This post is part two of a three-part series on board/staff collaboration. Go here to read part one. “We’ve already tried that, it didn’t work.” The board member smiled back at the organization’s marketing director and thought: “you may have tried it, but did you do it right?” The marketing committee meeting was approaching its […]

The following is part one of a three-part series on board/staff collaboration. Identities have been concealed to protect the innocent. “I don’t understand what we do?” The question hung in the air. The executive director, just three months on the job, did not know what to do with it. It all seemed quite obvious to […]

I am heading off to the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Fundraising Professionals Annual Conference today. On Friday, I will be giving a workshop on Framing the Ask: A Storytelling Approach to Individual Donor Fundraising. Instead of handing out pens with the Creation In Common logo on it, we are handing out small 4″X6″ packets called […]

I wish someone would stand up at a General Motors or AIG board meeting and say: “You know what guys, we need to act more like a business.” It would be one of those awkward moments where everyone around the table would stare blankly at one another not knowing what to say. This statement, commonly […]

I do not have much patience for a nonprofit board of directors that listens to reports, reacts to decisions, and offers advice. On the other hand, I am inspired by a board that takes action, creates opportunities, and builds relationships. The latter is deeply engaged in the cause, the former likes the idea of it. […]