Learning to Lead for Impact
leadership insight from Tom Okarma
the latest and greatest…
How to Start a Nonprofit
How To Start a Nonprofit You want what you do to matter more. You want to make a difference in the lives of others. You believe passionately about helping the community. You don’t understand why...
The 1 Thing That Will Have the Biggest Impact on Your Non-Profit Leadership
Is there a secret to successful non-profit leadership? If you're leading at a non-profit then your world is filled with a never-ending stream of new challenges. Whether you’re a new leader just...
4 Key Areas That Can Kill Productivity in a Non-profit
Declining productivity can suck the life out of a non-profit... and a non-profit leader. Feeling overwhelmed? Way too much to do and no where near enough time? Never-ending to-do list? Sometimes I...
Are You Making The Right Impact?
6 Questions to tell if your agency is on the right track. Leaders of just about every type of organization--church, nonprofit, or business--say they are client-centered and offer services tailored...
10 Ways to Have Better Board Meetings
Anyone who has served on a nonprofit board, will know this feeling all too well. We’ve all been there… suffering through a board meeting that makes a root canal seem like a night on the town....
15 Simple Ways to Use Your Board For Marketing
Nonprofit marketing can be challenging at best. If you’re like most agencies, you're constantly on the look out for new ways to share your mission, more effective ways to build awareness, and new...
leadership
Where is Your Nonprofit Going?
Understanding the key role Mission, Vision, and Values play in moving an organization forward. These elements are probably some of the most important in your organization, yet they are often the most overlooked. They help guide decision-making, budgeting, and...
How To Build a Nonprofit Board For Maximum Impact
Great organizations have great boards -- that fact is indisputable. The most important initiative of a nonprofit board is its responsibility to objectively and thoughtfully identify, recruit, and orientate the best board candidates it can find. But often, this process...
Can millennials and baby boomers work together to create better nonprofits?
No doubt about it, the Millennials are coming — in fact, they are already here… and they’re having a significant impact in both the business and nonprofit worlds. We Baby Boomer leaders can live in denial for a while if we wish, but the smart “play” would be to reach...
Do Women Make Better Nonprofit Leaders?
The 7 Characteristics That Give Women a Distinct Advantage After many years of serving in various leadership positions and with both women and men reporting to me, and even more years observing other leaders, I firmly believe that women, by a fairly wide margin, can...
Even “Perfect” Strategic Plans Usually Overlook This Component
One of the most frequent assignments I am asked to take on when asked to work with a nonprofit board or its CEO is to help them get back on track, to help them get things going again. They contact me because they feel bogged down and unable to break through the...
70% of Nonprofit Leaders Identify as The DIRECTOR
Officially live only a few weeks, the Leadership Edge Quiz has already garnered a surprising amount of attention. But what was even more surprising — and we’ve double-checked the numbers — was some of the preliminary findings so far. Our data revealed — over 70% of...
board development
Be Golden in 2013
Successful leaders are always looking for ways to increase their effectiveness and the impact of their organizations. So whether you are running a small or start up organization or if your firm had a tough 2012, now is the time to reboot and set yourself up for...
Who’s on First, What’s on Second?
Most nonprofit organizations run pretty well. I say pretty well meaning they are in the range of 5-6, with 10 being high. While they can always do some things better they are effectively serving their clients and working toward their vision. The ones I see that have...
Are You the Sage on Stage?
One of a leader's most important responsibilities to the organization and its staff is the development of subordinates. How do you handle this? Do you give others a chance to grow, to work on something a bit above their pay grade, to struggle with a complex issue? Or,...
Who Picks the New Directors?
I've been reading a lot about the recruitment of new nonprofit directors lately. It can be a controversial issue and unless your Board Governance Documents cover the process, it can lead to anything from hurt feelings to animosity. ED's and board presidents: How does...
Governance Part 2: Board Composition
What would be the ideal composition of your board? What skill sets should you have represented by board members that you can therefore leverage to your organization’s advantage? What does your board development committee look for in a board candidate? I’m currently...
Board Presidents That Don’t Bore
Over coffee with a friend who recently retired as a nonprofit board president, I learned how she kept board meetings lively and got her directors engaged right from the opening gavel. I had not served on this board so I was interested to learn her secret. Before she...
strategic planning
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everything…
“Tom-isms”, or What I learned the Hard Way…
...but you don't have to. We all learn a lot of lessons along the way. I seem to learn best by doing rather than taking someone's advice. The result is I learn by getting my nose bloodied from time to time. So in the spirit of wanting to share so others can benefit...
Yes, Your Nonprofit does Need a Board of Directors!
Absolutely, a board of directors is necessary. But, it shouldn't just be comprised of a collection of well-intended directors. Legally, you're probably required to have one anyway, but in addition, the value derived from the "right" board is immeasurable. In fact,...
Do We Really Need a Board of Directors?
There is a pretty simple way to decide what is board business (governance) and what is staff business (operations).
Put Passion back into your Nonprofit Board Meetings
If you’ve struggled to increase board meeting attendance, raise the energy level in your meetings, develop a clearer focus on your mission, or instill a fiery passion back into your boardroom, I have an answer. It is quite simple, costs nothing, and you can do it at...
A Tool to Minimize Strife on Your Board-Your Values
Military experts say once a battle begins the battle plan goes out the window. I am seeing evidence this also happening on nonprofit boards. In a couple of cases I’ve seen terrible damage done to otherwise well-running nonprofits. Yet, due to strife, however caused,...
You Need a Prickly Pair on Your Board
I love the desert, not just because that is where spring training of my beloved losers-The Chicago Cubs- practice but because of its unique vegetation. Cacti come in many different styles. Some say there are over 2,000 species of these complex living creations. One...
Team or Family: Your Choice
Leading a nonprofit is not easy. There are many interests to balance, many balls to juggle, many personalities to assuage, many clients to serve. It's been likened to herding carts. So, in order to do the very best job you and your agency can do, you need reliable...
Are You a Leader Worth Reproducing?
One of a leader’s primary duties is to grow and develop others. Just recently I began wrestling with a related question posed by a long-time friend of mine-Dave-who is in ministry.…Am I a leader worth reproducing? How about you? Are you a (fill in the blank) board...
No More Nonprofit Board Problems in 2014!
Here are a few ideas to help ministry and nonprofit leaders work more closely (and pleasurably) with their boards. Who knows, maybe everyone will actually start enjoying board meetings! Reconnect regularly with each director, one-to-one if possible, to tap into their...