The Latest
Busy Week
I’m having such a busy week and it isn’t even half finished. Sometimes balancing the job and home life can begin to feel frenetic. So, I did something this week I don’t normally do. I hired help. Weird thing is that in my work as an executive director we hire help all the time. We have a...
Stale-Dated
Last week we talked about using a spreadsheet to keep track of the accounting for a smaller non-profit. This week let’s talk about a common bookkeeping challenge you might face when working on your non-profit’s accounts, the stale-dated cheque. Regardless of the bookkeeping method you...
Is Your Strategic Plan a Little Dusty?
Have you ever wondered how a non-profit’s strategic plan ties into its operations plan? Where does the information come from? How does it all tie together? Would it surprise you to learn that a non-profit’s strategic plan and operations plan are pieces in the circle of data flowing through...
The Executive Director's Private Notes
Executive directors take a lot of notes. It might be notes at a staff meeting. It might be notes at a training session. It might be the handwritten notes at a board meeting. It might be notes when meeting with a funder. What do you do with all those notes? Well, I’ll share what I do with mine....
Orientation Plan
I started a new (virtual) employee this summer and because it was a very busy time, I created a very detailed orientation plan. It was very successful, and I thought I would share with you how I structured that plan. We are a virtual team so everything we do is handled by distance. But it...
From No Employees to a Paid Team
When a non-profit first starts there will be a team of volunteers who handle all the work. They might also double as board members. Those early days are usually pretty lean, but everyone pitches in and the work gets done. When a non-profit grows a little more and the work that's required is...
A More Flexible Board Meeting
A board meeting is more flexible than most people realize. Sure, there are a few things that are necessary legal steps. For example, approving the agenda, approving the previous meeting minutes, and following the correct process for making and seconding motions. After that you can create a...
Do the Work
I’m a fan of colour field painting; paintings with large fields of colour that are less about gesture and meaning and more about process. [No, you aren’t reading the wrong blog.] As an aspiring colour field painter, I want to learn everything about this style of art. So, a few years ago, a...
Are you keeping secrets? I am. I’m sorry. I’ll do better.
I’ve been with my organization for almost 10 years and while I have no thoughts of leaving, a nagging question keeps coming up, am I doing tasks that might be hard for someone to take over when I retire. I’ll give you two examples. I handle all the bookkeeping* using Sage50 Pro. I know...
The Executive Director's Advisory Council
An executive director’s job is kind of lonely. As the key person in charge of the organization, where do you turn when you need a little advice? You can’t lean on those folks you supervise. No matter how well you get along, that would put them in an awkward position and might set a...