Partnership in Philanthropy

Honoring Excellence

2011-04-01T11:31:00.001-07:00

Next month Partnership in Philanthropy will have the pleasure of honoring one of our very own consultants at the NJ-AFP Awards for Excellence dinner. The dinner is important to us in two ways. We are honoring Barbara Lawrence for her recent work in mentoring and skill building with Partnership in Philanthropy clients who include: Actors Shakespeare Company,
Redeem-Her, St. Vincent’s Academy and Friends of the Paterson Library. And we honor, Bob Semple, one of Partnership in Philanthropy’s founders for his philanthropic contribution by naming the award The Robert F. Semple Partnership in Philanthropy Consultant Award.

Barbara Lawrence became an independent consultant for nonprofit organizations after a career that included senior executive positions in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Her goal is to help nonprofit organizations achieve their missions through evidence-based decision-making and sound planning. Barbara helps organizations develop strategic, business and fundraising plans and learn to apply project management techniques. She strives to assure that her clients increase their knowledge and feel in control after her work is done.
Bob Semple dedicated over 35 years to the nonprofit community. He began his career as the Director of Development at Manhattan College and then was appointed Vice President of Development/Public Affairs at the Institute for International Education. Bob was a fundraising consultant to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC and one of the principal architects in the creation of Partnership in Philanthropy.

As PIP celebrates 20 years of serving the New Jersey nonprofit community with the mission of helping good nonprofits become better, we applaud Barbara Lawrence for her outstanding commitment to nonprofit organizations and we thank Bob Semple for his remarkable impact in and around our community.

Embracing Opportunity

2011-03-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” Peter Drucker

The world is changing all around us, day by day, minute by minute. In my lifetime, I thought I would never see peaceful demonstrations in the Mideast, much less peaceful demonstrations in the Mideast able to topple oil rich dictators. And in a world that has been filled with so much dark news recently, it gives me hope.

I believe that all of this change has brought with it opportunity. A world of opportunity to people across the globe who have seized a moment in time where anything is possible.

In the New Jersey nonprofit world we have heard a lot about change and with that opportunity, largely in the form of affiliation, collaboration and merger. Five Northern United Ways have merged in to one, many NJ towns are in the early stages of sharing services and costs, and sustainability is the name of the game.

Nonprofits and town governments are gathering together to best decide their most collaborative path to ensure that they continue to have impact. I believe they are embracing opportunity and becoming the thought leaders on how best to move forward. PIP too must do that internally.

PIP has been on the capacity building scene for 20 years and so much has changed since 1991. I see before us opportunities to be innovative, creative and more efficient in how we deliver services, provide programming and support the nonprofits we care so deeply about.

I’ll end this post with my mantra for the next 12 months which is again a quote from Peter Drucker, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” So it begins here at PIP....

Change Agent

2011-02-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

These days we are bombarded with ways to change, be happier, be healthier, be a better leader, and be a change agent. At Partnership in Philanthropy we know all too well how much change can affect an organization. When organizations come to us for our capacity building services we ask them at the end of our initial interview, how does your organization deal with change? It’s a telling question especially when we get utter silence as the answer.

To move capacity building forward at any organization one must embrace change, in fact one must welcome it. One of our PIP clients, Alan G. Moore, then executive director of the Garden State Philharmonic Society, said it best when he stated that “The GSP Board and I credit the training we received from PIP as the major influence that enabled us to turn a tired ‘we’ve always done it that way’ organization into a vibrant cultural institution poised to lead Ocean County in the new millennium.” They embraced change.

At Partnership in Philanthropy, we too are changing. We are introducing two new capacity building programs for nonprofits. One is a month long assessment program where a PIP consultant spends 7-10 hours with your organization to determine where you are now and where you should be on your way to.

Our second new program is called Prep for PIP, a six-month engagement with 40 hours of consulting to redirect your organization and lay the foundation for long term sustainability.

Each of these new programs is a stand-alone program but can also be used as stepping stones for the organization not sure how much change their board of trustees is willing to accept. At PIP we can be flexible, we know that change doesn’t come easy and we want to make it as seamless as possible for a nonprofit organization to begin the journey, whether it’s for one month, for six months or for two years.

So contact PIP if your organization is ready to be the change agent it needs to be.

Renewal

2011-01-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

It’s officially PIP’s 20th anniversary! And we begin this year by renewing our commitment to the nonprofit community, our nonprofit partners, our donors and our funders.

