How healthy is your organization? What’s your trajectory? Are you growing, shrinking, or treading water? What’s the energy level among staff and board? Is your mission still relevant and inspiring? More than a decade ago, I participated in volunteer training at our local hospice agency. As the Great Recession rolled through the … [Read more...]
Succession planning: Leading by sharing power
In 1986, I killed my first nonprofit organization. That wasn’t my plan. In fact, there wasn't any plan. When our vibrant, all-volunteer nonprofit was ready to hire its first employee, the board chose me. With staff in place, our group took a big step forward: more programming, new audiences, bigger impact. While I was merrily … [Read more...]
Treasurer confidential
About a year ago, I became the treasurer of a well-established but tiny nonprofit. With an annual budget of less than $100,000 and limited staff, our organization is as grassroots and community-based as it gets. I’ve served on several boards. I train boards for a living. I write books about how to be an effective board member, … [Read more...]
Your group isn’t unique – and that’s a good thing
From time to time, my phone rings. A nonprofit staff or board member begins to talk. “We’re in a unique situation,” this person says. Silently, I roll my eyes. Or maybe, “We have a unique problem.” Actually, you don’t. Apologies for the snark. During these conversations, I do my best to listen deeply, respond … [Read more...]
Five big meeting mistakes – and how to avoid them
Note: This guest post is from Heather Yandow at Third Space Studio. She helps organizations with strategic planning, board development, business model design, implementing fundraising strategies, and going from good to great. Thanks, Heather! How much time do you spend in meetings? If you’re like me, the answer is simple: a … [Read more...]
Dialing for dollars, reinvented
What do you get when you combine an old-school fundraising strategy – phone banking – with a new online platform like Zoom? People working together – while also working remotely! – to engage their donors and raise more money. Here’s a great example from Training for Change. Thanks to Zein Nakhoda (staff) and Sonia Silbert (board) … [Read more...]
Training both sides of the brain
Take a look at these two photos. Which one looks like the more engaging learning experience? Given a choice between the two, where would you rather be? Your answer may depend on how your brain works. Your brain isn’t one thing In the 1960’s, psychobiologist and Nobel Prize winner Roger W. Sperry proposed that the brain’s left … [Read more...]
What Do I Do Now? The Facilitator’s Guide to Intuition
Note: This guest post is from Katherine Golub, a personal coach and consultant. To learn more about her work, visit CoreBrillianceAcademy.com. Thanks, Katherine! Have you ever facilitated a meeting where things start to feel off, and you aren’t quite sure what to do next? At those moments, do you wish it was easier to figure out … [Read more...]
What You Can Learn by Training Trainers
When was the last time you spent a year planning something – and then launched it? If you felt that unique combination of excitement, anxiety, satisfaction, and relief, then you’ll understand what I was experiencing a week ago. Last Monday, we rolled out the brand-new Training, Facilitation, and Consulting Certificate Program – a … [Read more...]
How to Claim Your Trainer Power
In Tucson, where I lived for many years, there’s a popular line of t-shirts based on the Mexican card game loteria. My favorite, El Mundo, features a picture of Atlas balancing the world on his shoulders. He’s the same fellow, sculpted in bronze, who towers over Rockefeller Center in New York City – knees bent, biceps bulging, head … [Read more...]