Bright Nonprofit

Dealing with a rogue board member creates turmoil and dysfunction within an organization and can be a tricky situation to resolve. In this podcast I talk with Laurie Wolf, MNPL, CFRE – the Vice President/COO of The Foraker Group – about how to identify, deal with and prevent rogue board members. Laurie gives training’s on nonprofit governance, strategic planning and resource development. She was selected as one of the “Top 40 under 40” leaders in Alaska by the Chamber of Commerce in 2005.

A rogue board member is a board member who uses their authority outside the jurisdiction of the board as a whole. Often their actions are no longer serving the better good of the organization but instead our based on a personal agenda and what they feel is “right” for the organization. Rogue board member behavior can manifest in many ways but commonly targets the organizations Executive Director. This can result in staff feeling bullied and/or abused by the rogue member.

Micro-managing staff, board meetings become full of surprises, adversarial behavior (including playing devil’s advocate), knit-picking executive director decisions, often loudest board member, member yields more power than other members (remember all board members should have equal power), executive director (and other board members) begin feeling bullied.

Talking directly with someone that demonstrates hostility and unpredictability is challenging. But not addressing the situation can lead to a passive-aggressive situation where some type of “explosion” can happen at an inappropriate time and/or location. Do your best to deal with a rogue board situations as soon as possible. Here are some suggested steps to take:

“Board Bullies”, an article by The Foraker Group CEO/President, Dennis G. McMillian

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Dealing with a rogue board member creates turmoil and dysfunction within an organization and can be a tricky situation to resolve. In this podcast I talk with Laurie Wolf, MNPL, CFRE – the Vice President/COO of The Foraker Group - about how to identify, deal with and prevent rogue board members. Laurie gives training's on nonprofit governance, strategic planning and resource development. She was selected as one of the "Top 40 under 40" leaders in Alaska by the Chamber of Commerce in 2005.

A rogue board member is a board member who uses their authority outside the jurisdiction of the board as a whole. Often their actions are no longer serving the better good of the organization but instead our based on a personal agenda and what they feel is "right" for the organization. Rogue board member behavior can manifest in many ways but commonly targets the organizations Executive Director. This can result in staff feeling bullied and/or abused by the rogue member.

Micro-managing staff, board meetings become full of surprises, adversarial behavior (including playing devil’s advocate), knit-picking executive director decisions, often loudest board member, member yields more power than other members (remember all board members should have equal power), executive director (and other board members) begin feeling bullied.

Talking directly with someone that demonstrates hostility and unpredictability is challenging. But not addressing the situation can lead to a passive-aggressive situation where some type of "explosion" can happen at an inappropriate time and/or location. Do your best to deal with a rogue board situations as soon as possible. Here are some suggested steps to take:

1. Talk to the Member: Directly communicate with the board member. This should be a non-confrontational conversation focused on listening and relationship building.
2. Involve the Board Chair: Go to your board chair (unless your chair is the rogue member) and let them know about the situation. The board chair should then have a peer-to-peer discussion with the rogue member to determine the nature of the behavior and possibly help the rogue member adjust their behavior in accordance with proper board governance
3. Have a Conference Meeting: If behavior continues, again inform the board chair and request the three of you (the rogue member, the board chair and your self) meet to discuss the situation and how to resolve the conflict. This is a good time to brush up on "I statements". Note: This is not a "secret meeting". The board president should keep the other board members informed of the situation as it develops.
4. Hold an Executive Session: By this time, it is likely the entire board is aware of the situation. The board should an executive session (including the rogue member and possible the executive director) to discuss the situation and try to remedy it
5. Removal of Board Member: This is a tough situation, but the board has to do what is best for the health, and in some cases the survival, of the organization. Be sure that your organizations bylaws are followed to the letter.

• Not longer fulfilling mission
• Lose board members
• Lose your executive director and other staff member
• Lose credibility as an organization within your community
• Legal issue (depending on extent of abuse)

• Have a strategic plan and stay focused on mission
• Create board member job descriptions
• Be sure to govern in accordance with your by-laws
• Have a strong Board Development committee focusing on training, recruitment, mentoring

"Board Bullies", an article by The Foraker Group CEO/President, Dennis G. McMillian The Foraker Group Newsletter The Foraker Group Webpage: www.forakergroup.org Contact the Foraker Group: www.forakergroup.org/index.cfm/contactformontact

In this episode of the Nonprofit Ally Podcast I talk with Kim Skildum-Reid who is the Director and Owner of Power Sponsorship (PowerSponsorship.com). Kim offers a wealth of information on how to attract corporate sponsor partners for your nonprofit. She is the author of the The Sponsorship Seeker's Toolkit, Fourth Edition.

Kim Skildum-Reid is the Director and Owner of Power Sponsorship. Website: Power Sponsorship Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kimskildumreid YouTube: youtube.com/PowerSponsorship

What You Need Before You Seek Sponsorship Sponsorship Pricing Basics Can We Target Multiple Sponsors? Best of the Power Sponsorship Blog 10-minute Sponsorship Tutorials

In this podcast I talk with Ann Myren from Resources and Results Consulting LLC. She is a nonprofit consultant specializing in grant writing and strategic planning. In this episode she talks about planning to write a grant, how to find grants, grant writing best practices and gives us a “grant writing check list” you should use before you submit your grant application.

