What to do about Generation Change.....

This month's Tools You Can Use, from Fieldstone Alliance Publishing discusses the actions you can take to deal with Generation Change. It's straight from my new book, but in a nice approachable format.

Tools You Can Use is a newsletter you need to subscribe to: always full of information and ideas. And if you're in the newsletter mood, don't forget mine--the link to it is on the right and it's free.

I'm off to Ann Arbor for Adam's graduation. I'll miss AA, and all the great people there. But, Adam's going to start his graduate work in the fall at Georgia Tech, another terrific university, and I like Atlanta, too!

A room full of bright eyes...

Yesterday I was in St. Louis doing the second half of a two part gig for the Developmental Training Institute and their work for the Bank of America Neighborhood Leadership Development Program. I got the chance to talk with 78 leaders of some of the best and most innovative nonprofits in the country. What a treat.

We spent much of the afternoon in structured discussions about 5 key questions for organizations to answer as they move their mission forward, and then in the evening had two hours of wonderful and very informal time talking about issues ranging from board engagement to reductions in force to time management. Lots of fun for me and, I hope, of value to the participants. The participants gave me much optimism about our sector.

One of many topics we discussed was nonprofit leadership succession and today's news brought more concern in this area. An article showed up from onPhilantropy about the preliminary results of a study by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network regarding the liklihood of current mid-managers seeing themselves as becoming execs, or even being in the field in 5 years. The answer to both issues? Not likely.

I'm looking forward to the release of the full study....I think.

The interesting time....

I'm certainly a happy camper--and not bored. I have some great gigs going; one on a community-wide generation change assessment, one on how to use corporate structures to employ more people with disabilities (and make their work experience more positive). I have a ton of speaking engagements over the next four weeks, many on generation change as well.

Personally, there's a tidal wave coming at me. In the next five weeks, my middle child graduates (summa cum laude-way to go Adam!) from the aerospace engineering program at the University of Michigan, my youngest child comes home after her freshman year at Boston University, my wife has her retirement party--although her last day of teaching isn't til early June, and rocket boy leaves for his internship at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. And, of course, then all we have to do is sell the house, and move. We've been in this house for 17 years, raised our kids here, really. So there's not only a lot of physical stuff, there's a lot of emotional baggage here as well.

On to nonprofit things: three people in the last 48 hours (who are unaware of my new book, obviously) have said, in talking about nonprofit trends, "Yeah, and I'm worried about all the exec retirements...no one is really thinking about the change of generations...."

Good advice for nonprofit bloggers (a practice I think can really help you connect with your constituency) at Techsoup. Check the link, and then this one for 9 More Lessons....

Techlinks has a nice article about research on the overall cost effect of tech purchases in nonprofits. The research shows that tech can, in fact, save nonprofits money...

Off to Boston for the weekend. Given the forecast for Sunday, I may never return.....

Back and busy...

After a terrific week in southern Virginia, I'm back, and into the fray for the remainder of April and May. With drives of 790 miles each way, I had time to think about our sector quite a bit.

A couple of news notes:
-Arizona State has gotten a grant to study the different nonprofit educational resources in the US. This is great. Hopefully, we'll finally have a good listing of what is where and for whom.

-I was looking at the options for new banks in Virginia this week, and every one of them has a special checking account option (with no fees) for nonprofits. It's been so long since I've moved accounts that this may not be news to anyone reading this, but I thought it was a good thing--and a long way from the days 20 years ago, when banks really wanted nothing to do with charities..

-I'm pleased (and more than a bit humbled) that I've been given the chance to serve on the board of Goodwill International. I look forward to working with the great people that work there.

This week brings a no-hotel overnight trip to Seattle, a ton of work on a Generations Assessment, and a family trip to Boston.

Gotta go....