Creating more strategic, financially savvy, and confident nonprofit leaders and organizations.
I was talking to a nonprofit leader earlier this week who was unknowingly torturing herself. One part of her had a big vision for growing her nonprofit to reach more people and create change to a broken system. But another part of her felt stuck because she lacked so many things to make that big […]
It feels like right now we are surrounded by can’ts. We can’t be near most other humans, we can’t travel as we used to, many can’t find work, we can’t really plan for the future because things seem to change by the minute. The can’ts seem to be everywhere. The sadder part is that in […]
I received a great comment from a reader of my recent post, “The System for Funding Nonprofits is Crumbling. That’s a Good Thing.” While blog reader Vanessa agreed with my assessment that how we fund social change is horribly broken, she very rightly wanted to know what an individual nonprofit leader can do to overcome […]
There is much discussion lately about the financial doom that this pandemic is unleashing on nonprofits. Cancelled galas, shrinking corporate donations, fearful foundation donors, disappearing government coffers. It seems that the entire way nonprofits and social change are funded might be crumbling before our eyes. It’s about time! That’s because how money flows to the […]
The other day I told a new coaching client something that I often say to the nonprofit leaders I work with: “Don’t worry, what you are experiencing is very normal in the nonprofit sector.” But suddenly it occurred to me, why are so many limits and restrictions “normal” in the nonprofit sector? Why do we […]
I have been a little absent from the blog in the past couple of months, but I have a good reason. I’ve been working on something I’m pretty excited about. I am in the process of writing a book about how we create more effective, sustainable social change. Rather than depressed by the chaos seemingly […]
Nonprofit leaders often start (many things, really) from a place of not feeling worthy. Where this is really obvious, especially this time of year when nonprofit fundraising is in full swing, is in the fundraising ask. When your nonprofit fundraising message — whether a grant proposal, a direct mail letter, an email campaign, or a […]
Let’s be honest (or obvious) for a second. A feeling of lack often pervades the nonprofit sector. And it can take many forms: “We lack enough money” “We lack access to decision-makers” “We lack permission to move forward” “We lack the right or enough staff” “We lack influential or effective board members” The list of […]
As a nonprofit leader you no doubt face an endless barrage of critical decisions. Should we grow this program? Do we add this new staff position? Should we invite this new board member to join? Should we pursue this new funder? The list goes on and on. And often the direction nonprofit leaders choose is […]
Nonprofit leaders are, as a rule, a pretty compassionate bunch. By definition, someone who has decided to start or lead a nonprofit probably has a greater ability than the average person to see pain and feel compelled to relieve it. Whether it’s a desire to ease the suffering of homeless populations, or help kids access […]
I’ve been thinking about energy a lot lately. Not the wall socket variety, but the energy that flows between two human beings – like you and your prospective funder. Think about the last time you met with a potential funder. Picture that meeting – whether it was in person, over the phone or (everyone’s favorite) […]
Here’s a radical idea for you: What if the funders you seek, fear and/or worship are actually just like you? What if the money they hold (and you likely covet) came to them not because they are smarter, luckier, more worthy, or more privileged than you, but simply because they believe more strongly than you […]
I love it so much when a fundraiser shifts their mindset from scarcity to abundance and then attracts a huge money windfall. This happened again for another one of my clients just the other day, let’s call him “Bob.” Bob emailed me to tell me that the shift I helped him make to an abundance […]
A funny thing happened to a nonprofit leader the other day. A funder called to let the Executive Director know that their funding priority areas had changed again (Ugh!). So, the ED quickly moved into program development mode to see if she could adapt to keep this funder happy. Not funny, right? And it didn’t […]
My guess is that you want to attract more money for your mission. Who doesn’t, right? But to do that you need to cultivate a Culture of Mission and Money among your board, staff, and funders. Does your nonprofit have one? Here are some key things present in a nonprofit with a robust culture of […]
The thing I love best about my work is seeing absolute transformation. It’s so exciting to see someone who is working to make the world a better place step out of the shadows and into her tremendous power. I saw this transformation again the other day with one of my clients — “Mina”. Mina came […]
I am in love with a new (for me) TV show. I’m sure you’ve heard of it since I’m late to the game — “Ted Lasso” is about a lovable American leader of a troubled English soccer team. But really the show provides an example of how to go through life as a force of […]
Do you struggle (as so many nonprofit leaders do) to raise money for: a top-notch fundraiser, solid technology and systems, fantastic marketing expertise, and other elusive (but oh so necessary) things that will make your work so much easier? Then this month’s free training, Embrace Capacity Capital, is for you! You’ve been taught for so […]
The most amazing thing happened for one of my clients the other day — she shifted her fear into $500,000. I was in a session with one of my Strategic Advising clients (let’s call her Beth) who was anxious about an upcoming meeting with a long-time funder. It was time to approach this program officer […]
There was a really interesting article in Inside Philanthropy last week arguing that nonprofit leaders desperately need sabbaticals, therefore more funders should fund them. I completely agree with the first part, but strongly disagree with the second. Nonprofit leaders, like any human being, need large chunks of time away to rest, recharge, find inspiration again, […]
