This spring I am pleased to be leading a session on strategic planning as part of the Institute for Transformational Nonprofit Leadership. This executive training program is intended for current CEO/Executive Directors, Executive Leadership team members and those emerging leaders who hope to become a CEO in the future. This program includes seven courses taught by nationally recognized nonprofit leadership executives, coaches, authors, and search consultants virtually over a three-month period in the Fall and Spring. Click below to learn more and register!
The Woody Williams Foundation honors the life and legacy of its namesake — a Medal of Honor recipient — by recognizing and serving Gold Star Families and the legacy of their Loved Ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. It was my great honor and privilege to again work with this outstanding organization in facilitating meetings with their Board of Directors. The impact of the Foundation’s work helps to raise public awareness about Gold Star Families’ enduring sacrifice and the ultimate sacrifice made by their Loved Ones.
Thoroughly enjoyed speaking this week at the Summer Symposium of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. I enjoyed meeting and interacting with so many talented leaders while speaking on Principles in Board Governance as well as Strategic Planning for Boards. NTCA is building a better broadband future for rural America. NTCA’s members build and deliver broadband connectivity and operate essential services in rural and small-town communities across the U.S.
A strategic plan serves as a roadmap to enable an organization to set priorities and measure progress. Honored to visit Artesia, New Mexico this week to facilitate a multi-day strategic planning retreat with the amazing team from Changing Lives Coalition. CLC provides youth resources to believe in themselves and a safe space to make empowering decisions.
The bold goals and strategies you establish for your nonprofit are not meant to sit on a shelf, but rather can only be achieved by reviewing, reflecting on, and refining them regularly. Honored to continue our work with Warmshowers by facilitating their Board Strategy Retreat. Warmshowers is a community of touring cyclists and those that support them. Their platform provides the technology for reciprocal hospitality for cyclists and hosts across the globe! So excited to see the continued growth of this outstanding organization.
Leading a nonprofit organization is not only about what you know, but more importantly the ability to bring people together, elevate the voice of the community you serve, and learn with and from others. This fall, I am pleased to be leading a session as part of the inaugural Institute for Transformational Nonprofit Leadership Certificate through DCM Associates — a program that provides nonprofit leaders with the opportunity to develop these skills while connecting with a cohort of fellow leaders.
This program includes seven courses taught by nationally recognized nonprofit leadership executives, coaches, authors, and search consultants virtually over a three-month period in the Fall and Spring.
Each of the seven courses have two components: a one-hour recorded session that you can take at your own convenience from your office, home or mobile app, and a live interactive 90 minute session scheduled by each presenter enabling ample time to address each of the discussed topics discussed and answer any and all questions you may have.
Click below to learn more!
Nonprofit leadership is exhilarating, occasionally frustrating, and sometimes frighteningly lonely. The good news is you are not alone. The Nonprofit Vision podcast is your opportunity to hear from other nonprofit leaders, consultants, and others about topics that matter to you. Is there a topic you want to hear more about? Let us know! Join our online community, participate in the conversation, and subscribe to our Nonprofit Vision podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Boards are not able to set priorities or address challenges unless they first have a mechanism for identifying them. By providing Board members an opportunity to hold a mirror up to their own performance, a Board Assessment provides a safe and effective means of identifying priority areas and surfacing challenges effectively. Enjoyed spending the day with the talented and committed Board of Child Care Associates facilitating their Board Champions Assessment TM and discussion.
For more information on Board Assessments, please click on our recent article linked below. If you would like to discuss our Board Champions Assessment TM for your Board, let’s connect!
“That was so much fun! We should do that more often!”
EACM Staff Member
Listening to learn from those who are closest to communities served is vital to thoughtful strategic planning. Thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon with the staff of Eastern Area Community Ministries yesterday gathering their perspective as part of our strategic planning process. EACM serves families in Eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky who are experiencing a crisis or facing urgent needs. EACM provides emergency assistance with utilities and rent, access to a food pantry, and programming to empower and build self-reliance.
