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Managing Big Change: Top Tips for New Executive Directors & CEOs
Congratulations! You’re a new CEO at a nonprofit or social enterprise hired to increase impact. Whether your organization is small, medium, or large, many of the obstacles you’ll have to navigate are the same. In this article, find out the steps you ca …
The Best Way To Put Clients First Is To Let Them Lead!
Those of us who work at nonprofits are drawn to a particular mission and a desire to do good and give back. Most of us have navigated our careers thoughtfully and intentionally and have worked hard (perhaps even tirelessly). Yet often, despite our good …
Nonprofit Leadership Tips from the Basketball Court
As a former all-American and professional basketball player turned nonprofit leader, I see tons of similarities between life on the court and as an executive director of a small nonprofit. Everything I learned playing the game comes in surprisingly han …
Whose Nonprofit Is It Anyway?
Call it founder’s syndrome, the succession slump, or something not suitable for work, when a nonprofit leader moves on, the process isn’t always easy. But when control of a signature program or the organization itself is on the line, questions about wh …
In the Board Room: Staying In the Loop And Out Of the Weeds
Recently, a nonprofit CEO requested that I help him keep his incoming board chair “in the loop but out of the weeds.” A catchy slogan, but what does that really mean? Those who have been through board leadership changes know the de …
Gearing Up and (Teaming Up) for a Leadership Transition
Some of the hardest moments we face as nonprofit professionals happen during leadership transitions. That’s why it’s so great that Susan Poglinco and Priscilla Rosenwald took the time to very honestly chronicle for Blue Avocado the challenges — both ex …
Crawling Out of the Psychological Depths
Most of us have had moments of despair. Marilyn Neece very generously shares her story with us: It’s hard to say this out loud. I lost my edge. I went from sharp-minded and insightful consultant to a tired and nearly burnt out executive director …
Who’s the Boss? The Board or the Executive?
There is an abundance of advice for nonprofit boards and EDs that speaks to the advantages of “partnership” and “open communications.” But sometimes that advice just doesn’t feel like enough. Who’s the boss? The board or the executive director/C …
The Very Good but Seriously Flawed Executive Director
No executive director has all gifts, and many are brilliant. But what about the nonprofit CEO who is terrific in some ways but whose strengths are matched with some troubling flaws as well? It’s uncomfortable to be a board member when you have s …
Following a Founder or Long-Timer Requires a Hard Head
When Blue Avocado asked for potential interviewees who had followed a founder or a long-time executive, we didn’t expect 58 people to respond. We interviewed 18 executive directors who followed founders, and another 10 who followed long-time execs. Las …
