New year, new review?
There are few things in professional life that can take the oxygen out of a room quite like the prospect of year-end performance reviews and new year goal-setting. Why is that? Many of us are goal-oriented people, after all. Many of us fancy ourselves introspective and eager to learn from our experiences. And yet, the […]
Crafting effective communications to create social change
Strategic communications have the power to transform your organization and a compelling story told to the right audience is vital to fundraising and building awareness of your organization’s mission. What is your organization trying to make true that isn’t true now? Who has to do something they’re not doing now (or stop doing something) for […]
Lynn Budnick receives Glass Half Full award
GAR Foundation is honored to present Lynn Budnick with the 2018 Glass Half Full award for her steadfast and inspirational leadership of ACCESS, Inc. The annual Glass Half Full award was created to recognize Summit County community leaders for their inspiring and optimistic leadership of nonprofit organizations. Lynn Budnick is the executive director of ACCESS emergency […]
What your values add to your business
In business, the focus is often on strategy. The strategic plan. The business plan through which strategy is implemented. The work plan detailing implementation activities in a particular time period. These documents and the discipline required to produce them are important to be sure. They frame and direct efforts. They align teams and ensure that […]
Nonprofit marketing trends to watch this year
Whether you’re putting the final touches on your marketing plans or beginning to create one for the upcoming year, keep an eye on these trends and predictions for 2018: Influencer Marketing Consider partnering with an influential person in your niche to reach a whole new audience. An influencer can be a big-time donor, a […]
How our values will guide us in the new year
As 2017 draws to a close, we at GAR Foundation are pausing to reflect on what we have learned and accomplished in partnership with you this year. It has been an eventful one for us, marked by the launch of our new strategy that you, our valued stakeholders, helped to inform. We’ve talked a lot […]
Still waters run deep: why introverts in your business may be your most valuable overlooked asset
All of us who work on teams have surely faced the existential workplace question: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? We’ve taken the Myers-Briggs test. We’ve thought about how our personality type fits with those around us. As managers, we’ve hemmed and hawed about who is best suited for particular roles, given their personality […]
Glass Half Full Honoring David James
GAR Foundation is honored to present David James, Superintendent of Akron Public Schools with the 2017 Glass Half Full Award. The annual Glass Half Full award was created to recognize Summit County community leaders for their inspiring and optimistic leadership of nonprofit organizations. James is the 22nd chief executive of the Akron school system. Selected by […]
Just Say No: 7 Development Professionals You Don’t Want to Be
What are the skills and personal qualities that characterize the successful development professional you want to be? Let’s start by describing the development professionals you don’t want to be: The Woolly Mammoth: Times and needs change. Don’t rely on a historic funding relationship. Evolve and revisit your relevance continuously as a practice. The Name […]
Akron unleashes its problem-solvers
Much has changed in our community over the last few years. We have witnessed leadership change in City Hall and in several key anchor institutions. We’ve seen political change at every level of government. We’ve seen slow economic progress, and a continuing erosion of the middle class, with cascading effects on all our civic systems. […]