As we face an even darker winter due to the pandemic, we need to keep improving our resilience, the ability to adapt well in spite of significant stressors. Using rituals as part of our professional work is one strategy that can help. Rituals are routine and intentional activities that carry meaning. Rituals leverage our brains’ ability to run on autopilot, allowing us to reach our goals even when we are distracted by other things, such as potentially contracting a deadly disease. Many … [Read more...] about New Year’s Rituals for Nonprofits To Improve Resilience in 2021
Reflection
How Nonprofits Practice Continuous Improvement
I'm just back from spending a week in Bangkok, Thailand at the IFC-ASIA: Ecosystems for Good. I co-lead a workshop on digital transformation, co-facilitated a master class on digital fundraising campaigns, co-hosted a learning breakfast for scholarship participants, co-designed a Big Room session on Technology for Good, and in between attended some amazing sessions. I also served on the program advisory committee. It was a lot of learning in a short time-period and I'll be unpacking and sharing … [Read more...] about How Nonprofits Practice Continuous Improvement
How Your Nonprofit Can Routinize Reflection
Reflection is a critical step in assessing individual and team performance at your nonprofit. A reflective process, whether it is a structured process for individuals or groups, can give us insights about what worked and what could be improved. Reflection requires hitting the pause button and asking and answering questions. How many of us as individuals have the discipline to notice what we’re doing with our professional work or our team? Our natural tendency is to keeping moving forward on … [Read more...] about How Your Nonprofit Can Routinize Reflection
What's Your Personal Craziness Index? Identify, Take Action, and Avoid Nonprofit Burnout
In my newest book, The Happy Healthy Nonprofit: Strategies for Impact without Burnout, the first half of the book addresses how nonprofit professionals can assess and become more self-aware about the symptoms of burnout and begin to practice self-care to avoid burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that occurs when we feel overwhelmed by too many demands, too few resources, and too little recovery time. There are physical symptoms like headaches, aches and … [Read more...] about What's Your Personal Craziness Index? Identify, Take Action, and Avoid Nonprofit Burnout
The One Simple Thing That Nonprofit Leaders Do To Keep Inspired and Avoid Burnout
Yesterday, I was honored to fill in as MC and interviewer for Darian Rodriguez Heyman at the Nonprofit Fundraising Masters event. (Darian was welcoming his first child, a boy, into the world!). The event, a one-day conference designed to share the world’s most successful fundraisers’ secrets to success, most valuable tips and tools, and sources of inspiration. I did 6 fireside chats with Chuck Collins, YMCA; Annie Leonard, GreenPeace; Stephanie Bray, United Way; Michael Brune, Sierra Club, … [Read more...] about The One Simple Thing That Nonprofit Leaders Do To Keep Inspired and Avoid Burnout
