Suzanne Smith, MBA

09/14/2026

As we enter the Jewish new year, one of the best ways to celebrate and support our Jewish sisters and brothers in the social sector is to stand with them against antisemitism – a threat not everyone recognizes, but one that endangers the safety, dignity and belonging of the entire community.

Combating antisemitism cannot be left to Jewish organizations alone.

As nonprofit leaders, these questions deserve an honest answer:
- Does our board understand antisemitism? Does our staff?
- Is antisemitism included in our diversity and inclusion work?
- Do Jewish colleagues and community partners know we will speak up when they are targeted?

If the social sector believes in dignity and belonging, those commitments must include the Jewish community.

Our latest blog offers a place to begin: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/jewish-innovation/

09/13/2026

🍎🍯 Apples and honey may be the best-known symbols of Rosh Hashanah, but I’m also drawn to the bees. 🐝

Honeybees nourish themselves while pollinating the plants around them. Each contributes to the hive, reflecting an important Jewish teaching: Everyone can be both a giver and a receiver.

That idea is at the heart of our latest blog, which explores how Jewish organizations have strengthened the broader social sector through collaboration, advocacy and entrepreneurship. Their work shows what becomes possible when organizations share their strengths, build trust and create solutions that serve entire communities.

Like a healthy hive, a strong social-impact ecosystem depends on connection. No one organization can do everything alone, but together, we can create something sweeter and more sustainable. 💛

A sweet lesson for the new year — and for our sector.

Check out the full blog: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/jewish-innovation/

09/13/2026

This weekend we’re looking at what happens when nonprofit leaders stop focusing solely on their own organizations and start looking at the bigger picture.

Where are the gaps? Where are efforts being duplicated? Where could stronger connections or better coordination make the entire system work more effectively?

Ecosystem mapping – an elevated approach to asset mapping – is a technique to assist communities answer those questions and move from individual programs and partnerships toward true system change.

Take another look at this blog: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/ecosystem-mapping-nonprofit-collaboration/

09/12/2026

Strong collaboration isn’t about adding more organizations to the table - it’s about understanding how all the pieces fit together.

Ecosystem mapping helps communities step back, see the full system and identify gaps, overlaps and opportunities for better coordination. It shifts the conversation from “How can our organization do more?” to “How can we work together to create better results for the people we serve?”

Revisit this blog to learn how ecosystem mapping can turn collaboration into meaningful system change: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/ecosystem-mapping-nonprofit-collaboration/

09/12/2026

Anyone who has ever worked on a nonprofit partnership knows this: starting one is hard! Sustaining one for more than 20 years is remarkable.

That is why AgeWell Pittsburgh remains one of my favorite examples of collaboration.

Three Jewish organizations created a shared front door so older adults and caregivers didn’t have to navigate an entire nonprofit ecosystem to find help. We later helped adapt the idea in Cincinnati and Dallas, but not by simply copying Pittsburgh. Each community needed a solution built around its own assets and gaps.

The lesson? Borrow the idea, not necessarily the model.

In our latest blog, we explore what AgeWell Pittsburgh can teach us about building durable partnerships, adapting successful ideas across communities and strengthening the social sector through collaboration.

Read the full story: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/jewish-innovation/

09/11/2026

As Rosh Hashanah begins, we’re reflecting on a core Jewish value: the responsibility to care for one another.

A Jewish organization can be rooted in Jewish values and still serve everyone.

Across the country, Jewish organizations provide food, transportation, wellness programs, care management and other essential support to older adults, families and neighbors of many faiths.

Their Jewish roots are part of their identity. So is the breadth of their impact.

Our latest blog explores how this commitment to welcoming, service and shared responsibility extends beyond individual programs. It highlights the ways Jewish organizations have strengthened the broader social sector through collaboration, advocacy and entrepreneurship — and how their work offers lessons for building more connected, inclusive communities.

As we enter the new year, we invite you to read these stories of Jewish innovation and consider what they reveal about the power of values-driven organizations to serve the common good.

Check out our latest blog on this topic: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/jewish-innovation/

09/11/2026

What happens when nonprofits, businesses, government and communities stop working in separate lanes?

Innovation happens through collision.

I recently joined Joan Kaup on Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub ’s On the Fly! podcast to talk about social entrepreneurship, the power of bringing different voices to the same table and why lasting change takes both passion and discipline.

We also revisited Flywheel’s beginnings 15 years ago and explored what communities can do to help more people become changemakers.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/cadYByzam-4

And, tell us what you think! Would we accelerate social change if we worked closer together on collective solutions?

What happens when you bring people with different perspectives toge...

09/10/2026

Jewish organizations have not only created innovative programs. They have also built the support systems that help those programs grow.

AgeWell Pittsburgh is one of my favorite examples. Three Jewish organizations came together to create a shared front door for older adults, with services available to the broader community.

We later had the privilege of helping adapt the AgeWell concept in and . We started with ecosystem mapping because each community already had different organizations, strengths and gaps. Today, technology can make the connections and referrals easier. But it still cannot build trust for you.

That may be the biggest lesson: Good ideas matter, but the support around them determines whether they last.

As Rosh Hashanah begins this week, we are celebrating Jewish leadership across the social sector in collaboration, advocacy and social entrepreneurship.

➡️ We are also asking a tough question the nonprofit sector needs to consider: What responsibility do we have to confront antisemitism?

Read the blog: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/jewish-innovation/

What examples of Jewish innovation would you add?

09/09/2026

Performance reviews shouldn’t be an annual exercise in paperwork. The most effective approach builds performance management into the way teams work all year long, with clear expectations, regular feedback, meaningful recognition and opportunities for growth.

For nonprofit leaders, that means creating a process that supports employees while strengthening accountability and keeping everyone connected to the mission. Our latest blog from John Troy of WorkTogether Talent Consulting shares 8 practical ways to make performance reviews more effective and more useful for both employees and managers.

Read the full blog: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/performance-reviews/

09/08/2026

We often build performance plans around weaknesses, but that misses half the opportunity.

Yes, employees need clear feedback about where they can improve. They also need support to develop the strengths that make them especially valuable to the organization.

A performance plan should not simply repair what is wrong. It should help people become even better at what they do well.

In his guest blog, John Troy, founder of WorkTogether Talent Consulting , shares practical guidance for making nonprofit performance reviews more effective and growth-oriented.

What strength could you help someone on your team develop this year?

Read more: https://socialimpactarchitects.com/performance-reviews/