Guilt is not a product anyone loves.That might sound obvious, but for most nonprofits, foundations and government agencies, guilt is the best product we’re selling. Our appeals for funding are built around psychic benefits—give us money and you’ll feel good. Yet as the funding pool continues to shrink and competition grows fiercer, selling guilt simply isn’t sustainable.But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This week, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a directive elevating the importance of evaluating programs supported by federal agencies. This is an exciting step taken by OMB—one that demonstrates an overall shift we are seeing in performance measurement.

No doubt this is a tough time for nonprofits - the economy, the leadership gap, the lack of public trust, the growing demand for services...  It's easy to get lost in the slew of bad news and sink into an organizational depression.  But that doesn't do anyone any good.  So, here are two refreshing statements I heard recently that might inspire you as well.