In this episode, we explore the exciting world of nonprofit growth and development with our guest, Brooke. We discuss the different stages of organizational growth, early and late, and the importance of setting stage-specific goals to ensure long-term success. Brooke shares her insights on the characteristics of early and late-stage growth organizations, emphasizing the importance of iteration, intentionality, and strategic fundraising. We also delve into the key transitions nonprofits must make...
May 09, 2023•30 min
Nonprofit growth isn't linear. It's messy and winding and full of stops and starts. That's why knowing where you are in the process is absolutely critical. Being able to anchor yourself to the right milestones... to face the right challenges... and to take the right next step is how you navigate the chaos of the childhood phase. In this episode, I talk about how the stages of development can apply differently to different parts of an organization. For example, an organization's fundraising can b...
May 02, 2023•23 min
In this podcast episode, I discuss the significance of understanding a nonprofit organization's development stage, and the importance of taking a strategic approach to growth. I highlight the crucial role of a nonprofit organization's development stage in setting goals and addressing challenges, and the need for strategic growth that prioritizes stability and sustainability. (0:05) I walk through the different stages of nonprofit development, starting with the infancy phase, including what to fo...
Apr 25, 2023•28 min
In this podcast, Brooke dives into the world of Chat GPT and how it can benefit nonprofit organizations in various aspects of their workflow. Learn how this AI-powered tool can save time, spark creativity, and increase engagement through a range of practical applications. Listen now to revolutionize your organization's productivity! Links mentioned: Nonprofit ChatGPT Quickstart Bundle: richiebabbage.com/nonprofitchatgptbundle Nonprofit Accelerator: richiebabbage.com/nlnpprivatetraining Nonprofit...
Apr 19, 2023•33 min
I'm joined today by Cindy Wagman, Founder and President of The Good Partnership , best-selling author of Raise It! The Reluctant Fundraiser’s Guide to Raising Money Without Selling Your Soul, and host of the top-rated podcast, The Small Nonprofit. Cindy offers a mini-masterclass on how to build your fundraising team as your organization grows, before you have the budget for a full-time development director. She shares: Why it’s dangerous to hire a junior development person first, How to figure o...
Apr 11, 2023•34 min
I’ve loved getting questions from folks. It’s honestly one of my favorite things. This month’s Mastermind Hotseat question is a great one: My board has identified as a goal for itself wanting to be better as a board. My board members are open to trainings but we don’t know what to focus on. Honestly, it’s a little overwhelming. What would you recommend we focus on first if we want to level up our work as a board? In this episode, I walk through 3 core areas of focus that can guide your work in s...
Apr 04, 2023•17 min
When it comes to leading or growing an institution, a habit of reflection, assessment, and planning is really important. It’s an opportunity to take stock and make sense of the previous quarter, and to use that insight to make plans - or reset existing plans - for the coming quarter. In today's episode, I'm sharing the quarterly check-in process that I've used for 15 years to help me stay on track, and reset when necessary. Links Mentioned In The Show How To Create A 2022 Vision Map For Your Org...
Mar 28, 2023•17 min
Finding time to get out of the weeds of the organization is by far the biggest challenge the EDs I work with deal with. There is so much work to do in the organization, it can feel impossible to find time to work ON the organization -- to think about the organization as a whole. But what does it actually mean to get out of the weeds? What does that look like in practice? And how do you do it? In this episode, you’ll learn: A framework for understanding what it means to “be out of the weeds” 3 co...
Mar 21, 2023•26 min
A Simple, Powerful Tool For Maintaining Board Engagement Want to work together? Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Accelerator , a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level. Connect with me! LinkedIn Instagram YouTube...
Mar 07, 2023•25 min
In this episode, you will learn the why and how of forming your own personal mastermind group. I’ll talk about: The reasons that forming a mastermind group is such an important and powerful leadership and organizational growth strategy, The 6 steps you can take to form your own group, and 3 lessons that will help you keep the group going! Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “This podcast is heaven-sent. Grateful!!” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my s...
