Blog

By Brian Keel and Bruce Berglund

By Jim Mellor and Brian Keel

The board of directors is an essential component of nonprofit leadership. We seek boards that are engaged, embrace their roles and responsibilities, are committed to transparency, and value both short- and long-term planning. 

Rules vary from state to state, but every board has significant legal and ethical duties that it cannot delegate to others including legal, management, program, and financial oversight. Beyond the board there may be committees that further assist the organization. Committees have representation from the Board but are also an opportunity to engage other community volunteers to serve, especially if these members have subject matter expertise.

Whether we realize it or not, each of us has been applying data to decision-making processes since our youth. Remember that time you were selected to be the captain of the kickball team? The pressure of selecting the best team rested solely on YOUR shoulders. If you were like me, a million strategic thoughts went through your head as you tried to recruit the best team to ensure you won the game. The first step was evaluating the group of classmates staring back at me. What do I know about them? Are they a fast runner? A good kicker? A good fielder? My friend? After quickly assessing the answers to those questions, the selection process began.

There once was a little girl whose grandfather took her fishing. She loved being out on the lake. He patiently taught her how to bait, cast and reel them in. But the little girl noticed that her grandfather threw all the large fish back into the lake, and he only kept the smaller ones.

When she asked him why, he laughed and said, “I can’t seem to find my large frying pan. The one I have is only 7 inches, and so I can only fit the small fish in there.”

Do you ever feel like your non-profit has only 7-inch frying pans? Do you throw out some of the big ideas before you even get to try them on?

As a non-profit, how can you connect with local government policy makers who share your vision to serve your community? 

What knowledge as a "boots on the ground" organization can you contribute to your collaboration with city or state government elected officials to serve your community better?

In this month's episode of the DBD Podcast, Jon Simons interviews two leaders in the Richmond, VA area who share their insights about successful partnerships between the non-profit sector and local government: Abigail Farris Rogers,  President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Richmond, and Eva Colen, Manager of Office of Children and Families for the city of Richmond, VA.

This insightful podcast will give you practical ways to engage with your local government to create partnerships that help to serve your community in deeper ways and help officials to solve problems with more efficient, informed solutions, and better policies.

A typical executive search usually takes a few months from start to finish with key steps throughout the process. As the committee does its work, it’s important to communicate the status of the process to key stakeholders and applicants. It may seem simple, but many organizations skip these basic steps. And when you don’t share your progress, both candidates and your board can be left feeling that the process is cold and disorganized.

I’m nominating Alice S. for “Fundraiser of the Year.”

In any given year, grantmaking foundations in the United States award BILLIONS of dollars to nonprofit organizations. 

If you want to increase your chances of receiving some of those funds, consider thinking of foundations as individual donor prospects.

By Jim Mellor and Brian Keel

Recently the CEO of a major charity told us: “People here are dancing in the street! They can’t believe how much funding is now available to us.”  With the passage of the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan”, YMCAs, health and human service agencies, private schools, faith-based organizations, camps, and other nonprofits have access to unprecedented funds. In addition, there were other federal stimulus plans passed in 2020 and programs like 21^st Century Grants, Head Start and others continue to be open for business.

A long-time executive coach once told me that the most powerful questions are ones that can be understood by a kindergartner.