Learning to Lead for Impact
leadership insight from Tom Okarma
the latest and greatest…
Ready for Change: The Role of a Board of Directors
The role of a Board of Directors has remained the same over the years...for the most part. A board sets the direction, raises funds, provides financial and program oversight, and ensures all laws...
Nonprofit Leadership: The 11 Characteristics You Need for Impact
Is Your Nonprofit Leadership the best it can be? In my experience in working with leaders, there are a few characteristics that I have found to set a great leader apart from the rest, as well as...
Great Nonprofit Leadership: Do You Have What it Takes?
Great Nonprofit leadership comes into play in every aspect of your day, as it's essential to your team's success. When I took on a role as CEO, it seemed my team frequently faced some important and...
Step 1 in Leadership Development: Know Yourself
When we think Leadership Development, we often think of others first... But sometimes we over look a critical element -- knowing ourselves... When I first became the CEO of an organization, I was...
2020: New Year, Bigger Nonprofit Impact
Will 2020 be a success for your agency? With 2019 quickly coming to an end, most of us are tying up loose ends and putting the finishing touches on our 2020 plans, goals, and budgets for nonprofit...
Are Giving Trends Changing?
I recently read an article about giving trends in Giving USA stating that 2018 donations fell by an inflation-adjusted 1.7% over 2017. Without a doubt, $427.71 billion is still a whole lot of money...
leadership
Ready for Change: The Role of a Board of Directors
The role of a Board of Directors has remained the same over the years...for the most part. A board sets the direction, raises funds, provides financial and program oversight, and ensures all laws and regulations are followed. However, what has changed is the level of...
Nonprofit Leadership: The 11 Characteristics You Need for Impact
Is Your Nonprofit Leadership the best it can be? In my experience in working with leaders, there are a few characteristics that I have found to set a great leader apart from the rest, as well as predict their likelihood of success. I call these the 11 Characteristics...
Great Nonprofit Leadership: Do You Have What it Takes?
Great Nonprofit leadership comes into play in every aspect of your day, as it's essential to your team's success. When I took on a role as CEO, it seemed my team frequently faced some important and complex matters. Many of these involving our clients, team, or...
Step 1 in Leadership Development: Know Yourself
When we think Leadership Development, we often think of others first... But sometimes we over look a critical element -- knowing ourselves... When I first became the CEO of an organization, I was very excited and confident. I knew what needed to be done and was quite...
2020: New Year, Bigger Nonprofit Impact
Will 2020 be a success for your agency? With 2019 quickly coming to an end, most of us are tying up loose ends and putting the finishing touches on our 2020 plans, goals, and budgets for nonprofit impact. Maybe you're even making a couple of last minute phone calls...
Nonprofit Governance: What Is It and Why Does it Matter?
Why are some nonprofit agencies so successful, how do they run so smoothly, and how does the board and staff work so well together? It begins with mutual appreciation and respect for one another, as well as excellent communication within the agency. In addition, the...
board development
Nonprofit Risk Management: Is Your Agency Exposed To Risk?
As a nonprofit leader, your attention is drawn in many different directions in the course of a week, sometimes, all at once. You are responsible to look into the future to ensure the agency is headed in the right direction. You also need to look internally to...
The Hardest Question Every Executive Director Must Answer
The Hardest Question Every Executive Director Must Answer At some level, every executive director’s job is similar to other directors in the community. Each leads the organization, raises funds, recruits, ensures clients are being served well, all while serving as the...
4 Things Successful Nonprofit Leaders Do Every Week
Guard Your Calendar Wisely Your role as an executive director is much more than a 9-5 job. You may have breakfast meetings, dinner meetings and late evening meetings. Sometimes, your Saturdays turn into full work days, too. During the day you are meeting with donors,...
Nonprofit Board Management: 18 Reasons Your Board Is Failing
Get Your Board On The Right Track I have found many nonprofit boards are just a few steps away from seeing high impact results. With a few adjustments, these organizations are capable of delivering transformational change to those they are trying to help. They have...
High Impact: 14 Ways To Improve Your Board Leadership
How Should You Lead Your Board Of Directors? After serving on several boards and consulting with many others, I have seen common problems or decisions made by leadership that resurface again and again. These issues hold boards back from giving their best effort and...
