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Leadership Begins with the Heart: Understanding What Makes a True Leader
Perhaps the most transformative leadership philosophy to emerge in recent decades is servant leadership, introduced by Robert Greenleaf in his groundbreaking 1970 essay The Servant as Leader.

TrudyS
Dec 8, 20253 min read


The Leadership Practice You're Missing: Why Rest Isn't Radical—It's Required
As nonprofit leaders, we regularly pour time and resources into planning retreats for our organizations, yet rarely give ourselves even a fraction of that time to reflect on our leadership.

TrudyS
Dec 1, 20255 min read


Navigating 2026: What Every Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know
Here's the hard truth: 60% of nonprofit executives say attracting and keeping skilled people is their biggest challenge for 2026

TrudyS
Nov 30, 20253 min read


The Nonprofit Insurance Crisis: What You Need to Know and How to Respond
nsurance costs aren't just rising—they're exploding.

TrudyS
Nov 30, 20253 min read


The Strategic Path to Major Gifts: Building Relationships That Transform Your Mission
An estimated 80% of individual donation revenue comes from just 20% of donors. For some organizations, that ratio is even more concentrated at 90/10.

TrudyS
Jan 19, 20223 min read


Employee Rewards Done Right!
A lack of understanding about the basics of rewards can result in some unanticipated results causing your employees to not feel rewarded and even feel punished because of your reward programs.

TrudyS
Jan 11, 20223 min read


A New Era of Corporate Philanthropy: Community Finance Meets Racial Equity
The numbers tell a compelling story. According to McKinsey & Company, the nation's 1,000 largest corporations have committed $200 billion to racial equity since 2020, with the majority coming from financial institutions.

TrudyS
Jan 10, 20223 min read


When is a Strategy not a Strategy?
Thanks to Harvard Business Review for this insightful look at strategic planning and where we can fail at reaching our goals: https://hbr.org/2017/11/many-strategies-fail-because-theyre-not-actually-strategies One major reason for the lack of action is that “new strategies” are often not strategies at all. A real strategy involves a clear set of choices that define what the firm is going to do and what it’s not going to do. Many strategies fail to get implemented, despite th

TrudyS
Jan 9, 20221 min read


9 Ways Board Members Can Raise Money…Without Fundraising!
I’ll admit it, I’ve been on a board fundraising kick lately in the blog (here and here). I just think that if your nonprofit is going to...

TrudyS
Dec 27, 20211 min read


Getting Executive Compensation Right: A Guide for Nonprofit Leaders
One often-overlooked element: compensation decisions should flow from a robust performance evaluation process.

TrudyS
Dec 27, 20213 min read


The Top Nonprofit Mistakes That Sabotage Your Mission (And How to Fix Them)
Running a nonprofit is hard enough without tripping over preventable mistakes

TrudyS
Dec 27, 20213 min read


Before You Say Yes: Essential Questions to Ask Before Joining a Nonprofit Board
Joining a nonprofit board should be a rewarding experience that allows you to leverage your skills for meaningful impact.

TrudyS
Dec 27, 20213 min read


Free Board Member Training: Your Complete Guide to Building Stronger Nonprofit Boards
Even experienced professionals need nonprofit-specific training. No two boards operate the same way, and governance best practices differ significantly from corporate boardrooms.

TrudyS
May 14, 20193 min read


Why "I Don't Do Fundraising" Isn't an Option for Nonprofit Board Members
Picture this: Your program director announces, "I'm not comfortable managing programs." Your finance director declares, "I'm not really into budgets." Your executive director admits, "Strategy isn't my thing." You'd be rightfully concerned. Yet when board members say, "I'm not comfortable asking for money," it's often met with a sympathetic nod and a pass. This double standard, as Dr. Kevin Dean of the Tennessee Nonprofit Network points out, is both perplexing and detrimental

TrudyS
Dec 6, 20183 min read


Leading Through Change: A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Leaders
Realize that change causes stress. Therefore to minimize the stress, identify what you can control and what you cannot, and take steps to minimize what you can.

TrudyS
Jul 30, 20133 min read
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