How much of a reserve fund should you have? We can debate exactly how much is too much some other day, but I bet you know your nonprofit should have a much bigger reserve than it has now. Could your organization survive another Great Recession? The challenge we all face is finding that balance between “Money” and “Mission.” Nonprofits don’t exist to “make money.” But we … [Read more...] about The Money & Mission Balance
leadership
Your Summer Staff Retreat
Many organizations like to take a day during the summer to call a “time out” and gather the staff together for a retreat. Depending on the size of the organization, this could involve everyone or, at larger organizations, departments may end up having their own retreats. What makes for a successful retreat? Here are some tips: *It’s a Retreat. Some organizations say … [Read more...] about Your Summer Staff Retreat
How to Stop Overcommitting
Would you like to STOP: -Rushing to/from meetings? -Missing workouts? -Getting reports in at the last minute? -Burning yourself out? Then you need to stop overcommitting. Admit it. There is a certain “jazz” you get from being constantly busy. It can be intoxicating to serve the tyranny of the urgent. In his book First Things First, Dr. Stephen Covey identifies this … [Read more...] about How to Stop Overcommitting
The Value of Nurturing Stakeholders
You know it’s something you should spend more time on, but it gets put on the backburner. This blog is dedicated to encouraging you to take “nurturing stakeholders” from your “C” list and moving it up to your “A” list. We all know how important it is to have strong relationships with our stakeholders, whether they are donors, board members, volunteers, alumni, people … [Read more...] about The Value of Nurturing Stakeholders
Foster HQCs to Enhance Mission Impact
HQCs = High Quality Connections If you want a workplace in which: *Individuals are thriving *Teams are more effective *The overall organization performs at a higher level Then you should consider encouraging more High Quality Connections among those you work with. Ground-breaking research by University of Michigan professor Dr. Jane Dutton* and others demonstrates that … [Read more...] about Foster HQCs to Enhance Mission Impact