Successful Nonprofits Podcast

A staff member unhappy with one of your decisions skips you and goes straight to the board chair. If the chair entertains it, your ability to lead takes a hit that is very hard to repair.

In this episode I share when this happened to me as a chief executive, as well as what I've learned about responding in a way that strengthens the organization's effectiveness and my leadership. I also cover four ways to future-proof your organization, from a written plan with your board chair to a validated staff engagement survey, and four traps that look like solutions but aren't.

Chapters:

00:00 When staff go around you to the board 01:24 The three moments it tends to happen 02:38 The first time: brought in to right the ship 05:47 The call on the last night of the conference 09:34 The second time, and my resignation 10:46 The third time, as an interim executive director 15:09 Three meetings to repair the damage 20:37 Four ways to future-proof your organization 26:07 Four traps that look like solutions 29:13 Homework, and what to do if it is happening now

This episode answers the following questions:

• What do I do when a staff member complains about me to the board?
• Should my board chair meet with my staff without telling me?
• How do I stop employees from going around me to the board?
• When should staff go directly to the board of directors?
• How can a nonprofit board measure staff morale without undermining the executive director?
• Should my nonprofit use a 360-degree evaluation to evaluate me as executive director?
• What do I do when my board chair has undermined me with my staff?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Gallup's Q12 Employee Engagement Survey: https://www.gallup.com/q12-employee-engagement-survey/
• Curious about executive coaching or board retreat facilitation? Email me using the contact form
• Subscribe to the newsletter and join a live podcast recording: https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

Looking for more? Check out these other amazing episodes:

• Stop Being Your Team's Referee
• Building Strong CEO-Board Chair Relationships with John Fulwider
• The Supportive Board Chair with Monica Khant

Join the live virtual audience for podcast recordings (and bring your question for the Q&A). Topics, guests, and times are announced in my newsletter, and you can sign up at this link: https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

A staff member knocks on your door and asks you to settle a disagreement with a coworker. Saying yes feels good, and it is one of the few things in your week that ends cleanly. It also teaches your team to bring you every dispute, and it pushes the fundraising, board, and strategy work that only you can do into your nights and weekends.

In this episode I walk through escalate together, a practice I draw from Kim Scott's Radical Candor and use in every interim executive director engagement. Staff make a good faith effort to work it out themselves, and if they are still stuck, they come to me together. I cover how to set up the room, the two questions I ask once everyone sits down, the issues that belong in formal channels instead, and what to do about the frequent flyer who has escalated with eight different colleagues in a year.

You will also hear what happened when I rolled this out on my first day at an organization with a long history of instability, and a team member knocked on my door about 90 minutes later.

This episode answers the following questions:

1. How do I stop my staff from bringing me every disagreement?
2. What do I say when an employee complains to me about a coworker?
3. Is it the executive director's job to mediate conflict between staff?
4. How do I get my team to resolve conflict without me in the room?
5. When does a staff complaint go to HR or an attorney instead of to me?
6. How should a nonprofit CEO handle an employee who has conflict with everyone?
7. Does any of this work with a fully remote team?
8. How do I roll out a new management practice to my board chair and my staff?

Links mentioned in this episode:

1. Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book (also on Bookshop.org)
2. CEO Excellence by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra: Bookshop.org
3. The Netflix culture memo, where the team and not a family framing comes from: https://jobs.netflix.com/culture
4. Curious about executive coaching, including the coaching library I send new clients? Contact me.
5. Subscribe to the newsletter and join a live podcast recording: https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

Looking for more? Check out these other amazing episodes:

1. Conflict Can Be Good for Your Organization with Nate Regier
2. The First Four Words: Starting Conversations with Confidence with Tucker Miller
3. Timeless Tips for Working with Difficult People with Jody Foster

Join the live virtual audience for podcast recordings (and bring your question for the Q&A). Topics, guests, and times are announced in my newsletter, and you can sign up at this link: https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

Most executive directors put off planned giving because it feels like a time consuming and expensive project that requires a consultant, a gift acceptance policy, board training, a recognition society, and more. And after investing so much into planned giving, you won't receive a gift for years.

Tony Martignetti has spent 29 years proving that belief is just not true.

In this episode he walks us through his three-step, one-week launch; explains why three or four top prospects is a real planned giving program; and dismantles the objections that keep chief executives from closing the simplest gift there is (and the easiest one to ask for).

We also get honest about what stewardship of your planned giving donors actually costs.

If you are the CEO who wears many hats, this is the fundraising conversation that pays off long after your current grant cycle closes.

