Most organizations are “allergic” to change. It is time-consuming, challenging and provokes stress among staff, Board, volunteers, and clients. Yet change is a way of life in today’s contemporary organizational life. The question is not “Whether to change?” but rather...

Part 1 – Rigoletto I was sitting at the opera last night thinking about what I was seeing and how it provides evidence of what good leadership – or, more commonly, its opposite – looks like. So, I plan to write occasionally about the management lessons found in the...

I was asked by the Toronto Arts Foundation to deliver a short presentation on human resources for directors of small not-for-profit and charitable organizations. In January, I opened my news feed to see that the artistic director of a prominent Canadian theatre...

About 10 years ago, when I was directing a national fundraising campaign, I met with a prospective donor at a posh tennis club. The weather was warm, the sun was shining and the table set with crisp white linens. The conversation, however, was not nearly as sanitized...

It’s now post-holiday as I write this blog. Family get-togethers are history, treats all consumed and the New Year has arrived with the usual Toronto winter bluster. This is a great time to reflect and analyze what worked and didn’t work last year and perhaps...

I have been both directly and indirectly involved in Ontario's Not for Profit Sector for many years, and I have observed that one of the most enduring themes has not changed -  "we need more funding from the Province".  These requests are understandably driven by the...