Author name: TNN

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network The specter of disease has haunted humanity for centuries, and the fight against it has often spurred remarkable acts of innovation and collaboration. In the early 20th century, the American South was grappling with a debilitating and pervasive public health crisis: hookworm infection. This parasitic […]

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network Andrew Carnegie, the man behind the controversial “Gospel of Wealth,” was a figure of stark contradictions. Born into poverty in Scotland in 1835, he immigrated to the United States as a young boy and rose to become one of the wealthiest men in the world.

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network If you saw the Humane Society from 250 years ago, you definitely wouldn’t recognize it. There certainly weren’t many cats or dogs involved! However, this organization has helped usher in the modern structure for a nonprofit, and its history helps us understand how our structure

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network The year was 1867, and the echoes of the Civil War still reverberated across the Louisiana landscape. On a plantation near Delta, a former slave named Minerva Anderson Breedlove gave birth to a daughter, Sarah, her fifth child. This child, born into the precarious freedom

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network Though we now know United Way to be a beacon of public trust and integrity, one man almost destroyed the legacy of the organization and eroded public trust in nonprofits that we are still feeling today. This is his story. The downfall of William Aramony,

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network The legacy of Thomas Firmin, a 17th-century London merchant, stretches far beyond the cobbled streets and crowded workhouses of his time. While his immediate impact was felt in the lives of countless individuals he helped, his true significance lies in how he fundamentally reshaped the

By Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network We know Benjamin Franklin as a Founding Father, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a brilliant inventor who harnessed electricity, and a wise statesman who helped shape the nascent American nation. Yet, often overlooked in the chronicles of his remarkable life is his profound

Arthur and Lewis Tappan were more than just successful businessmen; they were devout Christians who believed their wealth carried a moral imperative. Their lives were testaments to a faith-driven philanthropy, channeling their fortunes towards a multitude of causes aimed at bettering society. While their fight against slavery stands as their most recognized endeavor, their philanthropic

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), or simply the Y, has a rich history rooted in social responsibility and philanthropic giving. Founded in 1844 by George Williams in London, the organization emerged as a response to the challenges faced by young men migrating to cities during the Industrial Revolution. From its humble beginnings, the YMCA