For 20 years, Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP) has been dedicated to helping nonprofit agencies throughout New Jersey as those agencies work hard to improve the communities they serve. PIP has been there through the prosperous times and the more challenging ones. It is this loyalty to the philanthropic community that sets PIP apart and makes it an important, respected resource.

These are challenging times for nonprofit agencies. Many are pressured to serve more clients than ever before with smaller staff and limited financial resources. A helping hand from PIP can mean the difference between success and failure. The consultancy that PIP provides can help agencies develop and articulate a mission, vision or strategic plan, guide staff and volunteer recruitment and help staff to acquire skills that will facilitate fundraising and lead to greater financial security.

Partnership is a crucial concept – for twenty years PIP has been a trusted mentor, advisor, advocate and partner to the New Jersey nonprofit community. As PIP rekindles its commitment to the nonprofit community in this our milestone year, we renew our faith in the work of the nonprofits who we have been called to serve and open our doors wide to those who are yet to come.

Opportunties

2010-11-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

“When we truly focus on the common good, service is a privilege—not a chore but a remarkable opportunity.”
Frances Hesselbein, President & CEO, Leader to Leader Institute

At Partnership in Philanthropy we’ve had some remarkable opportunities in the past twenty years. We’ve collaborated and partnered with funders, corporations, and individual donors to bring capacity building services to the nonprofits who need us.

And because much of that work has met with success, PIP has been asked to continue to serve as advisors, mentors, board members, and on-going consultants to continue and sustain our relationship with those nonprofits.

At times service can seem less than a privilege especially when the economic news continues to be uncertain, when individual donors are scarce, and corporations and foundations remain conservative with their funding.

I believe that opportunities come in all shapes and sizes and present themselves at the most inopportune moments. A good leader and more importantly a good leadership team will be driven by results and will seek out the creative, the innovative and the different to have solid results. And that’s where PIP can help.

Our capacity building programs help nonprofit leaders and nonprofit boards create results. PIP assesses, PIP plans, PIP works with an organization to create results from implementing an ongoing successful annual appeal to role play for major donor asks.

Recently a PIP client asked a major donor for a $100,000 major gift. She had done her prospect research and the PIP consultant had helped her role play an ask scenario. The major donor turned down the request but said I have $25,000 for you, would that be OK? To date, it’s the largest individual contribution received by this organization. The executive director said to me, she never knew how to ask for money and get a positive result, but that PIP and her consultant had made it possible.

But we at PIP know it was more than that. This executive director had passionately presented the donor with a remarkable opportunity, and she took it!

Milestones

2010-09-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Fall is that time of year when we all talk about milestones. Children going to their first day of school, young adults leaving for college, election of our public officials and the ever forward creeping start to the holidays.

In the nonprofit world this is the time of year when we evaluate the year behind us and look to the year ahead. It’s time for audits, annual appeals and annual reports, webinars and workshops. A time to show those who care about our missions most, exactly what we’ve accomplished and where we see ourselves going.

For PIP, we’ve reached a VERY big milestone; we will celebrate our 20^th anniversary in 2011. PIP will celebrate 20 years of capacity building in the New Jersey nonprofit community. Since 1991, PIP has helped 300 nonprofits and close to 500,000 people involved with and served by those nonprofits. In our 20 years, PIP has raised over $3 million dollars and our fundraising consultants have donated approximately 10,000 hours of their time to our clients.

We hope at PIP that what all these numbers mean is IMPACT. That we’ve had impact, that we’ve helped many nonprofits turn the corner to sustainability, that we’ve guided our clients in diversifying their funding sources, recruit better and more highly trained volunteers and become better leaders. And most importantly, that they’ve done all this while continuing to focus on their important missions: feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, employing the jobless, caring for the environment, championing the underserved.

In effect, after 20 years, PIP continues to fulfill its mission by helping nonprofits go from good to great. At PIP, we are so incredibly proud and privileged to be on this journey with our funders and clients. We hope to be given the opportunity to keep moving capacity building forward for another 20 years.

What milestone has your organization reached? And what milestones lay ahead?

Listening

2010-07-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege in June of hosting a retirement party for my outgoing boss and PIP’s executive director, Becky Dembo. It was a fun filled evening with lots of laughter, good friends, fond memories and great conversations.

