Nonprofit Power Podcast

There's a really big problem out there that chances are you're experiencing: Too many money and policy decisionmakers just aren't getting your core message. What I want to help you do today is shift what you're doing just a little bit, so that you can start to change that.  You probably already know from painful experience that getting the attention of, and engaging and buildin...

What makes intention setting so powerful is that it is more about the being than about the doing. If we fail to attend to our intentions, we risk not only missing our goals, but missing out on the experience we want to have while we pursue them. I'm sure that your organization has plans and goals for the year. And I expect you to have some for yourself as well. We need those things. We need g...

Between the waning light and the kind of tucking in that happens around the solstice, and the anticipation of closing one year and opening a new one. It's the perfect time to do some reflection on how the year has gone for us, what it's meant for us. And to think about ways that we can carry our most valuable lessons into the new year.  This year, maybe more than most, there's a lot...

One of the most problematic tropes that gets emphasized over and over again for nonprofit leaders can wind up absolutely wrecking your ability to really connect with decision makers. That’s the belief that you must be ultra-professional in your approach when dealing with decision-makers, especially the higher up ones. The more powerful and influential the decision maker, the more you're suppo...

As nonprofit leaders, one of the many roles we have is that we are marketers. And if that's not part of the way you think about your role, or if that creates a little resistance for you, hang in there for a minute. Because this is a secret to success in engaging decisionmakers that is absolutely a critical core skill. It doesn't matter what context we're in. We're always market...

It's Thanksgiving time and we're all reflecting on things that we're thankful for. I think that can be particularly challenging at this moment in time when we're dealing with a lot of challenges in terms of the political environment, and what that's going to mean for nonprofits, and for nonprofit leaders and the work ahead.  And I think actually that it's during these...

Let me ask you this:  When you’re in meetings with decisionmakers, what are you most focused on? If you’re like most advocates, you got a lot going on in your head. You’re thinking about your framing, and making sure it resonates with that decisionmaker. You're wanting to make sure you get your messaging delivered, that you cover the things you want to cover.   All of that’s important. But it...

We have a lot to talk about in this time following the elections. I understand that everyone is still processing, myself included. And yet, it is time to begin turning our attention to: What do we do now?   There is some clarity that is beginning to emerge around that. And I wanted to share three things that I see emerging as top imperatives for nonprofit leaders as we enter a new threat environme...

This is a really tough time for all of us in the progressive nonprofit world. And I wanted to share a few early thoughts, even as we don't have complete answers on all of the election results. But we have some very important information and it's not good. Many of us, including me, thought this election was going to turn out a lot better than it did.  And given the results, we have a lot...

In this week’s episode we're taking a look at two of the most common decisionmaker behaviors that frequently throw advocates off their game. It definitely doesn't have to be that way, but I see it all the time. So I want to give you a few concrete things you can do to put yourself in a position where you're just rock solid and it doesn't matter what they throw at you. You'...

The 2024 elections are less than two weeks away. And if your world is anything like mine, you and just about everybody in it are stressing out right now.  There's a lot of anxiety. There's a lot of worry. There's a lot of fear. And those are very understandable states of emotion. There is so much at stake. And so yes, everybody is kind of scared spitless right now.  But here's...

As an advocate, one of your main goals is to get to the money and policy decision makers that have the power to make decisions that are going to affect your organization and the people you serve. And one of the things I hear a lot from nonprofit leaders is that especially with contracting and some agencies, it's not that easy to find who's really in charge and what's going on in the...

We're less than 30 days out from the 2024 elections. And I don't have to tell you there's a lot at stake up and down the ballot. From the presidential race to congressional and Senate races, to state legislatures. And on down to city council, county board, mayoral and school board races. All of them matter. And all of them have the potential to have a big impact on the wellbeing of...

Today we're talking about something that I hear so often from nonprofit leaders just freaks them the heck out, and that's negotiating.  The truth is, nonprofit leaders are negotiating all the time. But many leaders tell me it is definitely not their favorite thing. For some it's super stressful. It can be really uncomfortable. But it can also be exhilarating and exciting and rewardi...

The frustration I hear most often from the nonprofit leaders I work with, is that the money and policy decision makers in their world don't seem to get the value of what they do. And that comes In a lot of forms and flavors. One that can be especially frustrating is the decisionmakers not understanding the full scope of the problem. Or why the ways that the problems manifest for your clients...

Has this ever happened to you? You go to engage a decision-maker. There's something specific you want from them. And you start laying out your case and you can tell you're losing them. They're not engaging. They're kind of glazing over and you're struggling to figure out what the problem is. You're giving them your very best stuff, telling them all the key details of...

There is no question about the significance of the 2024 elections from the presidential race on down to every single local race. I'm pretty sure I don't have to convince you on that front. Nor do I have to convince you how much your clients' votes matter. Both in the larger sense, but also in terms of ensuring that we have elected officials who support policies and the allocation of...

Opportunity is everywhere. But too often, we miss those opportunities because we didn't know about them at all, or we didn't find out about them in time to capitalize on them. The truth is most nonprofit CEOs are pretty good at constantly scanning for opportunities. And your opportunity radar is always switched on even when you're not at work. But if there are just one or two people...

What if one or two changes in your leadership behavior could transform the way you feel about the work, inspire your team, and achieve new levels of success? I spend a lot of time with nonprofit leaders of all different sizes of organizations in all different niches. And what I've noticed is that there are very specific leadership behaviors that tend to produce extraordinary results. And then...

None of us has gotten where we are alone. And none of us are going to get where we're going alone. We always have others who are helping and supporting us, whether we realize and acknowledge it or not. Whether it's a formal arrangement or not.  We all just had the wonderful experience of watching the Paris summer Olympics. If you've ever wanted clear convincing evidence of the power...

The energy you bring to an encounter with a decisionmaker has a huge impact on your ability to engage and influence them. You can be as prepared as you want to be with all your facts and messaging. But if you don't bring an energy that engages, you're likely to be disappointed in the outcome.  The problem most of us face is that our energetic frequency fluctuates throughout the day. And...

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You have some key pieces of data that you know should speak to your decision maker. It's obvious to you that these data points basically scream, our stuff solves your problem, and it solves it in a big way with a big impact. But then you share it with the decision maker and they don't really see those connections. They don't see the significance. The...

One of the frustrations I often hear from nonprofit leaders is, yeah, we got a handful of great allies and champions, but we can't seem to grow the bench. We'd love to build even more of those powerfully influential relationships, but we simply haven't got the bandwidth.  I'm already devoting 60% of my time to this, and I still have to run the organization, and there's onl...

One of the biggest challenges nonprofit leaders face is engaging decision makers around the information and data that we know make a compelling case for the policy or money decision we're asking for. But we know from experience that simply presenting that data and information and explaining why and how it supports our argument rarely leads to a decision maker leaning in and saying, tell me mo...

On this 4th of July week, it’s a good time to pause and reflect. Democracy has always been messy, always imperfect, and always a work in progress. If we’re paying attention, we know that democracy is an ongoing project.  What’s easy to overlook is that the success of that ongoing project requires the active participation of all of us.  And when that participation wanes is when opportunities arise...