Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Perspectives on Nonprofit Leadership

Vision: Looking Back to Look Forward by Tim Delaney Most people know that the transitional month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings who looked both backwards and forwards at the same time. But how many of us know about the power of the Janus Effect? I certainly didn’t, until reading a brilliant book, The Leadership Challenge, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. In it, the authors recount the Janus Effect research that can help nonprofits. Corporate CEOs were divided into two groups and asked to: “think of things that might (or will) happen to you in the future” and “think of things that have happened to you in the past.” In answering the questions participants were to list 10 events, attaching dates to each event. But the order of questions was switched. Group A was asked to think of the future first; Group B to think of the past first. When comparing results, CEOs in Group B – which first thought of the past – consistently envisioned twice as far into the future than those in Group A that looked at the future first. Since reading The Leadership Challenge many years ago, I’ve enjoyed tapping into the power of the Janus Effect in various ways that you can use, too. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. In fact, here’s how our staff at the National Council of Nonprofits recently invoked the power of looking to the past to sharpen our view of the future.

Lead In! by Jennifer Chandler In the popular book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, Sandberg urges aspiring leaders to “believe in yourself,” “give it your all,” and never doubt your ability to navigate conflicts between your personal and professional lives. By doing this Sandberg believes you can rise to a leadership position, and once there, make changes that will benefit others who come after you. While it may not be her primary message, she asserts that it is a leader’s obligation to leave the workplace a better place for those who follow. While spending a day with nonprofit leaders recently, I was reminded of Sandberg’s assertion. We were going through the familiar process of identifying challenges and opportunities for a SWOT analysis, when the discussion settled somewhat uncomfortably on the challenge of succession planning as a widespread challenge that no one wants to talk about, but everyone worries about. ​With the candor often shared by executive directors who are relieved to find themselves with peers, bonding over shared war stories, succession planning was described as “the one issue NONE of my board members will look in the eye” and “the biggest, baddest vulnerability we face.” Stories were shared about the death of a founder, leaving an organization in such chaos it almost closed its doors; the challenges of cross-training an organization with only three staff members; and the risks of being the one to raise the issue if you actually plan to stay in your job. It was clear that for this group of leaders, succession planning touched a raw nerve.  Read on for more leadership insights

Clean up! To start off the New Year with a clean slate, or at least a clean database, we invited Steven Shattuck ofBloomerang to share with us his tips on, “3 Ways to Clean Up Your Donor Database in 2014.” Your donor database is a living, breathing ecosystem. Contained within are thousands of individual needs, expectations and passions. Tapping into the unique giving personas of your donors is impossible when your database consists of one giant lump of donors, each of whom receive the same letter template via one communication channel. Those fundraisers who have mastered segmentationare able to communicate on an individual level, unlocking the true potential of every donor in their database. You can do it too, and the beginning of the year is a great time to get started. Read on for three ways to clean up your donor database for 2014

