Nonprofit Radio Show

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 coaching role a nonprofit leader plays. They explore why coaching is necessary, who a nonprofit leader might coach, and how that coaching might happen. You'll finish listening with ideas on how you might step into the role of coach so that people around you benefit. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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, while also feeling like they can grow. You will finish listening with ideas on how you can make feedback a regular and natural part of your communication. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 you are in or working towards. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 why supervisor training and support matters, what is involved in people leadership, and how to implement a supervisor support plan that helps everyone do their best work. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 to time. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 upcycling and how you can take something like a newsletter and turn it into an annual report. By the end, you'll be asking yourself how you might see something as worthy to use again and have enough creativity to imagine new ways to use it. When you are more efficient, you have time to spend on other aspects of your mission. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 foundations might listen for. You'll finish the episode with new ideas on how to ask and answer questions towards building stronger relationships. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 thank you messages and how you could implement them within your organization. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 your organization to change the questions you ask and engage more people in key conversations. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 of your community. You'll finish your listening with concrete ideas on how you can strengthen your donor meetings. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 give each event a purpose, ways to create magical spaces that are different from people's everyday world, and how to begin a gathering. You will walk away with tips on how you can create transformational gatherings. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 what’s at the core of keeping you from meeting your mission. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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. They talk about some of general lessons any nonprofit leader can learn from Give Methow and why it matters. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 donors to be a part of the important work you do. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

"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 members to turn a "won't" to a "will." Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 actually doing. Ultimately we are busy doing important things, and we want to invite conversation about that. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 importance of true cost accounting and advocacy as ways to expand the amount of money you have to work with. --- Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.

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 engage everyone in the conversation. Mike addresses what is hard about facilitation and some options to get professional development in facilitation. Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend. Want to request a topic? Email us at nonprofitradioshow@gmail.com. You can also follow us on these social media channels: You got this.