Sept. 3, 2025
Nonprofit Mastery with Glenda Hicks: Boards, Leadership, and Impact
Send us a text When Glenda Hicks discovered that 80% of nonprofit work was being done by just 20% of board members, she knew something had to change. Drawing from her CPA background and decades of nonprofit experience, she created an innovative solution that's transforming board effectiveness nationwide. In this eye-opening conversation, Glenda reveals the fundamental challenges facing nonprofit boards today. From constant turnover creating relationship-building hurdles to the delicate balan...
When Glenda Hicks discovered that 80% of nonprofit work was being done by just 20% of board members, she knew something had to change. Drawing from her CPA background and decades of nonprofit experience, she created an innovative solution that's transforming board effectiveness nationwide.
In this eye-opening conversation, Glenda reveals the fundamental challenges facing nonprofit boards today. From constant turnover creating relationship-building hurdles to the delicate balance between governance and operations, she offers practical wisdom for navigating these complex waters. Her insights on leadership development extend beyond the boardroom, showing how proper training and recognition of volunteers can dramatically increase organizational impact.
The most surprising revelation? Glenda's experiential board game simulation that allows members to practice decision-making, strategic planning, and difficult conversations in a safe environment. This innovative approach creates powerful "aha moments" that transform how board members understand their roles and responsibilities.
What sets truly effective nonprofit leaders apart? According to Glenda, it starts with listening. "You have to be able to listen actively," she explains, detailing how creating safe spaces for open dialogue can bridge communication gaps and build trust between board and staff. Her three-word formula—listening, communication, and relationships—provides a simple yet powerful framework for organizational success.
Whether you're a nonprofit executive, board member, or volunteer wanting to increase your impact, this conversation delivers actionable strategies you can implement immediately. Connect with Glenda at www.501cimpact.com to learn more about strengthening your nonprofit's leadership and governance.
Connect with Glenda Hicks
Contact Information:
• Email: info@501cimpact.com
• Phone: 770-865-0979
• Website: www.501cimpact.com
• Social Media Links:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenda-hicks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook/501cimpact
Stay tuned for the next episode of Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson. Subscribe - Follow and Like Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson
00:00 - Introduction to Glenda Hicks
04:35 - From CPA to Nonprofit Specialist
10:25 - Creating the Board Game Simulation
14:45 - Common Challenges for Nonprofit Boards
20:09 - Leadership Development Beyond Staff
26:54 - Building Trust and Effective Culture
32:47 - Final Thoughts and Contact Information
WEBVTT
00:00:19.335 --> 00:00:19.955
Thank you.
00:00:19.955 --> 00:00:21.657
Collaborations fuse success.
00:00:21.657 --> 00:00:26.001
Tune in for inspiring stories, expert insights and game-changing conversations.
00:00:26.001 --> 00:00:28.027
Let's build, connect and thrive together.
00:00:28.027 --> 00:00:30.760
Remember, collaboration is the key to success.
00:00:33.746 --> 00:00:40.726
Welcome to Ready Set Collaborate podcast with Wanda Pearson, the show where we inspire, empower and connect through powerful conversations.
00:00:40.726 --> 00:00:42.911
I'm your host, wanda Pearson.
00:00:42.911 --> 00:00:59.094
Today, I am honored to be joined by an amazing Glenda Hicks, a consultant, trainer, facilitator and coach specializing in empowering nonprofit organizations to excel in board governance, leadership development and powerful effectiveness.
00:00:59.094 --> 00:01:06.554
Glenda has a passion for helping nonprofits strengthen their leadership and create greater impact in the communities they serve.
00:01:06.554 --> 00:01:17.936
This conversation is packed with wisdom, strategies, inspiration that every leader, every board leader, every board member and changemaker would want to hear.
00:01:17.936 --> 00:01:24.828
Settle in, grab your notebook and get ready to be inspired as we dive into this powerful conversation with Glenda Hicks.
00:01:24.828 --> 00:01:26.251
Welcome, glenda.
00:01:26.251 --> 00:01:28.733
I am so happy that you are on my podcast.
00:01:28.733 --> 00:01:30.055
Say hi to the audience.
00:01:35.540 --> 00:01:38.451
Hello audience and thank you, Wanda, I am excited to be here with you today and to have this conversation.
00:01:38.451 --> 00:01:38.933
Thank you very much.
00:01:38.933 --> 00:01:40.358
Yes, a long way that we should have did this.
00:01:40.358 --> 00:01:45.090
Two years ago, we met again at a peace podcast and we actually were speakers on that.
00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:46.031
Yeah, no, thank you again.
00:01:46.031 --> 00:01:48.927
And I looked at it and said, oh yeah, I was supposed to have a window on my podcast.
00:01:49.028 --> 00:01:52.245
No worries, all in due time, everything is all in due time.
00:01:52.325 --> 00:01:55.588
Yes, yes, I'm excited to have you here and thank you for joining me here.
00:01:55.588 --> 00:02:07.144
That is such a blessing because nonprofits I actually was part of a nonprofit organization too, and I really need to get part of one with my business as well.
00:02:07.144 --> 00:02:10.931
We got to talk as well how I can get WDP, my brand, into nonprofits as well.
00:02:10.931 --> 00:02:15.308
I do have one actually on my website as one of my collaborators, but I'm not sure what happened to us.
00:02:15.308 --> 00:02:19.592
We're going to learn a little bit more about how we can get involved as businesses, right?
00:02:19.813 --> 00:02:23.223
Yes absolutely Collaborating together, absolutely.
00:02:23.223 --> 00:02:24.608
That's why I said ready set, collaborate.
00:02:24.608 --> 00:02:25.590
Let's collaborate, girl.
