Audio: Stakeholders in Corporate Social Responsibility

From Social Innovation Conversations:

“Whose interests should a company serve? How does corporate social responsibility (CSR) fit into that outlook? In this audio lecture, former Hewlett Packard VP Debra Dunn draws on her own background to talk about the technology company’s “DNA for CSR,” and how the firm engaged with internal and external stakeholders to be good citizens and help improve communities around the world. Dunn delivered her remarks to MBA students in the Corporate Social Innovation through Social Responsibility course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.”

Click here to listen to audio and read other resources. approx 37 mins

 

 

Increasing Cultural Diversity in Canadian Nonprofits

From the HR Council:

“The HR Council has developed a three-part series about incorporating the skills of new immigrants and members of visible minorities into nonprofit organizations. The first report addresses the context that makes this process important. The second report addresses challenges and best practices related to recruitment. The third and final report addresses the retention of new immigrants and members of visible minorities. 

Learn more about the diversity project of the HR Council here

Click links below to access the various reports

Report 1 – Setting the context (PDF)
Report 2 – Recruitment challenges (PDF)
Report 3 – Retention (PDF)

Research: The Emotions of Aid

From SSIR:

“The more people we see suffering, the less we care. It’s an unfortunate quirk that psychologists so far have blamed on our brains: Humans are tuned to individuals, the thinking goes; we are just not capable of feeling compassion for whole groups.

A new study calls that comfortable conclusion into question. “The collapse of compassion is an active process,” says Daryl Cameron, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It’s not some passive limitation on human experience. It’s the end result of an active choice not to feel something.””

Click here to read full post

Confessions of a Non-profit Consultant

From Sumac:

“Consultants are a very valuable resource to non-profits. They bring expertise and a fresh perspective that may be lacking in your organization and can help overcome tremendous barriers. The relationship, however, is sometimes tricky and, in the end, non-profits don’t always reap the full benefits. In this article, consultants dish about what frustrates them and offer four valuable pieces of advice on how you can get the most from the relationship and get the results you want for your organization.”

Click here to read full post

Doing More with More: Putting Shared Leadership into Practice

From NP Quarterly:

“After two years of experimentation with shared leadership, TCC Group conducted an evaluation, and found that 78 percent of participants had increased their awareness, knowledge, and ability to develop staff as leaders at all levels of the organization. The evaluation, which included event feedback surveys, a post-initiative survey of all participants, and two participant focus groups, also revealed significant increases in both staff involvement in decision making and clear and effective accountability structures throughout the cohort. Many of the organizations discovered that they were able to do more effective work with less or the same amount of funds, and reported that shared leadership eased the stresses on executive directors. Essentially, the organizations found that they could do more with less (funds) by doing more with more (leadership).”

Click here to read full post

Comments requested – Is this site helpful to you?

For almost 2 years now, PLC  has been sharing links and articles that we think might be of interest to leaders - aspiring or seasoned, organizational or community – in the nonprofit sector.  (To be exact our site has 894 posts and over 17,000 views to date)

The goal has been to provide information, links to the latest research and practical tools. that will help support nonprofit  leadership,  organizational and community development. 

And we  hoped that the articles and resources we have chosen to highlight on our site might stimulate thought and provide nonprofit leaders with opportunities to pause and reflect about the various pieces they have read.

In the spirit of understanding what impact this site has been having on you, we’re very interested to learn how our visitors are using  the resources, links and opinion pieces we have posted here.  Has the information on this site been helpful to you. How?  How are you using the information?  Do you share articles/links with your boards or staff teams? Have you spotted something inspirational that helped in some way or prompted you to think differently about something - what was it, how did it help?  Is there more or less information on a certain topic you might like to see?

Do you think it is beneficial for us to continue to maintain this site?  Does it add value to your work or helped your development as a leader?

Please share your thoughts by adding your comments below.  Thanks in advance for your input!

New US Research: Inside the ED’s job – 2011 Daring to Lead

“This second Daring to Lead brief provides a window into the executive role to better understand the underpinnings of job satisfaction and learn more about a leader’s day-to-day work.”

Working externally with partners and collaborators is the most energizing aspect of the executive role; human resources is the most depleting. Executives struggle to spend the right amount of time on core job functions, especially activities focused on resource development and sustainability.

Click here to download brief

 

Juggling Priorities at Small Staff Organizations

From Wild Apricot:

“Back when I worked in a small staff association, I always told people that I “wore many hats,” or that I “managed a lot of different portfolios.” But the reality was that I had to juggle many priorities and there was always more work to do than I could ever accomplish, even if I worked 24/7 straight. I tried to do it all and often wound-up burnt out and a little bitter.

 So for those faced with a non-profit “superjob,” how can you remain productive in the two or three roles you play, have a personal life and maintain your sanity?”

Click here to read full post

Staying Alive: Nonprofit Innovation in a Traditional Setting

From the NP Quarterly:

“Nonprofits cannot exist as islands running their own programs and hoping against hope that the tides of change leave them untouched. Community action agencies have to connect their anti-poverty work to the interests of other organizations and sectors that might begin to see that fighting poverty isn’t simply a community action issue, but a necessary component of successful community development.”

click here to access full article

News – UW Peel call for proposals – Neighbourhood Development Grants

United Way of Peel Region and the Region of Peel have launched the Neighbourhood Development Funding stream to invest $300,000 in neighbourhoods across Peel Region. 

 This funding opportunity aims to support the engagement of residents, community-based organizations, grass roots organizations, associations, businesses and other stakeholders towards the creation of resident activities, plans and priorities for how their neighbourhoods can be strengthened.

 Check out if your organization, or neighbour group might be eligible for these grants.  Up to $300,000 is available for distribution. Information sessions start August 4th. Proposals due September 14th 2011.

 Click here for more details