Feb 28, 2023•29 min
In this episode, you will learn a 4-part framework for bringing new donors and funders into your organization, without constantly having to find and chase new resources. The most efficient and effective way to attract new funders and donors is to find the watering holes of the people who would have an affinity for your mission, share what you’re doing, and get them to have the thought: “I want to hear more/ learn more about this organization…” This framework offers 4 strategies for doing just th...
Feb 21, 2023•26 min
In this episode, you will learn a simple 4-part framework for identifying your next best hire. I’ll cover: Common mistakes to avoid that bloat your team and can keep you mired in overwhelm How to make sure you’re thinking creatively about staffing options The difference between hiring for ownership and hiring for execution Links included/ referenced: Podcast episode: Strategy Quick Hit: How To Get Your Time Back: 3 Lists To More Leverage HR Bundle: richiebabbage.com/hrbundle Capacity Quiz: richi...
Feb 14, 2023•25 min
How to scale without losing the secret sauce that can be created with a tiny staff How to be an effective leader when you are also in the weeds of the org, doing so much of the operations, admin, fundraising, financial management, and HR because you don't have enough staff to fill all these roles? How to effectively grow as an organization and continue expanding the scope and reach of our programs, while maintaining a high personal touch with our community members and volunteers, and the tight-b...
Feb 08, 2023•21 min
In this week’s episode, I’m getting to the root of what’s a play with a truly high-impact nonprofit board. How to answer perennial questions like: How should my board be working together? What “should” my board be doing? How do I know if they’re a “good board”? The answer is not what people necessarily always think. It’s not about having wealthy people on your board, or people who know “the right people.” It’s deeper than that. It’s about a special form of trust that every single high-functionin...
Jan 31, 2023•19 min
In this week’s episode, I’m talking about nonprofit problem-solving and root causes. We’ve all experienced challenges in our organizations. It can be hard to get to the actual root of the problem and figure out what’s causing it, much less determine how to resolve it. In this episode, you’ll learn: The 10 core building blocks of organizational design How to use organizational design to make sure you spend time and energy addressing the right things when solving problems How to build a culture of...
Jan 24, 2023•21 min
In this week’s episode, I’m finishing my new year series about setting intentions to guide your leadership and growth in the new year. In this episode, I’m sharing two final intentions to guide your year: Intention #3: Let Form Follow Function Intention # 4: Master Your Mindset In this episode, you’ll learn: How to align your board & team structure with your purpose The “right” structure for your board is the one that’s aligned with your purpose Why your mindset is critical to your leadershi...
Jan 17, 2023•17 min
In this week’s episode, I’m continuing my new year series about setting intentions to guide your leadership and growth in the new year. Goals are important, but I argue that intentions are perhaps even more foundational and important. While your goals are a commitment to an outcome, your intentions are a commitment to a process - they are an orientation to your work: How you want to approach your leadership, actions, and decisions. The second intention that you should set in 2023 is to leverage ...
Jan 10, 2023•20 min
In this week’s episode, I’m kicking off my new year series about setting intentions as a way to guide your leadership and growth in the new year. Goals are important, but I argue that intentions are often over looked and in some ways more foundational. While your goals are a commitment to an outcome, your intentions are a commitment to a process - they are an orientation to your work: How you want to approach your leadership, actions and decisions. One of the most important intentions you can se...
Jan 03, 2023•19 min
In this week’s episode, I’m wrapping up my short series on the architecture of a powerful annual strategic plan. I’m focusing on goal setting - a simple framework for setting goals that will serve as the powerful link between your vision for impact and what you actually do every month and week and day. When you’re bogged down by the messiness of running your organization, managing your team, working with your board, and all of the other things that you need to get done as a nonprofit leader, you...
Nov 29, 2022•28 min
In this week’s episode, I’m continuing my short series on the architecture of a powerful strategic plan by zeroing in on the why, what, and how of strategic priorities. In this episode, you will learn: Why it’s so important that you create strategic priorities to guide your planning process What makes priorities strategic How to identify strategic priorities for your own organization Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “This podcast is heaven-sent. Gratefu!!I” <– If that sounds like ...
