Weekly Reader – October 29, 2018

What we’re reading and recommending this week. We add to this post throughout the week and look for your suggestions in the comments.

Monday, October 29

How—and—Why to Listen Until Someone Feels Heard (Dr. Adrienne Boissy, SSIR) In fields as diverse as healthcare and social services, training employees in empathy translates into lower burnout, better outcomes, and economic benefits.

Tuesday, October 30

New Season, New Opportunities to Explore Power and Equity (Reed Young, NCRP Blog) Additional case studies, articles, reports and other tools will support your exploration of the role of power in advancing equity.

Wednesday, October 31

It’s Time to Re-form Human Capital Assumptions in Nonprofits (Ruth McCambridge, Nonprofit Quarterly) If there is one ethos that is at the core of the purpose of the nonprofit sector, it is that collective action can engender change, and the spirit and experience of working together (or in common) for the common good is central to the practice of a pluralistic democracy, which protects all the parts in service of the health of the whole.

Thursday, November 1

More than Money: 3 Non-traditional Ways Funders Can Support Grantees (Jennifer Oldham, CEP Blog) As a small health-legacy foundation with five staff, my colleagues and I at The Healing Trust know that while capacity can be limited, small teams can still find innovative ways to support nonprofits beyond grantmaking.

Friday, November 2

The Overhead Ratio is Not a Measure of Efficiency (Sandra Cyr, Philanthropy Journal) In a recent study coming out of NC State, researchers Jason Coupet and Jessica Berrett challenge the status quo of using financial ratios for measuring the efficiency of nonprofits.