Nonprofit YEAH!

Nonprofit work can be a mystery to many, whether you're staff, board, or volunteer. Because of the fantastic opportunity we all have to make our organization in any image we choose, how we act, how we raise money, how we hold meetings, how we get things done, can all be different. I have worked in and around nonprofit for 20 years, preferring a light and fast approach - not too much process or dogma. This podcast sheds light on unconventional thinking around conventional nonprofit challenges. Check it out!

This Crazy Economic Shift 11/19/2022

This Crazy Economic Shift What's happening in the economy? It's really hard to say. And it's hard to make decisive moves when you really don't know what's up. What we do know is that things are shifting, and we need to make a Plan A, B... and C. This episode addresses the need for planning, and how to engage your board's deep hidden talents. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/25072401

Authenticity in Your Organization 09/09/2022

Authenticity in Your Organization You can't fake authenticity. In our nonprofit work it's the backbone of our storytelling and our ongoing relations with the world we serve. This episode talks about authenticity and signs of when that may be waning. Keep it real to stay engaged. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/24323805

Get Grants! 06/02/2022

Get Grants! I've been working with an organization on their grant-getting, and it reminded me of some things that may be helpful for you and your organization. Check it! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/23311397

A Communication Strategy 07/06/2021

A Communication Strategy In many smaller nonprofits the people involved are too busy to make communicating to the public a consistent priority. Yet by simply outlining a plan for an entire year, it all gets much easier. This episode is about the 'how' to talk about the 'why' of your organization. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/19720388

Give Big Sucks 05/03/2021

Give Big Sucks Give Big is a statewide effort in Washington to get alll the nonprofits involved in a short sprint for gifts. It has morphed into something that I believe is destructive for healthy nonprofits. It's creating a dependence on a big organization and making the Scarcity Mindset the paradigm. We need to break that. Listen in to my totally biased take on this! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/18959771

Jim Mueller episode 03/12/2021

Jim Mueller episode Jim Mueller of JMuellerandassociates.com is a consultant in Florida who has published a book all about defining the roles you need on your board, finding the right people, then assuring they have a good experience on the board. It's a great read, and Jim tells us a few gems in this interview. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/18302810

Risk and Opportunity 01/15/2021

Risk and Opportunity There is risk of all kinds that we must prepare for. Risk can be not only bad, but also good. We should be prepared for anything that may come the way of our organization. Let's plan ahead! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/17565977

NPY Don't Build it While You Fly it 10/12/2020

NPY Don't Build it While You Fly it For fun, I hammer out a few annoying clichés in this episode, and then focus on the real reason we do strategic planning: because we can't afford not to. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/16370102

Your Mind of the Future 08/20/2020

Your Mind of the Future How do you do strategic planning with your board, staff, and stakeholders when the future is so unpredictable? Plan for a lot of different possibilities - both the bad ones and the good ones! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/15689729

Relational Stewardship 07/13/2020

Relational Stewardship How are you relating to your donors? Are you doing it on their terms or on yours? You'll have a lot more success if you listen to donors... and then tell their story to the rest of the community. Donors need to be engaged on their own terms, and it really helps when we listen to what they have to say about our organizations. You'll hear why they love you, not why you love yourself! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/15196733

Risk Management in Your Strategic Plan 07/02/2020

Risk Management in Your Strategic Plan Risk management is a really important part of what a board should be doing. We need to think of what CAN go wrong, not what might go wrong that we're pretty sure we can manage. The pandemic has shown that we need to think about the worst, and build it into our future plans. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/15065009

What Now? 03/30/2020

What Now? This is the Covid-19 episode. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/13767440

Sin of Complacency 02/26/2020

Sin of Complacency I tend to err on the side of kindness - I presume everything is going okay. What I know, however, is that we have to be on the lookout all the time for problems on the horizon. In this episode I investigate what it means to be a board member skeptic. A guardian of the mission and protector of the good. Sounds pretty righteous. Check it out! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/13319567

Are You Doing it Right 01/23/2020

Are You Doing it Right Are you building your board with an eye to the next 2 - 7 years? What programs do you have coming up? What growth? A capital campaign maybe? This is a story about an organization that started with a vision on the back of a napkin eight years ago, that is now proactively building their board for future success. Strategic planning, governance, leadership, and followership all play a part. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/12860468

You're the Board Chair! 12/21/2019

You're the Board Chair! The first time you become the chair of an organization can be daunting. You've watched someone else manage the nonprofit, so should you just do it that way? This episode talks about the wide range of chair styles, and how you can make a difference. You were chosen to lead, so do it the way that feels right to you. Don't be afraid to stir it up! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/12493643

NPY Speaking 12/01/2019

NPY Speaking We are involved in nonprofit work usually because we're passionate about a cause. Because of that, one might think we'd speak passionately. With verve and style, not with terror and sweat. But public speaking is still... speaking in front of large groups. In this episode I'll help with a few tips on how to get up and seize the moment, pace your presentation, and assure people leave with a good impression. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/12238706

