For Purpose Live

Many of the nonprofits I speak to don’t have an email list yet, or they are just getting started and don’t have much of one. In this episode we discuss prioritizing that email list and give you practical advice to build and use it.   Get your free masterclass at http://www.kotulo.com/startup

Even after I realized that I had to start paying myself from my nonprofit, I didn’t know how to do that. Our donations were irregular, I wasn’t landing big multi-year grants that included my salary, so I wasn’t sure how to pay myself. Do I just take more money some months and none the others? In this episode, I show you exactly how to pay yourself from your nonprofit regardless of how little reven...

Many people go into starting a nonprofit thinking they will do this for free…but that's not a good idea. You need to build a sustainable business model so your mission and organization will live on long after you can run it and nobody else will be willing to run your baby for free. So, you need to build your organization to a point where it can sustain staff. Not just you, but a whole team.  ...

If you want to really upgrade your nonprofit’s revenue you want to secure funding from grants and corporate partners. If you are talking to the right people, at some point you will be asked to develop a proposal. Writing proposals doesn’t have to be overwhelming, so in this episode I’m breaking down the basic elements so you can start feeling confident about asking for some big dollar amounts. Get...

As a busy Executive Director you might be overwhelmed by all the leadership paradigm shifts that are being offered out there, but good leadership is actually pretty simple and there are a couple of foundational things, that if you focus your time on getting those qualities right - you will have a ton going for you as a leader. Get your free masterclass at http://www.kotulo.com/startup Join our fac...

Managing a team is tough. Many Executive Directors don’t have any supervisory or leadership experience before starting their nonprofit and unfortunately, that is all too evident to their volunteers and staff. Good culture can make or break an organization. Is this a place where everyone works together, feels valued, and feels like their contribution is meaningful, or is this a place that is disorg...

When developing an advisory council you want to make sure you define the core elements upfront. What’s the purpose of the council? How do they function? What are its policies? Who do you need and how and when do they meet? With all this laid out upfront, you are much more likely to have engaged advisory council members.

How do you feel about your surveys? Do you get a good response? Do you use all the data you get? As evaluation gains traction, more and more organizations are launching surveys. There are so many surveys, collecting so much data, but the truth is there are so many BAD surveys. Bad surveys ask for a whole bunch of data, take too long and worst of all are never really used for anything. In this epis...

In this episode, I want to help you apply an evaluation lens to your operations and processes. Hopefully, you have written some SOPs or policies, but we don’t just want those sitting on a shelf, right? We want to make sure they’re being followed and ensure that they are helping our organization be a well-oiled machine. So, process evaluation can help you get there. Here is the episode on developin...

When I started my nonprofit, measurement & evaluation was the last thing on my mind. I don’t even know if I had heard of it, but eventually, I realized even though I knew the work I was doing was impactful, I didn’t have much to show for it. I wasn’t collecting the right data to be able to really demonstrate my impact. This led me on a path to pursuing my master’s degree in Program Evaluation...

I’m amazed by how many nonprofits I work with, even big ones, that don’t have standard operating procedures. This causes huge headaches because EDs feel like “how” to do everything lives in their head, and they are afraid if they delegate tasks, they will lose work quality. With SOPs you have a set protocol for staff and volunteers to follow so you don’t have to do everything and you know things a...

One of the biggest complaints I hear from Executive Directors is that they do everything, or they wear ALL the hats. While the ED hat can encompass a whole bunch of things, you shouldn’t be wearing all the hats. In this episode I discuss the top three things that Executive Directors should be doing so you can make sure you’re spending your time where it counts. Get your free getting focused worksh...

The success of an organization really starts at the top. You need solid leadership to make an organization thrive, and unfortunately most of the Executive Directors I speak to say their board is a pain point for them. A board is there to provide oversight for the ED and organization, as well as fundraise and contribute their time and talent, but many nonprofit leaders spend more time begging their...

If you’re going to be focused in 2022 you need to get good at saying no. Saying no can be uncomfortable and feel unnatural for many of us, so I want to help you exercise your no muscle and let go of any discomfort or guilt you may have about setting boundaries that will keep you focused this year. In this episode you will learn: How to clear nonessential things from your life How to evaluate wheth...

I know people talk about celebrating successes, it might even be an agenda item at board or staff meetings, but do we really do it right? Do we really take the time to celebrate successes in a way that honors all we have done? It is so easy as executive directors of busy nonprofits to just move on to the next thing, but I think we all need to make a concerted effort to really celebrate our success...

You really should be creating a strategic plan each year. Some nonprofits don’t do this because they are too busy, others don’t know how to do them and they can’t afford a consultant, others do a strategic plan but its OVERLY complicated draining staff for the whole fourth quarter and unfortunately lots of nonprofits make a plan just to please the board but they don’t stick to it or maximize the p...

Get your free Accepting Donations Comparison sheet at http://www.kotulo.com/crypto You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard about some type of cryptocurrency such as bitcoin, but up until now, it hasn’t really been on nonprofit’s radar as something they should be looking into. With approximately 3 trillion dollars invested in cryptocurrency, it is becoming quite popular and crypt...

You know why most nonprofits fail? The number one reason is LACK OF FOCUS. Without a clear mission stating what you are trying to achieve and without investing all our energy in mission-critical activities, Executive Directors find themselves trying to do everything for everybody and taking on the kazillion activities that are thrown at us but if we are going to build a sustainable organization an...

Do you know that you’re supposed to have an end-of-year campaign but you’re overwhelmed at the thought of coming up with an idea, creating the plan, and making the ask? The end of the year is a great time to ask for donor support and when most people do their giving so you don’t want to miss out on available funding just because you didn’t ask. An End of Year campaign doesn’t have to be complicate...

Grab your free logic model template at www.kotulo.com/logic Join the facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/kotulononprofitacademy When I work with nonprofit clients to develop evaluative measures they often ask me, “Rebecca, what do we need?” What’s the difference between a logic model, a theory of change, which one should we focus on and how can they help us? In all honestly I most of...

Check out my free masterclass at www.kotulo.com/startup Join the facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/kotulononprofitacadem y I often get asked from those who have yet to launch their business whether or not they should start a nonprofit or an LLC or for profit. It’s a great question because there are some distinct differences and just because you are wanting to build a business aroun...

You wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to find a mission statement that concisely articulates the results an organization is trying to achieve. There are so many statements out there that claim to be mission statements, but they leave me, and I'm sure other stakeholders, confused about why exactly the organization exists. Today I want to share a few pointers to help you develop a clean and clear...

Nonprofit founders and executive directors take being humble to an extreme. Often when I am working with small programs and startups, I almost need to sell their program to them. Do I think arrogance and unchecked ego are good, no, but I feel like insecurity plagues way too many nonprofit founders and I’m here to tell you you’re a big fricken deal. Get access to the free masterclass: www.kotulo.co...

Welcome to the harvesting results podcast! We are going to talk about everything nonprofit success including, nonprofit startups, leadership, operations, marketing, culture, building community, and my personal favorite, program evaluation. Make sure to join our facebook group - Kotulo Nonprofit Academy