A highly effective nonprofit Board grows together as a team when they unite behind a mission and a bold, audacious vision. An integral part of that growth is the opportunity to step back from the regular business of Board meetings to allow for reflection, evaluation, and critical discussions. When planned thoughtfully and executed well, a Board retreat can be a vital tool that builds trust and strengthens relationships among Board members, while helping to ensure that the Board team is positioned to govern effectively. A retreat may also allow a divided Board to address conflict or pull together to address a critical issue. Here are a few brief tips to make your next Board retreat a success:
Clearly articulate and build consensus among Board leaders as to the "why" of the retreat.
Focus on 1 or 2 objectives; avoid trying to tackle everything in one retreat.
Work with an external facilitator you trust to craft an agenda that addresses the objectives while still allowing time for Board members to socialize and build relationships.
Document key points of discussion and commitments for follow-up
Consciously seek opportunities to inspire the Board team and reconnect to the mission
Have you had a particularly moving or impactful experience at a Board retreat? We'd love to hear about it. If you would like to discuss creating a creating an engaging and inspiring retreat for your Board team, let's talk!
Strategic planning doesn’t have to be a drag, unduly burdensome, or excessively complex. 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. Enjoyed discussing a healthy, evidenced-based, and exciting approach to strategic planning on yesterday’s webinar hosted by DCM Associates.
Excited to join a talented panel tomorrow for a free discussion-style event sponsored by Keela entitled “The Secret to Successful Nonprofit Leadership.” Fellow panelists Sabrina Walker Hernandez, Sean Kosofsky, and I will discuss how nonprofit leaders can improve their decision-making skills, navigate current challenges and set themselves up for long-term success. This session is an excellent opportunity to get answers to any questions you have about board fundraising, imposter syndrome, decision-making, compliance, or any specific nonprofit leadership issues. Click below to register for free and hope to see you tomorrow!
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.
Enjoyed a fantastic first strategic planning session with the team from Harbor House. The mission of Harbor House is to empower individuals with disabilities and their families to lead fulfilled and productive lives.
Strategic planning enables nonprofits to marry bold vision, compelling opportunity, and thoughtful planning into a roadmap that will guide the organization towards mission success. Honored that Harbor House has partnered with us to facilitate their strategic planning process, which we kicked off last night. Harbor House is where love, hope, and empowerment are interwoven, as this dynamic team empowers Individuals with disabilities and their families to lead fulfilled and productive lives.
From Board retreats to strategic planning and conference keynotes to coaching, we are grateful for the memories and relationships of 2021. NTC was privileged to work with organizations in more than 13 different States last year, and we continue to be awed by the leadership of nonprofits and honored by those who have chosen us as their partner. We are excited by the opportunities and challenges ahead in 2022 and ready to hit the ground running!
Excited to share the publication of Case Studies in Leadership and Adult Development, in which I co-authored a chapter with friend and colleague Dr. Denise Cumberland, Ph.D. Our chapter is entitled “Helping a Nonprofit CEO Pivot Her Leadership Style.” Special thanks to editors Kristina LaVenia and Judy Jackson May. You can check out the book on Amazon by clicking the button below.
Thoroughly enjoyed speaking yesterday on nonprofit leadership and my leadership journey at University of Cincinnati. Great questions and loved the discussion. Thank you Dr. Megan Church Nally, PhD for the invitation!
How connected do you feel to the core values of your nonprofit? Values-based leadership is a way of leading in which core values play a central and explicit role in everyday decisions, goals and actions. Enjoyed leading a highly interactive session entitled Lead With Your Values yesterday at the Blue Ridge Institute annual conference. Such an outstanding group of leaders!
Leading an effective Board meeting can be challenging under the best of circumstances. How is our attendance? Are there any contentious issues on the horizon? From preparing the agenda to promoting engagement and discussion, Board meetings require a high degree of thoughtfulness and intentionality. Today, many nonprofit and Board leaders are confronting an additional challenge -- namely, how do we lead effective meetings in a “hybrid” environment.