To start the podcast we played a quick game of “Fact or Myth”. Spoiler alert… they all turn out to be myths:

Ask Yourself

Other Checks

Ann Myren can be contacted in at:

foundationcenter.org

In this podcast I talk with Ann Myren from Resources and Results Consulting LLC. She is a nonprofit consultant specializing in grant writing and strategic planning. In this episode she talks about planning to write a grant, how to find grants, grant writing best practices and gives us a “grant writing check list” you should use before you submit your grant application.

To start the podcast we played a quick game of “Fact or Myth”. Spoiler alert… they all turn out to be myths:

1. Start ups can’t get grants. MYTH
2. We must have matching grants to get funds. MYTH (but good idea)
3. We must be a 501.c.3 to get a grant. MYTH (funding criteria could allow for partnering with another nonprofit)
4. Grant writing is complicated and takes specialized skills. MYTH
5. We can’t ask for a lot of money. MYTH
6. We already got a grant from Agency “A”, we can’t ask them again. MYTH
7. There are no grants for the services we provide. MYTH
8. Grants won’t cover our operating expenses. MYTH
9. We can function on grants alone. MYTH

• Get a strategic plan. Show how you are going to do what you say you are going to do. A strategic plan is your blue print and demonstrates to the grantor that you have your act together.
• Go for smaller grants first. Not necessary but good to build off of for next grant.
• Research granting agency. Who have they given to in the past, do you meet their requirements, can they fund the amount you need.
• Contact the funder. Read their website to see who to contact and if it is encouraged.
• Get letters of support from other organizations.
• Have a budget - not just for project but for entire year.

Ask Yourself

• Did you repeat yourself? Do you say the same thing in multiple sections?
• Did you put supporting information in the grant? Did you compare it to other successful projects? Did you use quotes that substantiate your statements?
• Did you answer all the questions completely?

Other Checks

• Check spelling and grammar.
• Check your math. Is the budget laid our correctly? Does it add up?
• Be sure to have someone proof read your grant prior to submission.
• Keep all final documents organized in a way you can find them again on your computer. If you can’t find it you can’t repurpose for another purpose. (See organizing files here).

Ann Myren can be contacted in at:Website: myrenandstern.comLinkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/annmyren

foundationcenter.orggrantstation.com

In this podcast I talk about what you need to have prepared before you start crowdfunding. I also talk about why we only got five new likes on our page after being featured on a page with 15,000+ followers.

Here is an outline of the crowdfunding portion of this podcast.

PLANNING

Here are the questions you will want to answer when you meet with your fundraising team.

WHY are we fundraising?

HOW much money do we need to raise?

WHAT kind of fundraiser are we going to have?

• Peer to peer, crowd funding, event?
• What is our budget?

WHEN:

• Will we kick off the fundraiser?
• When does the fundraiser end?

WHO is going to:

• Create content on the campaign page
• Send thank yous
• Post to social media
• Deposit check in the bank
• Post posters/flyers
• Make phone calls
• Track donors

WHO are you going to ask?

• Demographics
• Who will contact who and when

CREATE CAMPAIGN CONTENT

Make a campaign page (your fundraiser home page) – don’t expect people to click through your site to find your website. Include details on:

• What you need the money for
• Why you need it
• How much it will cost

Use a visual at the top of the page:

• Video are all the rage now
• At least picture or slideshow. Preferably with a person or animal in it

MARKETING AND OUTREACH MATERIAL

Much of you campaign marketing/outreach material can be pre-made.

• “Asking” emails and letters
• Premade postcards, rackcards, business cards and brochures
• Social media campaign content
• Benchmark materials (e.g. email announcing you have reach 30% of your goal)
• Incentives/perks

PTAT - Facebook Engagement

Fundly Crowdfunding Overview

Nonprofit Elevator Pitch

The Mini Facebook Campaign

In this podcast I talk with Brock Warner who is the fundraising manager at War Child. Brock just finished a big fundraising campaign and he fills us in on some of the strategies he used that helped them realize a 30% increase in donations. We also discuss ways to increase donor retention from year to year.

Brock Warner is a fundraiser at War Child and a blogger at iamafundraiser.com. You can also follow him on Twitter as @BrockWarner.

*These are some of the resources that were mentioned in the podcast. The links go to Amazon.com. These are affiliate links. Thank you for considering purchasing these books.

In this podcast I talk with Brock Warner who is the fundraising manager at War Child. Brock just finished a big fundraising campaign and he fills us in on some of the strategies he used that helped them realize a 30% increase in donations. We also discuss ways to increase donor retention from year to year.

Brock Warneris a fundraiser at War Child and a blogger at iamafundraiser.com. You can also follow him on Twitter as @BrockWarner.

• Website: www.warchild.ca
• Blog: www.iamafundraiser.com
• Twitter: @BrockWarner

Founders syndrome is not a disease, but for many nonprofits it is smart to take precautions to prevent its effects. In this podcast, I talk with Kay Clements who started experiencing the effects of burnout after serving as the general manager of a small public radio station in California. Though she did not experience “text book” founders syndrome, many of the symptoms were similar. Her story is raw, honest and enlightening.

Here are a few ways founders syndrome can be defined:

At the end of this podcast I go over some ways to help prevent the onset of founders syndrome.

I also share with you some exciting news I received about a nonprofit I am starting. The effects of this news won’t be known for a few more weeks, but I wanted to let you know about it as I plan to update you on its progress.

Kay Clements

Other Topics Mentioned

In this episode I talk with Kay Clements who help found a new radio station in northern California (KWMR). She became the general manager and after 12 years started expereincing the full effects of founders syndrome.