Holiday Replay! Executing Strategy Despite Obstacles, Setbacks, And Stalls with Patty Azzarello
Getting stuck in a rut happens to the best of us. Nonprofit teams often reach an impasse a few weeks or months after launching a new initiative or strategy. Consequently, staff revert to the tasks they’ve always done while board members focus on next year’s budget, the audit, recruiting new board members, and that upcoming special event. This New Year, take the time to cure your organization's implementation blues by revisiting our phenomenal conversation with Patty Azzarello, founder of the Azzarello Group and best selling author of MOVE: How decisive leaders execute strategy despite obstacles, setbacks, and stalls. Links: The Azzarello Group MOVE: How decisive leaders execute strategy despite obstacles, setbacks, and stalls. *****Time Stamped Highlights***** (6:52) Why organization’s get “stuck” when implementing strategy (8:35) How to overcome inertia and resistance when implementing strategy. (14:45) Using control points to better design, implement, and measure strategy (18:29) The importance of finding the “limping cows” in your organization (23:30) How to appropriately resource your strategy execution (29:40) How to manage expectations when you receive 30% or the resources necessary to produce the desired outcome. (31:40) How to build the right team to implement your strategy (32:50) Develop your team’s “blank sheet org chart” (36:48) How to keep your team from turning back during strategy implementation. (41:00) The one piece of advice Patty would give to young professionals (and not-so-young professionals, too)
Become the Expert Reporters Call with Kristen Elworthy
Everyone wants their organization’s story told but very few know how to cultivate reporters and pitch stories like a pro. When done well, reporters will actually start coming to you for quotes and stories! Kristen Elworthy uses her career in journalism to help nonprofits craft their message and successfully pitch relevant stories to the media. She joins us today to help you become a media expert. Listen in for proven techniques to choose the right media outlet for you, craft your message in an effective way, and build mutually beneficial relationships with reporters.
5 Things Every Fundrasier Should Do Before December 31
We offered tips on how to raise more money at the end of the year (and next year) by: #1: Reminding board members of their annual financial commitments #2: Calling board members who met their annual financial commitments to say “thank you” #3: Calling your largest 10 donors and thanking them for supporting your organization #4: Sending thank you letters for all gifts received in the past few weeks #5: Soliciting 2016 donors who haven’t given yet this year
Trust Me: I’ve Worked with Hundreds of Nonprofit Finance Teams with Kelsey Vatsaas
Dolph and Kelsey Vatsaas, principal at CliftonLarsonAllen, discuss ways to streamline operations within the nonprofit finance department to improve efficiency, accuracy, and audit results. A good place to start? Step back and ask, “Do we actually use this information?” Learn what to track and what to let go. Links: Kelsey’s Firm CliftonLarsonAllen: www.claconnect.com Read Kelsey’s Blog: Signs of Finance Department Dysfunction and What to Do About It Freemium: Contact Kelsey for a Free 30-minute Consultation *****Timestamped Highlights***** (5:08) A record breaker: The client with a whopping 1,800 ledger accounts (9:48) Getting federal grants can be a good time for reflection (12:28) Don’t be scared to ask for help (14:35) A Gamechanger: Negotiate the Indirect Cost Rate (20:35) Show some flexibility with your audit timeline (22:32) Approaching your auditor when things don’t make sense (25:15) The management letter: a useful and under-utilized tool (30:25) Kelsey’s Wedding: a dysfunctional function? Nah.
Strategic Planning Part 10: Overcoming Objections to Strategic Planning
This is the tenth segment of our strategic planning blog series, and in this final segment, we will discuss overcoming the most common objections to strategic planning.
