Nov 11, 2014 | Leadership Development, Personal Development |
We are entering the “season of giving.” Statements like “It is better to give than to receive” abound. Holiday traditions warm our hearts: turkey and trimmings, baking cookies, mistletoe, caroling etc. I read an article by Suzie Orman (Success December issue) this morning and, while her advice focused on giving and spending money during this season, I was struck by how it applies to nonprofit executive directors and board members. See what you think.
Oct 19, 2014 | Fundraising, Nonprofit governance |
When I was an executive director this was the time of year when we began working on our annual fund drive. We asked board members for new names. They agreed to personally sign letters. We worked on what to write. You know the drill. I was not a fund development professional and we did not have good research to inform our strategy. Now you do.
Oct 5, 2014 | Leadership Development |
At a meeting with several executive directors this past week, an interesting question came up now that Fall, and thus election season is upon us. Can (or should) an executive director (ED) endorse a candidate? While the consensus was that an ED should not endorse a candidate as the ED of his/her nonprofit, the views were mixed about whether or not it would be OK to endorse “personally.” The challenge for some EDs is how to extricate their personal and professional identities from each other. This led to a broader discussion of nonprofits and lobbying.
Sep 22, 2014 | Board development, Leadership Development |
Last week I attended a large gathering of nonprofit leaders in Austin, TX. One of the keynote speakers was Diana Aviv, the CEO of the Independent Sector (IS). She spoke eloquently about their research on what strategies make nonprofit advocacy efforts most effective. Many nonprofit leaders—perhaps especially board members—don’t consider how advocacy could advance their missions. After hearing from over 500 nonprofit organizations, the IS identified five key approaches for effective advocacy. These may be very relevant for your nonprofit.
Aug 23, 2014 | Nonprofit governance |
“What is the best process to use to create our strategic plan?” “Do we really need a strategic plan?” “We are meeting for four hours to update our strategic plan, what do we need to be sure to include?” Feelings board members and executive directors express when posing these questions range from dread to bewilderment to steadfastness and, yes, even excitement! It is a big topic with no one right approach. I think of strategic planning as the process of engaging in asking and answering important questions—questions that enable you as nonprofit leaders to envision, and ultimately realize, a desired future. There are three questions that can encapsulate the process.
