Fundraising Leadership ™

Executive Coaching, Professional Development, Training, and Career Advancement for Nonprofit Leaders in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

7 Ways Organizational Leadership Can Demonstrate Purpose Through Action

by

Movie clap boardIn September 2020, I was elected as the Chair of the Board of a local community health centre (CHC).  I have served on the board of this organization for almost four years. Visually it’s a board that is diverse and reflects the community it serves. However, visual diversity is only a part of the story of this board.

As we come together and learn more about each other and our backgrounds, the depth and richness of our diversity is becoming even more apparent. Working with members of the board, organizational leadership, staff and community members, the opportunity to fully leverage our diverse perspectives is a personal and shared goal to be pursued with vigour and intentionality.

Now more than ever, the current climate demands a board profile with a range of competencies and diversity of perspectives.  The best way to achieve diverse competencies and perspectives is to ensure homogeneity isn’t the blueprint for engaging people in the work of organizations.  There is richness in diversity because it allows us to obtain a more complete picture of whatever confronts us, be they challenges or opportunities. The more comprehensive picture one has of a situation, the decisions made are more informed, thoughtful and considered. [Read more…]

Strengthen Your Team During Crisis

by

Two months ago, I was on my way to a reunion weekend at New College of Florida in Sarasota. I am currently on the college’s foundation board, and a trip to Sarasota was long overdue. I made the reunion a quarterly goal. Perfect timing! As the director of programs and research at HERS, we were in between the February and March delivery of the HERS Leadership Institute, our signature leadership program for women leaders in higher education. My team was moving forward as planned. It was the right time for my vacation. Furthermore, I needed time away. Well being, particularly self-care, is essential as a team leader. I was glad to take the time off and committed to not working. In the past, my team felt that I wasn’t sincere when I would encourage them to truly leave the work during their vacations, because they knew I never did. I was determined to be a good example. [Read more…]

What Does Leadership Have In Common With Parenting?

by

Prior to becoming a parent, I managed a development team and relied heavily on my HR experience to shape my management style. I managed to make it work. However, there was room for improvement.

Little did I know that, for me, improvement came in the form of parenting.

I became a parent nine years ago. And as many new parents do, I read a lot on how to be a better parent. Aside from the practical tips of how to install a car seat, I read books on how to get children on a path of healthy sleeping, how to manage toddlers and their raw emotions, how to raise confident children, and this list goes on and on.

At the same time, in my professional life, I found myself again building a development team. I was also reading books on leadership, some of it was a review from my corporate years in HR, but some of it new. [Read more…]

4 Benefits to a Mid-Year Review

by

One of our passions at Fundraising Leadership is helping nonprofit leaders to bring a coach-like approach to their organizations. And of course we like to walk our talk in this regard. This means we focus on building trust, setting goals, measuring progress, being curious, and creating a culture of accountability within our own team. 

So as our Q2 came to a close, the Fundraising Leadership Team gathered together for a mid-year review. 

We structured our conversation around our OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Metrics) tool that we created at the beginning of our fiscal year. Simply put an OGSM provides clear goals and identifies the strategic choices to achieve them.  [Read more…]

Have You Heard? They’re Ending Gossip. No Way! Way.

by

Gossip–The practice of sharing information about people who are not present in a “casual or unconstrained conversation [that] typically involves details not confirmed as being true.”

We are all familiar with it. Every organization seems to be infused with it, and many leaders in the nonprofit world with whom I work believe it’s a good thing. They mistakenly believe that it helps grease the wheels of communication and that it will somehow serve as a source of valuable information that enables the organization to function smoothly.

[Read more…]

The Power of Two: Co-Leading a Fundraising Program

by

Is two better than one?  In the right situation with the right combination of people, YES!

Two is always better than one when it comes to things like puppies or vacations or pieces of cake (maybe even glasses of wine) but what about fundraisers in the same role at the same time?  This was the situation for me when I started a new role in an arts organization after spending three years at an academic institution.  I was excited to return to being a full-time major gift fundraiser with great opportunities in front of me at a transitional time in the organization.  One unexpected element was learning that it would, in fact, be two of us starting the same senior role, two weeks apart.  After a brief pause, and a request to meet my double, my surprise became delight and things began to fall into place. [Read more…]

5 Ways to Lead from Behind

by

When did you begin to see yourself as a leader? Some of us only see ourselves as leaders when we attain a certain job title. Or once we have staff reporting to us.

The Fundraising Leadership team (David, Silvia, Michelle and I) have all completed the CTI Leadership program. This program rejects the top-down, one-dimensional leadership model and expands our definition of leadership.

This new model is grounded in the idea that everyone is a leader because “leaders are those who are responsible for their world.” [Read more…]

5 Tips to Cultivate a Growth Mindset Culture

by

Fostering a culture of accountability within your team is a key skill and it aligns perfectly with the coach-like style of leadership. We have covered the topic of accountability in past posts “Creating a Culture of Accountability” and “A is For Accountability.”

The foundation of accountability lies in asking three questions:

What will you do? When will it be completed? How will you report back?

When you create a work culture that embraces accountability you need to ensure that it is held without judgement. This creates an environment where everyone can learn from success and failure. [Read more…]

9 Essential Qualities of Successful Nonprofit Leaders

by

Human resource professionals and hiring managers often ask me if there are certain qualities to look for when hiring prospective new successful nonprofit leaders that are likely to make them extraordinarily successful in their leadership roles. While there are no absolutes, Janice Cunning and I identified nine essential qualities through our personal experience in the nonprofit world as well as our work training and coaching nonprofit professionals that make nonprofit executives extraordinary.  We found that there are a few characteristics that if carefully screened for can yield excellent new-hire results. [Read more…]

Creating a Culture of Accountability

by

In his 2002 business classic, The Five Dysfunction of a Team, Patrick Lencioni describes “Avoidance of Accountability” as one of the core behaviors that teams exhibit when they are dysfunctional.  In Pat’s words: “In the context of teamwork…it refers specifically to the [un]willingness of team members to call their peers on performance or behaviors that might hurt the team.” [Read more…]