Becoming A Board Member: Stay Confident, Come Prepared
So You’re On The Board Of Directors, Now What? Congratulations! You’re officially a board member of an organization that addresses a cause you care about. Becoming a board member is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of a lifetime. Consequently, you...
strategic planning
This Time Around, get Edgy!
With Fall just about upon us, thoughts naturally turn toward planning for 2014, year end board meetings, and next year's budget. In other words, a lot of deep thinking on some important issues. Before you default into your normal year end mindset though, why not...
A Full 180 Degree Turn
It won't come as a shock to many of you that I am a big sports fan. Always have been, always will be. For the record, I pull for any team with "Chicago" on its jersey--even soccer-tho I have no idea why people like that sport. And yet, while I follow each team, I...
Authentic Board Service is Messy
Board candidates and directors want to serve on boards that make an impact but not all of them are willing to pay the price to either exercise, or follow, authentic leadership to do so. And, unless you provide challenging and meaningful board experiences to your...
When a Board Falls Short of Expectations
There must be something in the water around here. I've had coffee with four separate nonprofit executive directors over the last 45 days, each one with the same problem--actually two problems. Their first problem is each ED believes their board is not providing the...
Got Alignment?
If you stop to think about it, leaders can significantly increase the impact of their nonprofit agencies without spending an extra dime. Say what? Let's say your agency has: Experienced leadership-CHECK! A clear and compelling strategic plan-CHECK! The respect and...
It’s Still Not Too late
Leaders and Board Members: Starting to feel guilty you did not prepare or update a strategic plan for your orgnanization's next 24-36 months? Even thought it is mid-December you still have time to develop a strategy and a plan. Its not rocket science and when your...
everything…
Four Ways Board Training Can Help Your Nonprofit
Why do some boards demonstrate a culture of excellence year after year, while some seem to struggle with getting directors to show up for meetings or to make important decisions? Why do some agencies have a waiting list of board candidates, while others (maybe yours)...
Dealing with Problem Board Members
Leading a board would be so fulfilling, so rewarding, and so cool if it weren’t for those problem board members, right? True confession time: You’ve definitely had these thoughts. I know you have...I’ve had gallons of coffee (and an occasional scone, or two) with so...
I’ve Written a New Book!
IT'S HERE!! It is with great excitement that I announce the arrival of my second book! This book focuses solely on nonprofit leadership, with the ins and outs of how to successfully achieve and maintain a leadership position. I really wanted this book to be different!...
10 Characteristics of Effective Nonprofit Leaders
It’s no secret we’re living in a world of increasing turmoil. Violence is escalating. Hate is rising. Lines are being drawn and redrawn every day as portions of our country band together to oppose others. Culturally and politically, we are as divided as we ever have...
How to Fix Common Nonprofit Board Problems in Two Easy Steps
If I've heard it once, I've heard it a hundred times. Nonprofit leaders often tell me, "Our board is weak" or, "My board just sits there and agrees with whatever I say and whatever I want to do." Sadly, there are many CEO's who feel their board is failing when in...
Running a Nonprofit: Are You Managing or Leading and What’s the Difference?
People perform at their best when leaders cast a compelling vision and provide everyone with enough leeway to pursue it. This is especially true in the nonprofit world. Many are motivated by an agency's mission and their personal calling rather than annual...
5 Tips for Bringing Your Strategic Plan to Life
Every nonprofit agency has a strategic plan, somewhere. Maybe in a file cabinet, on a credenza, on its website, but they have one. It's there, you just have to search it out. The problem is, you'd never know it by the way so many just keep doing the same things over...
What is Nonprofit Governance and Why Does it Matter?
Have you ever wondered why some nonprofit agencies are so successful, why they run so smoothly, or why the board and staff members work so well together? It could be due to everyone liking and respecting each other. It could also be due to everyone having a lot of...
5 Reasons Why Board Training is Critical to Nonprofit Success
Why is it some boards demonstrate a culture of excellence year after year while some seem to struggle just to get a majority of directors to show up for meetings or to make important decisions? Why do some nonprofits seem to show up everywhere in your community while...