00:02:25.590 --> 00:02:26.733
Let's see how we can do this.
00:02:26.733 --> 00:02:27.481
All right, my dear.
00:02:27.481 --> 00:02:29.870
Well, let me tell you a little bit about Glenda Hicks.
00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:41.491
Glenda Hicks is a consulting trainer, facilitator and coach specializing in empowering nonprofit organizations to excel in board governance, leadership development and operational effectiveness.
00:02:41.491 --> 00:02:53.312
She founded 501c Impact and utilizes evidence-based method, mythologies, best practice tools and innovation technologies to support non-profit.
00:02:53.312 --> 00:02:56.564
Linda created an experimental.
00:02:56.564 --> 00:02:58.729
No, not experimental.
00:02:58.729 --> 00:03:00.233
How do we say that, linda?
00:03:05.867 --> 00:03:06.508
Experiential.
00:03:06.588 --> 00:03:11.695
Tongue twister, learning board games, stimulating nonprofit board service and operations.
00:03:11.695 --> 00:03:19.871
With over 35 years of experience, she collaborates with board chairs and executive directors to develop sustainable strategies and measurable impacts.
00:03:19.871 --> 00:03:24.021
Some of her services include strategic planning retreats I love that.
00:03:24.021 --> 00:03:46.599
Leadership training, governance and organizational assessments and vision mission development and refinement that support local to international nonprofits with small to multimillion dollar budgets that are at various stages in their development life cycles cycles.
00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:57.647
Glenda has served on various nonprofit boards since 1992, including roles with the National League Aid and Defenders Association, girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, united Way Impact Board for Rockdale County and Cobb Collaborative.
00:03:57.647 --> 00:04:01.465
Wow, you girl, I tell you you're definitely involved with this here.
00:04:01.465 --> 00:04:02.127
I love it.
00:04:02.127 --> 00:04:07.560
I love what you're doing, the diversity, spreading it out among everything that you do as far as nonprofits.
00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:13.332
Thank you for joining us and being able to answer some questions for us as far as how the nonprofits work.
00:04:13.332 --> 00:04:20.314
First, I want to dive into some questions for you and how you actually got involved with the nonprofits.
00:04:20.314 --> 00:04:22.747
Can you tell us your journey of how that started?
00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:26.281
Sure, by education and training.
00:04:26.281 --> 00:04:28.404
I am also a CPA.
00:04:28.404 --> 00:04:36.115
That's how I started my career in public accounting, working for what was then a big eight CPA firm and now down to four.
00:04:36.115 --> 00:04:44.774
But in that capacity I was on the audit side of things and I had an opportunity to serve a variety of clients, both for-profit and non-profit.
00:04:44.774 --> 00:05:02.850
But when I left because I had this need to do the work and not just check behind others in terms of auditing them and I went to work for the University of Miami at that time, which is a not-for-profit education institution but I still had this tug in my heart to do more, to serve more.
00:05:02.850 --> 00:05:16.151
I attribute that to just my own internal personality and drive for life in terms of serving others and wanting to have an impact in people's lives I felt like it was time to go and do something different and more and deeper.
00:05:16.151 --> 00:05:25.331
And that's when I left and worked for a community-based nonprofit organization in their accounting department and got closer to those that we served.
00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:43.505
But then I took a break and stayed home with our first child and when I went back to the workforce I decided I think I'm ready to do this on my own and that's when I started my CPA practice and, as it happened, every referral that I received from friends and colleagues and contacts were nonprofit organizations.
00:05:43.526 --> 00:05:49.449
I began focusing on them and recognizing and contacts were nonprofit organizations, I began focusing on them and recognizing that this is my calling.
00:05:49.449 --> 00:05:58.233
This is the space that I am supposed to serve in, and now I will be intentional about acquiring clients that are in this space.
00:05:58.233 --> 00:06:11.130
That's what I've done ever since is actively pursued nonprofit organizations and just really began trying to help them increase their capacity and their sustainability.
00:06:11.130 --> 00:06:21.665
Now, over the years, I have served some for-profit clients, a couple of them in my own practice, but then also collaborating with colleagues who have asked me to come in on projects with them.
00:06:21.665 --> 00:06:26.362
Some of them serve some Fortune 500 companies and have gone in and done some of that.
00:06:26.362 --> 00:06:39.060
But really my heart has always been with nonprofit organizations and that led me to actually transition all of those non-accounting services out of the CPA firm and into 501c Impact.
00:06:39.060 --> 00:06:45.153
So now all of my work is done there and that's really where I find my greatest joy.
00:06:46.281 --> 00:06:50.612
That's awesome and I have to say I think we have a mutual friend, Andrea Lockhart.
00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:55.512
Oh, yes, so I don't know her very well, but I did meet her through the Atlanta Black Chambers.
00:06:55.512 --> 00:07:02.822
Since having met her there, I refer organizations and for-profit entrepreneurs and the like to her.
00:07:02.822 --> 00:07:08.425
So it's been many years since I've seen her, but I continue to refer people to her.
00:07:09.028 --> 00:07:10.110
Yeah, she's our CPA.
00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:12.286
Okay, awesome, awesome.
00:07:12.581 --> 00:07:13.141
I'm her BNI.
00:07:13.141 --> 00:07:16.632
She's our BNI president, so yeah, so she's my client, I'm her client.
00:07:16.632 --> 00:07:17.862
Well, tell her.
00:07:17.862 --> 00:07:21.141
I said hello, she'll likely not remember me, but I will no.
00:07:21.141 --> 00:07:22.562
I said she refers all these big companies to you.
00:07:22.562 --> 00:07:23.444
So yeah, I definitely will no.
