The Practice of Nonprofit Leadership
The Practice of Nonprofit Leadership was designed for Executive Directors of small to medium sized nonprofits. If you are currently an Executive Director or hope to be one someday this is your spot. Leading an organization can be one of the most fun, exhilarating, rewarding, scary, thankless jobs in the universe. Using a mixture of encouragement, information, stories, and practical tools, hosts Tim Barnes and Nathan Ruby will use their years of nonprofit leadership experience to make your journey a little easier, more fun, and ultimately help you be more effective in leading your organization.
Episodes
140 episodes
Navigating Leadership Challenges and Discovering Growth As A New Executive Director
Imagine stepping into a leadership role with an overwhelming inbox and the task of transforming not just your job but an entire organization. That's exactly what Colleen Shaughnessy faced on her first day as Executive Director of Youth Heartlin...
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Season 4
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Episode 138
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31:51
Unlocking Nonprofit Success With A Simple Tool For Strategic Planning
Ready to transform your nonprofit’s strategic planning? This episode promises to equip you with practical advice on conducting an effective SWOT analysis, and shows you how even the smallest nonprofits can benefit from this robust ...
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Season 4
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Episode 137
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27:22
Top Tactics for Finding the Right People for Your Nonprofit Board
How do you build a board that can truly drive your nonprofit's mission forward? Who do you need and how do you find them?Tim and Nathan answer these questions and also provide practical tips and strategies for adding members to your boa...
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Season 4
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Episode 136
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23:12
JPowell, Rate Cuts, and Fundraising...Now What?
The U.S. Federal Reserve announced this week (September 18, 2024) a 50 basis point cut in interest rates, with reactions of joy from some and concern from others. So what? How does that impact me as a nonprofit leader?In thi...
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Season 4
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Episode 135
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12:36
Unlocking the Power of Volunteers: Transforming Nonprofits with Effective Volunteer Programs
What if the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations wasn't funding, but the volunteers who power them? Join us as we unpack this provocative idea with Jada Hoerr, Chief Resource Officer of Midwest ...
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Season 4
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Episode 134
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44:39
Navigating Your Nonprofit In An Election Year with Christina Edwards
A contentious national election can bring challenges to many aspects of leading a nonprofit...not the least the fundraising side. How should a nonprofit leader handle political conversations with staff, board members, and donors? Ho...
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Season 4
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Episode 133
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24:59
5 Steps To Overcoming Roadblocks: Strategies for Nonprofit Leadership Success
Imagine you're cruising along on a road trip when suddenly you're face-to-face with a roadblock. What now? Turn right, turn left, or hear your GPS say "recalculating"?Same thing happens when leading a nonprofit organization. Roadb...
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Season 4
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Episode 132
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20:11
3 Simple Actions To Take For Your Mid-Year Fundraising Check-Up
Could a simple phone call or face-to-face meeting revolutionize your mid-year fundraising success? In this episode of The Practice of Nonprofit Leadership, Tim and Nathan unpack the critical steps to personally engage with top donors an...
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Season 4
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Episode 131
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21:56
Maximizing Nonprofit Sustainability by Unlocking Donor Lifetime Value
Discover the power of knowing what each donor brings to your nonprofit's table over the long haul. We're unlocking the secrets to calculating the lifetime value of a donor, and why this number is a game changer for your strategic p...
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Season 4
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Episode 131
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20:56
Should You Hire Your Spouse To Fill An Open Position At Your Nonprofit?
A recent survey states that a large number of nonprofits have open positions that they cannot fill with qualified candidates. As the Executive Director, could the answer be to recruit your spouse to fill one of those open positions? ...
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Season 4
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Episode 130
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31:42
5 Areas Nonprofit Executive Directors Can and Should Control As Part Of Their Leadership
Many things in our organization and world feel like they are out of our control. As much as we try, control is not something we can often exercise. But when it comes to our leadership as nonprofit executive directors, there are a fe...
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Season 4
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Episode 129
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25:20
Is Your Nonprofit Organization Capital Campaign Ready? Four Simple Questions To Ask Yourself.