Nov 14, 2022•19 min
In this week’s episode, I’m starting a short series on the architecture of a powerful strategic plan. Why it’s so important to have an effective plan, and how to build that plan from the ground up, starting with having a clear and compelling strategic vision. In this episode, you will learn: The elements of an effective strategic plan The difference between vision and strategy The dangers of not having a clear and compelling vision of your organization's future, and how to know if you're holding...
Nov 08, 2022•28 min
In this week’s episode, I talk about a powerful strategy for getting out of the weeds in your organization: The CEO Day (also known as the personal leadership retreat). So often we label taking time for big-picture thinking as a "nice to have." But it’s actually a must have: We need to make time for our CEO -level work just as we make time for anything else that’s critical if we want the organization to grow and be sustainable. In this episode, you will learn: The importance of scheduling CEO Da...
Nov 01, 2022•29 min
In this week’s episode, I’m highlighting one common - and dangerous - challenge that may be hiding in plain sight in your organization. Like a shape-shifting snake in the grass, it can hold us back and we don’t even recognize that it’s happening. So I’m highlighting some of the ways that it shows up so that you can spot the snake and build systems to stop it once and for all. In this episode, you will learn: The many variations on a common challenge that may be sneaking into your organization. T...
Oct 25, 2022•19 min
This is Mental Health Week. So in this week’s episode, I’m talking about one of the most important and transformative lessons about leadership and mental health that I ever learned, and how it came from listening to one of - if not the - shortest songs on the Hamilton soundtrack. Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “This podcast is heaven-sent. Gratefu!!I” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show ! This helps me support more people — just like you — bu...
Oct 11, 2022•15 min
In this week’s episode, I’m talking about 3 courageous infrastructure shifts to make if you want to set yourself up for sustainable impact in 2023. I say “courageous” because these small changes can require real bravery when put into practice. They can require investing in a vision - and leaning into practices - that are completely new and different from your current reality. But I make the argument that they’re incredibly powerful, and can - will! - change the course of the direction of your or...
Oct 04, 2022•25 min
In this week’s episode, I’m walking through a simple yet powerful activity that’s designed to create clarity about where and how to get more time in your leadership. I’ll walk through each step, but pay close attention to the last one - that’s where the greatest leverage is hidden. We talk about why and how to remove yourself as a bottleneck in your organization, and how to begin to see where you can find lost hours. This is a valuable exercise that has saved me HOURS of time, and helped me refo...
Sep 27, 2022•23 min
In this week’s episode, I’m talking about an important - and top-of-mind - question for so many people: The what, why, and how of Liberatory Governance. I got to have a thoroughly enjoyable and meaty conversation with Natalie Bamdad and Ananda Valenzuela, of Change Elemental, an organization that partners across sectors to disrupt and transform systems of inequity and create powerful vehicles for justice. At Change Elemental, Natalie supports racial equity transformation processes, governance an...
Sep 20, 2022•55 min
In this week’s episode, I talk about one of the deep underlying beliefs (or hopes) that lies at the core of so many of the staffing challenges and frustrations leaders find themselves navigating. I offer a concrete framework leaders can apply to get to the heart of what’s really going on with their staff, and to begin to craft solutions that will last. In this episode, you will learn: The role that management should play in your overall approach to leadership The six questions to ask yourself to...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr
There is a common and pervasive myth about what fuels the sustainable, non-overwhelming expansion of impact and budget. So many of our decisions and priorities and actions as we grow are driven by this myth: That the key to growing to $1M+ is simply more and better fundraising. In this episode, I work to dispel this pernicious myth by showing that once you hit the mid-six figures, growing your organization in a way that doesn’t lead to implosion and burnout is not just about raising more money. ...
Sep 06, 2022•22 min
This week I’m sharing a wonderful conversation with Lana Kleinman, the ED of Charleston Legal Access. I have a special place in my heart for this conversation because Lana and I got to bond a bit over the mission of her organization - expanding access to legal advocacy and justice to those who can't afford it. They are a nonprofit law firm and, as Lana describes, their unique and powerful focus is on people who don’t qualify for legal aid or legal services, but who can’t afford access to a priva...
Sep 01, 2022•41 min
