August 5, 2025
What I’m Thinking About
Welcome to Practically Thinking, your go-to newsletter to help you and your organization thrive. When I started Carson Dean Consulting, I wanted to make sure of two things: first, all nonprofit organizations could access quality consulting services regardless of their financial means and, second, that every project we worked on included practical application of the final product. Whether it’s a strategic plan, succession plan, executive coaching engagement, program model development, or fund development planning, without helping organizations figure out the practical implementation piece, their plans – and our efforts – are doomed to fail. After almost three years of staying true to our method, I’m more convinced than ever that great theory, excellent planning, and thoughtful strategy are absolutely essential, yet incomplete without a practical plan of execution. At Carson Dean Consulting, we’re committed to match strategic thinking with practical application, which is why we named our newsletter Practically Thinking. In the coming issues of Practically Thinking, you’ll receive valuable insights to help grow and sustain your organization by thinking about specific challenges and opportunities all nonprofit, faith community, and local government organizations are facing. We’ll share resources we find invaluable and keep you abreast of what’s happening across the nonprofit landscape. You may be wondering why another consulting firm is offering another newsletter. Me too. I believe Practically Thinking is unique because it aligns with our mission to help you thrive by providing both strategic thinking and practical application, in a concise and timely format. I’m so glad you subscribed. To learn more about our work please visit us at CarsonDeanConsulting.com.
Something Practical You Can Use
Is your nonprofit board of directors fully engaged? What does a fully engaged board even look like? Well, here’s something practical you can use – Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game: How to Break the Cycle of Frustrating Relationships and Benefit from Fully Engaged Boards is a recent (2022) book by Hardy Smith, IOM. Hardy is on a quest to help nonprofit leaders eliminate their frustration with volunteer boards. He offers practical guidance and strategic action steps in this highly readable, easy-to-implement leadership guide. It really is something practical you can use.
By the way, this LinkedIn Newsletter was inspired by a conversation I had with Hardy just a couple of months ago.
Spotlight of the Month
Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats is a small nonprofit with an interestingly descriptive name, an incredible mission, and a practical approach to sustainable revenue. Earlier this year, I was asked to join Arin’s board of directors after visiting with the executive director, Talia Wucherer, at their production facility in Belmont, NC. While making delicious, nutritious dog treats is Arin’s product (my dog Bingo loves these treats!), its mission is to provide a meaningful job for everyone. Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as bakers. Not only does Arin’s earn revenue by selling awesome dog treats, but it also raises funds from donors who want to support a local, grassroots organization that provides employment opportunities for differently abled people. I was impressed enough to join the board. Check out Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats, I think you’ll be impressed as well.