The congregation of which I am a part has had a rough go of it over the past couple of years. We chewed up a pastor heralded as a “change agent” by the search committee that found him. In the process, we lost nearly a third of our membership, including many of our strongest givers. [...]
New leader, you thought the board wanted what?
November 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Nonprofit boards are prone to seek a change-agent as their next CEO. You know, a visionary who can inspire the masses and kick a few strategic asses. A “savior” who, without breaking a sweat, rights all wrongs, separates wheat from chaff, and sets the organization on the path to success. Within the first 90 days [...]
End of the week leftovers
November 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a bunch of Generous Matters-worthy reads about which I would have commented this past week, had I had time. It’s that time of year. 3 tips for driving your driving a successful annual appeal. 4 questions donors want you to answer. “If you don’t understand how these 4 questions work in your donor’s mind, [...]
Rest for the weary, grace for the rest
August 8, 2012 By 2 Comments
As this post goes live, I’ll be up in the air (literally), in flight to Dallas, Texas. Along with more than 2,000 young moms, 150 or so paid and volunteer staff, and 12 of my board peers, I’m headed for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Convention 2012. No surprise that the joys and frustrations of young [...]
Before attacking organizational culture, read this.
July 2, 2012 By 4 Comments
I don’t know the identity of the “wise ones” who are preaching the gospel of slash and burn leadership. But should I bump into one of them, I fear my commitment to civil discourse will be at risk. You know who I mean — the management gurus who label organizational culture as the enemy of [...]
Generosity in quotes
May 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
“When the dreams we have for ourselves match the reality of our experience, we’re living our purpose. These moments of leadership aren’t always about being in the spotlight. They aren’t always about presenting to thousands or asking for millions of dollars. They are often quiet moments as we are getting dressed to leave or are [...]
MOPS and leadership development on the mommy track
December 26, 2011 By 1 Comment
The folks over at the Bidgespan Group tell us that nonprofits will need to hire 640,000 new senior executives by 2016. Having recently wrapped up two lengthy quests for organizational leaders — one as counsel and the other as board chair — the idea of all those searches is enough to make my head spin. [...]
Generosity in quotes
November 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“Perhaps of all the virtues hope is the most fragile, the most fleeting, the least concrete. Don’t forget that the Greek gods, at the very bottom of Pandora’s box of ills and troubles, placed hope. Hope it is that allows us to cope with the rest of life. Nonprofit organizations more than any other groups [...]
It takes a team to win the board game (part 2)
July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In my last post, I added a governance spin to two of four strategies from consultants Jack and Suzy Welch’s advice about “How to Build a Winning Team.” Now I’m back with commentary on the remaining two points. (The Welch’s words are in italic and mine are in regular face.) Third, winning teams are honest. [...]
Going nowhere fast
March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I use the phrase “dysfunctional civility” in my consulting work to describe a board culture that shuts out hard questions and differences of opinion. This week I came across a companion descriptor that I plan to add to my workshop repertoire — “dysfunctional momentum.” Michelle Barton and Kathleen Sutcliffe coined the phrase in an article that appeared [...]
