by Susan Detwiler | Dec 9, 2015 | leadership
I saw a sticker once, that said,
CAUTION: Objects on calendar are closer than they appear!
Here we are, three weeks left in this calendar year, and we’re all busy with whatever holiday festivities we are attending or in charge of.
No one’s really focusing on the first quarter of 2016. Yet. But as the sticker said, 2016 is closer than you think!
That’s why it’s important to tell your board of directors the three things they need to hear before the end of the year.
Thank you. You’ve been a big help doing XYZ this year! I appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into making it a success.
Have a great holiday! And, most importantly,
I’m looking forward to next year, when I get to work with you on building ABC in 2016!
When you take the time to send this individualized, personal message “ in person, in a note, by phone, or even by email “ three things happen.
First of all, you feel great. You’ve turned your attention away from your own busy-ness, and put it on the act of appreciating others.
Second, you’ve given each board member a very special gift. More than candy, a card, or even a bottle of their favorite beverage, you’ve told each board member that he or she is valued. Valued not for their dollars, but for their efforts and passion for your cause.
Finally, you’ve begun the work of making 2016 a success. You’re telling them that you need them. You’re looking forward to continuing your work together. It says, by working together, WE will make ˜ABC’ successful.
It’s a grand way to start the next year!
Have a wonderful holiday. Thank you for reading and sharing these posts each month. And have a Happy New Year!
This post was inspired by this video from Marc Pitman, The Fundraising Coach. Thanks, Marc, for describing each aspect of raising funds with such clarity, understanding and wit.
by Susan Detwiler | Oct 1, 2015 | leadership
When I first started board service, I thought that sitting around having a drink and schmoozing with the board was just wasting time. I thought we needed to focus on the business of the board. It’s not a social gathering!
As time went on, I realized that getting to know the other board members as individuals was one of the most valuable things I could do to help the board do its best work. Knowing Jim’s background, understanding Sarah’s passion for the cause, hearing Leslie’s story, all made it easier for me to speak in ways that they would hear and understand. It made it easier for me to understand their positions even if we didn’t agree.
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by Susan Detwiler | May 21, 2015 | leadership
Wow! So much to celebrate! Look how much we accomplished!
Last night I attended the 40th anniversary of the founding of an organization and celebrated with the people who made it possible. I’m not even a member and I’m still on a high from the event.
Instead of lengthy speeches, there were interspersed 5 minute videos with clips of tributes and photos. They were filled with smiles, accomplishments and triumphs over adversity. Early in the evening, the audience began nodding and reminiscing, sharing their memories, and laughing over shared experiences. Plenty of time and space were created for mingling and sharing.
The organizers made sure that everyone could feel a part of the event and a part of the celebration.
Celebrations are powerful!
Celebrations are not just for 40-year anniversaries. Every step of the way toward our future, we have to remind ourselves of what we’ve already accomplished and celebrate the milestones.
Board meetings are so often about challenges and change. Committee meetings are task oriented. What happens if you first celebrate triumphs and create a positive frame of mind before tackling a big job? According to Richard Boyatzis, of Case Western Reserve, a positive frame of mind can influence how receptive people are to new ideas. This is particularly important for leaders.
Working with boards and committees, I often begin by reminding them of all they’ve already accomplished before they spiral into the negative. The difference can be dramatic. Board members in one organization continually talked about problems they faced in getting new members. So I researched the history of the organization, specifically seeking out occasions in which they had triumphed over some adversity or introduced an innovation.
I opened the next meeting talking about how amazing they were, to have been able to accomplish those things. I reminded them of the legacy they had inherited of earlier boards that had the foresight to create a long running program. Body language changed. Individual board members started remembering challenges they had overcome. When it came time to address the membership question, they were much more receptive to new ideas and new ways of thinking about their community.
Celebrate! Begin board meetings with a litany of what has gone right, instead of wrong. You will still have challenges, but you’ll be in a much better frame of mind for contemplating new ways to overcome them.
Enjoy and appreciate all you’ve already done!
What do YOU have to celebrate? If you’d like to talk about how to bring a positive energy to board retreats and staff meetings, let me know.
With appreciation to Three Dog Night and their song: Celebrate!
by Susan Detwiler | Dec 19, 2014 | Communication, governance, leadership, nonprofit, Standards, Strategic Planning
It’s hard to write a blog post in December without somehow bringing in the winter festivals. They are hard to ignore. Whether we observe a festival or not, we get caught up in end-of-year fundraising appeals; endless staff, neighborhood, organization and family parties; last minute shopping, travel and cooking.
Yet with all this busyness, it is also a time when, regardless of your faith, it is a little easier to see the good will in others.
So today I refer to an earlier essay on Presuming Good Will. Originally written in 2010, the message still resonates.
No one is on a board of trustees because she wants to see the agency die. No one is on a board of directors because he wants to run it into the ground.
There may be strong disagreements, but it’s important to assume the disagreement is based on good intentions, and presume good will on the
part of the ˜other.’
