Over the course of seven posts, we have argued that leaders who want their organization to achieve maximum impact must embrace the essentials of strategic leadership. We compare this kind of intentional leadership to a high-performance engine. In those seven posts, we have discussed the components of this engine: mission, strategy, impact evaluation, insight and courage, organization and talent, funding, and board governance. 

Happy New Year! It’s time for our round-up of the GuideStar Newsletter articles you read most last year. As was true in 2016—and to an extent in 2015—you veered away from the traditional formula of fundraising, boards, and boards and fundraising. You were still interested in those topics, but you read articles about other subjects as well.

As nonprofits grow, they quickly realize that Excel spreadsheets and basic, nonprofit-nonspecific software solutions simply don’t cut it. Instead of focusing on strategy and fundraising, nonprofit staff spend valuable time on administrative tasks or, worse, resolving problems caused by disorganization.

The following article is cross-posted from Alliance magazine blog. Based out of the UK, Alliance magazine is the leading global magazine on philanthropy and social investment. Donor advised funds (DAFs) are a growing segment of philanthropy. On the other side of the Atlantic, DAFs have been in existence since the 1930s and have combined assets of more than $80bn in assets under management. They have attracted high profile donors including Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan […]