. Is another answer to employ fewer (but more highly -qualified) people, but pay them better?
On April 21, the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place ― together with our partner organizations and Washington National Cathedral ― will bring together public officials, homeless service providers and homeless advocates for an address by one of the nation’s most eloquent and persuasive advocates for “the abolition of homelessness.” Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and Nan Roman, Friendship Place Board Member and Executive Director of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, will offer remarks at the event.
This important event exemplifies the extraordinary level of collaboration among homeless service providers ― especially faith-based groups ― in upper Northwest Washington. Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place heads an event-planning team of the Friendship Place Partners: Anne Frank House, Church of the Annunciation, Church of the Pilgrims, Capital Interfaith Hospitality Network, Community of Christ Church, Crossroads Shelter at St. Alban’s Church, Metropolitan House at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, St. Ann’s Catholic Church, St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, St. Luke’s Shelter, St. Paul’s Shelter, Washington National Cathedral and Carrie Simon House at Washington Hebrew Congregation.
Our consortium believes that ending homelessness is practical and feasible, and we join together to take concrete steps to make the abolition of homelessness a reality in our community.
The goal of the symposium is to create greater public awareness of solutions to homelessness, to build closer collaboration among service providers and advocates, and to inspire those who have the will and the means to end homelessness in the District to take decisive action.
“The Abolition of Homelessness,” Monday, April 21, 6:30-9:00 p.m., The Perry Auditorium, Washington National Cathedral. Open and free to the public, but space is limited and reservations required; contact Bill Long ― (202)364-1419 x23
Ready to Lead- Seven Recommendations for Current Executive Directors (Part 1)
Written by Chuck Bean, on April 14, 2008
I’m now reading Ready to Lead for the second time – this time with “new eyes” after our recent event which brought together current executive directors and emerging nonprofit leaders to discuss the report’s findings -- and to build the will to take action. (Thanks to the Meyer and Casey foundations for their report and for co-sponsoring that event.)
As the Executive Director of the Nonprofit Roundtable, my core stakeholders are the executive directors (or presidents or CEOs) of our Member organizations. So, over my next two posts I will provide my advice to them… (Emerging leaders, if you’re listening, you can plug your ears – or turn on a podcast on your iPhone, or whatever one does these days.)
Ready to Lead offers seven recommendations to current executive directors, here's my take on three:
When the idea of the first Nonprofit Congress was first floated – I can still visualize a meeting back in 2005 with Audrey Alvarado and Robert Egger – I admit, I was one of the people who probed, “What’s the value-added here? What distinguishes this from other national convenings? Will it be worth the effort?”
Well, all my questions were answered and I added my two cents to the planning and preparation for the 2006 Congress. As part of the preparation, the Roundtable co-sponsored a Town Hall meeting along with the Center for Nonprofit Advancement – one of 117 Town Halls convened in 43 states.
I attended the 2006 Nonprofit Congress and was glad that I did. The theme “Many Missions, One Voice” lead to a vote by participants on top priorities for the sector – priorities that indeed resemble the Roundtable’s strategic priorities for the next three years, especially regarding leadership, coalition-building, and promoting the value of nonprofits. At the 2006 Congress I met some great leaders from across the country – grassroots and “grass tops” types – and came away inspired and I learned a lot.
Although the performing, visual, and literary arts have always been viewed as primarily vehicles for entertainment there lies within a concept responsible for the vitality of any community: creativity. Creativity is the heartbeat of innovation and the core ingredient for problem-solving and entrepreneurial enterprises.
Recently, I came across an 
Last week I provided advice to current executive directors related to a few of the recommendations from Ready to Lead. The recommendations I discussed were all aimed at professional development of your staff. this week I want to discuss recommendations related to the structure of your organization and communications with your staff:
On April 21, the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place ― together with our partner organizations and Washington National Cathedral ― will bring together public officials, homeless service providers and homeless advocates for an address by one of the nation’s most eloquent and persuasive advocates for “the abolition of homelessness.”