Lunch Bunch - Meet Member Dr. Elizabeth Searing - What Does Resilience mean? The Nonprofit Edition
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Resilience has become one of the most frequently used words in the nonprofit sector, but what does it actually mean? Is it the ability to survive a funding shortfall, adapt to shifting community needs, or keep staff engaged through relentless demand?
This conversation is about how we as donors, volunteers, and staff can tell whether our nonprofit has the fuel it needs and is changing it into lasting impact. And we also talk about what we shouldn’t use (here’s looking at you, overhead rate!) After our discussion, we will leave with a shared vocabulary, a clearer sense of our organization's strengths and vulnerabilities, and concrete strategies for continuing to serve our communities.
Dr. Elizabeth Searing is an Associate Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management at the University of Texas at Dallas and the Fellow to the Venise Stuart Professor in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Dr. Searing’s primary research focus is the financial management of nonprofit and social enterprise organizations, but she also conducts work on resilience, charity data, and comparative social economy more broadly.
Dr. Searing also serves as an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University, Canada, and served as a member of the Executive Transition Team of the membership association for nonprofit researchers, ARNOVA, in 2025.
This conversation is about how we as donors, volunteers, and staff can tell whether our nonprofit has the fuel it needs and is changing it into lasting impact. And we also talk about what we shouldn’t use (here’s looking at you, overhead rate!) After our discussion, we will leave with a shared vocabulary, a clearer sense of our organization's strengths and vulnerabilities, and concrete strategies for continuing to serve our communities.
Dr. Elizabeth Searing is an Associate Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management at the University of Texas at Dallas and the Fellow to the Venise Stuart Professor in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Dr. Searing’s primary research focus is the financial management of nonprofit and social enterprise organizations, but she also conducts work on resilience, charity data, and comparative social economy more broadly.
Dr. Searing also serves as an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University, Canada, and served as a member of the Executive Transition Team of the membership association for nonprofit researchers, ARNOVA, in 2025.
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610 Elm St, Suite 1000, McKinney, TX, United States, Texas 75069
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