Finding new members and donors for your nonprofit organization can sometimes be a challenge - especially if you have a small team or a packed programming agenda. Finding the time to seek out and engage people who might want to join your cause isn’t always feasible when there are events to plan, initiatives to develop, or reports to write. Wearing many hats adds to the excitement of running a nonprofit but it also means leaders are often stretched thin. 

When I was the...

Last week, in a message to my subscribers, I talked about how I’m building my email list as a main strategy to develop my coaching and consulting business. And how the same activities and tools I’m using can and should also be used by nonprofits to expand their communities and attract more people to support their mission. 

There’s another aspect to list building that is just as important as attracting the right people and that is releasing the wrong people....

Europe’s failing vaccine rollout was the topic of yesterday morning’s New York Times newsletter. Apparently, distribution is much slower in the EU than in many other places and, as a result, cases of COVID-19 are continuing to surge.

But, don’t worry, this post isn’t about the vaccine or Europe. (you can get that story here) It is about the three reasons that Times editor, David Leonhardt, gives for the vaccine mess: too much bureaucracy, being...

Whether an organization's bylaws are a dusty relic, daily reference material, or somewhere in between, it’s important to understand the role they play in an executive director’s leadership development as well as their ability to get things done. 

Knowing the bylaws inside and out helps leaders anticipate conflict, correct or prevent undesirable conditions, and positions them as the authority in organizational knowledge.  

When should bylaws...

Chances are, on this 19th day of January in the year 2021, when readers see the word “clubhouse” they’ll have one or more of these four reactions:

1. I am obsessed with Clubhouse!
2. I can’t WAIT to get invited to Clubhouse!
3. I am so sick of hearing about Clubhouse! 
4. What is Clubhouse? 

So, to help bring the 4's up to speed and to prevent some 3's from potentially catastrophic eye-rolling injuries, I offer the following quick and dirty overview after roughly three...

A valid concern.

Associations and other nonprofits that do not provide direct support or essential services related to COVID, work-from-home, or the economic downturn might be feeling a tad vulnerable by now. Perhaps they fear that their members, when faced with tough choices and competing priorities, will let their memberships lapse or will cancel outright. 

The moment(s) of truth.

36% of membership organizations have “rolling memberships” in which members...

So, this has gone on longer than anyone expected.

Right. WFH is no longer a temporary status update - it’s been nearly nine months for most organizations in the US and shows no signs of changing. Throughout the shift from “we need to do this for the time being” to “we’ll be doing this for the foreseeable future,” nonprofit leaders have had to learn to effectively manage a remote working environment without one major ingredient: an environment. 

We're not moving the needle.

We can’t seem to get out of our own way.

I'm just not seeing any progress.

We're not having an impact. 

I'm just spinning my wheels.

Sound familiar?

No matter which way you say it, the story is the same: you’re working hard (perhaps harder than ever) but not creating a measurable result with your nonprofit. Maybe you and your team get lots of work done but still can’t seem to move the mission forward in a way that truly...

This is a repost from the October 2020 JennyB Designs blog The Executive Director’s BFF: A Conversation with Bernadette Mack