Have you ever sat through a board retreat and spent more time watching the clock, daydreaming, and checking texts than listening to the facilitator? Are your board members cringing at the thought of attending another retreat? Did your last facilitator stand behind a lectern and drone on like a record playing in slow motion? Were they unengaging? Was the content dull and irrelevant? Did the outcomes of the day grow stale and ultimately have little impact on your board? If you

Have you ever sat through a strategic planning session and spent most of the time watching the clock, daydreaming, and checking texts? Did the facilitator waste most of the day wordsmithing your mission statement and conducting SWOT analysis? Were they unengaging? Did the sessions that fall far short of your expectations? Did the resulting plan collect dust in a file because it was never seen again? Did the outcomes of the day grow stale and ultimately have little impact on y

COVID has brought some level of worry to all of us. We worry about the needs of those we serve, the needs of our community, the needs of our families, the needs of our organizations, and our own needs. The list goes on. These are unprecedented times. I don’t know what the future holds, no one does. But having built seven nonprofits and a few businesses over the last 30 years, I’ve weathered a number of stormy seas and I believe America, you, and your organization, will be “ok

If there was ever a call to action for board members, this is it. Your staff needs you. Your beneficiaries need you. Your community needs you. Whether you’re a new board member or on your third term, it’s time to lead and act. And I’m not just talking about sitting at a table and voting, I’m talking about rolling up your sleeves, eagerly speaking up and saying, “What can we do to help?” and “What can I do to help?” This is the time for your board to set aside busy schedules a