Hi Reader :) Letās be realāleading a nonprofit right now isnāt for the faint of heart. š³ Between economic uncertainty, shifting donor priorities, and increasing scrutiny, itās easy to feel like youāre constantly playing defense instead of strategically growing. But hereās the thing: you don't have to just survive šš¾ you CAN navigate these uncertain times with a sense of confidence and stability. In my new workshop, I'm sharing the 3 core strategies that successful 7-figure nonprofits are...
8 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hi Reader, I was talking to a close friend a few months ago and I mentioned ChatGPT -- she literally rolled her eyes š¤£ Not in the mean "why are you talking" kind of way... More as if to say "I just don't get it." š And I realized something. She and I were living in totally different ChatGPT movies. š„ The title of her movie was something like "Offline: The Story of a ChatGPT Skeptic." My movie? "Digital Dreams: A Life Transformed by ChatGPT!" š„ When I shared with my friend how I had actually...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hi Reader, Is the era of the single nonprofit Executive Director ending? I donāt think so. But I do think that we are in a moment where we are re-imagining what leadership looks like in practiceā¦ the shape it takes within organizations. Interesting, my recent conversations with organizational leaders are less about understanding the meaning of leadership, and more about re-imagining leadership structures and roles within organizations. Theyāre explore the more concrete and immediate question:...
over 2 years agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Hi Reader, Iām not sure how, but the older I get the fast time moves. I know thatās not technically true. But I also feel deeply in my bones that despite the laws of physics, it IS true for me. Somehow when I was a teenager, making it from January to summer time took AGES. This year I feel like I went to sleep one evening midway through January and work up in June. I look back on the past six months, and think: But what did I DO in all of the months? What have I accomplished over the past 165...
over 2 years agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Hey Reader, Tapping into the perspectives of people *not* in our organization can help us deepen our own bank of strategies. š„ They expose our blind spots and help us strengthen ourselves as self-leaders. š„ They teach us ways we can bring different parts of ourselves to the leadership of our institution. When you're feeling stuck in the weeds, put some energy into building your crew: A group of intimate thought partners, colleagues, friends, peers, mentors, etc. This is a group of people that...
over 2 years agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hi Reader, Firing someone on your team sucks. You've invested in hiring them... you've taken the time to onboard and set them up... you've restructured work and the rest of the team to include them... Now you're thinking: "Wait. I can't possibly do this AGAIN!?!??" It's both painful and wildly inconvenient to fire someone. That's why so many of us don't do it when we should. The first time I had to fire someone I waited almost 3 months longer than I should have. And if I'm really honest, I...
over 2 years agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Hi Reader, Because my work mostly engages organizations that are in an intentional period of growth, I spend quite a bit of time talking about how to build a strategic, sustainable fundraising engine. Questions about who counts as a donor and how philanthropy really works come up a lot -- in all of their forms from āWho should we count as a major donor?ā to āBut donāt you think INSERT CELEBRITY NAME would *love* our mission and work if we could just get in front of them?ā One thing that is...
over 2 years agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read