This episode answers questions like:

• How do I start planned giving without a development director?
• Do we need a gift acceptance policy before we can ask for bequests?
• How many planned giving prospects can an executive director realistically handle?
• How do I identify planned giving prospects?
• When do I tell my board about a planned giving program?
• Is planned giving worth it for a small nonprofit with a tight budget?
• What do you say to a board member who is worried about a donor leaving us property we'll never be able to sell (like a toxic waste site)?
• How do I steward and cultivate planned giving donors over the long term?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Tony's book, Planned Giving Accelerated, plus a free chapter: https://plannedgivingaccelerated.com/
• Planned Giving Accelerator: https://plannedgivingaccelerator.com/
• Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio: https://tonymartignetti.com/
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-millionaire-next-door-the-surprising-secrets-of-americas-wealthy-thomas-j-stanley-ph-d/d2115bc2d7f2d07c?ean=9781589795471

Subscribe to the newsletter and join a live podcast recording: https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

Join the live virtual audience for podcast recordings (and bring your question for the Q&A). Topics, guests, and times are announced in my newsletter, and you can sign up at this link: https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

If you're in the chief executive seat long enough, something will eventually go wrong. A cash-flow crisis, the loss of a key funder, a serious audit finding, critical news coverage, or an on-site disaster can test both your leadership and your relationship with the board.

In this episode, I lay out a practical way to deliver bad news to your board without creating a second crisis. I share who to tell first, the six questions your written board update must answer, and how to structure an emergency meeting so the loudest board member does not control the conversation.

You will also learn when to stop weekly updates to your board and how to conduct a post-mortem after the issue is fully resolved. The central lesson is simple: bad news does not break trust, but surprise, avoidance, or inaction will.

If you are a CEO responsible for moving your mission forward in a polarized environment, this conversation will sharpen how you lead.

Your ability to communicate with people who don't share your or your nonprofit's values and views can determine whether your organization gains traction or stalls out.

In this episode, I speak with consultant and former executive director Chandra Brown about how leaders choose words and framing that build alignment with board members, donors, policymakers, and community stakeholders. You'll hear a real-world example of a messaging misstep that backfired and what it reveals about how different audiences interpret the same issue.

You'll walk away with practical ways to communicate across political divides without compromising your values.

This episode answers the following questions:

• How do executive directors communicate with stakeholders who disagree with them?
• How can I get board members or donors to support an issue they're skeptical about?
• What's the best way to talk about controversial issues without alienating my supporters?
• How do I build alignment across my nonprofit's politically divided constituencies?
• How do I prepare for conversations with policymakers who oppose my position?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Influence Advocacy (Chandra Brown). Influence Advocacy and Chandra can give your issue a helping hand using data driven strategies that support your issue campaigns.

Can one board retreat turn reluctant board members into fundraising superstars? Anyone promising that is selling something they cannot deliver. But a well-designed retreat can still move board fundraising forward.

In this episode, I explain how to diagnose the real barriers first, then share six practical retreat activities that can help a board align expectations, understand its fundraising options, practice useful skills, map its networks, and make specific commitments. I also outline the post-retreat work that turns your board members' commitments into results.

This episode answers the following questions:

• Can a board retreat actually get board members to fundraise?
• Why is my nonprofit board not engaged in fundraising?
• What fundraising activities can we use at a board retreat?
• How do we set and enforce fundraising expectations for board members?
• What should staff and board leadership do after a fundraising retreat?

Links mentioned in this episode:

Bring Dolph into your next board retreat. I design and facilitate board retreats that are interactive, practical, and built around the board's real barriers. Retreat topics can include fundraising, governance, board evaluation, planning the board's work, crisis or contingency planning, and strategic planning. To discuss your next retreat, reach out to me at successfulnonprofits.com.

What recurring tasks does each person on your team actually own?

It's almost impossible to remember everything a team member is responsible for, and a job description usually won't tell you. When that information lives only in someone's head, onboarding gets harder, performance conversations get murkier, and an employee departure can create unnecessary chaos.

In this episode, I share my simple, one-tab staff task checklist I use when leading nonprofit teams. It documents each position's recurring work and how often it needs to happen. It also becomes a practical tool for interviewing candidates, onboarding new employees, managing performance, cross-training staff, reviewing job descriptions, and being ready for staff departures.

You'll also learn how this simple exercise can expose tasks only one person knows how to do, processes that still lack documentation, and responsibilities that have quietly changed over time.

