Taking you and your organization to new heights

Sometimes founders and long-tenured leaders want to stay for the wrong reasons: they don't know what to do next, they haven't planned for their retirement, their identity is with the organization, or they don't think the organization can survive without them.

Never publicly shame anyone — this approach leads to resentment, damaged morale, and a workplace culture headed toward toxicity. That's not a culture any of us wants to build — especially not in mission-driven organizations where trust and psychological safety are foundational. Time for grace.

I'm not here to argue that outside expertise is always theater. It genuinely isn't. And after years of watching organizations navigate this, I'd say there are some situations where the outside voice isn't just useful — it's the honest choice.

Height is visible and immediate. Unlike interests, values, or personality, a person's height registers the second you see them.

One of the most disorienting things about accumulating genuine expertise is that it can start to feel like a liability.

Writing this wasn't just an exercise in sharing wisdom — it was me working through my own reckoning out loud, because that's the only way I know how to do hard things.

Where Should Nonprofits Show Up in 2026?

Permission to grief as the ground shifts beneath us

If your organization is drafting a job description and reaches for "humble," pause and ask: what behavior are we actually trying to describe?

For nonprofit leaders, this mental exhaustion doesn't just happen at home. It's the fog that sets in by Wednesday afternoon, the reason you can't quite focus in that 4 p.m. meeting, and the invisible weight that makes even small choices feel overwhelming.

Vision, strategic planning, and tactics aren't competing concepts—they're complementary levels of a unified framework.

Commission-based grant writing, also known as contingency-based compensation, is considered unethical by every major professional organization in the field, violates generally accepted accounting principles, and can actually jeopardize your funding relationships.

Leadership transitions are inevitable in nonprofit work. With proper planning, the right approach, and sometimes the strategic use of interim leadership, these transitions can strengthen rather than destabilize your organization.

One of the most critical strategic decisions nonprofit leaders face is determining what type of board will best serve their organization. The answer isn't one-size-fits-all, and often, the most effective approach involves elements of multiple models.

As CEO, you become the default container for every emotional overflow in the organization.

The very thing that draws people to nonprofit work—deep passion for a cause—can also become the source of an organization's greatest challenges.

2026 doesn't have to be about perfection. It's about progress, growth, and showing up for yourself in ways that actually matter.

Before You Start: Is a Nonprofit the Right Fit?

While nonprofits have been quietly retreating from the public policy arena, the needs of the communities they serve have only grown more urgent.

We've all been there. You announce a team retreat or all-hands meeting, and someone immediately responds: "Great! But PLEASE, no icebreakers."