Acumen Blog

How to Ensure Your Board is Making Ethical Decisions What should boards do when facing an ethical dilemma? How can boards effectively establish ethical standards? It’s important that board members understand the organization’s values and know how to act in the best...

Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesAs we begin a new year, it’s essential that board members understand their roles and responsibilities once they become leaders. Not just for the individual’s sake, but also for the board as a whole and the entire association.Association...

What happens when a crisis occurs? So often, people are unprepared, do not know how to react, or don’t react in time, and the crisis only worsens. The same thing can happen when boards and associations aren’t prepared. Crises, by their very nature, are unforeseen, and...

A study by the Bridgespan Group found that 91% of nonprofit organizations have participated in at least one form of collaboration over a three-year period. That’s an astounding number and it demonstrates the value that nonprofits place on working together with other...

To understand what mission creep is and how it can impact an association we should first clarify what an association mission statement is. Mission statements are meant to define what an organization’s current purpose and activities entail. One thing that can quickly...

By Caley Mutrie, CAE, IOM & Elizabeth Schlicht, MMgt, CAE “The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts, but on how we respond to them.”  ~Thomas Crum Navigating difficult conversations is a critical skill for anyone working with...

“The true measure of the value of any business leader and manager is performance.” ~ Brian Tracy   Leadership and management are different, although we might interchange these terms. To add even more complexity, we can be both the leader and the manager,...