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Note for corporate challenges: This blog and number of other blogs on 20/20 foresight and other topics are applicable to both corporations and non-profit organizations. The examples that follow relate to non-profit organizations, but I am happy to  work with corporate boards. A number of blog entries will reflect an overriding theme in my approach to non-profit organizations that I call 20/20 foresight. 20/20 foresight focuses on keeping accountability and decision-making more generally forward thinking and voluntarily at the forefront of best practice (above and beyond legal requirements).[1]  The key question in decision-making for both the Board and management team...

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Recently there was an interesting article in the Financial Times called “Spotlight on ethics for new rankings” (Alison Smith, Companies section, UK edition, April 6, 2011). The crux of the article is the relevance of companies’ social, environmental, and governance concerns and efforts for asset owners and managers. However, a few quotes highlight a key issue that should be of parallel concern for non-profit organisations: the identification, management and communication of risks. One quote states that despite the increasing attention to rating companies in these three social responsibility areas, investors are “concerned with two things: getting a return as good...

Un article intéressant a récemment été publié dans le Financial Times, sous le titre « Plein feux sur la déontologie pour les nouveaux classements » (“Spotlight on ethics for new rankings”, Alison Smith, Companies section, UK edition, April 6, 2011). Le point crucial de cet article est la pertinence des problèmes rencontrés et des efforts poursuivis par les entreprises dans les domaines sociaux, environnementaux, et de la gouvernance, pour les actionnaires comme pour les managers. Cependant, quelques passages mettent en lumière une question-clef qui pourrait parallèlement concerner les organisations à but non-lucratif : l’identification, le management et la communication des risques. Un de...

8 Big Questions Non-profit Organisations Should Ask This article addresses a new phenomenon in the United Kingdom launched by Prime Minister David Cameron called Big Society.  The objective of Big Society as stated in the Forward to the Green Paper from the Cabinet Office reflects their “respect for the contribution that civil society organisations can make to shaping and delivering more efficient public services that better meet the needs of the people who use them”.[1] Whilst a UK initiative, the combined objectives of budget deficit reduction, increased engagement of civil society, and increased efficacy of services to beneficiaries are questions...