00:07:23.444 --> 00:07:26.689
She refers to all these big companies to you, so yeah, I definitely will no, it's great.
00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:31.156
So now, what do you find most rewarding about your role as a consulting, trainer and coach?
00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:55.380
With their best selves.
00:07:55.380 --> 00:08:02.872
I used to subscribe in my CPA practice to a mantra of really helping people to understand how to do the work, equipping them with the resources to do the work and then ensuring that they're holistically well and not really what you would think of from a CPA, but somehow just from my own work in different environments.
00:08:02.872 --> 00:08:12.310
I learned from watching you never know who's watching you Absolutely my own experiences in different companies and then watching others.
00:08:12.310 --> 00:08:31.762
What came to my mind's eye was that this combination of people needing to have what they need to do their job, being happy when they come to work or in at least an environment that promotes this team concept, and then just rallying around a shared vision and I really didn't.
00:08:31.762 --> 00:08:37.460
I wasn't able to completely articulate that at the time, but I just felt like that was the formula.
00:08:37.460 --> 00:09:05.243
Over the years, as I learned more through going to formal training for myself and always I consider myself a lifelong learner Then I began to recognize that there's terminology for these things, that this is a real philosophy that people subscribe to, and I could be again intentional about building on that and then using it in my work, just being up close with people and helping them, because a lot of my clients when I was on the accounting side.
00:09:05.263 --> 00:09:08.490
They were frustrated In these nonprofit organizations.
00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:16.232
Their staff, particularly in the accounting department a lot of them had bookkeepers and not accountants or CPAs.
00:09:16.232 --> 00:09:28.445
There was a different level of training, education and experience that they did not have and it would frustrate them to not be able to do what they needed to do and they desperately wanted to.
00:09:28.445 --> 00:09:37.910
And that's where I was able to come in and begin helping them side by side to learn the information, understand why it mattered.
00:09:37.910 --> 00:09:38.191
That was.
00:09:38.230 --> 00:09:41.104
The other component was to understand the why behind things.
00:09:41.104 --> 00:09:50.168
Then they could find mistakes if they made them for themselves instead of the auditor coming in and finding it because they had someone to take the time.
00:09:50.168 --> 00:09:52.721
That's why I enjoy it so much.
00:09:52.721 --> 00:10:03.955
There's a different level of camaraderie I find in nonprofits and I'm sure we're going to hear from some for-profit folks I run a for-profit as well that say that's not true.
00:10:03.955 --> 00:10:05.720
We have a great culture in our company.
00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:39.779
But there's just a different level of commitment and team that I tend to find in the nonprofit sector and it's probably because they're driving towards social change and helping people and it's not a profit motive, it's a improvement, a community improvement motive, trying to make a difference in people's lives, and for me that just resonates and it allows me to lend my skills and impact an organization that's doing great things in the community.
00:10:40.880 --> 00:10:49.807
That's awesome, and we talked about the board game, so can you share the story behind the board of directors and, in particular, their chief executive?
00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:08.812
whether it's their title, ceo or executive director.
00:11:08.812 --> 00:11:15.809
There was this common frustration among them and typically it was my board's not following through.
00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:41.702
They're not doing what I need them to do to really support my work there, and this is that 80-20 rule, where 20% of the board is doing 80% of the work, and that applies in a lot of different areas of our lives and jobs, but it was true in this capacity, and they either needed them to help fundraise more or to show up to the meeting so that they'd have a quorum, or to volunteer to chair a committee and just a myriad of things.
00:11:41.702 --> 00:11:52.149
So I recognize this pattern of pain points and symptoms of a bigger issue which, for me, I felt like that issue was they didn.
00:11:52.149 --> 00:11:54.811
Some cases they were, but even that wasn't enough.
00:11:54.811 --> 00:12:10.673
They still didn't understand what it looked like to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.
00:12:10.673 --> 00:12:17.840
The other side of that is they also didn't understand the consequences of not fulfilling their responsibilities.
00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:32.120
So if they didn't follow through or they weren't effective, they didn't really understand what issue, what problems that caused, not only for the chief executive but for the organization as a whole.
00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:50.472
And it truly impacts the sustainability of a nonprofit when your board does not fulfill its responsibilities effectively and it could lead to your chief executive leaving because they've had enough, they can't take any more of trying to do their job and the board's job.
00:12:50.700 --> 00:13:00.589
All of that led me to think maybe it's the way that we're training these folks and because there's consultants all over the country and the world.
00:13:00.609 --> 00:13:19.001
There's thousands of people doing what I do and I thought maybe we them to learn by doing, and really it's a simulation.
00:13:19.182 --> 00:13:40.024
It allows them to simulate serving on the board and, to some degree, running the nonprofit, just because of the way I designed it, so they can make decisions, they can engage in strategic planning, they can engage in conversations around difficult issues that maybe they never directly address in the boardroom and they just remain the elephant in the room.
00:13:40.706 --> 00:14:05.645
And all the while, they're getting better at understanding what it looks like to be a board member and what does it look like to assist in fundraising and to be mindful of the risks and exposures that the organization is subject to, and how do they plan for that and what does it mean to draft policies around different things that need to be in place, particularly now with all of this AI?
00:14:05.645 --> 00:14:11.611
We were chatting just before we went on air about how each of us is using AI in our businesses.
00:14:11.611 --> 00:14:43.162
As things are evolving so quickly with our world and our economy, there's things that the board needs to be aware of, and they and to develop a board game that I'm really excited and proud of and has allowed nonprofits to have these ahas and walk away from that experience with a short list of action steps.
