Recent Articles

  • Today’s major gift donors: Strategic philanthropists

    Craig Shelley Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    ​Sean Parker's recent ​call to transform philanthropy in The Wall Street Journal has rightly drawn a lot of attention. There is great opportunity and need to accelerate giving beyond the 2 percent of gross domestic product it has maintained for generations, and to focus on solutions rather than treating symptoms. However, what was most striking was that I'm already seeing donors adopting many of the behaviors and actions he calls for.

  • 4 steps to holiday preparation

    Deborah Ike Religious Community

    We’re not quite done with summer, and football season hasn’t even started, but now is a good time to plan for the holiday season. If your team isn’t already playing Christmas music to get in the planning mood, here are some things to consider. We recommend you find out what did and didn't work last year, delegate responsibilities and see what your pastor has planned.

  • Best practices for landscaping RFPs

    Kevin Smith Facilities & Grounds

    As portfolios continue to expand and the year-round needs of a company's landscaping are addressed, best practices for landscaping requests for proposal become even more important for your business. Sourcing and selecting one or more partners to deliver your landscaping services is a critical initiative, and one that needs to be mapped out. Here we will examine some of the steps to ensure a successful sourcing initiative.

  • Maintaining a great public impression

    Frank R. Myers Civil & Government

    Fire departments — and the firefighters that operate them — are pillars of the community. People come by the station to vote, install child safety seats, have their blood pressure taken, check out all the cool equipment and a whole host of other things. We are public servants who have the duty and honor of leaving a positive impression on the communities we serve.

  • ‘YOU-SPs’ and lead stories distinguish designers

    Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

    Do the people you need to know…know you? Do they know all that you do? All that you can do? When they need the kind of interior design services and products that you sell, do they absolutely, automatically contact you? If not, that means that they don't "get" what you have. And if they don't get that, you don't get their business.

  • Are online symptom checkers accurate?

    Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied Healthcare

    More than a third of all adults in the United States use the Internet to self-diagnose everything from hangnails to heart attacks. Most start out by typing symptoms into an Internet search engine, which often leads to a "symptom checker" website or app. A recent study by Harvard Medical School found that these symptom-checker sites and apps often provided inaccurate information for both triage and diagnosis.

  • How ethical is your HR department?

    Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Human resources serves as the liaison between management and staff. It helps with critical administrative and tactical tasks like benefits and payroll. Recruiting, retention, employee development and compensation can fall within the HR office. In some companies, HR can also be a key player in the strategic direction the organization takes. It is clear that HR can be an important part of the culture of the organization. But in many organizations, HR is an afterthought.

  • Shadow boxing: A nontoxic resistance to eliminate

    Michael S. Haro, Ph.D. Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    When you encounter a challenge, do you find yourself angry and out of sorts? If so, you are "shadow boxing" with a condition over which you have little-to-no control. When shadow boxing, you are expending energy against an object that is not real or immediately present. Your blows are blasting air modules that offer no resistance. Initially, "nontoxic resistance" is harmless. But continuing to battle this nontoxic state over time with no management or resolve will wear you down.

  • What’s keeping administrative license holders from becoming school…

    Dr. Sheri Williams Education

    Reports of the shortage of applicants for school leadership positions are well-known. The authors of "Churn: The High Cost of Principal Turnover" say a quarter of the country's principals will leave their schools each year, and nearly 50 percent will leave in the third year. Missing from the reports is an analysis of why individuals who already hold an administrative license are not applying for vacant principal positions.

  • Sports participation helps athletes score points beyond the field

    Bob Kowalski Sports & Fitness

    We've all been made aware of the benefits that participating in sports, or even simply exercising, can bring for our short- and long-term health. But does involvement in athletics result in success that extends beyond health? "Sports have the potential to develop many of the personality characteristics valued in life: determination, perseverance, strong work ethic, cooperation, teamwork, fair play, honesty, and much more," said SHAPE America President Steve Jefferies.