283: How Do You Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game? (Hardy Smith)

SUMMARY

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.

Are you frustrated with your board's lack of engagement or feeling like they aren’t meeting expectations? Could the real issue be deeper than just pointing fingers? In episode 283 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, board expert Hardy Smith explores the critical importance of building intentional relationships between nonprofit executives and their board members. Drawing from his brand new course Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game, he explains that board dysfunction is a symptom of deeper issues stemming from unclear expectations, poor communication, and lack of proper orientation.

ABOUT HARDY

Hardy Smith is author of Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game. As a consultant and speaker, he works with organizations who want to benefit from a fully engaged board. Through board retreats, workshops, keynotes, and planning sessions Hardy provides solutions to board engagement challenges. Hardy’s results-oriented approach was developed during a longtime career in the high-performance world of NASCAR racing. He has had wide-ranging personal and professional involvement with nonprofits, associations, chambers of commerce, and community groups nationwide. He is a member of the National Speakers Association, ASAE, Association of Fundraising Professionals, BoardSource, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and Florida Society of Association Executives. He is a faculty member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Institute for Organization Management.

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES

• Ready for your next leadership opportunity? Visit our partners at Armstrong McGuire
• Check out Hardy's online course: Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game
• Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull
• Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector – Now available on Audible

282: How Can Strategic Planning Transform Your Nonprofit? (Nikki Stewart)

SUMMARY

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader.

How do you transform a strategic plan from a daunting task into a powerful tool for leading your nonprofit? In episode 282 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, we explore the transformative power of strategic planning with Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated. Nikki shares how the pandemic reshaped her organization’s approach to planning, from confronting drastic revenue losses to rebuilding with a focus on a more inclusive narrative around history. She emphasizes the importance of crafting a roadmap that balances innovation with operational needs, and how to engage both funders and staff.

ABOUT NIKKI

Nikki Stewart is a creative and collaborative leader with over 15 years of nonprofit management experience. She serves as the Executive Director of Old North Illuminated, which operates Old North Church & Historic Site, a role that blends her strategic leadership and fundraising expertise with her passion for connecting audiences to local history. Nikki previously served as the VP of Development at United South End Settlements (USES), where she led the organization’s fundraising and communications efforts through an ambitious growth phase that included the implementation of a five-year strategic plan and launch of a capital campaign. AFP Massachusetts named Nikki the 2019 Outstanding Fundraising Rising Star. She launched the Change Maker Dinner series, which was awarded the Get Konnected GK10 award in 2018, naming it one of the top 10 ideas advancing racial equity in the City of Boston. Nikki received a Juris Doctor and bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University. She is a graduate of the Course in Exponential Fundraising at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, as well as the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES

• Ready for your next leadership opportunity? Visit our partners at Armstrong McGuire
• Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi
• Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector – Now available on Audible
• Don’t miss our weekly Thursday Leadership Lens for the latest on nonprofit leadership

281: Ask a Funder: Crucial Insights for Nonprofit Success (Cathryn Dhanatya)

SUMMARY

Are you struggling to secure the funding your nonprofit needs, unsure if your proposals are hitting the mark or if your leadership approach is holding you back? In episode 281 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Cathryn Dhanatya shares invaluable advice for nonprofit leaders navigating the complexities of fundraising and leadership. With experience on both sides of the funding process, Cathryn highlights the common mistakes organizations make when submitting proposals. She emphasizes the critical role of relationship-building, clear communication, and developing a strong team to secure large-scale donations. Cathryn also dives into strategies for demonstrating a "return on impact" to funders, showcasing how nonprofits can measure success and make a compelling case for support. For those aiming to lead with confidence, she also discusses the significance of inclusive leadership and servant leadership, offering practical insights for building an effective organizational culture.

ABOUT CATHRYN

Cathryn is Co-founder and President/CEO of Growing Good Inc., a professional services firm that partners with non-profit organizations and companies who aim to do good in the world. Cathryn has previously held key C-suite executive positions and board director and advisory positions for organizations in the areas of research, higher education, and across the non-profit sector tackling complex social issues from healthcare, education, diversity and gender equity, microfinance, green technology, and food insecurity. She has lived and worked on five continents; earned her Ph.D. in Social Science and Comparative Education from UCLA; and has led and conducted research on media and technology as it relates to health issues around the globe. She has been a keynote speaker at several international and domestic conferences, events, trainings, and featured in numerous media outlets.

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES

• Gravitas: The 8 Strengths That Redefine Confidence by Lisa Sun
• Learn more about Cathryn and the work done at Growing Good
• Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector – Now available on Audible
• Don’t miss our weekly Thursday Leadership Lens for the latest on nonprofit leadership
• Ready for your next leadership opportunity? Visit our partners at Armstrong McGuire