In partnership with Welborn Baptist Foundation, I was honored to lead a session this week in Evansville, Indiana on Board Champions: Habits and Practices of Healthy Boards. I was so impressed with the talent and engagement of the Board members and nonprofit executives in the room as we had a fun and thoroughly interactive discussion!
Reach out to us if your organization or foundation is interested in bringing Board Champions to your community.
You can go home again! I was born and raised in New York, which made this week extra special as I was able to be back in the NY/NJ area to facilitate a strategic planning retreat with the Board and staff leaders of 180 Turning Lives Around. 180 empowers survivors and families affected by domestic violence and sexual assault to find the courage and strength to turn their lives around.
Healthy nonprofits are built on strong foundations. Two critical components of a strong foundation are an informed, engaged Board of Directors and a compelling vision for the organization supported by actionable goals and strategies.
I am thrilled to announce an innovative partnership between NTC and Kentucky CASA Network (KCN) to develop dynamic Boards and actionable strategic plans with CASA programs across the State of Kentucky. With support from KCN, over the next 12-18 months NTC will have the opportunity to work with CASA programs across the State -- facilitating Board retreats and strategic plannings projects. Our vision is to amplify the great work being done in these programs by providing resources to elevate Board governance and develop actionable goals and strategies.
“The KCN recognizes that in order to deliver high quality advocacy services to abused and neglected children, we must build and sustain highly effective CASA programs across the Commonwealth. This all starts with strong board governance to provide this critical infrastructure and support. We are excited to work with NTC to further enhance our work as we move towards the vision of every child in Kentucky having access to a CASA volunteer.”
Andrea Bruns - CEO, Kentucky CASA Network
The Kentucky CASA Network provides ongoing development, training, technical assistance, and resources to local CASA programs across the Commonwealth. Currently, the Kentucky CASA Network is an association of 21 local programs, covering 92 Kentucky counties, which served 3,538 abused and neglected children in 2022. The KCN also advocates for the needs of CASA programs with industry stakeholders in the Capitol and throughout the state. The CASA programs in Kentucky are part of a larger national network.
Had a great time facilitating a strategic planning retreat this weekend with the Board and leaders of Tri-County CASA. Tri-County CASA trains volunteers to advocate for abused, neglected, or dependent children to help them find safe, permanent and loving homes.
I recently appeared on the Grant Writing and Funding podcast with host Holly Rustick. We had a wonderful conversation around How Habits Impact an Executive Director’s Fundraising and Philanthropy. We touched on topics including setting expectations with Board members, providing meaningful support, and creating a culture of accountability. Give us a listen!
When we launched Nielsen Training and Consulting back in 2018, we did so with a vision of a thriving community of nonprofits empowered and equipped to translate their vision into reality. 5 years later, we are humbled and honored to be partnering with nonprofits all across the country to do just that.
Now we are thrilled to welcome a new addition to the NTC team, Ms. Josie Raymond. Josie will be an integral part of our projects partnering with nonprofits in the areas of governance, strategic planning, and organizational development. She brings a wealth of experience and passion as an educator and policymaker. As soon as I met Josie, I was struck by her energy, talent, and commitment.
Join us in welcoming Josie to the NTC team!
"I'm thrilled to join NTC to support even more great people doing fantastic, mission-aligned work. Let's dig in!"
Josie Raymond
Josie Raymond is an educator and policymaker committed to systems change to end poverty. As a former recipient of free lunch in public schools, she devoted her career to strategic programs and interventions for low-income students and families, as a middle school teacher, high school academic affairs director, higher ed success coach, and adult trainer. As the first Kentucky state representative to give birth in office, she continually advocates for policies to support mothers and families, including paid leave and affordable childcare. She founded and led a citywide advocacy coalition to bring universal pre-k to her hometown of Louisville, KY. She is a graduate of Columbia University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
16,721 Kentucky children were involved in court cases of abuse, neglect, and dependency in 2022. CASA volunteers are community members, just like you, who stand up and speak out to help abused and neglected children. This week, I was honored to speak and lead two sessions at the Kentucky CASA Network Annual Conference. I remain inspired by the talent, passion, and commitment of CASA leaders, volunteers, and Board members in Kentucky and across the country.