We all wished Becky well as she eloquently said goodbye to us all,
“One door does not close without another opening wide, so thanks for the memories….I’m off on a new ride.”

So here I am on a new ride of my own wondering what to do next? As I begin and lead the charge, where will I take PIP? And what can I do to complement the great work that has already been done before?

Of this I am certain, capacity building is never done and there is always a new ride, a new wave cresting, another window to open. So I begin this new day by listening. Listening to all of you who have worked with PIP, funded PIP, donated to PIP, volunteered for PIP, and supported PIP. Listening to your needs and wants, your desires and dreams for yourselves, your families, your organizations and finally for PIP. As I listen, what remains clear is that there is still work to be done; nonprofits are as busy as ever with fewer resources than ever. And what I know for certain, PIP is here to help. So please call us, we'll listen.

PIP: Producing a Ripple Effect that Goes On and On and On

2010-05-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Drop a pebble in the water: Just a splash and it is gone;
But there's a half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Anonymous

We often describe Partnership in Philanthropy as the pebble that produces a continuous ripple effect for the organizations we serve. PIP’s board leadership training motivates trustees to become stronger advocates for their cause, more involved custodians of the by-laws, policies and procedures of the organization and more invested fundraisers. All of these can bring long-term positive changes. PIP’s program analysis enables organizations to re-assess their programs’ viability in addressing needs and targeting clients. PIP’s assistance with budgeting oversight, helps stabilize the finances of a nonprofit. PIP’s strategic planning process provides a viable, realistic blueprint for a productive future. And the more secure the nonprofit, the more it can provide needed services for its neighborhood and its community. Each of the skill sets above can be the pebble that sends ripples circling on and on and on.

Fortunately, PIP has been making waves in New Jersey for nearly twenty years, and there’s “no way of telling where the end is going to be.”

Putting “Success” in Succession

2010-03-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing this country is good at, it’s smooth transfer of power. We do it every four years and with our free enterprise system we often do it in both the public and private sector as well. But, as often as we do it, and as integral as it is to our culture, transition can be difficult…for the country, for individuals, for businesses and for nonprofits alike. The key ingredient for good transition is planning. That means putting together a step by step action plan and getting buy-in from all the major stakeholders. And it means remaining supple and alert when things don’t always go as anticipated.

Few nonprofits have the luxury of planning a transition a year in advance. Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP), a 501 (c)(3) that provides consulting for New Jersey nonprofits, had the good fortune of learning that its executive director was planning retirement an entire year before the retirement date. It also had a person on staff that had the experience and the qualifications to step into the role of executive director. So the steps leading up to what might have been a challenging event, have been predictable and controllable.

What helps to put success in succession?
First and foremost, transparency; open and honest discussions between the CEO, the board president, the executive committee, and the board.

Next, a well-articulated plan that has the buy in of all the major stakeholders, particularly funders; periodic assessments to see if the plan is still viable and working.

Next, a schedule for the transition of responsibilities so that nothing falls through the cracks.
Training of all the day to day tasks and coordinating of calendars so that the new face has exposure and the old face begins to be seen less and less.

Finally, a pr plan so that the public learns of the change in an upbeat and positive fashion; putting out a message that assures consistency and continuity.

So, it is with total confidence that Partnership in Philanthropy announces that Heather Robinson will assume the role of executive director of PIP on June 30, 2010, upon the retirement of Becky Dembo, ending a ten-year tenure at the helm of the 20-year old PIP.

Fishing

2010-03-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

Give a man a fish; Feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish; Feed him for a lifetime.

This old Chinese proverb is the tag line that PIP has used for years to describe the benefits of nonprofit mentoring and training that we offer through our capacity building programs. But I recently heard a new twist to it and I think it is worth some thought.

Give a man a fish; Feed him for a day.
Teach a man to give; He will be a giver for a lifetime.

In other word, if people receive the gift of giving early on, and understand the impact their gift can have on others, they will be more inclined to give more and more meaningful gifts as they are able through out their lifetime.

I remember when I first graduated from high school and received my very first solicitation a few weeks later. I was so infuriated that I threw it into the trash and went into a rant about how ridiculous it was that they were asking me for money. My father was quick to teach me that it ought to be my pleasure now more than ever to give back to a community that had been so meaningful in my life. He said, “Sweetie, we have to give something back to each community we are part of. That way others will have the same opportunities that we have had. It doesn’t matter how much you give, it matters that you give something.” I will never forget that conversation.

