Fundraising Leadership

Executive Coaching, Professional Development, Training, and Career Advancement for Nonprofit Leaders in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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Extreme Productivity – Using Your Calendar For Everything!

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This week I celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary.

My wife and I have a wonderful relationship, and we live full lives as partners, parents, and professionals. We align on most things and rarely disagree.

There is, however, one realm where we do not align, and it’s been a source of friction for us over the years. It has to do with how we keep track of everything in our busy lives so that we honor our promises and commitments (a.k.a., keeping your word) to each other, as well as to our family, friends, and colleagues.

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The Daily Clean Slate – Establishing a Leadership Habit

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How many of you wake up to a freshly filled Inbox and a daily agenda filled with a range of difficult conversations and challenging work? Tempting to dive right in, right? But, if you’re like me, that trap can ruin a morning and, honestly, not give the work the attention and venue it deserves.

Well, my coach gave me some great advice about a year ago about a better way to start the day and it has made all the difference. But here’s the trick: it takes some serious discipline until a habit is formed. After that? It’s no more difficult than your 5 am sleepwalk to the coffee machine. [Read more…]

Do You Know How to Subtract?

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Less is MoreThis week my family and I are moving. It’s a significant downsize in anticipation of my oldest daughter going off to college in a year. As a family of four, we’re transitioning from a 3BR+Den+Garage house to a 2BR+Den and no garage condo by the beach in Naples, FL. In preparation for the move, we’ve been “subtracting” a significant amount of stuff from our lives over the past few weeks–giving most of it away to Goodwill, or families whom we know can put it to good use.

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5 Tips to Cultivate a Growth Mindset Culture

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Fostering a culture of accountability within your team is a key skill and it aligns perfectly with the coach-like style of leadership. We have covered the topic of accountability in past posts “Creating a Culture of Accountability” and “A is For Accountability.”

The foundation of accountability lies in asking three questions:

What will you do? When will it be completed? How will you report back?

When you create a work culture that embraces accountability you need to ensure that it is held without judgement. This creates an environment where everyone can learn from success and failure. [Read more…]

How to Come up with a Winning Pitch

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Regardless of whether you’re looking for a new job, you’re an entrepreneur seeking investors, you’re regularly employed at an organization, you’re self-employed, or you’re a fundraiser for charities, knowing how to be captivating is fundamental to achieving your goals.  How captivating and persuasive are you?

The WITA method will give you the clarity and focus you need for a captivating, winning pitch that will help you reach your dreams. Take a pen and paper and answer each of the questions below. Your answers will form the structure of your “pitch”.

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9 Essential Qualities of Successful Nonprofit Leaders

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Human resource professionals and hiring managers often ask me if there are certain qualities to look for when hiring prospective new successful nonprofit leaders that are likely to make them extraordinarily successful in their leadership roles. While there are no absolutes, Janice Cunning and I identified nine essential qualities through our personal experience in the nonprofit world as well as our work training and coaching nonprofit professionals that make nonprofit executives extraordinary.  We found that there are a few characteristics that if carefully screened for can yield excellent new-hire results. [Read more…]

5 Ways to Grow As a Manager

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At Fundraising Leadership we are passionate about supporting nonprofit managers and leaders in their growth. We are equally passionate about continuing to grow ourselves. In fact, the Fundraising Leadership team came together as a result of our love of learning. We all connected as a result of completing a 10-month leadership program offered by the Co-Active Training Institute.  [Read more…]

A Survival Kit for the New Nonprofit Leader

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You are an extraordinary producer. Efficient, effective, and on top of your game.

Now, all of a sudden you accept a promotion within your organization to lead a team. Or, you were recruited away to lead a team in another organization.

Either way, the game has changed. Not only do you need to continue to produce results from your frontline work,  you are also responsible for getting results from and through your team. [Read more…]