By Louisa Hackett, Senior Managing Director - Community Resource Exchange is joining hundreds of other nonprofits across the country to promote National Voter Registration Day on September 25th. We support nonprofit civic engagement activities because we believe participating in our democracy furthers our mission of fighting poverty and advancing social justice. Read more >>
News & Views
A blog for those interested in what affects, motivates and drives the New York City Nonprofit Sector — written by CRE’s crackerjack consulting team. We hope you use this space to share your thoughts, ask questions and engage in conversations about our city, social justice and the nonprofit sector.
Every Vote Counts: Stepping Up Your Nonprofit's Role in Civic Engagement
Framing the Impact of the Recession on Nonprofits
By Louisa Hackett, Senior Managing Director - Last week, two presentations about the current state of affairs facing New York City’s nonprofits were a reminder that solutions need to come from within as well as from outside of our sector. Read more >>
How Answering a Few Questions Can Make Your Organization More Effective
By Louisa Hackett - The following is a continuation of a previous blog post introducing the Five Questions Driving Organizational Effectiveness.
Strategic plans come in many shapes, serve a variety of purposes and always take time. Read more >>
5 Questions Driving Organizational Effectiveness
By Louisa Hackett - What makes an organization effective? Sure strong managers, high performing staff, visionary leaders, sufficient resources and up-to-date technology all play a part. But a critical element, maybe the most critical, is clarity of purpose. Without knowing fundamentally what an organization is striving to accomplish and for whom, the chance to have the most effective programs is lost and muddled, diffuse programming can follow. Read more >>
Financial Strength: CRE’s Point of View
By Louisa Hackett - CRE recognizes nonprofit organizations are engines of social change and often the most proximate means for disenfranchised people to access needed services. We believe our consulting services can make New York City’s nonprofit organizations stronger and more effective in fighting poverty and advancing social justice. Our theory of change is grounded in the belief that organizations with effective leaders and programs, high performing staff and financial strength are more likely to be successful in creating a more fair and just New York City.
Read more >>
Should Hard Times Lead to Strategic Planning Shutdowns?
by Louisa Hackett - Times are tough for social service organizations. For many, demand for services is increasing while resources to meet client needs are shrinking. What is an organization to do? After all, when fundraising pressures intensify, isn’t it the worst possible time to plan? And what self-respecting organization can take the time when there is so much money to raise, when there are salaries and rent to pay, and when there is so much need to address? Yet, focused strategic planning can often quickly answer some of the hard internal and external questions an organization faces during challenging economic periods. Read more >>
Evidence of Doing Good
by Louisa Hackett - For those of us trying to make the world a better place, figuring out a way to study, understand and assess the interventions we make is critical to improving the work we do. Read more >>
Is Evaluation an Infection?
by Louisa Hackett - Recently, a few community-based organizations, evaluators and funders gathered at the City University of New York Graduate Center to discuss, as one participant described it, the accountability regime eating us. Read more >>
Does Competition Make Sense for Nonprofits?
by Louisa Hackett - In the for-profit sector, competition is touted as the means for creating efficient and effective organizations. Read more >>
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