A board's job is to govern, but what does that really mean? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explain what governance means in normal, everyday terms. They name concrete tasks to move board members more deeply into their governing role. When boards are focused on governing, a lot of common board-related challenges go away-- micromanaging,… Continue reading Board governance made simple
Tag: leadership
Nonprofit Leader as Coach
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
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 65: Big Picture Thinking
In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explain what “big picture thinking” is, why it matters, and how your organization can expand how you think about your work.
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 50: Leading in 2022: Sarah has a new job!
Nonprofit Radio Show co-host Sarah Brooks has a new job as Executive Director of the Methow Conservancy in Eastern Washington. (Read a recent article about the Conservancy's work returning land to the Colville Tribe.) In this episode, Nancy asks Sarah about leadership transition and building a movement during the turbulence of 2022.
Episode 46: 2022 SERIES – Staffing our organizations in a time of the great resignation
The Nonprofit Radio Show continues its three-part 2022 leadership series with a focus on staffing. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about what is important to remember about building your team in 2022. On the table is an honest conversation about whether you need to pay your staff more in our current marketplace of work. If you are in a position of hiring staff, listen for specific advice on small steps you can take to strengthen your team. Our people matter. What will you do to strengthen your team?
Episode 45: 2022 SERIES – The ED Search
In this episode, Nancy and Sarah reflect on the "great resignation" and offer thoughts on how a nonprofit might approach recruiting and hiring an Executive Director or senior staff member during these tight staffing times.
Episode 43: Refreshing the board matrix to build a diverse board
In this episode, Nancy and Sarah reflect on the purpose of a board matrix and how we can update this tool to better capture a fuller diversity of the humans tasked with moving forward our mission and movement.
Episode 42: Breaking the rules
In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about what kinds of rules we face as nonprofit leaders and what rules we can break--should break!-- as we build strategy and intention around our programs and practice.