This past month has been full of tragedy and sadness. We watched in horror as a Black man was murdered by the police in broad daylight, and the pain and anger of 400 years of violence and injustice against African-Americans poured out onto the streets of every major city in this country.

This pain...

For nonprofits who are now hiring new executive leaders of color, here are some steps to take—and pitfalls to avoid—to ensure a successful leadership transition.

As capacity-building consultants to the social sector, we regularly support nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and their boards....

I am a long-time admirer of the late legendary poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.  In addition to appreciating the genius of her lovely, powerful poetry ("Still I Rise" is my personal favorite), I’ve always marveled at the wisdom, inspiration, and insight about life that I find in her most...

Amadou Diallo.

Freddie Gray.

Philando Castile.

Alton Sterling.

Walter Scott.

Tamir Rice.

Michael Brown.

Eric Garner.

Botham Jean.

Breonna Taylor.

And most recently: George Floyd.

And it goes that when one person can focus on self and not focus on what’s wrong with the others, he can serve as a working model for others, then another, then another, and then others will pull up a little bit. And over time, they will pull up a fair amount. 

— Dr. Murray Bowen, in...

One of Stephen M.R. Covey’s fundamental beliefs about leadership is that progress happens “at the speed of trust” —  that organizational work gets done with and through people, and that trust is the basis for every transaction and relationship. 

At BoardSource, we have sometimes talked about the fact that boards are a team that never gets to practice — that each time the “team” comes together, it’s a “game day” situation. While this is absolutely true, it’s also true that some “games” are higher stakes than others.

How do you plan for the future when the future is uncertain? The COVID-19 pandemic has made this important and timeless question essential. Although this global crisis is affecting each nonprofit organization differently, all are looking toward a future with profound unknowns. As a nonprofit leader...

Right now, state and local governments across the country have started to consider re-opening certain businesses and, what a phased re-entry might look like. As a nonprofit leader, you may be wondering what this process will look like for your organization and how you will know when it is the right...

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on communities of color. But this fact prompts a much more difficult question for nonprofit boards to consider in this moment: “What can boards do in the near-term to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the...