We are not born philanthropists but hopefully, we all learn at some point in our lives to give back. And when we do, it’s something that is hard to un-learn. Philanthropy is a good habit to get into; giving as we are able to those causes and crises that pull at our heartstrings for all sorts of reasons. It’s good to be a “giver”.

Five frogs

2010-01-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

"Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off.
How many are left?
There are still five - because there's a difference between deciding and doing."

"Five Frogs On A Log" by Mark L Feldman & Michael F Spratt

At this time of year we all resolve to change the status quo and move ourselves or our business in a different direction. All indications are that this will be a positive change and, after all, what have we got to lose? The Pros far outweigh the cons. So, yes, why not? Then several months later we look around and time has gotten away from us, we are just as mired in the old ways as we were and nothing has changed.

We, at Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP), firmly believe in change. In fact, we are agents of change. We have a blueprint for making “good nonprofits better” that has been tried and truly effective for over 15 years now. We invite you and your nonprofit to be part of this change.

PIP is currently looking for the nonprofit organization that has some or all of the following red flags

1. The organization does not have a committed and well-educated board.
2. The board does not represent the constituency it serves.
3. The organization’s funding sources are not diversified.
4. There are no well-defined job descriptions for board and staff.
5. The bylaws are not reviewed and updated regularly.
6. A Strategic Plan and a Fundraising plan are not in place and re-visited.
7. The organization is not a team at work, but a “one-man-show.”
8. There is no clear and consistent mission; it gets off track chasing the $.
9. There is no financial oversight by the board.
10. There are internal tensions that polarize the key players.
11. There are no clear outcomes and evaluation tools.
12. The public’s awareness and image of the organization is not positive.

Call PIP and discuss ways to address some of your issues and stumbling blocks. You may want to apply for a 165 hour/two year PIP consultancy, our application deadline is March 15th. You may prefer to bring PIP in-house for a planning session or a retreat. Whatever it is you need, we want to help you “jump off the log” and move your nonprofit ahead swimmingly.

Best Practices for Weathering the Storm

2010-01-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

I sometimes catch a glimpse of the now famous “Dr. Phil” as he asks a tearful guest, in his sarcastic manner, “Yeah, and how’s that working for you?”

Right now we might very well ask the nonprofit community, when inquiring about their ability to effectively fundraise, “And how’s that working for you?” And if they answer, “It’s not” then offer the following:

· Make sure you have the most effective, educated and committed board you can get. Make them your chief advocates, your cheerleaders, and send them out to interact with their friends and colleagues and deliver your nonprofit’s message loud and clear.

· Put your nonprofit in front of corporate philanthropists and heads of big and small foundations. Tell them what you do best, what sets you apart from the others and what difference you make in the lives of those you serve.

· Take this time to verify that your organization has all the up to date requirements in place; updated by-laws and policies. Review your internal job descriptions and risk management procedures.

· Assess your program effectiveness. Review your data for trends and statistics and incorporate them into your case for support.

· And plan! Plan for when the economy starts to rebound so that you can hit the ground running. The government calls it being “shovel ready.” Look over your strategic plan to make sure it is relevant. Create a fund development plan that is current and realistic in today’s market. Train your staff and board to be the best that they can be!

And remember to express hope every day. Nonprofits are nothing if they are not hopeful. Set the example; be leaders in the “Hope Building Brigade.”

I’d wish you “good luck” but it isn’t luck that will get us all through this……it’s best practices.

Happy New Year

2009-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

“And now let us welcome the New Year full of things that have never been.”
Rainer Maria Wilke

As part of our New Year’s resolution here at Partnership in Philanthropy we as a staff plan to engage more with our nonprofit neighbors and do some serious internal planning to be able to hit the ground running once the economy does come back.

To that end our PIP staff will be traveling to Princeton on January 29th to attend the Princeton Community Works Conference. We will be there to present a workshop on best practices in fund development.

In thinking about best practices in fund development what we’ve heard over and over again is that this year will be a difficult one for the nonprofit sector. Foundations, corporations and individuals have not rebounded as well as we had all hoped and therefore won’t be giving away more charitable dollars, rather less. So what is a nonprofit to do? I say plan, plan, plan.

