Writing — Essays by Jared Lyon
Essays written from a decade leading at the intersection of education, workforce, civic trust, and public purpose. For leaders running, governing, or funding mission-driven institutions, and for the operators, board members, philanthropists, and policy professionals doing the actual work of building and renewing them. New essays roughly every two weeks.
What Scaling a National Membership Organization Actually Requires
Growing a membership organization isn't about adding chapters. A decade leading SVA from 400 to 1,600+ chapters taught me what durable scale actually demands.
Read essay →What a Board Does When the CEO Steps Down
Most nonprofit boards aren't ready when a long-tenured CEO leaves. Here's what governance actually requires during a leadership transition, and what boards owe incoming leaders.
Read essay →Unrestricted Money Is the Hardest Money to Spend Well
The MacKenzie Scott $8M gift to SVA was transformational, and a test. Here's what unrestricted capital actually demands from nonprofit leaders and boards.
Read essay →What a Strategic Plan Actually Is
Most nonprofit strategic plans aren't strategy. They're inventories of activity dressed in goal-setting language. Here's what a strategic plan actually is, what it isn't, and what it has to do to be worth the work.
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