Category: Volunteers
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Being willing to be uncomfortable
This is a follow-up to an article I wrote more than a decade ago entitled: “Step Out of your Comfort Zone.” I was recently talking to a board member for…
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Why volunteers before how volunteers
Advocacy, Board Development, Human Resources, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Uncategorized, VolunteersWith a few exceptions, the vast majority of nonprofits with which I’ve worked have viewed volunteers as both an important resource and strategy. Almost always, they immediately get to the…
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Board members in management roles – updated
Originally published in August 2022, this edition of the post expands upon the suggestions I offered in August. A challenge unstaffed nonprofits face is that board members necessarily take on…
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Thankful nonprofit quotes
About My Work, Board Development, Consulting, Fundraising, Human Resources, Leadership, Strategic Planning, VolunteersLast month, in the spirit of Halloween, I shared the scariest things I’ve heard uttered by nonprofit leaders. As a counterpoint, this month I offer up some “thankful” comments about…
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The board and nonprofit branding
A friend serving on the board of a local nonprofit recently asked me: ” I have a question about the process of rebranding for a nonprofit. Is it your experience…
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Donor stewardship amidst a pandemic
I’ve been thinking a lot about effective donor stewardship in the midst of a pandemic. Some strategies that traditionally are used for donor stewardship aren’t feasible during social distancing. For…
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Relentlessly Focus on Relationships
This is a republication of Chapter 1 of Why Organizations Thrive. Organizations that thrive relentlessly focus on relationships. This must begin with the Executive Director and the Executive Director’s relationships.…
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Why Volunteers and a Spiderman Theory
Why Volunteers and a Spiderman Theory of Volunteer Responsibility Most organizations with whom I consult make some effort to involve volunteers. Some are wildly successful. Others are not. There are…
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Ideas for Donor Involvement
I once talked to an Executive Director who resisted inviting major donors to volunteer or become more involved because “I don’t want to seem like I’m bothering them. Their gift…
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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,…