Honored to spend time last week facilitating a strategic planning retreat with the talented and committed Board members of CASA of Lexington. Their vision is a community where every child lives and thrives in a safe, caring and permanent home. They are getting there one child at a time!
I was honored to deliver the morning keynote presentation today at The Kentucky Association of Systemic Therapists (KAST) conference. KAST is a nonprofit organization that supports the needs of marriage and family therapists and systemically oriented therapists in the state of Kentucky. Great to be with you this morning KAST leaders!
Through my partnership with Leadership Strategies, thoroughly enjoyed facilitating a team retreat this week with the leadership team of Gun Lake Tribe. The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe) is part of the historic Three Fires Confederacy, an alliance of the Pottawatomi (Bodewadmi), Ottawa (Odawa) and Chippewa (Ojibwe). I am inspired by the richness of their culture and commitment to govern with excellence and thoughtfulness.
Through my partnership with DCM Associates, I am pleased to share that we have brought the search for a COO for Vista Care to a successful conclusion. Dave Sneddon has been selected as the next COO for Wisconsin-based Vista Care. I want to extend my congratulations to Dave and the Vista Care team and my gratitude to my search partner Yvonne Styles, who so skillfully and thoughtfully led this search.
Last week I thoroughly enjoyed facilitating a multi-day Board retreat in Estes Park, Colorado with the talented team from National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). After facilitating their strategic plan back in February, it was inspiring to see how much this team has already accomplished. NDPA elevates awareness to educate, advocate, innovate, and equip to prevent drownings.
Join me on Thursday, August 31 at 11am ET as I will be leading a webinar sponsored by Leadership Strategies entitled “From Vision to Values - Translating Your Philosophy Into Identity.”
Learn how to:
☑️ Craft a compelling vision statement
☑️ Discover your company's core values
☑️ Implement values-based decision-making
☑️ Turn vision into action for tangible results
I am proud to serve as a member of the Core Team at Leadership Strategies, which is the #1 facilitation company in the U.S. Don't miss this chance to excel through strategic visioning. Reserve your spot now!
Thank you to the Board and leadership team of Great Kids for inviting me to facilitate last week’s 2-day Board retreat in Philadelphia. Great Kids is an international leader in early childhood development. Great Kids creates early childhood education curricula and training for home visiting programs who support families.
Thank you NTCA -- The Rural Broadband Association — for the invitation to speak at the first session of your Summer Symposium in Jacksonville, Florida. I throughly enjoyed moderating a panel discussion on Board governance and community engagement and leading sessions on developing healthy, engaged, and inspired Board members. See you next week in Minneapolis for the second session!
A thoughtful strategic plan informs the direction of the organization, generates heightened ownership of the mission, and inspires staff, board, and the community to envision bold possibilities. Honored to facilitate a strategic planning retreat with the incredible team from Kentucky CASA Network. Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASA) volunteers are community members, just like you, who stand up and speak out to help abused and neglected children. The Kentucky CASA Network is committed to providing resources, technical assistance, and advocacy for the local CASA programs across Kentucky.
Partnering with purpose driven organizations to inform, engage, and inspire their Board members energizes me every single day. I was honored to facilitate a Board retreat with the team from CIT International recently and equally honored to receive this heartwarming testimonial. I encourage everyone to learn more about their inspiring work to improve community responses to mental health crises by visiting their web site: CIT International
Responding to those in crisis requires a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and substance use professionals, individuals, and families. Last week I had the privilege of facilitating a multi-day Board retreat with the team from CIT International. CIT International aspires to be a leader in promoting safe and humane responses to those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Leading in the present means understanding the ever evolving ecosystem around your organization. It was my pleasure to facilitate a long-range planning session with the Board of Walden School. Walden School provides an educational environment - both academic and social - that fosters a lifelong enthusiasm for learning and challenges individual students to reach their full potential so they may flourish in a diverse and changing world.
Thank you to Nonprofits LEAD and Marietta College for the invitation to speak at yesterday’s conference. Thoroughly enjoyed leading a session entitled Mission Ambassadors: Developing Effective and Empowered Ambassadors. It was so inspiring to be among so many talented and committed nonprofit leaders and funders!
