Effective facilitation is at the heart of any convening. From #Board and staff #retreats to #strategicplanning, effective facilitation allows the wisdom of participants to surface and enables the team to make effective decisions. Proud to have completed #TheEffectiveFacilitator course this week through Leadership Strategies, Inc.
The Association of Community Ministries (ACM) unites the ministries of #Louisville in order to enhance the effectiveness of their work and thereby improve the quality of life for people. Honored to spend today facilitating a strategic visioning session for these talented, passionate, and collaborative #nonprofit leaders.
Honored to celebrate the groundbreaking for a monument in Kentucky honoring Gold Star families. Especially honored to meet Hershel Woody Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima. This American hero has continued to serve his country by supporting the creation of monuments honoring Gold Star families around the country through the Hershel "Woody" Williams Medal of Honor Foundation.
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
When I facilitate a #nonprofit #Board or staff retreat, I focus on 3 key goals -- to inform, to engage, and to inspire those who attend. It is truly one of the most rewarding and enjoyable areas of my work. When planned thoughtfully and executed well, a Board retreat can be a key step in transforming or elevating a team. Check out the article below for some additional tips. If your Board or staff would benefit from this experience, let's connect!
https://boardable.com/blog/nonprofit-board-retreats-tips/
Had a great time co-presenting "Engaging Staff in Turbulent Times" today! A fantastic group of #nonprofit leaders came together as we discussed the role of signature strengths, gratitude, and best self stories in boosting morale and engagement.
#Leadership #PositivePsychology #Gratitude #ProfessionalDevelopment
Wendell Foster serves over 1,300 children and adults across 34 counties in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Honored to facilitate a discussion group in #Owensboro yesterday hosted at this outstanding #nonprofit.
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
Louisville #nonprofit friends - please join me and Tony Zipple of ZB Consults next Friday, 5/17 for a fantastic, interactive workshop "Engaging Staff in Turbulent Times." 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. Tickets available at the link below and hope to see you there!
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!
Spring is a great time to think about growth and development, which can be both scary and energizing. How will you grow as a #leader today? How will your organization develop and evolve to translate its vision into reality?
#MondayMotivation #LetsTalk
The development of a compelling strategic plan requires a team that is "all in." Honored to facilitate the kickoff retreat with the talented Board of Kentucky CASA Network today.
Having spent the week facilitating focus groups across the State of Kentucky, I am reminded of the power of truly listening to people.
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!
Highly effective Boards understand that one of their core duties is to ensure that organizational compensation decisions are well-founded and follow generally accepted standards. A compensation philosophy establishes a consistent process by which Board leaders can fulfill this duty. It also serves as a necessary complement to the Board-CEO relationship, and critical tie to discussions of performance and organizational equity.
In developing a Board's approach to compensation decisions, the IRS provides nonprofits a three-step process to determine that compensation is reasonable and not excessive. This process requires Board independence, review of comparable salary and benefits data, and documentation of the factors considered by the Board and the decision reached.
A thoughtful and well-developed compensation philosophy and process positively influences the organization’s capacity to:
Attract key leaders and retain high-performing staff members
Demonstrate a link between performance and compensation
Promote internal and external equity
Maintain satisfaction and morale
If your organization is looking to enhance the thoughtfulness and intentionality of its approach to performance and compensation, let's talk!
"The idea that elite organizations like #foundations have #boards that continue to choose not to reflect and represent the #diversity of civil society sends a message to the growing communities of color that they are not part of the solution and have nothing to contribute to solving the societal challenges we all share."
https://blog.boardsource.org/blog/you-can-diversify-if-you-want-to
#WhatIAmReading
Really enjoyed leading a webinar last week for Bloomerang on the topic of #fiscalsponsorship. If you missed it, you can watch the webinar now at the link below. Would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and experiences with fiscal sponsorship!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbdLKLnOJL0