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School can deny funding to group
June 28, 2010
Today's WSJ: "The Supreme Court ruled that religious student groups have no constitutional right to discriminate against nonbelievers if they take financial support from public universities..." Click title to read more... |
Five-Digit Giving
June 25, 2010
Giving by text message? Would it serve your fund raising efforts? Check out this piece from Stanford Social Innovation Review. Click title above... |
The Nonprofit Manifesto for Generation Y Leaders
June 17, 2010
Insight from the blog of Colleen D., a Gen Y'er who is studying for her MPA at USC. Check this out and learn about the next generation of leaders in the nonprofit arena. To read on, click title above... |
Organizational Highlight: NHLI
June 4, 2010
When a quality organization that is serving the greater purposes of the nonprofit sector comes to our attention, we want to give it exposure by highlighting it on our site. Today it is National Hispana Leadership Institute |
Leadership & Effectiveness among Nonprofits
May 27, 2010
80% of 1,000 Americans surveyed rate the performance of nonprofits as ether “good” or “excellent...” however, 64% report they will either keep their donations to charity the same as last year or decrease their donations... Click title to read on... |
Got Facebook fans? Important change
April 20, 2010
As of today, there are some changes to the terminology used by Facebook. Read this Chronicle of Philanthropy blog to see how you may want to change your marketing or communication materials. Click above to read... |
Titles don't matter - myth or fact?
February 1, 2010
In the world where we operate, performance is key. Or so we thought. This year's compensation study from The NonProfit Times seems to imply that titles really do matter. The results are quite extreme - certainly other factors play a role, but when there's a 46% difference in compensation between those with title of CEO vs Exec Dir, our attention is piqued. Read on by clicking title above... |
Philanthropy in 2020
January 14, 2010
From The Chronicle of Philanthropy, five major trends and more in a new report. Some nonprofit leaders and futurists are looking beyond the immediate concerns of the bad economy to ponder what the charity world will look like in the next 10 years... Click title to read on... |
93% of Charities Feel Effects of Recession
December 10, 2009
From The Chronicle on Philanthropy: The stock market may be rebounding, but for charities the negative impact of the recession has only deepened over the past year, according to a survey released this week... Click on title to read on... |
Most Americans Intend to Make Holiday Donations This Year
November 20, 2009
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy: Many charities are concerned that donations will suffer this month and next with the weak economy taking its toll on the normally busy giving season. But recent surveys suggest that year-end contributions, as well as donations next year, may not drop as much as some fund raisers fear. Click title to read more...
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Endowment for a Rainy Day
November 19, 2009
Stanford Social Innovation Review: In recent decades, nonprofits have significantly increased the size of their endowments. Yet during the current economic crisis, they made scant use of their sizable holdings. Instead of drawing down their endowments to offset losses of income, nonprofits resorted to cutting programs and personnel, sometimes dramatically. To prepare for future financial downturns, nonprofits should treat endowments as rainy day funds, not cut programs to preserve the endowment. |
HOW TO: Use Twitter Lists to Promote Nonprofits and Causes You Care About
November 1, 2009
Read about Twitter's new "Lists" - Tech blogger, Heather Mansfield, is committed to helping nonprofits, "Fueled by a strong passion for the Internet, Heather spends her days [and some nights] helping nonprofit organizations utilize the Internet as a tool for social change." Click title to read on. |
How to Develop Yourself as a Nonprofit Leader
October 14, 2009
From Bridgestar: Many people who are working within the ranks of nonprofit organizations could become great senior nonprofit leaders. However, in part because of budget constraints, few organizations in the sector have formal professional development programs... Click title to read on... |
Pressure mounting on the Administration
September 18, 2009
Here's a follow-up piece from Tuesday's article in The Washington Post with regards to this Administration's consideration of changes that may have broad implications for faith-based groups accepting money from the government. Click the title above to read more... |
President cautious on faith-based initiatives
September 16, 2009
Yesterday's Washington Post quoted a friend and former Justice Department leader now with World Vision. The paper had an update on the current administration's approach to faith-based initiatives and its dilemma with how to proceed. Lots of legal issues for nonprofit hiring and mission, etc. Click title to read. |
The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle
September 14, 2009
The latest edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review has a good piece that should interest all in the nonprofit sector. Here's a sample: A vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations—let alone serve their beneficiaries. The cycle starts with funders’ unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs, and results in nonprofits’ misrepresenting their costs while skimping on vital systems... Click title above to read more... |
Workers seek jobs with impact
September 9, 2009
WSJ: MarketWatch: Now that the financial system has been rocked to its core, "social capital" is getting a lot of buzz. But what is it? It boils down to putting your efforts into jobs with a socially positive impact, connecting money with meaning and investing with those principles in mind.
