Author name: TNN

by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network Every sector has its unique archetype, but the nonprofit sector seems to cultivate one specific persona with particular flourishes: the hero. Enter Alex. Alex is bright, hardworking, and deeply committed to the mission. But if you were to listen to Alex speak for more than […]

by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network We need to talk. Not a “let’s sit in a circle and do a quick icebreaker” talk, but a real, honest conversation about something that has been quietly decaying right under our noses: customer service. As nonprofit leaders and workers, we like to think of

by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network Every executive director eventually arrives at the exact same harrowing realization: board management is mostly forensic psychology. When things go sideways in governance, human nature compels executive leadership to grasp for the most convenient, dramatic, and external explanation possible. If board members sit in complete

by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network Arthur was an Executive Director who possessed a magnificent talent for grand vision statements and an equal amount of shear terror whenever someone handed him a Form 990. When he was brought on to lead Hope Horizon Services, he brought two things to the table:

by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network I have always liked being liked. It is entirely natural to want to be liked. Human beings are social creatures who survived the ice age by huddling together in caves, and being cast out of the cave because you were unpleasant was a death sentence.

by Dr. Kevin Dean, President & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network There is a distinct, fleeting pleasure in updating your email signature. Adding three or four capitalized words after a comma feels remarkably like receiving a knighthood, minus the risk of an actual sword near your neck. When I was thirty-one years old, I experienced this

Tennessee Nonprofit Network announces that Andrea Hill, Chief External Affairs Officer, is stepping into an exciting new leadership role in Memphis. While her departure marks the end of an era for our staff and board, we are immensely grateful for her five years of dedicated service, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to strengthening Tennessee’s social