Your First Executive Director – What Changes in Governance?

You’ve finally taken the plunge and hired a senior staff member, after years or decades of being proudly all-volunteer. Perhaps the leadership volunteers were burning out, or the organization grew too much too fast. Do you heave a sigh of relief, delegate a few tasks and carry on as before? Not if you want to … Read more

When a Charity’s Options Dwindle

Many Canadian charities were already struggling to meet rising needs. They certainly didn’t need a postal strike during their biggest fundraising time of the year. [Update: or a big increase in postal rates right afterwards!] Even though many donors now give online, many of the older and more generous donors wait for a letter and … Read more

I Just Watched the Last One

This blog title sums up the total preparation done by many of the incoming board chairs I’ve dealt with. According to an Alliance for Nonprofit Management research report, about 51% of new not-for-profit board chairs say they did nothing to prepare. Most had not been a Vice Chair, and some had not even chaired a committee. Is this … Read more

An Olympic Athlete Needs a Coach. So Do You.

In the sports world, the better you are at your sport, the better your coach has to be too. Those who work with beginners don’t expect to coach at world competitions. Athletes find new coaches with higher qualifications and more relevant experience as they progress. So, are you better at your job that that gold … Read more

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