From Recruitment to Recommitment, Building the Board You Need with Kate Hayes
Kate Hayes of Echoing Green, a seed-funding and leadership development program for social entrepreneurs, joins Dolph for a lively discussion about the care and feeding of baby boards. Kate also shares her love of site visits to reignite board members’ passion for the organizational mission. Links: Kate’s firm: www.echoinggreen.org Kate’s Article in SSIR: A Roadmap to Better Boards Archive of Kate’s Articles in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehayes/#630769431a85 *****Timestamped Highlights***** (4:08) Growing from the “friends and family plan” (7:12) Why now? What do I want my board to look like? Who do I need? (10:34) The perks of cold-calling prospective members (12:40) A critical piece of the puzzle: matching context and content (17:06) Until Bernie Marcus knocks on your door, keep giving that homework (19:32) Peer pressure for a healthy culture (20:30) Bless and release (23:48) Recommitting board members by sparking their passion
Media Relations with Antionette Kerr
When interacting with the media, a nonprofit is concerned not only with getting coverage, but with obtaining the best coverage for the organization. Today’s guest, Antionette Kerr, CEO of Bold & Bright Media and founder of The Write Folks, LLC, is here to help. Antionette offers us sage advice on how nonprofits can generate exposure and optimize outcomes by creating strong media relations. Links: Nonprofit Academy: www.thenonprofitacademy.com Bold & Bright Media: www.boldandbrightmedia.com Antionette’s book: Modern Media Relations for Nonprofits In bulk: https://boldandbrightmedia.com/books-2/ amazon.com Antionette’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antionette-kerr-01533468/ *****Timestamped Highlights***** (3:00) The boring press release: one of Antoinette’s biggest pet peeves (6:55) There is space in the news world for nonprofits to be filling the gap for desperate reporters short on time and short on resources. (8:00) Enhance your media releases by making them “G.R.E.A.T.” (11:03) How you can build a relationship with a reporter (15:55) WTF?! How to act when the reporter gets it wrong (19:58) Making sure donors see your media coverage (21:20) The three types of media sources (24:19) Antionette shares how she got a paid internship at a newspaper at age 16
6 Tips for More Effective Meetings
Nothing kills enthusiasm like long, disorganized, unproductive meetings, and this goes for all meetings. Whether a staff meeting or one on ones, we must make sure that all of our interfaces are productive and worth our time. Learn how a commitment to attendance, communication, shared agendas, inclusion, participation, and more will warrant more productive meetings for your nonprofit.
A return to our conversation with Kathleen Janus, author of Social Startup Success: How the Best Nonprofits Launch, Scale Up, and Make a Difference.
This week, join us as we revisit the question, “What are best practices of those nonprofits that make the transition from small budget to large budget impact and growth?” Kathleen Janus, author of Social Startup Success: How the Best Nonprofits Launch, Scale Up, and Make a Difference, emphasizes: creating a culture of innovation; measuring impact for better scaling; finding an appropriate funding model; embracing collective leadership; and utilizing storytelling for growth.
Offering Employee Benefits Your Team Will Love with Liz Frayer
You probably think a lot about employee benefits - whether you are an executive director, board member, or entry level professional. But when we think about employee benefits, we usually just focus on the “basic” benefits like health insurance, vacation time, and sick leave. Today we speak with the CEO of Intrepid, Liz Frayer, who has built a career and a thriving business focused on helping employers provide quality benefits that employees truly value. Liz will share the secrets she has learned from over twenty years in the “benefits business.” Links: Intrepid’s site: www.Intrepid7.com Intrepid’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/Intrepid7 *****Timestamped Highlights***** (3:24) The benefits employees value most (4:35) Liz explains Intrepid’s Employee Concierge Service (8:03) More than You Bargained For: An anecdote about learning your health coverage (9:35) Wellness benefits that nonprofits can offer to their employees (12:00) Biggest myths about employee benefits (15:06) Do employees need some Skin in the Game to truly value benefits (16:46) Benefits your nonprofit should consider offering its employees (22:31) Retirement plans and nonprofits (24:15) What to know when reaching out to a benefits firm (27:51) How Liz makes Intrepid built a business that is nationally recognized as “one of the best places in Atlanta to work”
Conflict Can Be Good for Your Organization with Nate Regier, Ph.D.
