Join our Nonprofit Good News-Letter
Every Monday morning, your inbox should start your week off right — with energy, perspective, and something that actually helps.
Then just $10/month. That’s it. And every issue is built to deliver at least a 10x return, but we're aiming for 100x.
The last few years have been heavy for nonprofit professionals. Burnout is real. So is fatigue, funding anxiety, and leadership isolation.
But the good news is: there’s still good news. Orgs are finding new ways to help their communities. People still care. This good news isn't fluff — it’s fuel. For your thinking. Your leadership. Your conversations.
This isn’t another 1,500-word lecture. It’s a 5-minute spark. Short enough to skim. Easy to delegate. Sharp enough to share. Smart enough to shift how you lead.
Your next Monday can start with doomscrolling — or with The Nonprofit Good News-letter.
The focus in NGN is going to be almost entirely on you. Let me tell you a little about myself, so you can understand why I bring value to your inbox every week.
I'm on the second half of a "karmic payback" lifetime. After graduating from Harvard Law School, I worked in a major corporate law firm for more than 20 years, making the world safe for big companies. I worked a lot with nonprofits, but almost always for free, as additional work that I cared about. In 2011, Georgetown University Law Center, where I had been teaching part-time, asked me to take a fulltime post for a few years. I took that as a sign that I should stop working for big companies (they are safe enough, to say the least) and start working with organizations that do good for a living.
Since then, I have helped nonprofits become stronger, steadier, and better prepared for whatever comes next. As the founder and CEO of Risk Alternatives, I have spent my days helping leaders build practical systems that make their organizations more resilient—without the jargon or overwhelm that often comes with “risk management.”
Over the years, I’ve counseled hundreds of nonprofits, served on many nonprofit boards, advised foundations, and become a certified Standards for Excellence® consultant (and at one point Chair of the National Standards Council)—all with one goal: to help nonprofits do their important work more effectively.
I’m also the author of Managing Your Nonprofit for Resilience, a practical guide packed with stories, tools, and lessons I’ve learned from working with hundreds of nonprofit teams. I speak often before nonprofit and foundation audiences across the country, focusing on governance, ethics, and planning for the unexpected. What I love most is watching that moment when a team realizes resilience isn’t about avoiding risk—it’s about building the confidence to move forward, no matter what.
Connect with me on LinkedIn. I share a ton there.