Let’s use this time of year to really see the good will in our colleagues, friends and family. Let’s recognize that we can all agree that we want what’s best for our organization, even if we may not agree on what that best is.
Then let’s bring this perspective with us into the new year, and remember the good will we share as we build towards our respective visions for our communities.
If you are celebrating a holiday this season, I hope that it is warm and meaningful. If not, may you find the time to enjoy the lights and festivities that others provide.
Happy New Year!
Susan
Learn more on building a team out of your board members, and bringing together board and staff at www.detwiler.com or reach me at sdetwiler@detwiler.com.
by Susan Detwiler | Dec 6, 2014 | collaboration, Communication, governance, leadership, Strategic Planning
Congratulations! You’ve built a board with members of every decade of adult life. You have 20-somethings, 50-somethings, 70-somethings, and every decade in between.
Now, how do you strategically take advantage of the fresh ideas while integrating them into existing relationships?
Losing institutional knowledge has dramatic consequences. Leonard, Swap and Barton researched the consequences in corporations, with great lessons for nonprofits. Losing the knowledge of a resident board expert can mean losing key relationships with donors, losing key background on why the community is wary of the agency, not knowing whom to call in important government offices, missing important foundation meet and greets. These relationships were built up over time and the proverbial Rolodex “ or CRM “ can’t help.
By having a spread of ages on the board, you’ve made these consequences a lot less likely. Since you didn’t wait until all the incumbents retired, you now have a fertile field for collaboration between old and new. Make mentoring a new board member part of the portfolio of existing members and you take a step in the right direction. Ask board members to take new members with them when they meet with donors, foundations and community representatives.
Don’t be afraid that this implies to the world that the older board member is on the way out. Not at all – quite the opposite. It conveys to the community that you have succession planning built into the ethos of the agency. It builds trust. It builds confidence in the longevity of the organization. When the older member leaves the board, the new member already has a budding relationship with the foundation.
Internally, pairing new and returning board members builds trust between them. It’s hard to view an older member as a dinosaur when you’ve spent time with her one-on-one and learned her philosophy of building relationships. It’s hard to view a new member as an upstart when you’ve spent time hearing his new ideas and exchanged thoughts on how to execute them.
The relationships continue when the older board members leave. The trust they’ve built allows newer board members to continue calling on retired members, keeping them engaged. It’s a win-win-win for the organization, the board, and the individuals involved.
Putting different generations on a board together is a great first step. Building a team out of them requires strategic thought, but the benefits are manifold.
For more about nonprofit succession planning, board education and facilitation, go to www.detwiler.com, or get in touch with me directly at sdetwiler@detwiler.com. If you have an experience to share, let me know!
by Susan Detwiler | Nov 22, 2014 | collaboration, Communication, leadership, nonprofit, Strategic Planning
Where there is no gratitude, there is no meaningful movement; human affairs become rocky, painful, coldly indifferent, unpleasant, and finally break off altogether. The social ˜machinery’ grinds along and soon seizes up.
Margaret Visser
Thanksgiving is an obvious time to write about being thankful, and it’s nice to have a time to stop and consider all that we have to be grateful for. We think about our friends, our family, our health.
It’s also not such a bad time to stop and contemplate how awesome your board is, and how much they’ve contributed to the well being of your organization.
When was the last time you thanked your board members? They’re each making your agency a priority in their lives, giving time, talent and treasure. They could be giving it somewhere else. They could also NOT be giving. But there they are, week after week, month after month, making difficult decisions, acting as cheerleaders, supporting your work, being ambassadors for your agency.
Each board member is the equivalent of a major donor. Whether or not the dollars are substantial, she has the capacity to make your life easier, introduce you to supporters, provoke new ideas, stabilize a situation. She should be told how much she means to you.
Here’s a simple exercise. If you’re the Executive Director, the next time you write a thank you note to a donor, also write one to a board member. Do that until you’ve written one to every member of your board. If you’re the board president, sit down and hand write a thank you note to each board member. If you can, name a specific action for which you are grateful.
Do you want to cultivate an attitude of gratitude within the board? At each meeting, assign one or two board members to offer a very brief statement of gratitude around the organization. It might be why they are grateful the organization exists. It might be what they appreciate about a staff member. It might be what committee they are particularly grateful to.
In many faith traditions, there is the concept do not withhold the wages of the laborer. It’s obvious how that applies to staff, but the wages of a volunteer are less obvious.
The wages of a volunteer “ the wages of your board members “ are the thanks he receives for his work.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The psychology of gratitude and its benefits are being researched throughout the fields of education, and migrating to the business world. Some readings on gratitude can be found at gratefulness.org.
Visionary strategic planning is easier when board members are comfortable with each other. Exercises in gratitude are one way to facilitate this trust. For more about strategic planning and facilitating retreats, please contact me at sdetwiler@detwiler.com or www.detwiler.com.
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