What Every Nonprofit CEO Needs to Know

Do you have a plan to achieve your nonprofit organization's true potential? Whether you are the current CEO, key member of the executive leadership team, board chair, or aspiring to be the CEO or the future board leader, I want to provide you with a guide to help your nonprofit organization be all it can be for those you serve. I also want you to believe in its possibility, believe you have the necessary roadmap to get there. I also want you to enjoy the journey. Leading your organization to new levels of success can be challenging and hard work, but I thoroughly enjoyed helping the many organizations I led during my executive leadership career. You will too. Everyone you are involved with, from staff to board members to volunteers and donors, wants to be part of a winning organization. When you successfully lead them to your organization's true potential, everyone will be excited and very proud to be associated with you and your organization. This book is about the five key factors every nonprofit CEO and board member needs to know in order to successfully lead your organization to achieve its true potential. My goal is to provide you with a proven roadmap to help you achieve your organization's true potential. There are five key factors to address: ¿ An inspirational and measurable vision statement ¿ Transformational leadership competencies ¿ An engaged, motivated, and trained nonprofit board ¿ Building your positive brand identity ¿ Creating a successful culture of philanthropy Every successful organization has a CEO who is a visionary thinker and can clearly articulate the future direction or vision of their organization, set standards of excellence, inspire passion, foster commitment, set measurable goals, and ensure the entire organization is strategically aligned to achieve this vision. As important as effective leadership is, having a strong, engaged, and motivated board is vital for success. In spite of the millions of talented and committed men and women who serve on the 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in our country, few are well trained in nonprofit board governance best practices. It is no one's fault, but it must be addressed. The CEO and board leadership must address this lack of effective training and be willing to "invest" in your board's success. When the organization has a highly competent CEO and an engaged, motivated, and trained board, there is no goal that cannot be achieved. The ultimate beneficiaries are those you serve in your community. Finally, as in any business, regardless of your organization's tax status, you are going to need the financial resources to invest in your organization. Having raised millions and millions of dollars as CEO and board chair, I know firsthand the many challenges involved in cultivating and soliciting new donors and raising dollars. I think you and your board members will be relieved to know that you, as the CEO, can be extremely successful without your board members "wanting to stick pins in their eyes rather than ask anyone for money." They won't need to. Just make sure every board member is committed to helping cultivate a few donors annually. Throughout this book, I have identified a series of questions for you to reflect on and answer. It is my hope this book will help everyone who is a nonprofit CEO and board member. I also hope those who aspire to become a nonprofit leader will enjoy reading this book and develop the self-confidence needed to successfully lead your organization to its true potential.