Let’s be introspective this year and take a good look at ourselves. Let’s get out there and network with one another, find out what’s working for our nonprofit neighbors and what’s not. Talk to our funders and let them know what we’re doing this year where we see our strengths and our weaknesses. Engage our volunteers, board, and staff in ongoing discussions on where the organization is and how we can do things better, where we can cut back and what is most essential that absolutely must continue regardless of cost.

So in this New Year, which has yet to unfold, let us imagine and embrace what has never been and let’s all keep moving forward.

Holidays

2009-12-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

News came on December 21st that Israeli officials announced the discovery in Nazareth of remains of the first dwellings ever found that date back to the time of Jesus. The Bible tells us that this is the town in which Mary was visited by the Angel and told that she would bear the child of God, the same small town in which Jesus grew up. Nazareth at this time was a town of about 50 residents; the dwellings were “simple” and the residents were of “modest means.” This dwelling therefore may have belonged to one of Jesus’ neighbors; may even have housed some of Jesus’ extended family.

As I read this story I could not help but be carried back two thousand plus years to the weeks surrounding Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus’ birth. How the neighborhood must have buzzed with the rumors of Mary’s pregnancy; can’t you just picture the grandmothers clucking and the mothers shaking their heads in disbelief? How could this happen; she was such a quiet shy girl…..who would have dreamed she would become an unwed mother? How the town folk must have gossiped when Mary and Joseph returned from Bethlehem with their small baby and set up house in the village.

Back then there were no nonprofit agencies to deal with the stigmatized and marginalized; simple folk of modest means who had to scrape together a living to support an unplanned baby on a carpenter’s salary. There were no nonprofits to bring food to the hungry, clothe the poor and goods to the jobless. They were cared for by the extended family and neighbors.

Today we write our checks and mail them off to our favorite charities knowing that they will steward our donations to those in need. We rely on the expertise of these wonderful nonprofits to provide for the homeless, the jobless and the hungry. At this time of year, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us be mindful of the great work that our nonprofits do; let us open our wallets wide so that they can continue to do their good works. And let us never forget that helping those in need is timeless, it is our responsibility and it still is, as it was two thousand years ago, our privilege and our own way of serving God.

Let’s “talk turkey!”

2009-11-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

I just attended two full-day conferences on philanthropy: One was “Power of Partnering” hosted by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation for its grantees and the second was the annual conference given by the NJ Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals. And, of course, the major topic was the economy. Everyone has an opinion. One speaker said that philanthropic giving would not even begin to recover until at least 2011. Another said that we were already seeing some indications of recovery. Let’s face it folks…….no one knows for sure.

But I can tell you this……”T’is the season” to count our blessings and give thanks for all we have. “T’is the season” to flock to family reunions and renew relationships ignored all year long. “T’is the season” to eat, and drink and be merry with rare abandon.

But, how can we in good conscious eat, drink and be merry if we ignore the less fortunate at our doorsteps? How can we turn our backs on the marginal, the disenfranchised, the sick, the handicapped, the poor, when we have so much. I once said to someone, “I never met a nonprofit I didn’t love” and it’s true. They all fulfill a worthy mission, they all provide an essential service, they all have hearts as big as all outdoors.

So in order to really enjoy eating that turkey, let’s first talk turkey! Open up your wallet and give, give give to the best of your ability. Give to the little nonprofits that serves food in your neighborhood and give to the large nonprofit that helps returning wounded soldiers. Give for the victims of floods on the other side of the world and give to the church of your choice. Give to the scholarship fund at your alma mater and give to the regional theatre downtown. And if you have some money left, please give to PIP, because by giving to PIP you give to all the nonprofits above.

If you give freely, you will enjoy that turkey dinner so much more. Happy Thanksgiving.

A cup of tea

2009-11-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

PIP just put out its Annual Appeal Letter and it was somewhat of a departure for us: We included in each letter an individually wrapped PIP tea bag and we wrote about the economic difficulties that nonprofits are facing as “hot water.” If you put a tea bag into hot water, there is a dramatic change to the water; it takes on an entirely new and different character. In much the same way, when you place a PIP consultant into a nonprofit, with mentoring, training, motivation, understanding and commitment, the board and the staff of that organization can flourish in the hot water.

