Non-Profit Management


Feature Writer: Estela Kennen
Writer Estela Kennen, Isaac Kennen

Running a successful non-profit presents many challenges, from securing funding to recruiting volunteers and donors to developing and maintaining successful programs. Day in and day out, you show commitment to your cause. Here is a site that is committed to helping your organization be more effective, for free.Suite 101’s Nonprofit Management site will cover all aspects of managing a nonprofit organization, from finding a job, to incorporating as a 501c3, to writing grants and fundraising techniques, to meeting your staffing and volunteer needs.

Check out all the articles available on this site. You can also automatically have the latest Nonprofit Management headlines posted on your website for free. Questions or comments? Please post them in the forum or email me at nonprofitmanagement@suite101.com

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feature articles
Estela Kennen

Mediation and Arbitration

In: Non-Profit Management (general)

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a process designed to resolve disputes without going to court. The two most common types of ADR are mediation and arbitration. more...

Introduce Yourself

In: Non-Profit Marketing

At meetings, conferences, or even in the elevator, people invariably ask what you do. As these examples show, introducing yourself the right way can make a difference. more...

Recruiting Student Volunteers

In: Volunteer Management

Eager and energetic, students can make wonderful volunteers. Find out how to find volunteers at local high schools and colleges. more...

How to Find Volunteers

In: Volunteer Management

Many non-profits rely heavily on volunteers to fulfill both everyday functions and to carry out special events. Here's how to recruit volunteers for an organization. more...

Non-profit Hiring Process

In: Non-Profit Management (general)

Sometimes executive directors and non-profit boards do not see eye to eye regarding what their roles in the employee hiring process should be. Here are some options. more...

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Estela Kennen

Oct 29, 2007

Let Your Life Speak

I recently came across a famous Quaker saying that took my breath away. “Let your life speak.” It seems an apt philosophy for people in the non-profit sector.


In one moment, I knew I had found the embodiment of something I've felt and tried to do for as long as I remember. Every choice we make, every action we take... or do not take... conveys a message. From the clothes we wear and cars we buy, to the food we eat and vacations we take, to our friendships and vocations, we are letting the world know what we think is worthwhile.

Many people go through life without consciously thinking about the message they are presenting the world about their values; this is perhaps not a bad way to live (it is certainly an earnest way), but it is not what I want to do. Other people know all to well the importance of conveying messages, so they communicate loudly, self-righteously their intentions. But their spoken messages and their behavior can be sadly misaligned. That, I do not want either.

I want my life to sing. I know I will not manage to do this every moment of every day... I know if I stopped to reflect on it, I would not care for what my life was saying much of the time. But I think that an awareness of the fact that my life is speaking gives me the opportunity to be a better person.

Though the thought is probably not framed quite that way, I think many people in the non-profit sector know that their life is speaking. Knowing that it is saying an important thing-- the right thing-- at least part of the time, is one of the reasons we do what we do. And we rarely have to stop to explain why, like I am doing now, because our actions are saying it for us.

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