Author Archives: Bret Bicoy

Eat healthier. Exercise more. Lose weight. Stop smoking. These are the most common resolutions people will make as we begin another trip around the sun. Yet if the purpose of a New Year’s resolution is to commit ourselves to a behavior that will improve our quality of life, we’re ignoring the one strategy that hasContinue reading “Our Most Important Resolution”

Nearly 400 years ago, over 100 passengers boarded the ship Mayflower and set sail for the “New World.” Their destination was the mouth of the Hudson River, but two months of sailing over perilous seas blew them farther north than anticipated. The Mayflower ultimately dropped anchor in December near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Unprepared for theContinue reading “Thanksgiving and American Exceptionalism”

Some 35 years ago I was a college intern in the U.S. Senate Radio TV Correspondents Gallery. In those pre-digital days, my job was to take notes on what Senators said on the floor and post them so reporters could decide if something newsworthy had occurred that warranted further scrutiny. On one occasion I recallContinue reading “Keeping Our Disputes From Becoming Disdain”

A few months ago, I wrote about the modest, but strategically important differences between nonprofit leaders who serve as a president and CEO versus those who are an executive director (“Understanding Nonprofit Titles,” March 9 issue of the Peninsula Pulse). More recently, I’ve been asked to comment on the roles of a charity’s board chairContinue reading “A Nonprofit’s Most Important Relationship”

As civic participation of all kinds continues to decline, so has the number of people who make contributions to charity. Over the past decade, the total number of folks who give has decreased by an incredible 19%. And according to the “Giving USA 2023: Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2022” from Indiana University’sContinue reading “A Dangerous Concentration of Risk”

Although I generally try to avoid using pithy catch phrases to oversimplify a concept, I have to admit that the so-called 5 T’s of charitable giving really do provide a good summary of the ways in which people can give to charity and thereby support the community they love. The 5 T’s of charitable givingContinue reading “The 5 T’s of Charitable Giving”

If we feed a man who is hungry, we are removing his incentive to work. If we treat a sick patient who is uninsured, we are rewarding those who fail to plan for their future. If we offer free prenatal care to the young and unwed, we are enabling and encouraging teenage pregnancy. I’m notContinue reading “Understanding Moral Hazard”

In about 80% of nonprofit organizations, the highest-ranking paid staff person is the executive director. For most others, it’s the CEO or the president & CEO. In the charitable world, we often use these titles interchangeably, with little thought to the distinctions among them. However, every year or two, some local charitable board begins contemplatingContinue reading “Understanding Nonprofit Titles”

People are often surprised when they hear me say that a market-based solution to a problem is usually the best one. I suppose I can understand their surprise. From the first recycling drive I helped organize in the 3rd grade to my current role at the Door County Community Foundation, I’ve spent nearly all myContinue reading “When Free Markets Fail”