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I used to think resilience meant one thing. Keep going. Something went wrong? Figure it out. Exhausted? Keep going. Another problem? Handle that one too. There is value in persistence. There are seasons when leadership requires us to dig in, work harder, and get through something difficult. But for a long time, I confused my

Some of the worst organizational systems started with the sentence, “We’ll just do this for now.” And sometimes, “for now” is exactly what you need. Someone leaves unexpectedly. A major grant doesn’t renew. A program grows faster than anticipated. A partnership suddenly creates twice the work anyone expected. Something happens that nobody planned for, and

Leaders often think they need answers before they communicate. During change, that can become one of the fastest ways to lose trust. I understand the instinct. You don’t want to create unnecessary fear. You don’t want to share something that may change tomorrow. You don’t want employees analyzing every possibility before leadership has made a

When something falls apart during a transition, we tend to blame the change. The employee resigned. The funding ended. The program grew too quickly. Leadership changed. A major partner walked away. And suddenly, things that seemed to be working aren’t working anymore. It is easy to look at the disruption and say, “This change created

If your annual appeal sounds like a grant proposal, you’ve probably lost your reader. I say that as someone who has spent nearly two decades writing grant proposals. Grant writing has a purpose. Funders need specific information. They want program design, outcomes, evaluation methods, organizational capacity, budgets, and evidence. But your donor letter is not

A statistic may explain the problem, but a story helps people care enough to solve it. I have read grant proposals filled with excellent data. Poverty rates. Graduation rates. Housing costs. Health disparities. Food insecurity rates. Census data. Community assessments. National studies. Every number was accurate, every source was credible, and by the end, I

The worst time to collect stories is the week before a grant is due. I know because I have done it more times than I would like to admit. The grant deadline was approaching. The narrative needed a strong story to demonstrate impact. So I sent an email to the program team. “Does anyone have

Your Organization Is Not the Hero. Your Community Is. Most nonprofit stories start in the wrong place. They begin with the organization. “We’ve served our community for 25 years.” “Our mission is…” “We provide…” None of those statements are wrong. They simply aren’t where your audience is looking. Whether you’re writing a grant proposal, annual

The Strongest Nonprofits Build Multiple Paths to Sustainability Ask many nonprofit leaders where their revenue comes from and the answer is often simple. “Grants.” I understand why. Grants are visible. They have deadlines. They come with award letters. They often represent the largest individual deposits into an organization’s bank account. But that answer also creates

One of Your Organization’s Greatest Assets May Never Appear in Your Bank Account Many nonprofits spend countless hours searching for new funding while overlooking one of their most valuable financial resources. Not because it isn’t there. Because no money changes hands. Every week, organizations receive donated expertise, volunteer labor, meeting space, equipment, supplies, food, printing,