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Staffing Trends at Charities
August 25, 2009
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nonprofit organizations nationwide have been laying off staff members and taking other steps as the economy continues to take a toll on the budgets of charities of all kinds. But how can organizations make sure they are taking the smartest steps now — and avoiding approaches that could cause their most-talented workers to leave as the recession ends and the job market expands? Click title to read on... |
Despite a Decade of Controversy, the ‘Faith-Based Initiative’ Endures
August 3, 2009
NYT: Ten years ago this month, in a campaign speech in Indianapolis, George W. Bush promised to direct $8 billion in federal financing to “armies of compassion” that he believed could combat social ills in ways that government programs could not... Although some critics hoped to drive a stake through its heart, under President Obama the initiative has found a new life, and a slightly altered name. |
Mission-Driven Governance
July 27, 2009
Board governance is hard work and many Boards never develop a well defined understanding of their role. Here is a current piece from Stanford Social innovation Review that goes to the heart of the matter. Click title to for more... |
Why Overhead Isn’t Evil
July 15, 2009
Here's an interesting perspective from Fast Company magazine on a huge challenge for nonprofits: "Overhead is seen as the devil of the not-for-profit world. Here's why that conventional wisdom is wrong..." Read on by clicking above... |
Seeking the 'Most-Promising Nonprofits in America'
July 1, 2009
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports on the Administration's meeting with 100 philanthropic leaders at the White House and the efforts the President says will be taken to create a "new kind of partnership between government and nonprofit sector." Click title to read on... |
NYT: Civic Groups Wary as Russia May Ease Curbs
June 18, 2009
Russian President Medvedev introduced legislation this week that he said would partly relax restrictions on civic organizations. The new measures were tentatively welcomed by human rights groups, which have long criticized the government for hampering civic development. Click title to read on... |
Now This is Out-of-the-Box Thinking
June 9, 2009
If the purpose of the free market is to create greater collective prosperity through competition, and if competition stimulates creativity, here's how it should work. A Southern Cal steel company is sending its employees out to work for local nonprofits as a cost saving measure. Click title to read the story... |
WSJ: Philanthropists Set Spending Deadlines
May 21, 2009
A growing number of philanthropists are adopting spending deadlines and sunset provisions to ensure urgent global needs are addressed in a timely way. Click title to read full article... |
Obama Continues to Promote Limits on Charitable Deductions
May 11, 2009
Chronicle of Philanthropy: President Obama is sticking to his proposal to cap the federal tax breaks wealthy people can get for itemized deductions, including charitable donations, in his final budget plans released today. Click title to read on... |
Helping Themselves
April 23, 2009
From today's Wall Street Journal, read about strategies being used in these troubled times by several nonprofits, including Special Olympics, Covenant House, the Joffrey Ballet, and others. Read on by clicking title above... |
Nonprofits Pressured as Jobs Remain Open
April 20, 2009
According to an article in today's WSJ, "Nonprofits, already strained from declining donations, are facing another problem that could compound their woes: widening vacancies in senior leadership positions..." Click on title to read on... |
WSJ: IRS Probes Nonprofit Pay Practices
April 6, 2009
According to today's Wall Street Journal, "An Internal Revenue Service official warned nonprofits to be mindful of executive-compensation practices amid public ire over large bonuses at insurer American International Group Inc. and other Wall Street firms that have received federal aid..."
