Jan Masaoka Makes a Mean (Blue) Guacamole

I’m so happy that Jan Masaoka, Editor-in-Chief of the Blue Avocado, is going to be our keynote speaker for the Crossroads Conference on September 24.  I’ve heard Jan speak at a national conference before, and been inspired by many of the articles she’s written –  first with Board Café, and now with Blue Avocado.

Jan offers a clear and fresh perspective that strikes me as counter to what I think of as the “received wisdom” we have in the nonprofit sector about doing things.  I particularly appreciated her perspective on the economic downturn in the latest issue of Blue Avocado:

As nonprofits, we typically feel economic aftershocks one to three years after an economic earthquake, as contracts and grants expire and get canceled, are renewed at lower levels, or go through long, tortuous twists and turns while we nonprofits bear the costs of the delay.

But what’s disturbing about our reactions is that we seem to be acting as if it’s new for us to have need outstrip resources. In fact, in human services we have never been able to meet the need, and we have decades of experience managing in that gap. That gap is wider and deeper now, but we can draw upon what we’ve learned about managing our organizations without all the resources to be what our communities need us to be.

A good reminder of our own knowledge and power as nonprofit organizations, as we continue the rending of garments and gnashing of teeth about the economic unknowns that lie ahead.  Check out the article, and come meet Jan in person at Crossroads, where she’ll be not only delivering the keynote, but leading a breakout session and more!