The nonprofit sector as a whole is underperforming in the area of talent management. Perhaps the greatest consequence of the chronic under-resourcing of organizational capacity is the failure to have more effectively developed our sector’s most valuable (and expensive) asset – our workforce. In a recent survey conducted by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, 45% of nonprofit employees said they were considering jobs outside of the sector for their next positions.

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As the 2009 Independent Sector/Council of Michigan Foundations annual conference wound down today, I marveled at the thematic unity that emerged about the future of the nonprofit sector: leadership, innovation, and respectful dialogue are critical competencies in supporting what is increasingly understood to be a necessary re-conceptualization of how we approach our work  – especially in relation to other organizations and sectors.

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