Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast

In this episode, I dive into the concept of a Brain Trust—a facilitated gathering that leverages the expertise of advisors and thinkers to tackle specific organizational challenges. Imagine convening your “dream team” of advisors and strategic thought partners, all focused on solving a real, tangible problem your nonprofit faces. It's not just about sharing ideas; it's about action-oriented problem-solving that's grounded in real-world issues.I'll guide you through why Brain Trusts are a simple yet powerful tool for your leadership toolkit, covering their benefits across cultivation, stewardship, and network expansion. You'll learn how these gatherings can deepen engagement with your board members, foster intimate connections with potential donors, and broaden your network with invaluable insights.Here's what you'll learn:The Essence of a Brain Trust: Understanding its structure and how it fosters action-oriented problem-solving.Why It's a Game-Changer: The impact of Brain Trusts on donor cultivation, stakeholder engagement, and network building.Setting Up for Success: A step-by-step guide to hosting your own Brain Trust, from identifying your challenge to engaging the right mix of participants.Five Key Takeaways:Brain Trusts center on solving specific, real-world challenges through collaborative expertise.They are a potent tool for engaging potential and existing supporters, creating a sense of insider intimacy.Diverse perspectives enrich the problem-solving process, bringing creative and strategic insights to the forefront.Strategic planning and participant selection are crucial for the success of a Brain Trust.Follow-up is key to maintain engagement and momentum post-event.Steps to Hosting a Brain Trust:Identify the Challenge: Focus on specific, actionable topics.Curate Your Participants: Aim for a diverse group of 6-8 advisors.Plan the Agenda: Structure the session for productive discussion.Facilitate Engagement: Encourage active participation and idea sharing.Follow Up: Keep participants updated and engaged with progress.Resources Mentioned:Nonprofit Template Vault: Access a comprehensive toolkit for setting up a Brain Trust, complete with model agendas. Visit brookerichiebabbage.com/templatevault for more information.Connect With BrookeEnhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together:LinkedInInstagramYouTubeConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In today's podcast, I share a concrete method for communicating your work to potential supporters — no matter who they are: The Stakeholder Communication Bridge. Drawing from my own experience with fundraising and network building, the Stakeholder Communication Bridge is a straightforward and powerful framework for clarifying and connecting your mission to the activities and outcomes that make your organization stand out. If you've ever struggled to articulate the impact of your work in a way that resonates broadly, this episode is your roadmap to cultivating deeper connections and fostering a diverse community of supporters.What Listeners Will Learn:Strategies to articulate your mission's problem, approaches, and outcomes clearly.How to reduce mental friction in communication, ensuring your message is compelling and understood by a diverse audience.The importance of connecting with stakeholders on a level that transcends professional and sectoral boundaries.Key Takeaways:Clarifying the Problem: A deep dive into expressing the urgency and importance of the issue your organization addresses.Distinguishing Strategies from Activities: The significance of outlining your strategic approach rather than listing activities to convey the bigger picture.Articulating Intended Impact: How to communicate the concrete changes your work aims to achieve, making the case for investment and support.Building Shared Affinity: Techniques for finding common ground with stakeholders, fostering a sense of shared mission and purpose.Reducing Mental Friction: Tips for preemptively addressing potential questions and concerns, making your organization's mission and work accessible to all.Step-by-Step Process:Articulate the Problem: Clearly define what you are solving, emphasizing the problem's priority and the urgency of solving it now.Outline Your Strategies: Differentiate your overall strategic approaches from the specific activities you undertake, highlighting the rationale behind these choices.Communicate the Outcomes: Clearly state the anticipated impact of your strategies, offering a concise vision of the expected change.Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