There is tremendous energy in conflict. Harnessing that energy for good involves basic precepts outlined in Dr. Nate Regier's model of Compassionate Accountability. Join us as Nate advocates for a fresher and more useful understanding of conflict, and encourages us to engage with openness, resourcefulness, and perseverance. Links: Next Element’s site: www.next-element.com Conflict without Casualties: A field guide for leading with Compassionate Accountability: http://next-element.com/conflict-without-casualties/ Compassionate Accountability Personal Development Kit: http://next-element.com/tools/ Nate’s Training: http://next-element.com/training-coaching/ *****Timestamped Highlights**** (2:15) Growing up in Zaire as a son of Mennonites: the upbringing that inspired Nate’s career (4:53) Nate’s journey into mind/body/spirit health and integrative behavioral medicine (6:02) Nate explains myths about conflict (8:13) The Drama Triangle featuring the persecutor, victim and rescuer (10:53) Handling the organizational “bomb thrower” (11:41) Compassionate Accountability – hold people accountable while preserving their dignity (12:09) ORP – openness, resourcefulness, and persistence – in that order (16:45) How recognition of human equality guides conflict energy (18:30) Compassionate accountability and failing forward: the art of optimizing a mistake (23:42) If you do nothing else, start at open (24:40) Asha and Dad use compassionate accountability to work out bedtime drama (26:16) Turning back time: Nate imagines how his high school classmates would react to his career
Ep 5 - Protect your tax exempt status with Anthony Sampson
Revoked! Protect Your Tax-Exempt Status Atlanta area accountant Anthony Sampson joins us for today’s podcast to talk about automatic revocation of tax-exempt status. Earlier this year, I met with the board of a small nonprofit organization, and a board member indicated that they were “too small to have to file an IRS form 990 of any sort”. My warning antenna shot up, and I suggested they were probably required to file one. Of course, I was clear that I am not a CPA or qualified to provide tax advice, so I offered to connect them with a a local accounting firm that works with a number of nonprofits. After making the introduction, I did a little bit of research and was shocked at what I found out. In calendar year 2015, the IRS revoked the federal tax-exempt status of more than 41,500 nonprofit organizations that failed to file a Form 990 for three consecutive years. That’s just the tip of the iceberg: the IRS has revoked the tax-exempt status of over 635,000 nonprofit organizations since implementing this rule in 2010. With only about 1.8 million nonprofits in the nation, about a third of all nonprofits have been subject to revocation. Scanning the names and locations of those with revoked tax exempt status, the list represents a diverse group of nonprofits, including ministries, associations, fraternities, volunteer fire departments, sports clubs, social service providers, arts organizations, PTA’s, and more. After learning these jarring statistics, I knew it was essential that accountant Anthony Sampson join us for the featured conversation. Links: • IRS: www.irs.gov • Anthony Sampson’s Contact Information: [email protected] 770-900-0410 Article of the Week: Get Intersectional Leanne Rubenstein, Executive Director of Compassionate Atlanta, joined us for the Article of the Week by Kristin Moe: Get Intersectional: Why you can’t go it alone in Yes Magazine. This article on intersectionality applies to nearly every organization. Whether an
Ep 48 - Military Veterans and the Nonprofit Sector with Lora Tucker
This episode has something for every nonprofit professional - whether you are a veteran, active duty, or never served in the military. Those who never served will enjoy a crash course in leadership and explore possible biases about veterans as employees (or bosses). Veterans and active duty listeners will gain valuable insight about transitioning into the nonprofit sector.
Ep 12 - Career Advice from Search Consultant Kevin Chase
As an executive search and transition consultant specializing in C-level nonprofit executives, Kevin Chase gives us a unique view of the search process. When I first booked Kevin for the podcast, I thought the conversation would be a great resource for nonprofits that might be seeking an executive director or development director. Once our conversation unfolded, however, I realized that this conversation was essential listening for those seeking executive level positions and those who aspire to be an executive director one day. For the prospective candidate, Kevin shares incredible advice on interviewing, providing references, and being authentic throughout the process.
Ep 38 - Planning For Fundraising Success With Heather Yandow
Everything you need to know about creating a simple fundraising plan.