Read on by clicking the title above... |
Are you acknowledging Online gifts?
March 13, 2009
Seems there may be a general lack of acknowledging online donors. Are you doing so? Figuring out how to do this in a personalized manner might give you an advantage and set you apart. Click title to read more... |
President rethinks proposal to reduce tax deductions
March 5, 2009
WSJ reports that the President is meeting strong resistance even in his own party "to his proposal to reduce tax deductions" and "could be forced to drop or modify the idea." Click title above to read on... |
Half of Wealthy Americans Say Taxes Don't Affect Their Giving
March 3, 2009
According to a new study by Bank of America and Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Nearly 52 percent of wealthy donors said their giving would remain the same if they no longer received any income-tax deduction for their donations... That said, a significant minority (47 percent) of people in the survey reported that they would give less if they could no longer claim a deduction for their charitable gifts... Read the complete article by clicking the title above... |
USPS Smacks Nonprofit Mailers Again
February 17, 2009
The Nonprofit Times: Charities that use premiums to fundraise have again taken it on the chin... The United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors released new postage increases that are set to take effect May 11... Click title above to read on. |
City Culture Vultures
February 3, 2009
The usually sensational New York Post ran a story on Feb 1st about the challenges facing many of the city- and state-funded cultural institutions, and CEO compensation came under sharp attack. Click the title above to read on and link to the article... |
HBR: Fulfill the Dream of Leading a Nonprofit
January 27, 2009
Here's a great piece from Harvard Business Review discussing the latest trends toward the Social or Nonprofit Sector. Lots of statistics, etc. It is also amazing how similar the authors' advice is to what we have been sharing for years... (click title to read article) |
Charity Watchdog Plans to Expand Ratings System
December 8, 2008
According to the blog of Ken Berger, CEO of Charity Navigator, the nonprofit watchdog, the organization has plans to develop a tool to tell donors more about a charity's outcomes or progress... (click title to read on) |
Volunteer mileage deductions frozen
December 1, 2008
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, IRS mileage deductions for those volunteering in non profit endeavors will not increase in 2009... (click title for more) |
Earthquake triggers Chinese Philanthropy?
November 13, 2008
According to the Give and Take column in this week's Chronicle of Philanthropy, "China continues to show signs of a growing embrace of philanthropy..." Was it due to the May '08 earthquake in Sichuan? Click the title above to read on.
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Fund raising & Board members
October 30, 2008
According to a Chronicle of Philanthropy article in the current issue which quotes statistics from BoardSource, "many people who serve on charity boards hate asking for money..." Click title above to read more... |
Nonprofit Governance Index
October 14, 2008
Interesting statistics from nonprofits, such as 75% of board members have made personal donations to their organizations. Click title to see more... |
Compensation of Charity CEOs
September 29, 2008
Salaries and benefits paid to the leaders of the nation’s largest charities and foundations rose a median of 5 percent last year, according to results of a Chronicle of Philanthropy survey released today. |
Money to Grow On
September 10, 2008
From this month's Stanford Social Innovation Review, "In the for-profit world, the term 'investment' has clear meaning and investors have sophisticated techniques for spotting and growing the most promising companies. Yet foundations and other nonprofit donors have not developed similar clarity or approaches. As a result, the nonprofit sector’s greatest gems often languish well below their full potential. By better translating for-profit concepts, donors can learn how to scout out and grow the best nonprofits. Likewise, certain nonprofits can take a page from business’s playbook and learn how to attract cash for expansion." Click title to read on... |
Pastors' Web Electioneering Attracts U.S. Reviews of Tax Exemptions
September 2, 2008
Churches have long been required to not stay clear of too much political involvement, but the popularity of the internet, YouTube, GodTube, etc. has made life far more public for churches and faith-based nonprofits. Click title above to read today's New York Times piece on the latest IRS issues... |
White House Faith-Based Director Resigns
August 20, 2008
Jay Hein is the third Director of President Bush's White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He was known for a strong problem-solving approach to the mission of that office. Read more about Jay and FBCI in a piece from The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy by clicking on the title above... |
The NFL a nonprofit?
