Learning to Lead for Impact
leadership insight from Tom Okarma
the latest and greatest…
6 Things Nonprofit Leaders Learn the Hard Way
If you're like me, the best lessons you learn are the ones you learn the hard way. • Cutting corners usually comes back to bite you • Eating a big breakfast so you can cut down on your lunch and...
5 Reasons Why You Need a Board of Directors (Besides the Obvious)
More often than not, I can tell when an executive director is preparing for a board meeting. He or she is usually a little on edge and short on patience. The team may be a bit "amped up" with people...
Want Your Agency to Make a Bigger Impact?
Create a Tighter, More Focused Strategic Plan Have you ever asked yourself, with all the hours and hard work your team puts in each week at your agency, why you don't have more to show for it? More...
How to Set Up Your Nonprofit Board for Success in 6 Easy Steps
As a young boy, I always enjoyed watching parades in “The Loop”, the heart of downtown Chicago. Bright colors, shiny instruments, and a snappy pace. So impressive and memorable. If you’ve seen the...
Want to be a Better Leader?
Switch to this type of Leadership. Leadership used to be simple and straightforward. The boss decided what had to be done, told someone, and that person or committee got working on it. Clear,...
Could a New Strategic Plan Make This Year Better?
Does your agency really need a Strategic Plan this year? You might be on the fence about dedicating the time and energy needed to formulate a strategic plan for your nonprofit. Like most...
leadership
5 Things Every Board Member Wishes You New
Whether you are a board chair or an executive director, leading a nonprofit is a special calling. It’s exciting, unnerving, challenging, and fulfilling. It’s a role most of us wouldn’t give up for anything… We've all been there. You find yourself sitting at the head...
Improving Board Effectiveness: Why Isn’t My Board Better?
Why Isn't My Board Better? Keeping up with the Jones’ is about as American as Apple Pie and baseball. I sense it is alive and well in the nonprofit world, too. Specifically, I hear nonprofit leaders often whispering, “Why isn’t my board better?” “Why can’t we do the...
Nonprofit Risk Management: Is Your Agency Exposed To Risk?
As a nonprofit leader, your attention is drawn in many different directions in the course of a week, sometimes, all at once. You are responsible to look into the future to ensure the agency is headed in the right direction. You also need to look internally to...
Is Your Leadership Style Helping or Hurting Your Nonprofit?
There Is No One Right Way To Lead Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Understanding your leadership style is a crucial step in empowering your agency to succeed. There are leadership styles that fit much better in some circumstances than others. Sometimes, an...
Nonprofit Volunteer Recruitment: Find Your Agency’s Best Ambassadors
Recognize The True Representatives Of Your Nonprofit Believe it or not - you are very likely overlooking and underutilizing the most valuable off-balance sheet asset in your agency. I am talking about the face of your organization, those who actually do much of the...
The Hardest Question Every Executive Director Must Answer
The Hardest Question Every Executive Director Must Answer At some level, every executive director’s job is similar to other directors in the community. Each leads the organization, raises funds, recruits, ensures clients are being served well, all while serving as the...
board development
Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: 3 Ways to Make the Process Easier
How To Make Strategic Planning for Nonprofits Easier And More Successful Many agencies will shortly begin holding planning sessions, or retreats, for 2018. The announcement of these events is usually met with either groans or cheers, depending on how your past...
Board of Director’s Role: What Exactly Should Your Board Be Doing?
Do you know the Board of Director's Role for Your Nonprofit? The board of director's role in an organization can make or break it. Individual directors (and boards as a whole), play key roles in the success of a nonprofit agency. Yet two of the most overlooked steps...
12 Biggest Board Meeting Myths – Exposed
How to Make Your Board Meetings... BETTER. Sometimes, being a leader feels like you are out in front of a marching band, with everyone smiling and marching closely behind you, in lock step to your tempo. One tight team all in sync. It is a beautiful thing. But other...
Is Your Board a Little Too Close for Comfort?
Most nonprofit board of directors fall into two categories — Governance boards and Working boards. Both have important responsibilities. Either can be necessary at times. They can each can be the perfect board for a nonprofit, based on the agency’s characteristics,...