Accommodate Your Millennial Workers – or Another Organization Will: A Conversation with Larry Velez of Sinu
We invite Larry Velez, founder and CTO of Sinu, to help us understand and accommodate millennials in the workplace. Top of the list: make sure your organization’s systems and tools are mobile-ready. *****Timestamped Highlights***** (6:58) The trend: Millennials love iPhones! (9:23) Finding balance for seamless integration of devices, data and more (12:45) Yahoo’s semi-cautionary tale (15:47) Being remote but having an office for those who need it (17:07) Trust Issues: Why the older generation fears the cloud (22:35) Accommodating millennials by increasing usability of your tools (24:40) The value of video (28:30) The gift Banksy left on Larry’s office Links: Larry’s firm, Sinu: www.sinu.com Remote: Office Not Required: https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Office-Required-Jason-Fried/dp/0804137501 Banksy Rat Mural on Canal Street, Chinatown, New York City Courtesy of Carina DeVara: Click here for the details on Banksy’s Famous Rat Mural on Canal Street
Bonus Break #39: 12 life lessons from my first 200 podcast episodes
When I started my podcasting journey back in 2016, I made my fair share of mistakes. I’ve found that many of those mistakes, and the lessons I learned, also apply to my professional life. So join me for the 12 life lessons I learned from the last 200 episodes.
Ep 40 - Finding Pro Bono Legal Counsel With Rachel Spears
This week we spoke with Rachel Spears, Executive Director of Pro Bono Partnership Atlanta. Our conversation highlights included: • The dangers of relying on your board member who is an attorney for advice on all your legal matters • The three greatest legal issues that nonprofits face today • Why organizations should secure legal counsel instead of navigating legal matters alone • How organizations outside of Georgia can find pro bono legal counsel • How to be a pro bono client that lawyers want to help
New Ideas for Using the Board to Raise More Money at Your Next Fundraising Event with Abra Annes
Nonprofits all over the country are in the middle of a very busy special event season. In fact, many fundraisers and event planners are putting those final touches on their October and November events, and this is the perfect time to prepare your board to be enthusiastic ambassadors and fundraisers at the event. To help make your board members effective ambassadors and fundraisers at your next event, we invited special event guru and auctioneer Abra Annes back on the podcast. She shared several fresh and innovative ideas for board involvement that will be fun for your board members, while also generating significantly more revenue for your organization. Links Generosity Auction’s Website: www.auctionsgenerosity.com Generosity Auction’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generosityauctions/ Generosity Auction’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYWZ9Rm8VLRD7HgZMlvyNQw ***** Time Stamp Highlights: ***** (8:20) Using board conversations at the event to find out more about your donors (13:35) Encouraging your board members to meet new donors during the event (14:59) Assigning your board members to meet specific prospective donors (19:00) Asking board members to strategically fill their table with the right guests (23:30) Reminding board members that they are in charge of their table at specific points of the event (25:54) A great idea that will get 100% participation in your event’s fund-a-need solicitation (31:00) Importance of following up with your guests after the event (35:00) Raising more money by using proxy bids for live auctions (40:00) Using your most outgoing board member’s to increase social media attention during the event. (42:00) Why both Abra and Dolph would ban golf tournaments as fundraising events
Maurya Couvares Shares the Code to Exponential Nonprofit Growth!
We take a deep dive into nonprofit growth with Maurya Couvares, founder of Code Nation, formerly known as ScriptEd. Having successfully grown ScriptEd from $0 to $3 million in under five years, Maurya gives us the scoop on what that phenomenal growth entailed. Spoiler alert: data collection and deep impact with fundraising are key! Links: ScriptEd’s site: https://scripted.org/ ScriptEd’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScriptEdOrg?lang=en ScriptEd’s annual reports: https://scripted.org/annual-reports/ Maurya’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/MauryaCouvares?lang=en Maurya’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mauryac/ *****Timestamped Highlights***** (3:14) Maurya’s expectations for ScriptEd’s Growth (4:58) What ScriptEd does (7:12) Three Ps: Passion, Partnerships, Program (9:29) Mo levels, mo expenses (10:19) Do the hustle! Maurya’s approach for funds (12:34) Deep thinking, low-cost (16:45) The theory of change and the metrics pyramid (18:49) Talk about growth – less than 1% to 73%! (19:47) Translate impact into $$$ – speak the language of the funders (22:30) Automation of data collection (25:16) The Road Ahead: Maurya shares what’s next for ScriptEd (27:00) 400%?!? (31:03) Dolph declines a dip in the Hudson Rive