00:14:43.162 --> 00:14:54.352
It's not a full strategic plan, but it's created conversation, it's created team and it's allowed them to walk away with how are we going to do some things differently?
00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:56.400
That's awesome.
00:14:56.400 --> 00:14:57.022
That's awesome.
00:14:57.022 --> 00:14:57.923
I love how you do that.
00:14:57.923 --> 00:15:00.184
So I think we touched on some of the things.
00:15:00.184 --> 00:15:01.866
But what are the most common challenges?
00:15:01.866 --> 00:15:06.392
Nonprofits, face boards, face today, and I think we probably touched on that a little bit.
00:15:06.773 --> 00:15:19.589
Yeah, I did touch on it, but there's definitely worth repeating and amplifying that, because there are a lot of commonalities and one of the things I think is the largest is the fact that there's constant turnover.
00:15:19.589 --> 00:15:28.893
You have to consistently meet new people and create relationship quickly, because ideally you have term limits on your board.
00:15:28.893 --> 00:15:37.030
I've come into some boards that don't have term limits and people serve for decades, which is not healthy in the long run.
00:15:37.030 --> 00:15:43.070
But you want to bring in new voices, new ideas, new perspectives.
00:15:43.070 --> 00:15:47.309
You want to give people a break from serving for a very long time.
00:15:47.309 --> 00:15:52.788
You want to give them an opportunity to serve on other boards for which they have an interest, because we're not one-dimensional.
00:15:52.788 --> 00:15:54.541
We have interests in a lot of areas.
00:15:54.581 --> 00:16:06.379
We probably support multiple charities in different ways and term limits cause this concern of constantly turning over people every two to three years for their individual service.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:22.897
But it turns into someone rolling off the board every single year and particularly for the chief executive, that board chair is probably turning over every year or every two years, because board chairs typically serve one to two year terms.
00:16:22.897 --> 00:16:55.908
Now you've got to create a new bond and a new relationship with people in a short amount of time, and that challenge is what I find as a huge hurdle, because you have these very well-intentioned and high-capacity individuals who are leaders in different ways of their life, different walks, but they're not necessarily connecting the dots in terms of oh, I need to bring those same skill sets to this board that I'm using at my other job or in my household or in my church or wherever it is.
00:16:55.908 --> 00:17:18.182
They're also a leader, so that we can create an accountability structure that allows us to not only follow through but to hold the person next to us accountable and if they're not fulfilling their responsibility, step forward and speak up and say something about that in a proper way, be professional with addressing those concerns.
00:17:18.182 --> 00:17:29.467
But I think that element of leadership is one of the biggest challenges that organizations face is what does leadership really mean when you get to a board?
00:17:29.467 --> 00:17:33.174
Because it's not just about padding your resume, although that's a great perk.
00:17:33.836 --> 00:17:48.824
It's also about bringing your talent and then functioning in a way that mirrors some of the ways you expect things to function back at your workforce, where you're the VP of something or the president of something, and I agree with that.
00:17:48.844 --> 00:17:57.423
So how can organizations balance their governors with day-to-day operational effectiveness right Without overwhelming their leadership and we just talking about leadership.
00:17:57.423 --> 00:17:58.428
So how can they do that?
00:17:59.040 --> 00:18:03.608
One of the ways is understanding your role as a board member in terms of oversight.
00:18:03.608 --> 00:18:05.827
How do you exhibit oversight?
00:18:05.827 --> 00:18:13.845
Oversight for the financial matters of the nonprofit, oversight of the program and whether it's meeting the intended outcomes.
00:18:13.845 --> 00:18:16.632
How are the programs delivering on the mission?
00:18:16.632 --> 00:18:30.384
But then also oversight of the chief executive, ensuring that they're bringing back to you the information that you need every month in a board meeting, or bimonthly or however frequently you meet the information you need to make decisions.
00:18:30.885 --> 00:18:42.481
A lot of times I'll find, especially when I'm working with organizations that are transitioning from their founding board to a true governing board they have a challenge in letting go of the reins.
00:18:42.481 --> 00:18:46.070
When you're a founding board, you're used to being in the weeds.
00:18:46.070 --> 00:18:50.445
You do a lot of the work yourself because you're getting the organization up and running.
00:18:50.445 --> 00:19:04.865
But as you transition out of that and you've got staff now working at your nonprofit, the staff are expected to carry the load and execute the strategic plan and the policies under the guidance of the chief direct.
00:19:04.865 --> 00:19:07.211
But the board needs to have oversight on that.
00:19:07.211 --> 00:19:29.029
They want to know that we're expanding our reach or we're changing lives or getting more people to access to healthcare, or we're protecting our environment and the way that our mission says and toward the vision that we adopted, and bringing that operational element in alignment with the board governing element is probably.
00:19:29.391 --> 00:20:08.769
Another challenge that I could have listed is how do we walk that fine line of keeping the board at that 30,000-foot level of oversight and then diving deeper into the weeds when there's true questions and concerns around specific issues and then coming back up to that 30,000-foot level to allow the chief executive and the staff to carry out the day-to-day responsibilities, but also including them when appropriate in a board meeting as a guest to the meeting to share some deeper information and really continue to educate the board on what's happening from day-to day.
00:20:08.909 --> 00:20:10.673
What are they seeing, what are they hearing?
00:20:10.673 --> 00:20:25.240
Maybe letting the board take a tour of certain facilities or sit in on a program where it's appropriate so they get that firsthand experience and look into exactly what the organization is doing?
00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:31.894
So even that is another challenge in terms of the board truly understanding what is the work that we do.
00:20:31.894 --> 00:20:44.567
I know the mission I joined the board because I agree with the mission but I'm not necessarily familiar with all the programs we offer, and that then keeps the board from being able to talk about those programs out in the community.
