Nonprofit Radio Show

There is so much a board needs to know-- where you do you begin in building a plan for learning? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah share the three categories of information every board member needs to explore. They give practical examples of what your board members might focus on to strengthen their knowledge and practice. You'll leave listening to this episode with a few ideas on how you migh...

We know that a personal email or letter is more likely to be read and acted upon. But how do we personalize communication when there is so much to do! In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explore the power of personalization for your fundraising and outreach efforts. They give you three practical tips on how to personalize your communication. Sarah shares a strategy to make personalization efficient a...

A board's job is to govern, but what does that really mean? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explain what governance means in normal, everyday terms. They name concrete tasks to move board members more deeply into their governing role. When boards are focused on governing, a lot of  common board-related challenges go away-- micromanaging, lack of focus, disinterest, burnout, stalled missions,...

It is that time of year-- the time when so many nonprofit Executive Directors are sitting down to write their end-of-year annual appeal letter. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah define the role of the annual appeal and talk about how to write a letter that someone would read and then act on with a donation. By the end of the episode, you'll be able to tap into practical ways to get beyond writ...

The annual performance review is something that can cause stress for both managers and staff members. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah offer some tips and suggestions for rethinking the way you provide feedback and support to your staff or volunteers. They talk about how to reframe the review as something designed to leave each member of the team feeling significant, recognized, and appreciated, w...

Leaders wear many hats. One of those hats is that of coach. A coach guides someone to solve their own challenges by sharing questions, perspectives, or feedback. You can imagine how a nonprofit executive director, board chair, or volunteer manager might step into a coaching role in conversations with team members, board colleagues, or volunteers. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about the coa...

We've talked about collaboration in past, and yet there is one aspect of collaboration that deserves a deeper dive. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about collaborations and how organizations can pro-actively address culture and cultural differences within them. They share a few steps for success. You will finish listening with ideas on how you might strengthen the collaborations that yo...

All of this churn in nonprofit staffing means that there are a whole lot of new supervisors who need training and support. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about what new supervisors need to know and do to be set up for success. They share the highlights from a webinar Nancy and HR expert Skye Mercer led in June 2023, which can be accessed here . By the end of the episode, you'll know wh...

Reduce, reuse, recycle... and now upcycle. How can nonprofits apply these environment lessons to be more efficient and effective? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah share tips on how to use the principles of reuse, recycle, and upcycle in nonprofit communications and financial management. They challenge themselves to imagine how to use the same content at least three times. They give examples of upc...

With a pomodoro ticking in the background (just kidding), Nancy and Sarah squeeze out a few minutes to talk about time management. In this episode, you will learn a few strategies on how to manage your time when you just have too much going on. Nancy and Sarah share six strategies to try as you get on top of your to-do list. By the end of the episode, you will be thinking about your relationship t...

How can you take away information to get more done? How might less help you better move others to action? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah take recent research on "less is more" and apply it to nonprofit communications and finance. That's all you need to know to take a listen. Let us know what you think! Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us...

It is grantwriting time. So many of our nonprofit colleagues are spending a lot of time filling out forms, checking boxes, and trying to figure out how to explain their work within strict character counts. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah make a list of a few questions they wish family foundations-- really any foundation-- would ask us. They share what these questions would reveal-- and what found...

Thanking someone is a powerful two-way street that invites further connection and collaboration. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about why thanking people matters both in terms of our own personal well-being and our organization's mission. They walk through three kinds of thank yous and why they matter.  By the end of the episode, you will have reflected on  have-to, want-to, and get-to...

We’ve been noticing how hard “big picture thinking” can be for nonprofit people who so commonly are too busy getting things done to pause and consider the larger landscape. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explain what “big picture thinking” is, why it matters, and how your organization can expand how you think about your work. You’ll finish listening with a few strategies to put to work within yo...

Donor meetings can be mysterious and stressful to some. Making an ask for money isn't something we all intuitively know how to do. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah demystify the donor meeting to explain what happens at a typical donor meeting and how you can best prepare. They provide tips on how to think about donor meetings as opportunities to build a relationship with an important member o...

Nonprofits host a lot of gatherings: board meetings, fundraising events, volunteer trainings, etc.  In this episode, Nancy and Sarah explore how to create transformational gatherings, from board meetings to fundraising events. They draw on the wisdom of gathering expert Priya Parker to expand how we think about events and simple steps we can do to make them more meaningful.  They consider how to g...

Nancy and Sarah regularly get asked nonprofit questions. Often they are in the form of “This is happening in our nonprofit. Is that normal?” In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about common questions and how they would approach them. You will learn strategies to get to the bottom of what your nonprofit’s challenge really might be. Grab your magnifying glass to practice how you might sleuth out w...

A new year has begun, and for many that means resolutions. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about what mission-supporting habits they are going to focus on as we start a new year. You’ll get some ideas on how you might approach the year to set yourself up for success.  Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also...

 Many of us know community giving projects. They are community-wide invitations for people to give to their favorite nonprofits, usually on one day or in one period of time. Our colleagues in Washington State may know GiveBig. In this episode, Sarah tells Nancy about the story of her local community giving project, Give Methow, and how it has created giving ambassadors throughout the community. Th...

It is mid-November, and you have six weeks to meet your organization's annual fundraising goal. What are your options? In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk through four end-of-year fundraising strategies for folks who may be falling short on their fundraising goal. As the year's clock counts down, there's still time to be strategic and find ways to invite your donors or potential d...

"My board members won't...." fill in the blank: attend meetings, raise money, get more deeply involved in the issues we are facing, etc. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about why board members won't and what Executive Directors, board chairs, and others can do about it. They unpack what might be behind the "won't" and how we can change how we exchange board...

We are hearing it all the time. We ask someone "How are you?," and their response is "Busy!"  We get asked, and our natural response is the same: "I'm so busy." In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about why "busy" can work against what we are really trying to achieve.  They explore the emotions behind it and alternatives to describe how we are actuall...

Nonprofits are facing all of the same inflationary pressures as others across our communities. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk about how a nonprofit can respond to inflation, particularly related to finance and fundraising. They share some ideas for thinking about salary adjustments, communicating with donors and supporters, and engaging board members in scenario planning. They highlight the...

A few episodes ago, Sarah shared a vision of nonprofit leaders helping each other by facilitating each other's retreats. That invites the question of how to facilitate well. In this episode, Nancy and Sarah invite facilitation expert Mike Beebe to share his wisdom on how to facilitate a meeting or event effectively. Mike talks about what facilitation is, how to do it well, and strategies to e...

There is a world of help available to nonprofits. The question is how to access the kind of help you need when you need it! In this episode, Nancy and Sarah talk through a list of who is available to help nonprofits. They highlight how these types of help might be most useful. Who do you find most helpful? Let us know.  Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email u...