August 11, 2008
Bet you had no idea that "the N.F.L. headquarters in New York has nonprofit status, akin to a chamber of commerce." Yep, it's true, and they consider the Commissioner as the only "key employee" for IRS 990 reporting. Click title above to check out the NY Times story... |
Australia's wealthiest man says he's going to give all to charity
August 5, 2008
According to web site PerthNow, "Australia's richest man, Fortescue Metals boss Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, plans to give away nearly all his fortune before he dies... 'I don't aspire to great wealth and I don't admire it and I don't intend to leave this earth as a rich man... I intend to give it away.'"
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Pricey event fundraisers--good idea or not?
July 22, 2008
The resignation of the CEO of "a major arts benefactor in the Seattle art scene" causes questions about how much value is brought about by "pricey events." Click the title above to read the Seattle Times piece. |
Growth almost 10% on Foundation investments
June 4, 2008
From Chronicle of Philanthropy: Despite a slowing economy, American foundations reported an average annual return on investments of 9.9 percent for 2007, a rate that was down from the year before but higher than the average of what foundations said they had hoped to achieve, according to a report by the Commonfund Institute scheduled for release today. Click title to read on...
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Young staffers seek to improve the Nonprofit work force
May 16, 2008
From Chronicle of Philanthropy: As nonprofit groups increasingly compete with business and government employers to attract young workers, many people in their 20s and 30s are pressing charities to improve salaries, offer greater opportunities for career development, and do more to promote the diversity of their work forces. Read more by clicking the title above...
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Universities Try to Serve a Generation of Those Who Seek to Do Good
April 4, 2008
According to an article in today's The Chronicle of Higher Education,: The young adults choosing careers today watched as the Twin Towers fell, as Katrina swept onto land, and as the Asian tsunami left devastation in its path...
Those same young adults — many of them college students — have seen nonprofit organizations step in to help during times of turmoil. Combine that with service-learning requirements and a rise in volunteerism during high school, an extraordinary increase in the number of charities created over the past two decades, and the anticipated retirement of baby-boomer nonprofit executives, and it adds up to high demand for undergraduate programs in nonprofit management. Read more by clicking on the title above. |
The Young and the Restless
March 6, 2008
Concern about a leadership void at nonprofit organizations has been mounting in recent years... A new report indicates how difficult recruiting for nonprofits will be over the next decades. Many of the 6,000 potential nonprofit leaders interviewed for the new study look at older leaders working 60-to-80-hour weeks and think, 'I don't want that.' |
Nonprofit Pay Increasing
February 1, 2008
According to a study published today by Total Compensation Solutions, an independent human resources consulting firm based in LA and NY, The average salary adjustment for staff positions in nonprofit organizations increased by almost 4.0% from 2006 to 2007... |
Microfinance Challenges - NYT Magazine
January 27, 2008
According to this NYT Magazine piece, the nonprofit org, Kiva (web site, Kiva.org), is experiencing problems in finding enough recipients of "microloans" to satisfy the appetites of the site's users/donors. Kiva is "a nonprofit that lets users make interest-free 'microloans' to entrepreneurs in low-development (that is, poor) countries all over the world..." Click title above for more. |
For Modern Kids, 'Philanthropy' Is No Grown-Up Word
December 30, 2007
Front page Washington Post story that points to the spreading of the philanthropic way of life to kids. "We've globalized technology, we've globalized commerce, but we haven't globalized compassion..." |
The Greatest Givers (BusinessWeek)
November 26, 2007
Many of this year's top U.S. philanthropists are keeping their money close to home. That's the subtitle of this year's BusinessWeek report on philanthropy. In the story: ...Sixteen of the 50 U.S. philanthropists on our list gave north of $100 million this year, nine donated $200 million or more, and one towered above them all with $723 million in gifts. Click title above to read more... |
The Nonprofit Workforce Crisis: Real or Imagined?
