The Latest
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...
A Road Map for Non-Profit Boards
I like road maps. I like knowing where I’m going even if I kind of already know where I’m going. Non-profits benefit from all kinds of road maps. The strategic plan is the king of all road maps. Then the operational plan, then individual work plans, and job descriptions, and policies, and,...
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...