A “hybrid” environment refers to a situation where some Board members are physically in the room for the meeting while others are joining virtually. This has become a common situation for nonprofits, especially in light of the Covid pandemic. Here are some tips and strategies to help ensure that your next Board meeting is dynamic and effective:
Develop the rules of the road… together
By its very nature, leading a Board meeting in a hybrid environment contains more moving parts and issues to manage. Take the time as a Board team to develop the norms and expectations you have of each other in order to create the most productive meeting possible. Many Board teams have developed practices such as following an organized lineup of speakers to ensure that both those in person and those attending virtually have an equal opportunity to speak and contribute to the discussion. Other items to discuss include the manner in which you will record votes on any official Board actions. You can also have fun with some of your rules, as a recent Board I worked with established a “rule” that every time a Board member starts talking while on Mute, they contribute $.25 or some other nominal amount to the donation jar. Make it fun and collaborative! Teams that take the time to develop these practices together form a greater level of ownership over their meetings.
Select a platform that’s best for your team
By now we are all familiar with the various technology platforms that exist to facilitate virtual meetings. We are well versed in their pluses and their minuses. The reality is that there is not one platform that is “best” for nonprofit Board meetings. Rather, the platform that will help lead to the most effective meetings is the one you and your Board members are most comfortable with and can navigate most easily. Before selecting a platform, check with the Board and inquire as to their familiarity with the various platforms as well as their preferences. You may find a high degree of consensus around comfort with a particular platform. Similarly, once you have selected a platform for your hybrid Board meeting, invest the time to test it with each Board member who will be joining virtually. Nothing will derail a Board meeting faster than a Board member with increasing exasperation stating “Can you hear me now?”
Plan the agenda thoughtfully
While it is always important to take a thoughtful approach in preparing a Board meeting agenda, it is even more so when leading a hybrid meeting. Give yourself and your team grace in understanding that you may not be able to get through the same volume of items in a hybrid meeting as you do in person. That’s ok! It is far more important that the Board’s time together be engaging, productive, and impactful rather than comprehensive. When constructing the agenda, remember that offering onramps for engagement and discussion is important for all Board members, regardless of how they are joining the meeting. If helpful, consider assigning roles to Board members such as facilitator, chat follower, or engagement monitor, or even securing an external facilitator comfortable with the hybrid environment. Finally, assess the most effective length for your Board meeting in this environment. If your meeting is going to last more than an hour, consider building in a break for Board members to ensure that energy and focus remain high throughout.
Engage the elephants
There are elephants in just about every Board room. Some are large, some are small, but they are those issues, conflicts, or dysfunctions that if ignored, may over time undermine the effectiveness of the Board team. The temptation when dealing with the challenges of a hybrid meeting is to ignore the elephants in the room, postponing addressing them until the Board can all be together again. Rather, be mindful of these issues and pay close attention to tone, body language, and what is not being said -- either by those in the room or those joining virtually. Where appropriate, pause to ensure that small misunderstandings don’t become large conflicts. If you see signs and signals that conflict or disagreement is brewing, assess whether it is best to pause in the moment and address it as a team or schedule a reminder to follow up individually with the team members.
By engaging the Board team in developing the norms and expectations of a hybrid meeting and then planning and facilitating the meeting in a thoughtful way, your next hybrid meeting can lead to the type of engagement and discussion that propels your mission forward. If you have further questions about creating dynamic, effective Board meetings, let’s connect!
Thoroughly enjoyed spending yesterday with the Board of Directors of CASA of Northeast Kentucky leading our Board Champions workshop. CASA of Northeast Kentucky recruits, screens, trains, supervises, and supports community volunteers who advocate for children who are removed from their homes due to substantiated child abuse and neglect. If you want to make a difference in the life of as child in your community, look into becoming a volunteer for your local CASA program!