Strategies for Handling Charity Leaders Who Can’t Give Up Control
IN THE TRENCHES By Tom Chalkley Carol was hired two years ago to serve as the first executive director of a youth-development organization. The founder, who served as the group’s de facto leader, was a volunteer who had hired several old friends as key staff members. Carol (who asked not to be…
By Tom Chalkley
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Staying Connected to a Charity’s Mission After a Move Into Management
IN THE TRENCHES By Tom Chalkley Jean has always felt called to the front lines of antipoverty work. Her enthusiasm for helping the homeless and hungry led first, a couple of decades ago, to a stint in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, a group that helps people in poor neighborhoods. Progressing through a…
By Tom Chalkley
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Weighing the Best Strategies for Handling Problem Board Members
IN THE TRENCHES By Tom Chalkley At some charities, all it takes is one board member to damage an organization’s ability to operate effectively. Take three examples: The board of a group that lobbies for the elderly elected Mr. M, a retired labor-union activist, to be its chairman. (In this and…
By Tom Chalkley
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Lining Up Free Legal Help for Your Nonprofit Group
IN THE TRENCHES By Tom Chalkley From drawing up bylaws to hammering out protocols for firing employees, every charity needs legal advice now and then. But with lawyers’ fees routinely running into hundreds of dollars per hour, small to midsize nonprofit organizations need affordable alternatives.…
By Tom Chalkley
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Tips for Recruiting the Best Board Members
IN THE TRENCHES By Tom Chalkley Last year, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, which provides management advice and training to more than 1,100 members, spun off from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. In the process, the center’s executive director, Karen Beavor, found herself practicing…
By Tom Chalkley
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How Delaware Charities Spread the Word About Themselves
BRAINSTORMS By Tom Chalkley As a field organizer in political campaigns in the 1980s, Andrew Hastings learned what a candidate needs in order to win a campaign: wide name recognition, a well-defined public image, and strong identification with issues. Nine years ago, when Mr. Hastings became head…
By Tom Chalkley
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