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Non-Profits and Lean Thinking

Posted by Mark Holmgren on October 24, 2014

Preface: Collective Impact calls for transformational practice among our organizations. Models and theories and innovative ideas are critical to the work, but we also need to change how we operate and find ways to maximize our collective capacity to work better, smarter, and with a sense of urgency. This is one attempt to talk about that.

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Let’s Stop Assuming Non-Profits Should Just Be Run Like a Business

Posted by Mark Holmgren on September 29, 2014

It is not uncommon for business leaders or entrepreneurs to suggest that charities need to behave more like business. Of course non-profit operations should be based on sound financial and management principles and practices, but I suggest blanket statements like “be more like business” ignore some fundamental differences between private and non-profit sector organizations. As well this default position of many business leaders is a tad insulting.

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Heretical Propositions

Posted by Mark Holmgren on September 2, 2014

 Money can mean a lot of things for those who have it. It can feed us, open doors,  and keep us safe and warm. For those who have a lot of it -- we call that "wealth" --  it also provides influence and power. Those who make policy are those in power  and most of those in positions of power are making enough money to do more than  survive. In fact, onceyou have a certain amount of money and influence, one can  use both to create more wealth and power.

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Together, Differently

Posted by Mark Holmgren on July 19, 2014

I sit on the Mayor of Edmonton’s Task Force to End Poverty. It’s a diverse group including the expected mix of leaders from government, business, education and community services. At a recent gathering we were working together to increase common understanding about poverty as well as to move forward with identifying strategies.

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Let's Play Pretend

Posted by Mark Holmgren on July 14, 2014

Pretend you run a business that sells widgets that are critical to a buyer. The price of  each widget is $1000.00 and the buyer needs 100 of them. That’s $100,000. Now  let’s pretend the cost of each widget (materials, labour, reasonable marketing costs,  equipment maintenance, transportation costs, etc.) makes up 80% of the market  price, leaving you with a gross profit of $20.00 per widget or in the case of this order  of 100, a gross profit of $20,000 or 20% of the total price.

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Expanding Our Thinking About Poverty

Posted by Mark Holmgren on June 27, 2014

For the majority of us, the experience of poverty is unimaginable. We intuit it must be difficult; we can read the reports of its impact and have some understanding, but in the end, we do not know poverty to the degree and depth those who live with it do.

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