Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast

 Welcome to this week’s episode of the Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast! I'm your host, Brooke, and today, I’m thrilled to share an insightful conversation with one of my dearest friends and a true game-changer in the nonprofit world, Rachel Bearbower. As the founder of Small Shop Strategies, Rachel is a wizard in teaching nonprofit leaders the art of untangling complex systems to focus on what t...

In this episode, I unravel the art of getting out of the daily hustle to carve out space for strategic visioning and impactful leadership. Join me as we explore how to harness 3 specific strategies for spending time on high leverage activities throughout your leadership journey, whether you're implementing them today or aspiring towards them as your future benchmark. What You'll Learn: E...

This week is another quick strategy episode. I’m sharing a powerful strategic framework that organizations use to anchor and align their growth: Intentional Design . What You'll Learn: The difference between Referential & Iterative and Intentional Design approaches in strategic planning. How to define and analyze your organization's focal problem for clearer vision and impact. Steps...

In this episode, I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Farra Trompeter, Co-Director and Worker - Owner at Big Duck. Not only is Farra just delightful to talk to, every time I talk to her it’s like a masterclass in strategic brand building. She - and her colleagues at Big Duck - have been the go-to for nonprofit brand building for as long as I can remember. I used to devour their resources whe...

In this week’s quick strategy episode, I dive into a pivotal mindset shift that revolutionized my approach to leading and coaching: the concept of 'WHO not HOW.' This idea isn't just a strategy; it's a growth catalyst, steering you away from mundane tasks and towards high-impact activities like visioning, strategy, and relationship-building. What You'll Learn: The importan...

In this episode, I explore the concept of the flywheel concept, a game-changer for any organization aiming for sustainable growth and impact. Developed by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great,” this concept is about building systems that gain momentum over time, propelling your organization forward with each turn. I share my journey of understanding and implementing this powerful tool, offering...

In today's episode, I’m talking with two of my favorite people: Becky Endicott and Jon McCoy, co-founders of We Are For Good. They pull back the curtain on one of their collective superpowers: A strategy they’ve used to grow their community to tens of thousands of nonprofit leaders and practitioners, and one of the simplest and most powerful ways to amplify your organization’s impact. Content...

What do I do with new donors so I don't lose them? The answer is: Learn as much about your new donors as possible so that you can communicate with them better and more intimately. In today’s episode, I’m going to give you an easy, low-hanging fruit strategy for gathering information about your donors so that you can begin to segment and personalize your emails, donor appeals, and even events....

Today I’m doing a special rerun of one of my most downloaded and shared episodes, as a tribute to my sister, Darcy Richie.  This tribute show is airing on January 30th and Darcy would have been 42 years old today.  I think honoring her work - of which she was so proud - is just one way that I can celebrate her today.  This episode is a celebration of three things that Darcy was so very good at:  &...

Whether you're an aspiring changemaker or an established leader in the social sector, the essential rules of strategic and sustainable growth don’t change - that’s what we’ll be exploring today. In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Jack Graham, a UK-born, Brooklyn-based queer social change strategist and writer. Jack's journey from founding Year Here, a fellowship for as...

Now that you’ve had your board retreat, and set your goals to grow your board or expand your gala, it’s time to think about implementation. So now the challenge is this: How exactly do you keep your board motivated in the new year? In this episode, I’m going to talk about the purpose, power, and anatomy of a good board agreement, and about how it will help you be intentional about shaping your wor...

While some people may think that predictions about the state of the world are somewhere between hubris and a distraction, I don’t agree at all. I think that when offered thoughtfully and rooted in real insight, the information can give us more arrows in our impact quill.  There are people who know a lot about what they do — they have concrete, meaningful insight into what is happening in their cor...

Do you want to learn how to share your insights, stories, and impact in a way that connects with the right people and brings new supporters into your world consistently and effortlessly? In this inspiring and brass-tacks episode, I talk with Tania Bhattacharyya, founder of Lumos Marketing, about the power of thought leadership as a driver of organizational growth and impact. Lumos Marketing is a t...

Just as every organization I work with has a mission and theory of change - a belief about how best to bring about the change in the world that they want to see - so does this show!  I organize this show around a set of core pillars that I believe are critical to your organization having the kind of impact that will change our world. And so I wanted to pull back the curtain on what those are, and...

Hello and welcome to 2024! I'm still wrapping my head around how fast time flies. As we step into this new year, fresh from our reflective period, I'm excited to dive into leveraging this new year energy. In today's episode, I'll walk you through a 3-part framework to help you and your team focus on what truly matters, avoiding the chaos that often comes by March. This isn’t ab...

This week's quick strategy episode is a special one for me! I'm doing something a little different: I'm sharing the insights and experiences of 4 of the incredible leaders inside my Next Level Nonprofit program! Each of these leaders was invited to share their insights into a practice or tactic that had a positive impact on their organization over the past year. They shared insights...

In this episode, I delve into a concept that's especially relevant for nonprofit leaders, and especially these days: the relationship between hope and gratitude.   What You'll Learn: Understanding the deep connection between hope and gratitude. Techniques for developing a consistent gratitude practice. The impact of gratitude on our perception and experience of life. Key Takeaways: Hope...

In this episode we delve into a transformative strategy for recognizing and leveraging moments of joy and success in your professional life.  I share a heartening story from a leader in my Mastermind community, highlighting the profound impact of acknowledging and celebrating these moments. Discover how simple practices, like maintaining a collection of positive feedback, can significantly bolster...

In this relatable and insightful episode of "Nonprofit Mastermind," Brooke shares two personal stories about her leadership journey, focusing on the theme of 'failing forward.' She opens up about her experiences, discussing the vital lessons learned from moments of failure and how these moments can be powerful catalysts for growth and change. This episode is not just about shar...

Feeling overwhelmed about keeping your nonprofit board engaged throughout the year?  In this episode of Nonprofit Mastermind, Brooke shares the secret of how to plan your board's engagement activities for the whole year— in less than a day! You'll discover how this simple yet robust framework enables you to map out key engagement points like meetings, check-ins, and inspiration moments,...

This week, I'm previewing a snippet from the private Q&A style coaching podcast inside my new program for nonprofit founders:  Nonprofit StartUps Demystified. My goal is to help demystify the seemingly chaotic process of starting a new nonprofit by responding every week directly to questions and challenges on the private podcast inside the membership. Members also get a weekly start-up to...

This week, I'm doing something special and a little different. I'm sharing an episode from the Confessions podcast, hosted by my dear friends Cindy Wagman and Jess Campbell. I'm bringing it here, to my listeners, because it was a special episode -- me and the incredible women in my mastermind open up and share a behind-the-scenes look at the power and impact of our mastermind in our...

Use this time of the year to do an audit of your long-term plan so that it can be a powerful tool in your annual planning. For all the passionate nonprofit leaders out there, I cannot stress enough the importance of strategic clarity. In my experience, it's not the lack of effort or passion that derails organizations but the lack of a clear vision and set priorities. As we move into planning...

We’ve all heard that delegation is key to effective leadership. But how many of us really nail it? In this episode, Brooke dissects the intricacies of delegation, not just as a task, but as an art. She goes beyond just talking about handing over responsibilities, diving deep into the layers, the thought processes, the challenges, and ultimately, the growth both for leaders and their teams that com...

In this episode, I tackle the all-too-common feeling of overwhelm that comes with leading a small nonprofit. I share a concrete 3-part framework to bring clarity to your decision-making and foster long-term sustainability. You’ll learn: How alignment between three core organizational plans can lay the foundation for sustainable growth. How a well-crafted - and condensed - strategic plan serves as...