Christmas Day tiger escape is a grim reminder of the risks of nonprofit mismanagement and the flaccid oversight that comes with self-regulation. No one is keeping an eye on the tiger, or its keeper.
Staff, a newspaper columnist, and a local magazine take on the CEO of the local public broadcasting outlet for excessive compensation and poor performance.
Civil society (the local Cambridge version) puts a damper on architectural visions, while on the other side of town MIT manages to soar with the eagles.
University agreed to filming on campus in return for prominent use of the college name throughout the movie. Could be a symptom of the transformation of universities into corporate Educational Maintenance Organizations.
The group has achieved a name change, headquarters relocation, and acceptance of a modern repertoire to attract younger members, despite grumbling from the old guard. And the organization offers a wealth of accessible, online help for local groups that want to organize—better than what many nonprofit advisors have to offer.
There was an abrupt transition in the late 1990s to an emphasis on blockbuster capital campaigns, and now extremely large gifts are the single largest source of funds for the museum. The present board structure is ill-suited both to this kind of fundraising and to the kind of media deals that the organization now must engage in. I offer a radical solution to bring the Smithsonian into the current century.
Documents show that recommendations of the independent review committee were watered down and that the Chief Justice John Roberts does not wish to give up his role as chancellor of the institution. Other documents show that the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist and former Republican Senator Howard Baker were directly responsible for Lawrence Small's 45% salary increase in 2001, which was not reported to the full board.
An outdated board structure is left intact, but it will no longer rely exclusively on the general secretary for its information. The door closes on outside board seats for Smithsonian staff, some operating and personnel policies are updated, but a lot more is left for further study and future resolution.
Strategic planning, a management technique long ago rejected by for profit businesses, thrives in the charity industry mostly because funders insist on it. And the exercise has drifted from both strategy and planning to emphasize consensus-building instead.
The group has achieved a name change, headquarters relocation, and acceptance of a modern repertoire to attract younger members, despite grumbling from the old guard. And the organization offers a wealth of accessible, online help for local groups that want to organize—better than what many nonprofit advisors have to offer. 