Category: Board Development
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The passion versus fear equation
When training boards (and sometimes staff) on fundraising, I often refer to the passion versus fear equation or line. Often, I’m asked to help a board get past their fear…
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Pick up the frickin’ phone
I was recently talking with a fellow consultant about disengaged boards and, in particular, Executive Directors complaining about disengaged boards. We quickly agreed on one point in particular: many Executive…
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Does your nonprofit pass the marshmallow test?
One of the most famous social-science studies was the marshmallow test. Put a marshmallow in front of a preschool aged child and tell the child they can have a second…
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Another technique for being strategic
I recently blogged about the importance of being strategic as an organization and one technique for being so modeled after Paul Covey’s insight about effective people focusing on important tasks…
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Personal stories in fundraising
Telling Personal Stories when doing Fundraising Meetings Often, we spend so much time honing the stories we’re going to tell to donors about our organization, that we fail to also…
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Tips for “Virtual” Meetings
This blog was originally drafted in 2016. A lot has changed on the virtual meeting front since them, although many fundamentals remain the same. I periodically update it to reflect…
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Have you sharpened your axe lately?
A friend was recently describing to me a challenge he faced as a new board member of a relatively healthy organization, but one that seemed to have a frenetic culture.…
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A fascinating video about motivation
The question I keep asking myself after repeatedly re-watching this video is: what are the implications for nonprofit organizations? Some implications are fairly straightforward: For example, with very few exceptions,…
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Don’t take board relationships for granted
It’s easy for Executive Directors to take their board for granted when it comes to their time. You already get their input at board meetings and through formal processes. They…
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Effective new board member orientation meetings
As I work with more clients, I’m struck by the number who acknowledge that they don’t do a good job — or any job for that matter — orienting new…