Nancy and Sarah regularly get asked nonprofit questions. Often they are in the form of “This is happening in our nonprofit. Is that normal?” In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about common questions and how they would approach them. You will learn strategies to get to the bottom of what your nonprofit’s challenge really might be. Grab your magnifying glass to practice how you might sleuth out what’s at the core of keeping you from meeting your mission.
Author: Nancy
I work at the intersection of learning, nonprofits, and leadership. I am a teacher, instructional designer, and nonprofit person who has worn every hat possible. I regular write, speak, and consult on learning strategy, design, and leadership.
Episode 61: Habits for a strong new year
A new year has begun, and for many that means resolutions. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about what mission-supporting habits they are going to focus on as we start a new year. You’ll get some ideas on how you might approach the year to set yourself up for success.
Episode 60: Becoming a community giving ambassador
Many of us know community giving projects. They are community-wide invitations to give to your favorite nonprofits usually on one day or in one period of time. Our colleagues in Washington State may know GiveBig. In this episode, Sarah tells Nancy about the story of her local community giving project, Give Methow, and how it has created giving ambassadors throughout the community. They talk about some of the general lessons any nonprofit leader can learn from Give Methow and why it matters.
Episode 59: End-of-year fundraising: Four strategies to meet your goals
It is mid-November, and you have six weeks to meet your organization's fundraising goal for 2022. What are your options? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk through four end-of-year fundraising strategies for folks who may be falling short on their fundraising goal. As the 2022 clock counts down, there's still time to be strategic and find ways to invite your donors or potential donors to be a part of the important work you do.
Episode 58: I am busy.
We are hearing it all the time. We ask someone "How are you?," and their response is "Busy!" We get asked, and our natural response is the same: "I'm so busy." In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about why "busy" can work against what we are really trying to achieve. They explore the emotions behind it and alternatives to describe how we are actually doing. Ultimately we are busy doing important things, and we want to invite conversation about that.
Episode 57: My board members won’t….
"My board members won't...." fill in the blank: attend meetings, raise money, get more deeply involved in the issues we are facing, etc. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about why board members won't and what Executive Directors, board chairs, and others can do about it. They unpack what might be behind the "won't" and how we can change how we exchange board members to turn a "won't" to a "will."
Episode 56: What to do about inflation
Nonprofits are facing all of the same inflationary pressures as others across our communities. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about how a nonprofit can respond to inflation, particularly related to finance and fundraising. They share some ideas for thinking about salary adjustments, communicating with donors and supporters, and engaging board members in scenario planning. They highlight the importance of true cost accounting and advocacy as ways to expand the amount of money you have to work with. You got this.
Episode 55: Facilitation with Mike Beebe: How to ensure all voices are heard
A few episodes ago, Sarah shared a vision of nonprofit leaders helping each other by facilitating each other's retreats. That invites the question of how to facilitate well. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah invite facilitation expert Mike Beebe to share his wisdom on how to facilitate a meeting or event effectively. Mike talks about what facilitation is, how to do it well, and strategies to engage everyone in the conversation. Mike addresses what is hard about facilitation and some options to get professional development in facilitation.
Episode 54: Our Good Things List
It is easy to get caught up in what is not going well these days. In this episode, Sarah tells the story of the board member who went home from a meeting and made a "good things list" to remind each other what is going well. Nancy and Sarah share a few things on their good things list this summer. What is on yours?
Episode 53: Who to call when you need help
There is a world of help available to nonprofits. The question is how to access the kind of help you need when you need it! In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk through a list of who is available to help nonprofits. They highlight how these types of help might be most useful. Who do you find most helpful? Let us know.