There is no doubt that many New Jersey nonprofits find themselves in financial hot water, despite all their good intentions. In these difficult times, clients ought to be knocking down our doors, lining up around the block, pulling out all the stops to be awarded one of PIP’s coveted affordable, long-term consultancies that can help reverse the financial stress and impact the future for struggling organizations. Have you taken the time to visit PIP’s web site and read what PIP clients say about PIP? Have you taken the trouble to call any former PIP clients to ask their results? Have you spoken to your fellow board members, met with your executive director or approached your board president to inform them of all that PIP can offer your NPO? Why not? There is no better time to begin the dialogue with PIP to see if you are a good match. There is no better time to take that first step to get you out of the hot water that you are in.

Why PIP?

2009-10-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

We should not be defined by what we are not

2009-10-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

It’s kind of ironic that Partnership in Philanthropy is a “not-for-profit” because if there’s anything that we exist “for”, it’s to make a profit. We are a nonprofit that’s all about making a profit. We work hard with our clients to make them donor-worthy so that they can raise the funds, to pay for the services, which increase the quality of life of the people they serve. We are “for” building reserves for a rainy day; we are “for” hiring and retaining the best possible staff to serve the organizations; we are “for” recruiting the most competent and involved board members to govern the organizations; we are “for” creating profitable enterprises that have longevity and stability, even in times of economic hardship.

So I ask all the nonprofits out there: what can PIP do “for” you? Because we exist solely “for” you…to make you profitable in every way.

Surprises...

2009-09-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were a kid how you loved surprises? There was nothing more fun that an unexpected present, an unscheduled trip to do something special, some event that was totally random and delightful?

Now, not so much. In our maturity, and given some time, we’ve learned that we like to be prepared, have our bases covered, know all the consequences before we act. In other words, the element of surprise can be a bit disconcerting for us now that we comprehend that it’s not all fun and games.

It used to be that the nonprofit arena was not afforded the same intense scrutiny as the for-profit world but that changed dramatically a few years ago, and understandably so. It was a little of the “one bad apple….” scenario and wham bang, expectations and demands shifted for us all.

Total transparency is the new more acceptable concept in today’s culture. No secrets, no hidden agendas, open communication, total honesty. In the business and the nonprofit worlds, best practices demand that people divulge all the intimate details of their lives in an attempt to have no surprises. This can go a bit far and become a legitimate threat to our personal lives and our right to privacy. But taken at its face value, I believe it is an attempt to regain that honestly and innocence that we, as a society, seem to have lost somewhere along the way.

What we need to find is a healthy balance between the two. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the pendulum would swing back just a little and we could once again experience that sense of pure delight, without any unease, when we sense a surprise coming on?

Dead Tree Standing

2009-09-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took a wonderful walk through the woods with some life-long friends. As we ambled along and talked, one of my colleagues stopped dead in her tracks, looked up and said, “Dead tree standing”, referring to a tall tree in our path that had no foliage left on its bare trunk.
She then said, “I recently attended a lecture on the importance of leaving dead trees standing. The reason is that their root systems are so intricately entwined with their neighbors’ that by taking them down, it jeopardizes the support of all the neighboring trees.”

I started thinking what a great metaphor this is for life. Each trees’ root system is so intricately entwined with its neighbors’ that if disturbed, it could weaken the forest. And as individuals, many of us, when depleted or ill, continue to depend upon the root systems of our more healthy neighbors for strength.

Apply this same metaphor to philanthropy. Many nonprofits are facing drastic times and the people who depend on them face perilous days ahead. Those of us still standing tall with healthy branches and vibrant leaves have to reach down deep to help provide an infrastructure for others to build on. That is the principle behind Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP). The skill sets and expertise that PIP consultants bring to struggling organizations is like the root system that can help them stand tall in the face of economic woes.

Fresh Produce

2009-09-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

I recently spend an hour ambling through a Farmer’s Market. Everywhere I turned there were signs for “Fresh Produce.” And I thought to myself how wonderful it is that year after year the earth yields up fresh, tasty, nutritious fruits and vegetables with little or no effort at all and how difficult it is for us to produce the same kinds of results.

I do try to keep my ideas fresh and relevant; my projects inspired and imaginative. But my day to day tasks prevent me from keeping the ground moist, taking the time to look up at the sun, and plucking away the weeds that tend to strangle my crops. Try as I may, my garden gets parched and unappealing.

As harvest time is fast approaching, my “new year’s resolution” is to make this year’s crop count as among my very best; plump, juicy ideas, creative tidbits, and above all, fresh produce that is consistently safe for consumption in this very challenging growing season.