Episodes

We all know how valuable community building is, but we often don't understand just how powerful it is. And right now it might just be that nonprofit leaders' superpower as community builders could be one of the keys to making sure that we are able to fight off the right wing attacks on our funding and on the work that we do and the people we serve. In this episode, we share: Understanding the strategic goals of the forces of division How to disrupt the forces of division through community bu...

This is a time when we need all hands on deck. There's so much need for nonprofits to advocate aggressively for the work that we do, and specifically for the government funding that supports our work. And nowhere is that more true than at the federal level. I’ve shared a lot of thoughts recently about the number of ways that federal funding for safety net services is under attack, and the importance of engaging members of Congress to get them to do the right thing. I'm also hearing from a lot ...

Nonprofit leaders have a lot going on in terms of advocacy we need to be doing with Congress. And I’m hearing from a lot of my clients and the folks in my coaching programs, saying “Just strip it down for me. What's the messaging we need to be using? Give me a framework so that I can keep this simple.” I totally understand the need for that, and I'm right here with you. We’ve got so much coming at us all the time that sometimes the best thing is to just keep it short and sweet and simple. So I’...

It can be really hard right now as a Nonprofit leader to know where to focus your attention, what to be spending your advocacy energy on and what's going to have the biggest impact. For the vast majority of direct service nonprofits, federal dollars make up at least some part of your total funding. And for any nonprofit in that situation, most of the critical action that's going to determine the long-term wellbeing of our organizations, our programs, our services, and the people we serve is hap...

The right wing's "waste, fraud, and abuse" propaganda is being used to justify massive and indiscriminate slashing of federal funding for anything and everything. That propaganda is hurting nearly every nonprofit in this country right now, and it's hurting every single community that is served by those nonprofits. The good news is, propaganda only succeeds when it's not being countered effectively. So we have to find ways to counter it. The problem is, all the normal messaging we use with polic...

There is so much more still to discuss about how we can defend against ongoing attacks on your federal funding. In this week’s episode, we're focusing on the second key piece of the strategy, which is shaping public opinion and getting members of the community to start raising their voices in support of your funding. We need to make it deeply unpopular to cut funding for our work. To do that, we’ve got to influence public opinion about that work. We need the members of our community to grasp th...

We have a lot to talk about with all of the threats that are aimed at federal funding for a critical array of safety net programs. We've had quite a rollercoaster ride in the last couple of weeks, but I believe that there are some very powerful lessons available in that experience, if we are willing to pay attention to them. And if we can sift through the chaos and the stress to get clear about what actually happened and how there is a hidden message in there that is really encouraging. Plus a r...

It feels like we're having a crisis about every 20 seconds, and this week is no exception. Just at the beginning of the week we had another sudden, chaos-inducing announcement from the new administration that they were going to suspend all federal grant money for unspecified things for an unspecified period of time. I noticed that a number of nonprofit leaders started posting to social media almost immediately when this announcement was made, and they used words like “panic,” “terrified,” “this...

If it wasn’t clear before this week, we now know that the entire suite of government-funded safety net programs is in the right wing’s cross hairs. The ambition to dismantle these programs isn't new. What is new is the level of aggressiveness and determination that seems to be accompanying this round. If your organization is like many direct service nonprofits, a chunk of your funding comes from government sources. And in a lot of cases that originates at the federal level. Even if you don't ha...

Confidence is one of those things that so many people struggle with, and others seem to have no problem with. And neither group understands the other one very well. So I want to get into where does confidence come from, and how do we get more of it, more consistently? Where do you feel least confident? Is it public speaking? Is it in front of a powerful decision maker? Is it when the stakes are especially high and the consequences of error seem kind of terrifying? Is it when you're worried that...

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 building a relationship with a money or policy decisionmaker that's new to you or relatively new, is tougher than ever. And the...

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 goals. We need plans. Or stuff would have trouble getting done. But the piece that we often overlook or ...

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 to reflect on. For most of us in the progressive world, it's been a pretty mixed bag. You know, we had this electi...

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 supposed to show up in your super-professional approach. There's a big problem with that. Because what that d...

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 marketing something when we're engaging a decision maker. Whether we're talking to funders or foundations, to contracting par...

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 times when things look most challenging and most worrisome, that the practice of gratitude, and finding gratitude, is more import...

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 carries the potential danger of creating a huge blind spot that can cost you. We can get so busy in our he...

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 environment. As it becomes clear that there will now be complete Republican control of the White House, the H...

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 of challenges facing us in the next couple of years at the very least. There's going to be a lot to say in the...

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're ready. And because you know you're ready, you're able to stay in your groove and be fully present. Which is where real en...

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 the thing. And I know you know this. All that anxiety and worry not only isn't helpful, it's actually pretty bad for you...

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 there. It’s not always clear who has the power to make that decision. And what I notice is that a lot of folks spend ...

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 our clients and their families. And as you're no doubt very aware, the polling is really tight in many of these ra...

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 rewarding. So how do we get from stressful and uncomfortable to exhilarating, exciting and rewarding? We're going to talk...