| Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat
Many of us have personal Bob Dylan stories. Not necessarily personal in the sense of a one-on-one exchange, but personal in the sense of "what his songs mean to me." Sure there have been concert venues and movie theaters (who can forget Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid?), but I'm thinking of those moments when it was just me and Bob wailing through my record player (this was no stereo) on an easily scratched album. What did this Nobel Laureate poet teach me?
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| I still have my first Dylan album, the 1967 collection Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits. This was my early high school days, a time when we are all easily influenced. I already knew many of the songs, but being able to play them over and over again drove me to acquiring the whole Dylan catalogue up to that time, another seven albums that totally enveloped me. And, I did think of Dylan as a poet, just like the Nobel selection committee. When my 10th grade teacher asked us to share our favorite poet, I was happy to recite The Times They Are A'Changing. I'm pretty sure she didn't share my inclusion of the troubadour with the likes of the Bard.
Shouldn't a true poet be a voice for his time? Didn't Dylan not only talk about love and failed love, but also the lost, forgotten, and shamed who our society was rapidly ignoring? But, his was never solely a message of desolation row, it also gave hope for positive change - a call to action for a generation. Not glassy-eyed optimism, but the spark within to drive that change. Thank you, Nobel committee for reminding us that this is a voice we still need to hear, maybe now more than ever.
Lee Sherman, President & CEO
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| NHSA Welcomes Melanie Richardson as New Chief Program & Strategy Officer
NHSA is proud to welcome Melanie Richardson as its new Chief Program and Strategy Officer. Melanie has 20 years of experience in finance and operations. Following her passion, she made a career shift taking her talents to the nonprofit sector a few years ago, where she most recently worked in sustainable and responsible investing, and previously in gender and international development. Be sure to meet Melanie and welcome her to the NHSA family the next time you are at a peer council meeting or other NHSA event.
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| Assessing Risk & Scaling Effective Programs
Last week, nonprofit finance, operations, and administrative professionals came together for the NHSA Operations Summit. The Summit focused on the top risks facing nonprofits in today's world, as well as methods and best practices for effectively and successfully scaling programs throughout networks. The group was engaged by presentations from Melanie Lockwood Herman, Nonprofit Risk Management Center; Allison Sesso, Human Services Council of New York; Mark McKeag, Bridgespan; and Tiffany Cooper Gueye, Building Educated Leaders for Life. See highlights and resources shared during the Summit.
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| Webinars You Don't Want to Miss
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In case you missed them, here are links to recordings from two recent webinars geared toward strengthening your organization, your community, and the human service sector, at large:
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Opportunities and Resources
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Events
- IAVE World Volunteer Conference in Mexico City November 7-10 »
- *Washington Policy Council in D.C. November 15 »
- Application and Regular Rate Deadline for the NHSA Executive Leadership Certificate Program November 30 »
- *Volunteer Development Council Meeting in D.C. December 6 »
- *Washington Policy Council in D.C. December 13 »
- NHSA Executive Leadership Certificate Program begins in Phoenix January 2017 »
- The Forum for Youth Investment - Ready by 21 National Meeting in Austin March 29-31 »
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Political campaigns are driven by short-term goals and often benefit from the kind of divisive, intense discourse that can undercut our ability to build public support for our issues. Voters may be won over by a candidate’s personal triumphs over adversity, but those messages cue up what FrameWorks refers to as the “traps in public thinking” that can diminish support for human services. The National Reframing Initiative seeks to increase support for human services by building the public’s understanding of what our sector does and how society benefits from our work. This strategy hinges on our ability to productively engage people from all walks of life and across the political spectrum in a long-term, solutions-focused movement.
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#FBF to November 1956 In honor of the impending elections, here is a throwback to November of 1956, where teenagers below voting age were encouraged to support their community and push for better turnouts at the polls.
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