00:20:44.567 --> 00:20:48.375
That further helps promote the good work that they're doing.
00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:56.111
So it's all very interconnected, but you just have to know how to navigate the lane that you're supposed to be in at a particular time.
00:20:56.992 --> 00:21:01.431
That's awesome and that really makes education is so important.
00:21:01.431 --> 00:21:05.163
And involvement and getting everybody involved, that's how you grow, right?
00:21:05.163 --> 00:21:08.568
Yes, leadership development is a big part of your work, right?
00:21:08.568 --> 00:21:13.792
So what qualities do you believe that make an effect of nonprofit leaders in today's climate?
00:21:15.041 --> 00:21:16.627
A number one factor is listening.
00:21:16.627 --> 00:21:18.160
You have to be able to listen.
00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:29.089
A lot of times you'll encounter leaders that are eager to share their thoughts and ideas and without listening to others in the room and giving everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, and without listening to others in the room and giving everyone an opportunity to share.
00:21:29.089 --> 00:21:49.348
So it's very important to listen, and actively listen, so, as you hear what's being said, comment on it, ask a follow-up question, see how it aligns with what you're thinking, use it as a jumping off point to then share what your thoughts are and see how you all can work toward a common solution.
00:21:49.348 --> 00:21:54.853
Another thing about leadership is not being so quick to jump to the solution.
00:21:54.853 --> 00:22:10.021
Sometimes, especially at the board level, when you've had a long day at work and now you're going to a six o'clock meeting in the evening that's going to last 90 minutes on average, maybe two hours You're anxious to get out and you want to go home.
00:22:10.021 --> 00:22:10.742
You're tired.
00:22:10.742 --> 00:22:31.011
You've dealt with a lot of crises already in your day job to make it through that meeting and to listen and contribute and not check out, not think about what you still have to do for the rest of the evening, not reflect on what happened during the day.
00:22:31.011 --> 00:22:42.324
A lot of times there's a transition that's needed by the board chair who's leading the meeting, to maybe give people five to 10 minutes to decompress at the beginning of the board meeting before you jump right in.
00:22:42.324 --> 00:22:51.173
Allow the members to walk around and talk with each other and just shift gears, if you will, before diving into the business of the nonprofit.
00:22:51.660 --> 00:23:19.412
So there's a lot of skills that leaders should possess in this particular sector with making that transition from coming from and I continue to say coming from a day job, but you may be coming from your household, where you've managed a lot of things, because maybe you're retired or you're a stay-at-home parent, and now you're going into a board meeting bringing your skills and your talents and you've got other types of dynamics you were dealing with.
00:23:19.412 --> 00:23:21.579
So it's all the same, but different.
00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:35.001
Being intentional around these leadership skills of active listening, of giving others an opportunity to speak, stepping back we like to call it step up to speak If you don't normally share.
00:23:35.001 --> 00:23:44.388
Step back to give others an opportunity If you typically hog the mic, so to speak, so that everyone has an opportunity to be heard.
00:23:44.388 --> 00:23:46.692
And then mentoring others.
00:23:46.692 --> 00:23:54.163
If a new board member comes on, then be a buddy to that person and help them learn the dynamics and the culture of your board.
00:23:55.224 --> 00:24:01.244
I love that, I love that and talk about, and we're winding down, I'm going to have you on again.
00:24:01.244 --> 00:24:05.633
So many nonprofits rely on volunteers and community members.
00:24:06.074 --> 00:24:06.374
Yes.
00:24:06.920 --> 00:24:12.153
How can leadership development extend beyond the staff to include board members and volunteers?
00:24:13.141 --> 00:24:13.903
Great question.
00:24:13.903 --> 00:24:14.646
I love that.
00:24:14.646 --> 00:24:22.054
The best way for organizations to look at their people is to look at them as resources.
00:24:22.054 --> 00:24:27.548
Everyone is a resource that helps move the mission forward and get to that ultimate vision that you have.
00:24:27.548 --> 00:24:31.361
Those resources are not just financial, like we typically think of.
00:24:31.701 --> 00:24:44.592
It's human capital your board members, your paid employees and your unpaid volunteers, and that means you should treat your volunteers in the same way you would in your employees in terms of onboarding them.
00:24:44.592 --> 00:25:11.790
So it's really good for organizations to have a formal onboarding process for their volunteers to ensure that they understand the do's and don'ts at the organization, the basic rules and responsibilities, things they have to comply with legally, but also to help them feel a part of the family, that they are not an outsider, they're not just a volunteer, they're critical to the success of the organization overall.
00:25:11.790 --> 00:25:36.653
That includes onboarding them formally, allowing them to go through training, not just training about your programs and services or how to do a particular task, but even training on skills development, if you feel like those particular skills are very important to your organization, whether it be customer service or just the way they're sorting donations.
00:25:36.653 --> 00:25:47.903
If there's a process to that, ensure your volunteers are part of that and reward them and acknowledge them and ensure that they feel comfortable and welcomed and a part of the team.
00:25:48.865 --> 00:25:49.528
That's awesome.
00:25:49.528 --> 00:25:50.189
I love that.
00:25:50.189 --> 00:25:54.066
I love that because they want to be part of what was being created and stuff.
00:25:54.246 --> 00:26:05.942
Absolutely, and if, without them, you would not get the same level of success that you're achieving, because they're willing to come in and do it without pay, they're truly giving up a lot.
00:26:05.942 --> 00:26:16.029
They're just as important as the board, who's volunteering their time but setting direction, and the staff, who's getting compensated but executing.
