Last week we ran the first part of Andy’s Q&A with consultant Mazarine Treyz, who posed several challenging questions about building and training effective boards. This week, we’re sharing the rest of their conversation. Enjoy! Finding great board members Mazarine: How can you find good board members? What’s a way to get the BEST … [Read more...]
Gnarly Questions (and Answers) About Board Training – Part 1
Andy recently sat down with Mazarine Treyz, a terrific colleague based in Portland, Oregon. Mazarine asked tough questions about training boards. Andy did his best to answer them. Thanks to Mazarine for sharing this Q&A on her blog. Here’s your chance to eavesdrop on their conversation. The biggest mistake – and how to avoid it … [Read more...]
The Value of Being Wrong
There I stood, at the front of the room, introducing the workshop. After reviewing the agenda, and asking the group to suggest additions or changes, I offered the following. “If you disagree with my advice, or any content in this workshop, please challenge me. It’s always a good session when somebody picks a fight, so bring it … [Read more...]
Trainer School: Three Takeaways You Can Use Right Now
When was the last time you participated in a really well organized, professionally facilitated training event? No, I’m not talking about the ones you present yourself. Perhaps you’ve sat through some disappointing workshops. I certainly have. So when I experience something really good, I want to do my little happy dance. I’m … [Read more...]
When Bad is Good: How to Facilitate a Great Exercise Based on Bad Behavior
How many times have you heard somebody (probably your mother) say to you, “Learn from your mistakes!” It turns out that your mother was on to something. We can, in fact, learn a lot from our failures, missteps, and missed opportunities. When it comes to training fundraisers to make the all-important face-to-face ask, encouraging … [Read more...]
The Most Important Training Skill: Three Tips to Help You Become a Better Listener
What do you need to become an effective facilitator and trainer? We can talk about preparation or humility or courage – all of which are essential – but from my perspective, the most important skill is listening. For some people, this is counterintuitive. Maybe you think of trainers as presenters, armed with agendas and slides and … [Read more...]
Finish Strong: Three Options for Ending an Effective Workshop
You designed a solid agenda. You delivered a terrific training, with lots of engaging exercises and activities. Everybody learned a lot, laughed a lot, and is anxious to try out their new skills. Now what? Before they return to their busy lives, everyone needs to take a breath, prioritize what they’ve learned, and make a plan. As a … [Read more...]
Train Your Staff to Raise Money
Years ago, I was hired to lead an all-staff fundraising workshop for a mid-sized nonprofit. When I walked into the training room, about a dozen people were waiting for me: arms crossed, eyes down, sideways smirks. This was a “mandatory training opportunity” for program staff. None of them had the words “fundraising” or “development” … [Read more...]
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