Unborrowed Field Notes

Ideas / Evidence / Practice

Ideas about what
should be owned.

Original thinking for accomplished people and nonprofit organizations turning earned reputation, expertise, history, relationships and impact into durable platforms.

The editorial premise

We publish to name hidden ownership problems, make their consequences visible and examine the strategic decisions beneath a useful platform. Not content for content’s sake—and not a vocabulary test before the practical value is clear.

Latest field notes

08 published
002
Institutional Authority · 8 minute read

Why Nonprofits Lose Donor Trust Online

The donation decision starts long before the donation page.

003
Executive Authority · 8 minute read

What Disappears When an Executive Leaves the Title Behind

A departure does not erase expertise. It can erase the machinery that made it visible.

004
Platform Strategy · 7 minute read

A Website Is Not an Authority Platform

The difference is not design. It is whether the asset can accumulate value.

005
Executive Authority · 9 minute read

How to Build an Executive Platform for Board, Advisory and Consulting Work

The next opportunity should be designed before it is announced.

006
Platform Strategy · 8 minute read

Owned Media Strategy for Thought Leaders

Attention borrowed from a platform is not an audience you control.

007
Institutional Authority · 9 minute read

How to Know When a Nonprofit Has Outgrown Its Brand

The organization may have changed while its public identity stayed behind.

008
Institutional Authority · 9 minute read

Why Most Nonprofit Donation Pages Underperform

Processing a payment is not the same as earning and deepening a gift.

The developing index

What we are
examining.

For accomplished people

For nonprofit organizations

Ownership & infrastructure

Platform strategy

Field Notes