00:26:16.029 --> 00:26:25.554
And then the volunteers, who are not getting compensated but are a key component to the overall success and sustainability of the organization.
00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:26.742
Yes, exactly.
00:26:26.742 --> 00:26:28.148
So let me ask you something.
00:26:28.148 --> 00:26:35.731
Could you share an example of a nonprofit transformation you have witnessed, where better leadership of board governors made a significant impact?
00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.287
I'm sorry I missed the question.
00:26:37.287 --> 00:26:38.513
I thought you were still setting it up.
00:26:38.513 --> 00:26:39.420
Do you mind repeating it?
00:26:40.141 --> 00:26:40.602
No problem.
00:26:40.602 --> 00:26:48.454
Can you share an example of a nonprofit transformation you witnessed where better leadership aboard governors made a significant impact?
00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:50.622
Oh, wow.
00:26:50.622 --> 00:26:59.084
One in particular is just when we were able to create a sense of being heard and I've used that consistently.
00:26:59.084 --> 00:27:17.669
There was a disconnect between the board and the senior leadership in terms of their perspective around how things should be done or whether the other side was fully qualified and actually it's a couple of clients I've served in this way whether they were fully qualified.
00:27:17.669 --> 00:27:26.442
Some questioned the ability of the board members and board members questioned the ability of the staff to the point where they were not communicating effectively.
00:27:26.442 --> 00:27:43.212
And one of the things I do with my clients regularly is a board self assessment and we start out by administering an assessment to the board to give them an opportunity to score themselves and understand what their responsibilities are.
00:27:43.212 --> 00:27:57.640
Just by the nature of taking the assessment, the questions themselves are educational, but through their own words and scoring they can see where they land in the continuum of what is expected of a board member.
00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:01.050
There's 10 universally accepted roles and responsibilities.
00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:28.542
From there, I don't just give them back the results, we dialogue around them and we go through each of the four primary components of the particular assessment tool I use, which is for the board source self-assessment, and it creates conversation and what happens is I'm able to facilitate, in a safe space, a conversation among the board and the chief executives in a way that they've never done before.
00:28:28.864 --> 00:28:48.165
They're talking to each other about concerns they've had in an environment where they know they will not be retaliated against, because we lay out rules of engagement that everyone agrees to and from this debriefing, which is multiple sessions, even though we end with an action plan of what we're going to do from there.
00:28:48.165 --> 00:29:14.353
To answer your question, the point is it allowed them to create a stronger working relationship, work together more effectively, they increased their trust level among themselves and they increased their individual competence about what they were supposed to do and how to do it, and there were a lot of other things that have come out of that.
00:29:14.353 --> 00:29:41.102
From the various clients I've helped in this way, but with two in particular that come to mind right off the top, those are some of the outcomes that we achieved because of the assessment and then the facilitated dialogue and the safe space that I created as part of the process, and it's helping them to just move forward in ways that they were very concerned about prior to that that's awesome.
00:29:41.122 --> 00:29:42.224
That really makes a big difference.
00:29:42.224 --> 00:29:46.304
Assessing each other and knowing where each one, understanding each one of that.
00:29:46.304 --> 00:29:46.904
So that's great.
00:29:46.904 --> 00:29:52.930
So let's talk about and we're winding down here, Okay, I'll have you back on because there's a lot of information that we need to learn from.
00:29:53.361 --> 00:29:55.259
I would love to come back and learn from that.
00:29:55.820 --> 00:30:04.075
So what is one practical tip or strategy you encourage nonprofit leaders to implement right away to strengthen their organization?
00:30:04.075 --> 00:30:08.942
I know it's a lot of tips, yeah.
00:30:10.005 --> 00:30:15.007
I would say working on their culture and that's a ubiquitous term.
00:30:15.007 --> 00:30:34.586
Everyone is talking culture, but when I say that I mean it genuinely, in the sense that really tap into your people and what they are feeling, what they need and what success looks like for them as they attempt to contribute to the mission of the organization.
00:30:34.586 --> 00:30:36.848
So I'm speaking from a staff perspective.
00:30:36.848 --> 00:30:56.608
I've worked with organizations, I've done leadership development with their staff and coaching, and it has been an opportunity for employees to talk for the first time in ways that they haven't before Again, that safe space of sharing what their challenges are and what their concerns are and what they would like to have.
00:30:56.608 --> 00:31:10.847
Even though the company has an annual evaluation process and even though they have one-on-one meetings with these employees, in that evaluation meeting, there's still some things that are going unattended.
00:31:10.847 --> 00:31:49.930
When you lean into that as a leader, as a chief executive, with your senior leadership team if there is another layer sometimes there isn't and it's the chief executive doing this when you lean into saying I truly care about my staff having what they need and them understanding what it takes to get what we need, that's another disconnect is the staff don't always understand what it really takes to run the organization and that was another way I used my game was to play it where I had staff playing the game and one of the employees walked away from the game saying, wow, I have a whole new level of respect for my chief executive.
00:31:49.930 --> 00:31:54.145
I did not realize this is what she has to carry every day in her job.
00:31:54.727 --> 00:32:02.688
I think the takeaway is being in tune, being aware, being alert to what's happening with your staff.
00:32:02.688 --> 00:32:05.053
And then how can we do something about that?
00:32:05.053 --> 00:32:19.166
What is it going to take for us to ensure that they're getting what they need and they're all in and we have a mechanism to continue this, so that they have a way to report out if they need to address something else going forward?
00:32:19.166 --> 00:32:23.864
And the same is with the board being in tune, working hand in hand with that board chair.
00:32:23.864 --> 00:32:30.759
The strongest relationship of the board with the staff is between that board chair and the chief executive.