In this episode, we dive into four simple questions you can ask yourself to determine if your organization is ready to consider a capital campaign.Project: Do I have a project that aligns with the reasons people donate: to s...
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Season 4
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Episode 128
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27:34
Mastering Financial Management in Nonprofits: The Critical Role of Professional Expertise
As a small to medium nonprofit with a small budget, it seems like a good call to try to do things yourself or with the help of volunteers. But are there areas where it actually makes more sense and provides even better value, to hire a professi...
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Season 4
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Episode 127
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24:22
Embracing AI to Revolutionize Nonprofit Fundraising with Nathan Ruby
Ever find yourself intrigued by the potential of artificial intelligence to transform the way we connect with donors and enhance our fundraising efforts? In this episode, Nathan discusses three ways that AI can help improve fundrai...
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Season 4
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Episode 126
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17:00
First Impressions - A Key to Nonprofit Impact
Whether it’s in person, on line, or someone driving into your parking lot. People make a decision about you and your organization in mere seconds. If they have a negative impression of you or the organization it is incredibly difficult to chang...
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Season 4
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Episode 125
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28:44
Maximizing Your Nonprofit's Digital Donation Strategy: Secrets to Enhancing Online Fundraising
On this episode, Tim and Nathan chat about the best ways small nonprofits can leverage online giving. Some of the tips that they share are:- How to make your donation button impossible to miss and super easy to use. ...
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Season 4
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Episode 124
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28:59
5 Key Actions To Take For Effective Leadership
Effective leaders aren't always perfect leaders. What often makes them effective is that they take action consistently and with commitment. No matter whether your organization is big or small, consistent action is the key.On...
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Season 4
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Episode 122
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20:29
Elevate Your Nonprofit's Appeal with High-Impact Direct Mail
"Nobody likes direct mail anymore….sending a direct mail appeal just isn’t going to work."But according to a 2021 study by the Print and Mail Communications Association direct mail has an impressive open rate of 42.2%. Direct mail...
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Season 4
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Episode 122
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30:36
4 Key Ingredients To Successfully Fundraise For Your Nonprofit.
Fundraising and making Chili are a lot alike. There is no one way to make chili or to fundraise. But in both cases, having the right ingredients to get started is very important. On today's episode, Tim and Nathan shar...
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Season 4
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Episode 121
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27:56
Guiding Nonprofits Through Election Season: Navigating Politics and Mission
From national to local, one of the most challenging seasons of a nonprofit executive director is leading your organization during a contentious election year. An even greater challenge is when the mission of your organization becomes a si...
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Season 4
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Episode 120
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31:32
How To Tell Your Board You Fell Short Of Your Fundraising Goal -Delivering Bad News
So what do you do when you have to tell your Board that you fell short of your fundraising goal?Communicating bad news to your Board can be tough, especially when it concerns finances. But as an Executive Director, it's part of th...
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25:12
Welcome to 2024 - Our Three Words
With this 2024 Kickoff episode, Season 4 of the Practice of Nonprofit Leadership begins! And what better way to begin then with Tim and Nathan revealing their Three Words for 2024. The concept of Three Words is to select wo...
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19:20
Powering Up Non-Profit Leadership: Reflections and Strategies for the New Year
As one year comes to a close and a new year is on the horizon, how should a nonprofit leader prepare for what lies ahead?On today's episode, Tim and Nathan share some of the questions and strategies they use to prepare for a new year.&n...
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Season 3
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Episode 117
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32:31
Leveling Up Your Nonprofit Leadership: Taking A Year-End Self-Evaluation
Another year is quickly coming to an end. As preparations are being made for a new year, taking time to review the past year is an important habit to develop. A key question to ask is, "How did my leadership measure up this year?"
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Season 3
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Episode 116
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31:45
The Art of Community Engagement for Non-Profit Leaders
Most job descriptions for Executive Directors, contain at least one bullet point that focuses on them representing, connecting, and being visible in the community. How important is this for the organization? On today's...
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Season 3
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Episode 115
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23:00