When approached thoughtfully, fiscal sponsorship can be an important tool that promotes collaboration and enhances impact. Enjoyed being in Nashville today leading a seminar on this topic for LawPracticeCLE.
#Nonprofit #Impact #Philanthropy #Charity #BoardChampions
Honored to spend the morning presenting “Build Your Board into a Championship Fundraising Team” at Blue Ridge Institute. So many talented, committed, and amazing leaders who are transforming communities all across the country.
A strategic plan serves as a roadmap to enable an organization to set priorities and measure progress. It informs the direction of the organization, generates heightened engagement and ownership of the mission, and inspires staff, Board, volunteers, and the community to envision bold possibilities. While the final plan document may take a variety of forms, I have found that there are three keys at the outset to chart an effective strategic planning course:
Purpose:
Starting with the "why" enables an organization to understand the context and environment in which the planning will occur. Has a previous plan term expired? Is the organization preparing for an expansion? Is there an internal or external challenge confronting the organization?
People:
Any planning process is only as effective as the leaders who will embrace and own it. Who will you include in the planning? Who will "own" the planning effort? How will you capture the critical perspectives of internal and external stakeholders? Who will facilitate the process?
Process:
In order to respond quickly to new opportunities and flexibly adapt to changing circumstances, many leaders (myself included) now favor shorter strategic framework processes over formal long-term strategic plans. In consultation with their facilitator, nonprofit leaders should evaluate the planning processes that have worked well with their team in the past and the type of process needed to confront the challenges of today.
Against a backdrop of countless challenges for nonprofit leaders and Board members, strategic planning can sometimes seem like a daunting undertaking. However, if you begin with the 3 P's of Purpose, People, and Process, you can set your organization on a path towards a successful outcome. If you or your team are ready to think about strategy, let's connect!
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this month's e-newsletter from Nielsen Training & Consulting.
With gratitude for those whose sacrifice has made this day possible. Thinking also of those whose work continues to serve military families and honor their memory. #HonorThem #MemorialDay
Join us this weekend as we #HonorThem. pic.twitter.com/72T24aBpC9
— Arlington National Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) May 25, 2019
Developing a highly effective nonprofit Board is hard work, but can also be engaging, interactive, and rewarding. Honored to present "From Vision to Reality: Leading Practices in Board Governance" and facilitate discussion groups at last week's American Bar Association #conference. #AccessToJustice #ejc19
What Makes an Exceptional Board Chair?
Leading a highly effective nonprofit requires cultivating and balancing many important relationships. Perhaps the most vital relationship in any organization is the partnership between the Board Chair and CEO. Like any relationship, developing the chemistry to make this partnership thrive takes hard work by both parties. While ample resources exist that address the "mechanics" of the Board Chair role -- setting an agenda, running a meeting, calling for a vote -- frequently we overlook some of the more subtle skills that define a truly exceptional Board Chair. Likewise, many Board leaders who strive to be exceptional may feel as though they are navigating a confusing maze without a map or GPS. That is why I thoroughly enjoyed a recent article entitled "Lessons Learned as Board Chair" written by Rick Moyers, immediate past Board Chair at BoardSource. I hope you too will enjoy this article and perhaps even share it with members of your Board. I would love to hear your thoughts on what makes an exceptional Board Chair. Click below to email me your thoughts, insights, or ways we can keep the conversation going to empower truly exceptional Board Chairs.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this month’s newsletter!
Excited to share that I will be leading 2 workshops at this year's Blue Ridge Institute for Community Service Executives in July. My workshops will be:
"From Survivor to Amazing Race: Intentional #Leadership for Dynamic #Boards"
AND
"Build Your #Board into a Championship #Fundraising Team "
Who else will be attending?
http://blueridgeleaders.org/
Harassment and misconduct is a very real issue that nonprofit fundraising professionals and other leaders confront regularly. This is a thoughtful and well written article from the leaders of BoardSource and Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP-IHQ) with practical and important recommendations for nonprofit organizations.
"No donation—and no donor—is worth taking away an individual’s respect and self-worth while turning a blind eye to harassment."
Kentucky friends - On May 17, Anthony Zipple Sc.D., MBA. and I will be presenting a workshop entitled, "Engaging Staff in Turbulent Times." Tickets are only $10 and available at the link below. Join us for an engaging and interactive morning!
About the Event:
Rapid change, uncertainty, and fluidity are the defining characteristics of our world today. While this kind of turbulence presents great opportunities, it can be stressful for us and our staff. Keeping our staff engaged and focused on doing great work in this kind of environment can be challenging.
This workshop will discuss the importance of staff engagement and provide practical tools for improving staff commitment and organizational optimism. Drawing on current research from positive psychology, you will learn about strengths-based leadership, building a growth mindset in your organization, and implementing strategies for helping you and your staff to be more effective… and happier at work.
In 2008, a national study, “Ready to Lead?”, produced by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Meyer Foundation, and Idealist.org, found that three out of four #nonprofit executive directors planned to leave their positions within three years.
Does your #nonprofit have a #successionplan in place that the Board is comfortable with? Are you in the midst of a #leadership transition? If you would like to further discuss your organization's transition planning, let's connect!
A #Board retreat is an opportunity to reconnect to the mission and vision, evaluate progress, and set priorities for Board engagement.