00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:38.907
If they're not communicating weekly in some way, whether it's text or a formal meeting or a phone call, then there's a problem.
00:32:38.907 --> 00:32:44.085
They need to have the strongest relationship to make the board effective in its work.
00:32:44.085 --> 00:32:52.821
Those would be the two takeaways within the similar category of being in tune to the people and trying to help them to get what they need.
00:32:53.864 --> 00:32:57.050
So I get listening, communication and relationship.
00:32:57.050 --> 00:32:58.292
Oh, you're good.
00:33:01.020 --> 00:33:01.761
You are good.
00:33:01.761 --> 00:33:03.705
Yes, that was yes, yes.
00:33:03.705 --> 00:33:07.413
Well, let down to the nuts and to the nitty gritty.
00:33:07.493 --> 00:33:11.752
Yes, three words listening, communication and relationship.
00:00:19.335 --> 00:00:19.955
00:00:19.955 --> 00:00:21.657
00:00:21.657 --> 00:00:26.001
00:00:26.001 --> 00:00:28.027
00:00:28.027 --> 00:00:30.760
00:00:33.746 --> 00:00:40.726
00:00:40.726 --> 00:00:42.911
00:00:42.911 --> 00:00:59.094
00:00:59.094 --> 00:01:06.554
00:01:06.554 --> 00:01:17.936
00:01:17.936 --> 00:01:24.828
00:01:24.828 --> 00:01:26.251
00:01:26.251 --> 00:01:28.733
00:01:28.733 --> 00:01:30.055
00:01:35.540 --> 00:01:38.451
00:01:38.451 --> 00:01:38.933
00:01:38.933 --> 00:01:40.358
00:01:40.358 --> 00:01:45.090
00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:46.031
00:01:46.031 --> 00:01:48.927
00:01:49.028 --> 00:01:52.245
00:01:52.325 --> 00:01:55.588
00:01:55.588 --> 00:02:07.144
00:02:07.144 --> 00:02:10.931
00:02:10.931 --> 00:02:15.308
00:02:15.308 --> 00:02:19.592
00:02:19.813 --> 00:02:23.223
00:02:23.223 --> 00:02:24.608
00:02:24.608 --> 00:02:25.590
00:02:25.590 --> 00:02:26.733
00:02:26.733 --> 00:02:27.481
00:02:27.481 --> 00:02:29.870
00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:41.491
00:02:41.491 --> 00:02:53.312
00:02:53.312 --> 00:02:56.564
00:02:56.564 --> 00:02:58.729
00:02:58.729 --> 00:03:00.233
00:03:05.867 --> 00:03:06.508
00:03:06.588 --> 00:03:11.695
00:03:11.695 --> 00:03:19.871
00:03:19.871 --> 00:03:24.021
00:03:24.021 --> 00:03:46.599
00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:57.647
00:03:57.647 --> 00:04:01.465
00:04:01.465 --> 00:04:02.127
00:04:02.127 --> 00:04:07.560
00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:13.332
00:04:13.332 --> 00:04:20.314
00:04:20.314 --> 00:04:22.747
00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:26.281
00:04:26.281 --> 00:04:28.404
00:04:28.404 --> 00:04:36.115
00:04:36.115 --> 00:04:44.774
00:04:44.774 --> 00:05:02.850
00:05:02.850 --> 00:05:16.151
00:05:16.151 --> 00:05:25.331
00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:43.505
00:05:43.526 --> 00:05:49.449
00:05:49.449 --> 00:05:58.233
00:05:58.233 --> 00:06:11.130
00:06:11.130 --> 00:06:21.665
00:06:21.665 --> 00:06:26.362
00:06:26.362 --> 00:06:39.060
00:06:39.060 --> 00:06:45.153
00:06:46.281 --> 00:06:50.612
00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:55.512
00:06:55.512 --> 00:07:02.822
00:07:02.822 --> 00:07:08.425
00:07:09.028 --> 00:07:10.110
00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:12.286
00:07:12.581 --> 00:07:13.141
00:07:13.141 --> 00:07:16.632
00:07:16.632 --> 00:07:17.862
00:07:17.862 --> 00:07:21.141
00:07:21.141 --> 00:07:22.562
00:07:22.562 --> 00:07:23.444
00:07:23.444 --> 00:07:26.689
00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:31.156
00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:55.380
00:07:55.380 --> 00:08:02.872
00:08:02.872 --> 00:08:12.310
00:08:12.310 --> 00:08:31.762
00:08:31.762 --> 00:08:37.460
00:08:37.460 --> 00:09:05.243
00:09:05.263 --> 00:09:08.490
00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:16.232
00:09:16.232 --> 00:09:28.445
00:09:28.445 --> 00:09:37.910
00:09:37.910 --> 00:09:38.191
00:09:38.230 --> 00:09:41.104
00:09:41.104 --> 00:09:50.168
00:09:50.168 --> 00:09:52.721
00:09:52.721 --> 00:10:03.955
00:10:03.955 --> 00:10:05.720
00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:39.779
00:10:40.880 --> 00:10:49.807
00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:08.812
00:11:08.812 --> 00:11:15.809
00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:41.702
00:11:41.702 --> 00:11:52.149
00:11:52.149 --> 00:11:54.811
00:11:54.811 --> 00:12:10.673
00:12:10.673 --> 00:12:17.840
00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:32.120
