At the first board meeting I ever attended, the only person who spoke was my boss, the executive director. Driving back to the office, she asked me what I thought of the meeting. I told her the board was not very engaged. She agreed and said, “I just don’t know how to change that.” I […]

In the May 1st online edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy a headline stated: “Charities Give Boards Little Training in Fund Raising, Study Finds.” I would argue that most board members do not want training in fund raising. They didn’t join our organizations because they wanted to learn how to prospect, cultivate, and make “asks.” […]

Here’s a simple way to find out. In a middle of a board meeting, look at the people around the table and ask yourself: Does the quality of this discussion match the quality of people? Granted, “quality” is fairly subjective. Yet, it is pretty easy to tell if you have a group of individuals who […]

This installment of the Sixty-Second Strategy covers a quick exercise to help organizations define the value they create and deliver to the communities they serve.   For more information, go to the related post entitled Owning Your Place in the Community. Also, visit the previous Sixty-Second Strategy installment– Kick Start Your Story.

[The following is an excerpt from a keynote I gave to the Southern Minnesota Nonprofit Summit.] Fifteen years ago this week was when I arrived in Minnesota to become the Executive Director of The Playwrights’ Center. My wife and I were newly married. We drove 900 miles from Dallas to Minnesota with most our belongings […]