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Photos From Volunteer Path's Fundamentals of Non Profit Leadership - Governance Seminar

Thanks to everyone that attended yesterday's Governance seminar as part of Volunteer Path's Fundamentals of Non Profit Leadership. 

Check out photos of the seminar which are posted on our Facebook page: http://ow.ly/oyT9p 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at future seminars!

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10 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Non-Profit Board

10 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Non-Profit Board http://huff.to/1daYNOp  - Great article by L4NP CEO Greg Vermeulen!

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In Lieu of Money, Toyota Donates Efficiency to NY Charity

In Lieu of Money, Toyota Donates Efficiency to NY Charity - Great article on how orgs can do non-financial giving -http://bit.ly/171XaMs

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Involving Your Board and Board Members in Fund Development

Involving Your Board and Board Members in Fund Development - Great article on how and why to involve boards in fundraising - http://bit.ly/11NNHZP

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L4NP's 'Board Simulation Seminar' - July 29, 2013

Learn how to be an effective Board Director, practice your skills, and meet some great people in this friendly evening session. This introductory seminar is for anyone who has considered joining a Board, or wants to better understand how a Board works, and what is typically expected of non-profit Board Directors.

We will review some current ‘best practices’, talk about Board Director roles, and then conduct a simulated Board meeting.

Space is limited. Don’t delay: Sign up now!

The Seminar will be hosted in Toronto at INcubes (70 Peter Street, Lower Level) on July 29, 2013 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

http://l4np-esli.eventbrite.com/

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Should Millennials Be On Your Non-Profit Board?

5 reasons why you should have millennials on your non-profit board:

1. Board Diversity

Representing a broad set of perspectives on your board is important. This includes people of varied backgrounds and experience. We often talk about ethnic or gender diversity on boards but having people of different ages who come from different generations is critical as well. Young people think differently, and they bring alternative perspectives to the board. They have alternative priorities, consider different possibilities, and ask different questions, simply because their life experience is different from other generations.

2. Succession

Future leadership is a major issue that most boards are ignoring. Cultivating tomorrow’s board leaders needs to happen today. Engaging younger demographics is a step in the right direction. Young leaders need an opportunity to learn from experienced board members, learn the nuances of an organization’s internal operations, and practice their skills and knowledge. This doesn’t happen overnight. Boards need to develop sound succession planning strategies. Engaging younger demographics, bringing them into the fold, and teaching them the required skills are important parts of this strategy.

3. Technology

Technology continues to revolutionize the landscape. Younger demographics understand how rapidly changing technology is utilized to build networks, conduct marketing, and collect data.  Boards should engage younger members who are familiar with current technology trends. Younger demographics have more experience leveraging technology, and are more comfortable using technology in new ways. Boards that ignore technology, and have poor succession planning are taking enormous risks on their future capabilities and longevity. The solution is simple: engage younger board members and take advantage of their technological savvy.

4. Marketing

Changes in technology have also changed marketing strategies and tactics. The cost of acquiring market intelligence has dropped and accessibility to diverse communications platforms has increased. Younger demographics are particularly adept at using new marketing channels to reach out to new audiences and build communities of engaged supporters. Traditional marketing media are still important, and many of the old methodologies of raising awareness, converting supporters, and building brand integrity remain foundational. However, boards that fail to leverage new marketing platforms on the Internet are taking un-necessary risks. Younger demographics are simply more familiar and in-tune with the ever changing landscape of social media communications. These are low-cost platforms can deliver dramatic results when used effectively. Leverage this new opportunity by engaging younger board members. Also, marketing to younger demographics through new channels is important for building a strong base of current & future supporters.

5. Fundraising

Youth and fundraising go hand in hand, their passion, honesty, and enthusiasm for supporting causes shines through. While it is tempting to focus on established fundraisers who follow the more traditional sales approach to fundraising, younger demographics can also bring a lot of punch to the fundraising table.  Changing technology expands the network and reach of individuals. Younger people are just as connected, and might even have broader more diverse networks than older demographics because they are so engaged with social media. Reaching out to younger demographics enables a non-profit to reach supporters earlier in their life-cycle, and potentially develop life-long supporters. Crowd-source fundraising is an excellent example of how reaching a broad network and tapping supporters for smaller donations more frequently is a viable fundraising strategy. Youth in the media are more compelling as well, and tend to appeal to both younger and older demographics.

Today’s non profits must deal with a constantly changing environment that is increasing its pace of change. New technologies, new social norms and new realities mean that today’s non profits must use every tool possible to adapt with these changing times. Leveraging millennials is a critical component to this adaption for non profits. Not only do milliennials bring a deep understanding of the new technologies and new social norms that are changing the way non profits operate, millennials also provide a new way of thinking that will be critical in the coming decades to maintain a non profits longevity and purpose.

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Leadership Is A Mindset: Part III: A Persistent Will & Conclusion

The will to overcome challenges is probably the most important of the 3 factors to succeed. Teams will face challenges while implementing the plan. The needs of team members will come into conflict with the group’s needs. Priorities will change, and competing priorities will surface. People will become distracted by risks, challenges, and other opportunities. Leaders need to maintain a persistent will to succeed, and remain focused on achieving the objectives that have been set out. Leaders need to maintain a persistent will to keep everyone on track, and to continue to maintain support in the integrity of the vision.

  Conclusion

These 3 factors: (1) Right Plan, (2) Right Resources, and (3) Persistent Will are the foundation for a ‘leadership mindset grounded in self-confidence’.

It’s a simple equation that when implemented correctly seems to create its own good luck. It also provides a near universal framework for understanding – usually after the fact – why a project succeeded or failed.

Were the goals the right objectives to pursue, and did the strategy properly support those objectives? Were sufficient resources allocated to the project, and were those resources deployed in the right way? Was the group focused on progressing & overcoming obstacles, or were they distracted by other priorities and setbacks?

This framework is focused on goals, which is very good. However it should be noted that process often matters as well. Once goals are established, and broken down into tasks, teams can focus on developing processes that are efficient & effective for achieving the goals outlined in the plan.

Visit Leaders For Non Profits at www.L4NP.com fill out a profile and access our online training modules for free, which will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

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New L4NP Blog!

L4NP has created a new blog! Check us out at l4np.tumblr.com!