00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:50.472
00:12:50.700 --> 00:13:00.589
00:13:00.609 --> 00:13:19.001
00:13:19.182 --> 00:13:40.024
00:13:40.706 --> 00:14:05.645
00:14:05.645 --> 00:14:11.611
00:14:11.611 --> 00:14:43.162
00:14:43.162 --> 00:14:54.352
00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:56.400
00:14:56.400 --> 00:14:57.022
00:14:57.022 --> 00:14:57.923
00:14:57.923 --> 00:15:00.184
00:15:00.184 --> 00:15:01.866
00:15:01.866 --> 00:15:06.392
00:15:06.773 --> 00:15:19.589
00:15:19.589 --> 00:15:28.893
00:15:28.893 --> 00:15:37.030
00:15:37.030 --> 00:15:43.070
00:15:43.070 --> 00:15:47.309
00:15:47.309 --> 00:15:52.788
00:15:52.788 --> 00:15:54.541
00:15:54.581 --> 00:16:06.379
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:22.897
00:16:22.897 --> 00:16:55.908
00:16:55.908 --> 00:17:18.182
00:17:18.182 --> 00:17:29.467
00:17:29.467 --> 00:17:33.174
00:17:33.836 --> 00:17:48.824
00:17:48.844 --> 00:17:57.423
00:17:57.423 --> 00:17:58.428
00:17:59.040 --> 00:18:03.608
00:18:03.608 --> 00:18:05.827
00:18:05.827 --> 00:18:13.845
00:18:13.845 --> 00:18:16.632
00:18:16.632 --> 00:18:30.384
00:18:30.885 --> 00:18:42.481
00:18:42.481 --> 00:18:46.070
00:18:46.070 --> 00:18:50.445
00:18:50.445 --> 00:19:04.865
00:19:04.865 --> 00:19:07.211
00:19:07.211 --> 00:19:29.029
00:19:29.391 --> 00:20:08.769
00:20:08.909 --> 00:20:10.673
00:20:10.673 --> 00:20:25.240
00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:31.894
00:20:31.894 --> 00:20:44.567
00:20:44.567 --> 00:20:48.375
00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:56.111
00:20:56.992 --> 00:21:01.431
00:21:01.431 --> 00:21:05.163
00:21:05.163 --> 00:21:08.568
00:21:08.568 --> 00:21:13.792
00:21:15.041 --> 00:21:16.627
00:21:16.627 --> 00:21:18.160
00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:29.089
00:21:29.089 --> 00:21:49.348
00:21:49.348 --> 00:21:54.853
00:21:54.853 --> 00:22:10.021
00:22:10.021 --> 00:22:10.742
00:22:10.742 --> 00:22:31.011
00:22:31.011 --> 00:22:42.324
00:22:42.324 --> 00:22:51.173
00:22:51.660 --> 00:23:19.412
00:23:19.412 --> 00:23:21.579
00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:35.001
00:23:35.001 --> 00:23:44.388
00:23:44.388 --> 00:23:46.692
00:23:46.692 --> 00:23:54.163
00:23:55.224 --> 00:24:01.244
00:24:01.244 --> 00:24:05.633
00:24:06.074 --> 00:24:06.374
00:24:06.920 --> 00:24:12.153
00:24:13.141 --> 00:24:13.903
00:24:13.903 --> 00:24:14.646
00:24:14.646 --> 00:24:22.054
00:24:22.054 --> 00:24:27.548
00:24:27.548 --> 00:24:31.361
00:24:31.701 --> 00:24:44.592
00:24:44.592 --> 00:25:11.790
00:25:11.790 --> 00:25:36.653
00:25:36.653 --> 00:25:47.903
00:25:48.865 --> 00:25:49.528
00:25:49.528 --> 00:25:50.189
00:25:50.189 --> 00:25:54.066
00:25:54.246 --> 00:26:05.942
00:26:05.942 --> 00:26:16.029
00:26:16.029 --> 00:26:25.554
00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:26.742
00:26:26.742 --> 00:26:28.148
00:26:28.148 --> 00:26:35.731
00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.287
00:26:37.287 --> 00:26:38.513
00:26:38.513 --> 00:26:39.420
00:26:40.141 --> 00:26:40.602
00:26:40.602 --> 00:26:48.454
00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:50.622
00:26:50.622 --> 00:26:59.084
00:26:59.084 --> 00:27:17.669
00:27:17.669 --> 00:27:26.442
00:27:26.442 --> 00:27:43.212
00:27:43.212 --> 00:27:57.640
00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:01.050
00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:28.542
00:28:28.864 --> 00:28:48.165
00:28:48.165 --> 00:29:14.353
00:29:14.353 --> 00:29:41.102
00:29:41.122 --> 00:29:42.224
00:29:42.224 --> 00:29:46.304
00:29:46.304 --> 00:29:46.904
00:29:46.904 --> 00:29:52.930
00:29:53.361 --> 00:29:55.259
00:29:55.820 --> 00:30:04.075
00:30:04.075 --> 00:30:08.942
00:30:10.005 --> 00:30:15.007
00:30:15.007 --> 00:30:34.586
00:30:34.586 --> 00:30:36.848
00:30:36.848 --> 00:30:56.608
00:30:56.608 --> 00:31:10.847
00:31:10.847 --> 00:31:49.930
00:31:49.930 --> 00:31:54.145
00:31:54.727 --> 00:32:02.688
00:32:02.688 --> 00:32:05.053
00:32:05.053 --> 00:32:19.166
00:32:19.166 --> 00:32:23.864
00:32:23.864 --> 00:32:30.759
00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:38.907
00:32:38.907 --> 00:32:44.085
00:32:44.085 --> 00:32:52.821
00:32:53.864 --> 00:32:57.050
00:32:57.050 --> 00:32:58.292
00:33:01.020 --> 00:33:01.761
00:33:01.761 --> 00:33:03.705
00:33:03.705 --> 00:33:07.413
00:33:07.493 --> 00:33:11.752