Progress and Process 11/17/2019

Progress and Process Nonprofits are usually filled with all kinds of excitement, because we do it from passion. Action without some kinds of procedural overlay, however, can lead to messy or even disastrous unintended consequences. We need both process and procedure thinkers and action figures to get it all done. How do they work together? Listen to this episode to get some ideas. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/12062129

Seasons of Your Nonprofit 08/13/2019

Seasons of Your Nonprofit This episode is a mix of good things. Partly it's about when to get stuff done - don't fundraise when people aren't in a giving mood, but do throw parties when people can attend! It's also about the Big Ask - timing, remembering past promises, and making sure you have another person from your board and staff to keep you on track. Check it out! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/10876953

Time to GO? 07/25/2019

Time to GO? Tough question: have you outlived your usefulness on a board? Have you lost the passion as a staff member? Nonprofit is different from for-profit in yet another way: if you've lost the thrill, it's time to step aside and make room for new blood, for others excited to carry the organization to the next level. This episode deals with endings, loss, beginnings, and bright futures. Figure out when it's time to make some space. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/10658978

Giving, Getting, and Your Board 07/02/2019

Giving, Getting, and Your Board Two scoops in one cone! This is two topics in one episode, both dealing with your board and money. First is the issue of the old term Give, Get, or Get OFF! Your board should be involved in not just getting gifts, but giving every year as well. We dive into the nuance. Second is setting a gift policy for your board and organization. Check it out! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/10379174

Board Term Limits 06/04/2019

Board Term Limits Your board seats have terms. I presume. But do you have term limits? Should you have term limits? This podcast is a look at why term limits may or may not be a good thing for your board. Believe it or not, there are really good reasons not to have term limits... for some organizations. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/10036868

Corporate Culture 04/17/2019

Corporate Culture The only thing that's "the same" about every nonprofit is that we all must adhere to IRS requirements, and rules laid down by the Secretary of State. Every organization branches out from there because people - you, me - get involved. We bring our own personalities to the organization. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/9433019

Nuance of No 03/26/2019

Nuance of No When you make the "Ask" for a nonprofit, there are two responses. There's "yes!" and it means your donor has moved from prospect to donor. If your prospect says "no" it's usually a nuanced answer. It's either "no," or it's "no... I need to think about it." There are lots of meanings to 'no,' and it's your job make it an opportunity. You can learn and become stronger. And by treating the 'no' as a possibility, you might even get this donor prospect to become a donor in the future. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/9142673

Strategic Planning YEAH! 03/09/2019

Strategic Planning YEAH! Your nonprofit organization needs a strategic plan. It guides you for the year, or three, or five... it's your road map to the future. It holds your feet to the fire, assigns responsibilities, and helps you budget. Supporters love to hear you have a plan, too. How do you create one? This episode dives into the steps and reasons. It takes a concerted effort by staff and board, and it's work that really pays off. Take a listen and pass it around! /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/8941145

Eat That Frog! 03/04/2019

Eat That Frog! Mark Twain has a couple of good quotes about doing hard things. The essence of his guidance is that if you have to do something hard, do it first thing in the morning. The rest of your day will seem easy! We do lots of hard things in nonprofit, and often they're messy, and we don't exactly know what we're doing. This episode is about getting down and dirty and eating that frog, even if you don't know how to do it. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/8874485

Audit Your Books For Everyone's Sake 02/26/2019

Audit Your Books For Everyone's Sake It doesn't occur to many small and medium sized nonprofits to get their books audited. It didn't to me when I started one 20 years ago. But it turns out to be a great exercise to understand where your organization is under-performing, and even over-performing. It covers you if the IRS comes knocking, and it impresses those donors who ask to see your financials. This episode explains the why's and how's of organization auditing. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/8795585

Super Happy Fun Episode! 02/10/2019

Super Happy Fun Episode! Sometimes we get lost in the urgency of the work, or we become to routine and staid. In this episode I urge you to shake it up a bit, reintroduce some fun, food, and a little French into your meetings and other work. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/8588648

Show Us Your Super Powers! 02/05/2019

Show Us Your Super Powers! Boards and staffs are filled with all kinds of people. We all have Super Powers. Often, however, one or a few voices are heard again and again. Whether it's a founder (thank you for being a founder!), or an overly-assertive board member, the cost of them being heard a lot, is that others are rarely heard. In this episode I urge you to 'show up, listen up, and speak up!' /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/8523593

Beth Stipe CFNCW 01/28/2019

Beth Stipe CFNCW I had the opportunity to sit down with Beth Stipe, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of North Central Washington. Don't worry if your organization isn't in one of the three counties her organization serves - CFNCW is one of 700 community foundations across the country. One of them almost certainly serves your area. Beth talks about how they do their work, why it matters, and how you can be successful in working with a community foundation to further your mission and programs. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/8417372

Year End Last Stab 12/18/2018

Year End Last Stab The very last week of the year should be a time that you give donors a chance to make a gift. These are the ones that may say, "You know, I meant to give them a hundred bucks this year..." and it's an impulse gift imbued with the holiday spirit. (It's also imbued with the IRS if the donor itemizes.) This is how to make it easy. /episode/index/show/nonprofityeah/id/7965200

Nonprofit YEAH!

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