Spent an outstanding day yesterday facilitating the retreat for the talented Board #leaders of University Club Louisville.
If your Board would benefit from an engaging and interactive retreat, please reach out!
#nonprofit #impact #Retreat #VisionToReality
I recently had the privilege of speaking with Emily Hendershot on Nova Communities Podcast about strategies for building and engaging a highly effective nonprofit Board. Give it a listen and share your ideas and wisdom for building a dynamic Board!
This guest blog is written by Simone Olive, Development Consultant at Simone Olive Consulting. To learn more about Simone, visit: www.simoneoliveconsulting.com.
There is so much that we don’t know about the people we interact with each day. We don’t know why that person cut us off in traffic this morning, and we don’t know why our neighbor has decided to let their lawn go and let it turn into a weed jungle. We don’t know what we don’t know – but is that an excuse or is it an opportunity to simply ask “why?”
As a nonprofit professional – or as any kind of professional – it’s within your laundry list of responsibilities to dig deeper and cultivate your people – your donors, your volunteers, your staff, your partners, your people. Why? Because without time dedicated to building a genuine relationship with your people you’re missing out on the opportunity to establish sustainability – and who doesn’t want that!? In nonprofit development sustainability is your holy grail, your touchdown, your goal – and it’s not unobtainable but it does take dedicated time and patience.
So, here are three simple actions you can implement today to start cultivating your Top 3 People and building your foundation for sustainability:
Call Them
• This sounds simple, and it is. Block out an hour in your week – make it this week – for you to call the Top 3 People that embody your organization’s mission and are passionate about your work. Think outside of the box when deciding what three people you’ll call. They people can be volunteers, Board Members, clients, or even community partners.
• Ask if they are available to meet with you in an informal space, so you can learn more about their connection to your organization. Be prepared with three different days and times when scheduling.
• The goal of this meeting is to learn more about them and what part of your organization resonates with them. When it comes time to meet with them be ready to LISTEN to them – don’t get this twisted with just hearing them. Ask you questions and keep your I statements to a minimum.
Ask For Advice, It’s Ok
• Keep your relationship alive with your Top 3 by setting up a secondary date for coffee/wine so you can ask them for their advice.
• Be prepared to share at least two current roadblocks you’re experiencing – nothing is off limits here. You could be having trouble filling your event committee, or you could need help finding new Board Members. Whatever you decide to discuss, be prepared to answer hard questions and easy questions.
Don’t Skip The Holidays
• In between your meetings with your Top 3 don’t let your more than a month pass without connecting with them.
• A simple way to do this is by mailing holiday cards; Christmas cards, Thanksgiving cards, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day. All of these holidays are opportunities for you to interact with your people without asking them for something.
• Try to make it a personal as possible, your cards could be home made or could simply include a personal note.
• Consider sending cards to more than your Top 3, maybe your Top 10 or Top 20. You never know whom a simple card will touch.
Make time to see these three actions through and don’t skimp on them. Make them a recurring task in your calendar and take notes on your conversations. After about 6 months take time to evaluate – are these people still your Top 3? What new ways can you interact with your Top 3 that doesn’t involve asking them for money?
The key to cultivation is balancing engagement opportunities that ask for monetary support with opportunities that ask for someone’s time and expertise – aka, their most valuable means of support. These three cultivation actions will help you build that framework you’ll need to ensure your organization’s mission continues to make an impact.
So go forth, start with these three actions and be open to the opportunities that will unfold.
Simone Olive
Development Consultant
simoneoliveconsulting@gmail.com
A tremendous group of #nonprofit #leaders gathered this morning for an engaging and informative #socialmedia workshop.
I was pleased to facilitate this workshop in partnership with Energized Solutions, LLC, Emerald Meeting & Event Planning, and Planet Einstein.
Last night, I had the privilege of attending the WLKY Bell Awards, which recognize individuals who have made a tremendous impact on the community through a spirit of selfless service. Throughout the evening, I heard stories of individuals who profoundly and positively affected the lives of others through their #volunteer service.
Learning about these remarkable individuals reminded me that the brilliance of the #nonprofit sector derives in large part from the talent and passion of those who give of themselves to address the most challenging and entrenched issues our communities face. A recent study showed that volunteers contributed over 8 billion hours of service annually, equivalent to over 5 million full-time jobs and $179 billion.
We all think of volunteers serving food at our community's soup kitchens, or staffing a booth at a community resource fair. However, it is easy to forget the countless other ways volunteers impact our #nonprofits. Most #Board members are volunteers for example, giving of their time and talent to elevate the #governance and #sustainability of organizations. Likewise, for many smaller nonprofits, their Executive Director or program providers may be volunteers.
While #nonprofits benefit greatly from these dedicated individuals, managing volunteers is often the most challenging aspect of nonprofit leadership. Maintaining the passion and engagement of volunteers -- whether Board members or program workers -- is vitally important to the success of nonprofit organizations. As a consultant and trainer, it is so rewarding to help a Board grasp the impact they can make through their service and embrace their pivotal role in the success of an organization.
I congratulate those who received Bell Awards last night, along with all those who were nominated. I also extend a heartfelt thanks to the thousands of volunteers across the country who elevate the places we call home.
