Blog

Throughout the past few months, conversations with clients from around the country have centered on one basic question:

What are the questions you should ask before engaging in a collaboration? 

What are the characteristics of successful - and not successful - partnerships?

In this month's episode of the DBD Podcast, Bruce Berglund, Kellie Wardman and Jon Simons discuss the opportunities and challenges that come with partnering or  collaborating with other organizations. 

This engaging 24 minute podcast will give you, your team and your volunteers a solid background to making the most of collaborative opportunities that come your way. 

How ironic is it that a year of forced isolation has actually provided us the ability to connect with each other in a deep, meaningful and global scale? 

“How are you doing?” has shifted from a casual greeting to a meaningful invitation to connect through a common, shared experience.

The past year has been challenging for everyone. As someone who works with nonprofits, I have been impressed and moved by how these organizations have stepped up to serve their communities in new ways. They’ve managed to make a positive impact for others, even with severe constraints.

The most important resource any organization has is its staff. Many nonprofits, like their counterparts in businesses, were forced to furlough or lay off employees as revenue streams dried up during the pandemic. That means that the staff who remained were often doing the jobs of several people while also trying to identify new ways of serving that would help to keep people safer during the pandemic.

Taking care of staff is always critical, but today it is more important than ever.

By Kellie Wardman

Does your non-profit have Save-As-Itis?

Meaning, do you tend to open your previous board meeting’s agenda and click File > Save As to create the next one, plugging in the new date and modifying a few things here and there?

If that’s the case, you may not be leveraging the true brain power and contributions of board members.

In this month's episode of the DBD Podcast, Bruce Berglund and Jon Simons discuss three leadership axioms that guide our work:

• Vision Leaks
• Program vs Purpose
• Numbers and Names

If you or someone on your team need some encouragement in their leadership or resource development efforts, this 21-minute podcast offers wisdom for nonprofit, education and faith-based leaders of all kinds. 

By Anne Derber and Michele Goodrich

If you’re lucky, your organization will achieve key milestones or anniversaries. Maybe you’ll celebrate how many years you’ve been in service to your community or perhaps you’re marking programmatic milestones such as number of pets adopted, ministry impact or neighborhoods served. Whatever you’re celebrating, you have the opportunity to use that milestone to enhance the culture of philanthropy in your organization.

By the DBD Finance Team

Congress has enacted several key pieces of legislation over the last year to help businesses continue operations during the COVID pandemic. As we move deeper in 2021 it is important to know that several types of assistance for non-profit organizations still exist. While not every organization qualifies based on size or adverse economic impact, it is worth looking to see where you fit in.

It’s happened to all of us over the last year while on a video conference: you want to express a thought, respond to a question or offer an opinion and you’re the only one who can hear you talking. You’re on mute! With technology, an easy fix is just a click or two away.

While the technology of today highlights our moments of silence, being on mute is certainly not a new phenomenon. 

As a board member, you may experience a leadership transition at your organization during your tenure. When that time arrives, you have a responsibility as a board to take the necessary steps to ensure a successful transition. All board members will have some role in the process, but the development of a strong Search Committee is the first step.