Nearly all board members assume their responsibilities with good intentions and a degree of humility. If they weren’t concerned about a community issue – maybe one that affects them personally – they wouldn’t have joined the board. Perhaps they want to reduce pollution in their neighborhood, or create opportunities for their kids to … [Read more...]
How to build a gift chart: A fundraising exercise
What’s my favorite fundraising tool? That’s easy: show me a gift chart. If you’re like me, you need to understand how many donations, at what amounts, are needed to reach your goal. If the information is presented in a visual, easy-to-understand way, that’s even better. A gift chart can be used to: Test the feasibility of … [Read more...]
Showing up imperfect, part 2: Power, privilege, and imperfection
A few months ago, I published a post called Showing Up Imperfect. Based on my experience leading a series of train-the-trainer workshops in Maine, I reflected on the value of humility, vulnerability, and imperfection. To summarize, there’s a big difference between being imperfect and being incompetent. Know your stuff and do your work … [Read more...]
Board members: It’s not a life sentence
Once upon a time, I served with a skilled, committed, hard-working board president: a great strategic thinker and also attentive to detail. This is a rare combination. If I could clone this person for other boards, I would absolutely do it. Our president, however, was always dancing on the edge of burnout. Lacking an obvious … [Read more...]
Showing up imperfect
A consulting colleague has a successful business facilitating workshops on a variety of topics, serving a variety of clients. She’s supremely well-organized. She designs meticulous agendas, prepares materials days in advance, and rehearses her presentation. As the day of the job approaches, you don't want to mess with her, because … [Read more...]
Dream big, raise more money
Once upon I time, when I worked as a development director, I would gather the program staff annually to ask the “what if” questions: What if we had all the money we needed? What if we could do the work we wanted to do without worrying about the budget – what would we do? What if we had the capacity to try new things and do our … [Read more...]
Design yourself a better board
Imagine the following exercise. Gather your board members around a flip chart. Ask the following question: "If we could design the perfect board for our group, what skills, qualities, and representation would we want in prospective board members?" Skills, qualities, representation Skills include specific expertise to help the … [Read more...]
When the client fires the consultant
Over the past year, I’ve been fired by clients … twice. Yes, it stings. On the other hand, this doesn’t happen often. In a typical year, I work with 40 to 50 organizations, so losing two isn’t a threat to my business. In both cases, I learned (or re-learned) important lessons, which I humbly share with you. Lesson 1: Don’t get … [Read more...]
New consultants and trainers: Five even-more tips for success
At least once a month, I’m asked the following question: How do I start my own business as a consultant, a facilitator, a trainer? As the gig economy expands, more of us are moving into self-employment. Perhaps you’re building your own full-time practice. Maybe you want to test the waters and generate a little extra income. These … [Read more...]
Training remotely – a facilitator’s guide
Once upon a time, we all gathered together – physically. Meetings, workshops, and classes required participants to be in the same room at the same time. Those days are over. In addition to the ubiquitous webinars, virtual meetings, Facebook Live events, and online classes, an interesting hybrid has emerged: the trainer or teacher in … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- …
- 13
- Next Page »