Leaders wear many hats. One of those hats is that of coach. A coach guides someone to solve their own challenges by sharing questions, perspectives, or feedback. You can imagine how a nonprofit executive director, board chair, or volunteer manager might step into a coaching role in conversations with team members, board colleagues, or volunteers.… Continue reading Nonprofit Leader as Coach
Category: People
Rethinking Performance Reviews
The annual performance review is something that can cause stress for both managers and staff members. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah offer some tips and suggestions for rethinking the way you provide feedback and support to your staff or volunteers. They talk about how to reframe the review as something designed to leave each… Continue reading Rethinking Performance Reviews
The art of collaboration
We've talked about collaboration in past, and yet there is one aspect of collaboration that deserves a deeper dive. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about collaborations and how organizations can pro-actively address culture and cultural differences within them. They share a few steps for success. You will finish listening with ideas on how… Continue reading The art of collaboration
How to set supervisors up for success
All of this churn in nonprofit staffing means that there are a whole lot of new supervisors who need training and support. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about what new supervisors need to know and do to be set up for success. They share the highlights from a webinar Nancy and HR expert… Continue reading How to set supervisors up for success
Time management for nonprofit leaders
With a pomodoro ticking in the background (just kidding), Nancy and Sarah squeeze out a few minutes to talk about time management. In this episode, you will learn a few strategies on how to manage your time when you just have too much going on. Nancy and Sarah share six strategies to try as you… Continue reading Time management for nonprofit leaders
The power of a thank you
In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about why thanking people matters both in terms of our own personal well-being and our organization's mission.
Episode 64: Demystifying the donor meeting
Donor meetings can be mysterious and stressful to some. Making an ask for money isn't something we all intuitively know how to do. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah demystify the donor meeting to explain what happens at a typical donor meeting and how you can best prepare. They provide tips on how to think about donor meetings as opportunities to build a relationship with an important member of your community. You'll finish your listening with concrete ideas on how you can strengthen your donor meetings.
Episode 63: The Art of Nonprofit Gatherings
Nonprofits host a lot of gatherings: board meetings, fundraising events, volunteer trainings, etc. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explore how to create transformational gatherings, from board meetings to fundraising events. They draw on the wisdom of gathering expert Priya Parker to expand how we think about events and simple steps we can do to make them more meaningful. They consider how to give each event a purpose, ways to create magical spaces that are different from people's everyday world, and how to begin a gathering. You will walk away with tips on how you can create transformational gatherings.
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.