November 8, 2007
Interesting info from a new study out recently from Johns Hopkins and conducted in cooperation with a number of nonprofit associations. ...what seems clear is that, despite their drawbacks,
nonprofits have many advantages as places of employment. While this is no reason for nonprofits to ease up on their recruitment and retention efforts, it does provide some comfort... |
Form 990 Overhaul - be informed
October 18, 2007
On Wednesday, October 24, at noon Eastern time, two legal and regulatory experts will discuss what the changes proposed by the Internal Revenue Service to the Form 990 could mean for nonprofit groups, as well as how they can influence the final version of the form and prepare to meet new reporting challenges.
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Creating High Impact Nonprofits
September 5, 2007
Conventional wisdom says that scaling social innovation starts with strengthening internal management capabilities. This study of 12 high-impact nonprofits, however, shows that real social change happens when organizations go outside their own walls and find creative ways to enlist the help of others. |
2007 CEO Comp Study - out today!
August 1, 2007
There is quite a bit of interesting information from the not-for-profit sector in a new study out just today. According to the Charity Navigator over 5,000 top leaders of the largest charities in America earn an average salary of $145,2702. This represents a modest pay raise of 2.34% over the previous year studied. Click the title above to read on... |
How do you manage what you know?
July 14. 2007
Never in recorded history has the fountain of knowledge flowed so vigorously and voluminously. In the world of academia and for profit businesses/ corporations, knowledge management has been a huge topic of interest and multiplier since the 90s. Are you thinking about this? Many in the nonprofit arena have not caught on... |
Reading List for Nonprofits (WSJ)
June 15, 2007
Nonprofit organizations have their own set of management challenges. They must pursue dual bottom lines: financial sustainability and their larger mission. And they must typically do so with more limited resources than for-profit businesses, placing extra pressure on managers.
Most savvy leaders are able to balance the business aspect of their organization while adhering to their core mission, "but it is important to consider that executives who focus exclusively on profitability could very well be under-serving their constituents," says Tangie Newborn, executive director and chief executive of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Adopting sophisticated and strategic operating models is absolutely crucial to the prosperity of the sector, she says... |
Trends in the Social Sector
May 30, 2007
The mission of the Fieldstone Alliance in Minneapolis/St. Paul is to strengthen the performance of the nonprofit sector. "The nonprofit sector in the United States has demonstrated remarkable success and persistence over the last thirty years, and is often emulated by other countries. But the continued healthy existence of the nonprofit sector is not a sure bet..."
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"Downshifting" a career?
May 1, 2007
Increasingly, we get calls and emails from senior leaders across the nation who say, I have had a great career, but I think I have painted myself into a corner from which I cannot escape. That 'corner' is the lack of balance in their lives that has resulted from a laser-focused approach to work alone. As you can see in today's Wall Street Journal, nonprofits are a potential refuge for those seeking to continue to make rewarding and valued contributions with their leadership and experience.... |
How Nonprofits Get Really Big
April 14, 2007
Since 1970, more than 200,000 nonprofits have opened in the U.S., but only 144 of them have reached $50 million in annual revenue. Most of the members of this elite group got big by doing two things. They raised the bulk of their money from a single type of funder such as corporations or government – and not, as conventional wisdom would recommend, by going after diverse sources of funding. Just as importantly, these nonprofits created professional organizations that were tailored to the needs of their primary funding sources... |
Foundation giving above $40B according to report
April 3, 2007
Giving by foundations soared to more than $40-billion last year and broke the $36.4-billion giving record set in 2005, according to estimates by the Foundation Center, The New York Times reports.
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Executive Pay
March 22, 2007
The IRS considers new penalties to crack down on charity officials who are paid too much and those who approve such compensation--including Board members.... |
The difference a Board Chair can make
Feb 21, 2007
Chairing a nonprofit Board is a demanding job. If one is going take on such a role, then he or she surely seeks to be the most effective Chair possible. To do so takes a great deal of study and skill. There are lots of resources on the internet; read on for one blog with some ideas for increased effectiveness...