Is Your Board Going Bad? 8 Things You Need to Know…
You're likely a nonprofit leader, an executive director, maybe a board chair. At minimum, you're probably on the board. You've helped to lead your agency for a long time and things have gone well, other than the periodic crisis you've had to manage through. All of...
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. Whatever the reason, too many board meetings feel like a waste of time with...
strategic planning
Creative Friction-A Good Thing
When I led a for-profit company, we used to talk about “creative friction”- a condition whereby people with different opinions on a particular topic were encouraged to voice their opinions and provide evidence to substantiate their positions. It was very helpful in...
All Together Now…
They say leadership is a lonely position. It’s true, but that doesn't mean you’re all alone. Often, it is better to open the door and let others have a chance to solve the big problems leaders face. I once led an organization that sold services through a terrific, and...
What’s the Score?
Most organizations have a plan for what they what to accomplish in a given year-maybe an elaborate one, maybe a simple one, but they have a plan. That's good. And, most organizations measure results and various other data. That's good, too. I've found, though, that...
When The Leader Retires
I recently agreed to serve as co-chair of our nonprofit's search committee to replace the current president and founder. He will be retiring with the next year or so. He has a wealth of information, wisdom, relationships, and passion. Needless to say, replacing him is...
The Perfect Search
I came across a very good book about executive searches for nonprofits recently. It is loaded with suggestions and observiation based on real life experience. The Perfect Search by Tommy Thomas could be a terrific resource for you if your nonprofit is about to launch...
Marketing vs Development
Having great marketing, advertising, and PR plans are great first steps in assuring your organization has adequate financial resources to carry out your mission. But is it enough? I say no. The finest website, the classiest brochures, even the snappiest messaging are...
everything…
The Hardest Question Every Executive Director Must Answer
The Hardest Question Every Executive Director Must Answer At some level, every executive director’s job is similar to other directors in the community. Each leads the organization, raises funds, recruits, ensures clients are being served well, all while serving as the...
4 Things Successful Nonprofit Leaders Do Every Week
Guard Your Calendar Wisely Your role as an executive director is much more than a 9-5 job. You may have breakfast meetings, dinner meetings and late evening meetings. Sometimes, your Saturdays turn into full work days, too. During the day you are meeting with donors,...
Changing Nonprofit Trends: 4 Things Your Team Needs To Know
Embracing The Change There is a lot of change coming to the nonprofit world. Boards, leaders, staff, and volunteers need to face and process emerging nonprofit trends, all while still serving their clients. The good news: all of these changes have the capacity to...
Nonprofit Board Management: 18 Reasons Your Board Is Failing
Get Your Board On The Right Track I have found many nonprofit boards are just a few steps away from seeing high impact results. With a few adjustments, these organizations are capable of delivering transformational change to those they are trying to help. They have...
High Impact: 14 Ways To Improve Your Board Leadership
How Should You Lead Your Board Of Directors? After serving on several boards and consulting with many others, I have seen common problems or decisions made by leadership that resurface again and again. These issues hold boards back from giving their best effort and...
Becoming A Board Member: Stay Confident, Come Prepared
So You’re On The Board Of Directors, Now What? Congratulations! You’re officially a board member of an organization that addresses a cause you care about. Becoming a board member is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of a lifetime. Consequently, you...
15 Things Non Profit Board Members Should Be Doing
You've Got New Board Members, Now What? New non profit board members are often confused, uncertain, and unclear on exactly what their responsibilities are once they are on the board. They are eager to help, but recognize they may not have historical or institutional...
11 Easy Ways To Start a Board Training Program For Your Nonprofit
Speed of the leader, speed of the team. No organization can succeed, let alone thrive, with weak or untrained leadership. The same holds true for nonprofit boards. One of the most prevalent problems I run into when I speak with executive directors or accept a new...
Nonprofit Leadership: Who Does It Better, Men Or Women?
In the mid-90’s, we learned from Dr. John Gray, Ph.D., in his best seller Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, that men and women are quite different. It was apparent to Dr. Gray then that significant differences existed between men and women. I got to thinking...