This episode answers the following questions:

• How do I keep things from falling through the cracks when an employee leaves?
• What should I document before a key employee quits?
• How do I onboard a new employee without constantly answering questions?
• How do I know if important tasks depend too much on one employee?
• How do I hold staff accountable when responsibilities aren't clear?
• How do I cross-train employees at a small nonprofit?
• How do I update job descriptions when staff roles have changed?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• The checklist in an editable Excel format: https://successfulnonprofits.com/checklist
• Free Online Trainings for Nonprofit CEOs: https://successfulnonprofits.com/trainings/

Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:

• Why Our Team Members Fail with Dr. Tiffany Slater
• 12 Ways You Can Recruit and Retain Top Talent
• Stop Doing $25-per-Hour Work

Whether to spend staff time and resources on a special event is an important decision that rests with you as the chief executive.

Fundraising events can consume hundreds of staff hours, sap your board's enthusiasm, and produce far less revenue than everyone expected. That is why many nonprofit leaders conclude events are simply not worth the effort.

Mary Thompson offers a different answer.

Mary is the long-time executive director of Apple Seeds Teaching Farm in Arkansas, and her organization produces a large annual fundraiser that costs approximately 23% of gross revenue. It also hosts monthly Kitchen Table Dinners for 40 to 50 guests, with each dinner requiring only about 10 to 11 hours of staff time.

In this episode, Mary explains how Apple Seeds created events that generate revenue, introduce the organization to new supporters, deepen donor relationships, and remain manageable for her team.

You will hear why repeatable systems matter, how smaller gatherings can outperform a large gala as relationship-building tools, and what every executive director should examine before approving another event.

This episode answers the following questions:

• How much should it cost a nonprofit to produce a fundraising event?
• How much staff time should an event require?
• When should an event be measured by relationships rather than net revenue alone?
• Why can small, recurring events build stronger donor relationships than a large gala?
• How can nonprofits turn an event into a repeatable system?
• How can an event connect directly to the organization's mission?
• What should an executive director consider before committing the organization to another event?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Apple Seeds Teaching Farm: appleseedsar.org

Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:

• Flipping Small Fundraising Events on Their Heads for Better Revenue with Sherry Truhlar, Part One
• Flipping Small Fundraising Events on Their Heads for Better Revenue with Sherry Truhlar, Part Two
• Help Donors Fall In Love…With Your Organization with Abra Annes

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Your calendar is full, your inbox is under control, and the copier is finally working. You were productive today, right?

Maybe not.

Every week, nonprofit chief executives routinely spend hours scheduling meetings, answering routine emails, preparing documents, and handling administrative work that someone else—or the right technology—could manage. Every hour spent on those tasks is an hour you cannot spend cultivating major donors, developing your staff, engaging your board, or preparing your organization for what comes next.

In this episode, I will help you identify the $25-per-hour work consuming your week and decide what to stop, do less frequently, delegate, or automate. I also explore why an executive assistant may be the most important next hire for a small nonprofit—and how to protect the time you recover for the leadership work only you can do.

This episode answers the following questions:

• How can I get everything done?
• Do I need an executive assistant?
• Can AI help me with office tasks?
• How should I be spending my time as a nonprofit executive director?

Links mentioned in this episode:

Calculate the Value of an Hour of Your Time https://successfulnonprofits.com/value_your_time/

Subscribe to the Successful Nonprofits® Newsletter https://successfulnonprofits.com/newsletter-signup/

Free Online Trainings for Nonprofit CEOs Learn more about Design an AI Strategy That Builds More Capacity and other upcoming trainings: https://successfulnonprofits.com/trainings/

Looking for more? Check out these other amazing episodes:

• Ep 366: The 3 Roles of an Executive Director
• Ep 326: 16 Productivity Apps and Software You Need to Check Out Today
• Ep 321: Your 4-Day Workweek Blueprint with Jessica Weitzel

One person's loud and persistent certainty can become the board's decision. Not because everyone agrees, but because everyone else has grown tired of resisting and just want the meeting to move forward.

Over time, that dynamic does more than produce a few bad decisions. It weakens the board's collective governance muscle and gives one member far more power than any individual board member should have.

In this episode, I share a structured deliberation process designed to keep the "hijacking hyena" from taking over a consequential board discussion. The process uses position champions, strict time limits, neutral facilitation, anonymous force-ranking, and a clear final vote.

You'll get a viable way to address a contentious decision without recreating the same power dynamic. You'll also learn how you as the executive director can help board leadership create a process in which every board member's voice is heard.

This episode answers questions like:

• How do I deal with one board member dominating every discussion?
• How can my board better consider several competing options?
• What should I do when my board chair is dominating board meetings as the hijacking hyena?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Learn about Successful Nonprofits® board-development services
• Learn more about Successful Nonprofits® executive coaching