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | The Leadership Lens

The Leadership Lens Editor’s notes, by Jennifer Chandler  My appreciation for what leadership is – and isn’t – has been sharpened lately listening to stories about first jobs. One young adult close to my family shared his experiences working for a leader who sounds like the antithesis of a "servant-leader." Hearing that young person's misgivings motivated me to search for resources about good governance and inspiring leaders, both of which are abundant in the charitable nonprofit community. Hence the theme of this issue of Nonprofit Knowledge Matters. Whatever your leadership lens, we hope these articles will offer ideas for discussions with your nonprofit peers about the leadership role charitable nonprofits play in communities, and the characteristics you aspire to demonstrate in your own leadership journey.   Advertisement Dynamic Leadership We expect so much of leaders. And leaders expect so much of themselves. But one person, or even a small leadership team, may have a blind spot. We’ve all read about the “wisdom of crowds” and the challenges of overworked, overstressed leaders making decisions. What if your nonprofit used a governance and decision-making process that made the organization smarter than any one leader/small leadership team? Read more in our guest post by Sheella Mierson. Can everyone lead? Nonprofit leaders take their role seriously. That’s why convenings hosted by state associations of nonprofits often include conversations about effective leadership. Paul Schmitz, keynote speaker at the recent Nonprofit Leadership Summit hosted by theNew Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, and author of Everyone Leads, has questioned the premise that leadership is only for a few. Another leader and convener of nonprofits in New England, Common Good Vermont (a Nonprofit Ally member of the National Council of Nonprofits), has taken up the mantle of leadership in a big way. Common Good Vermont aspires to weave leadership and citizenship into the fabric of the Green Mountain state so that leadership is not just something that others do, but something thateveryone does. Find out more aboutCommon Good Vermont's initiative in an article by Council of Nonprofits intern Molly Tilghman. Providing Leadership for Collaboration A new report from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) highlights how funders can support nonprofits engaged in collaborations.Working Better Together: Building Nonprofit Collaborative Capacity lays out insights on the core capacities nonprofits need to effectively collaborate — including strong leadership and an open mindset, the ability to share power and responsibility, adaptability and flexibility, and strong connectivity and relationship building — and how grantmakers can play a vital role in building these capacities. As described in the report, key roles grantmakers can play include: helping nonprofits make connections with collaborative partners, offering core support (i.e., unrestricted) long-term funding, and providing other resources, such as technology, that may be needed to support and enable collaborative work.  Leadership to Change Perspectives on Indirect Costs Kudos to the many leaders in the nonprofit community who havesigned the pledge to educate donors and grantmakers about the fact that programs run by nonprofits require general operating funds to turn on the lights, process payroll, purchase liability insurance, and pay for a myriad of other “indirect costs.” Charitable nonprofits are also taking a leadership role in spreading the word thatgovernment contracts and grants should reimburse nonprofits for the indirect costs that they incur.  If your nonprofit provides services on behalf of governments, we think you will be interested in a new report from the National Council of Nonprofits, Investing for Impact: Indirect Costs Are Essential for Success. Even if your nonprofit doesn't have any government contracts or grants, you will still find Investing for Impact useful because it shares substantial research for board members and funders about the need to invest in core infrastructure to have a stronger nonprofit. The new report offers nonprofits ideas for how to explain to their government partners and private philanthropy that payment of indirect costs is vital to the effectiveness of the services provided, and for the sustainability of the nonprofit. The report includes practical solutions that governments at all levels can adopt to strengthen the government-nonprofit contracting relationship, ensure higher-performing nonprofit partners (and cost savings for taxpayers). BUT -- it’s up to charitable nonprofits to lead the way with the key messages in the report when negotiating with governments. Lead on! More resources on leadership Looking for leadership training? Visit the education calendar for your state association of nonprofits Looking for leadership experience? Learn about serving on a nonprofit’s board! Leadership succession - planned and unexpected Team Building Without Time Wasting

Museum Director Search- Iroquois Indian Museum

The Iroquois Indian Museum seeks an Executive Director who is responsible for providing leadership and administrative oversight by maintaining the strategic vision of the museum and carrying out a plan of work to achieve the museum’s mission, profitability and growth. The Director has the overall responsibility for planning, organizing, directing, supervising and coordinating all museum operations and activities. The Director is expected to nurture the Museum's commitment to growing a collection of the world's best Iroquois creativity; presenting outstanding exhibits and public events; and maintaining quality research on Iroquois creativity, The Director must be able to work well with the Board of Trustees and a diverse staff including volunteer or student workers; have expertise in fundraising with donors, corporations and foundations; have a strong understanding of non-profit organizational finance and management; be able to develop new approaches to publicizing and growing the museum programming through social media and web marketing; and have excellent communications skills. Required: college degree and 3-5 years’ experience in the museum field,HOW TO APPLY: Go to www.iroquoismuseum.org<http://www.iroquoismuseum.org><http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/> and download the detailed Director's position listing. Applicants should send the following in a single file: (1) a letter of intent addressing the Required and Preferred Qualifications listed, (2) an updated and complete resume and (3) a list of three professional references to: Iroquoismuseumdirectorsearch@gmail.com<mailto:Iroquoismuseumdirectorsearch@gmail.com><mailto:Iroquoismuseumdirectorsearch@gmail.com<mailto:Iroquoismuseumdirectorsearch@gmail.com>>. Only electronic applications will be accepted. IIM is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution committed to cultural, racial, and ethnic communities.