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Other leaders reading our site?
December 7, 2006
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy one speaker at a recent BoardSource conference was quoted saying, "The board has to take accountability for making sure nonprofit groups have, the right people in the right job at the right time..."
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How Rusty Leonard Watches Over Donors
October 30, 2006
Front page Wall Street Journal article this fine Monday morn. If you are not familiar with Rusty Leonard and Wall Watchers you should be. |
What Business Execs Don’t Know -- but Should -- About Nonprofits
October 5, 2006
The world of business is different from the world of nonprofits. However, there is lots of overlap. Helping business leaders understand the nonprofit arena is a worthy cause since "business leaders play vital roles in the nonprofit sector -- as board members, donors, partners, and even executives. Yet all too often they underestimate the unique challenges of managing nonprofit organizations. In this article, 11 executives who have played leadership roles in both for-profits and nonprofits reveal the critical differences between the two, and suggest ways that business and nonprofit leaders can use this information to create a more effective social sector."
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The Leadership Deficit
September 5, 2006
[This article was originally picked up for the Leadership Blog, but we have also posted it here under Non-Profit News to make sure no one misses it!]
One of the biggest challenges facing nonprofits today is their dearth of strong leaders – a problem that’s only going to get worse as the sector expands and baby boom executives retire. Over the next decade nonprofits will need to find some 640,000 new executives, nearly two and a half times the number currently employed.
To meet the growing demand for talent, the author offers creative ways of finding and recruiting new leaders from a wide range of groups, including business, the military, and the growing pool of retirees
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Do you have a healthy staff?
July 26, 2006
Back in the 1980s, corporate America got into the fitness thing. Companies created work out areas and bought all sorts of exercise equipment. Though healthy life styles are always important, this trend just faded away. Or did it? Seems that it is coming back. How do you or your nonprofit approach these matters? |
Are you up to speed on what constitutes political activity & the IRS interpretation?
July 22, 2006
"Our concerns derive mainly from the lack of a bright line rule defining what is partisan and what is not..." Here is one of the latest reports (July 2006) from a watchdog outfit in DC that was formed in the 80s--OMB Watch.
"The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) new approach to enforcing the ban on partisan activities by charities and religious organizations has raised serious questions about the agency's interpretation of the law..." |
Good to Great: Social Sectors
July 12, 2006
It was a year ago this month that Jim Collins put out a monograph "to accompany Good to Great." If you are not familiar with this document, you should be. Read on for an introduction to his thinking... |
Nonprofit board governance: Strong leadership is key
July 6, 2006
Here's a non-faith-based piece from the Boston Business Journal that addresses Board leadership. Sadly, the author cites data that "only 10 percent of those surveyed strongly agree that charitable organizations are honest and ethical." Additionally, this article cites the need for Board cohesion - this is another one of those aspects of life where Christian organizations must be setting the example... |
Is the government providing funds for your senior level search?
June 13, 2006
While this specific situation may not apply to your organization, there are some interesting places to find funding for all sorts of projects, including executive search and succession planning. Read on and see what the President's Office of Faith-based & Community Iniatives and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) are offerring... |
Transforming Life
May 2, 2006
Retailer creates venue for sharing stories of life transformation...
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Ministry Leadership from a Christian Worldview
April 26, 2006
Francis Schaeffer wrote, "The primary threat to the church is the tendency to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than the Spirit.” Excerpted from Nancy Pearcey's book, Total Truth, read this essential alternative for every ministry leader.
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Principled Governance
April 18, 2006
Board governance matters! It should be intentional, not accidental. It should be purposeful, not passive... |
How to Lower the Risk in CEO Succession
Summer 2000
Ever since the board of General Motors ousted CEO Robert Stempel in 1992, boards of directors have been more willing to act when a CEO falters. The demands on CEOs are ever increasing... |
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