The end of a quarter is a powerful opportunity for growth and strategic planning. In this episode, I share five critical questions that can guide you and your team through a meaningful exercise of introspection and evaluation, helping you stay on track toward, and aligned with your goals. Whether you're utilizing these insights during a quiet week or a CEO day, this episode is your guide to refining your approach, optimizing resources, and making strategic, impactful decisions.What You Will Learn:How to effectively reflect on and assess your nonprofit's progress towards its goals.Strategies for ensuring your organization's actions align with its core values.Tips for engaging your community and stakeholders to maximize impact.Key Takeaways:The power of structured reflection and assessment in strategic planning.The importance of aligning actions with organizational values.How to evaluate the effectiveness of team dynamics and strategies.The role of community engagement and stakeholder impact in nonprofit success.Leveraging learnings for strategic future planning.Resources Mentioned:Past Episode Links: CEO DayPost-It Planning System Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In today’s episode, I offer a catalog of the episodes in which I’ve done a deeper dive into how to think about and operationalize leverage.You can find all of the episodes in this curated playlist: brookerichiebabbage.com/leverage-playlistConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In this episode, I’m doing a deep dive into the concept of leveraged networks - the secret sauce to expanding your organization's capacity, influence, and impact without breaking the bank. As a founder and leader myself, I've navigated the complexities of growing an organization, and I've discovered that the strength of your network can truly make or break your impact. Today, I'm sharing personal insights and strategies on how to build and leverage a micro-group within your broader network to achieve your strategic objectives. This episode is a goldmine for anyone looking to amplify their reach and accomplish more with less.What You'll Learn:The essence of leveraged networks and why they're a game-changer for your business.A breakdown of the four types of structured relationships within a leveraged network and how each can propel your organization forward.Practical steps to identify and cultivate these relationships to maximize their benefits.Key Takeaways:Leveraged networks are a structured relationship framework that amplifies your organization's reach and impact.Identifying and engaging with volunteers, advisors, junior board members, and ambassadors can significantly enhance your strategic capacity and brand awareness.Tailoring your approach to each type of relationship within your leveraged network can yield unparalleled results.Establishing clear strategic objectives is crucial in effectively utilizing your leveraged network.Cultivating these relationships with intention and respect can unlock doors you never knew existed.Step-by-Step Process:Identify Your Strategic Objectives: Clearly define what you aim to achieve with your leveraged network.Map Your Network: Identify potential individuals in your broader network who fit into the categories of volunteers, advisors, junior board members, and ambassadors.Engage and Cultivate: Reach out to these individuals with a clear value proposition and engage them in your mission.Tailor Your Approach: Customize your interactions and requests based on the type of relationship and the individual's capacity to contribute.Nurture and Appreciate: Continuously appreciate their contributions and nurture these relationships for long-term engagement.Resources Mentioned:Leveraged Leadership Strategy Bundle - brookerichiebabbage.com/leveragebundleConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In this episode, I walk through how Key Financial Indicators can serve as a high leverage navigational compass through the murky world of your financial health. Whether it's understanding your liquidity to seize new opportunities or measuring your mission's efficiency to ensure alignment with your values, KFIs are indispensable tools.What You’ll Learn:The role of financial KPIs in navigating your business towards its financial health goals.How to leverage KPIs for strategic decision-making and budgeting.The importance of assessing liquidity, stability, fundraising efficiency, and mission alignment through KPIs.Key Takeaways:Financial KPIs are crucial for a holistic view of your organization’s financial health.Understanding liquidity through metrics like Monthly Cash on Hand can significantly impact strategic spending and planning.Stability KPIs, such as Reliance Ratios, highlight the risks associated with income concentration from a single source.Fundraising Efficiency ratios are vital for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of fundraising efforts.Mission Efficiency, including Program and Personnel/Benefits Efficiency, ensures that spending aligns with organizational values and objectives.Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

Over the past 25 years, I've learned that understanding the concept of leverage can mean the difference between sustainable growth and burning out.In this episode, I explore three areas in which leverage is critical: evaluating your impact, leveraging your network and partnerships, and optimizing your use of resources. I share concrete questions every organization should ask itself in each of these 3 areas, as part of an organizational leverage self-audit process.What Listeners Will Learn:How to conduct a self-audit to assess and enhance your nonprofit's impact effectively.Strategies for building and nurturing powerful partnerships and networks to amplify your mission.Tips for optimizing resource allocation to ensure maximum efficiency and impact.Key Takeaways:The importance of setting clear, measurable goals aligned with your mission and regularly reviewing progress.The value of collaborative relationships and how to engage your network in supporting your goals.Effective resource management strategies to align your nonprofit's efforts with its most impactful programs.The role of technology and process optimization in increasing operational efficiency.Creating a culture of continuous improvement and strategic thinking within your organization.Step-by-Step Process:Conducting the Leveraged Leadership Self-Audit:Assess your nonprofit's mission alignment and goal specificity.Evaluate your network and partnership engagement strategies.Audit your resource allocation for efficiency and impact.Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

A CEO Day isn’t just about stepping away from the day-to-day tasks. It’s about stepping fully into a role that demands vision, strategy, and long-term planning.In this episode, I share why dedicating time to think like a CEO can be a game-changer for your organization. From fostering a mindset shift from managing to leading, to ensuring every effort aligns with your overarching objectives, a CEO Day is your catalyst for growth, innovation, and renewed focus.What You’ll Learn:The importance of a CEO Day for nonprofit leaders and solopreneurs.Practical steps to plan and execute an impactful CEO Day.How to align short-term actions with long-term organizational goals during your CEO Day.Key Takeaways:A CEO Day facilitates a crucial mindset shift from managing to leading.Regular CEO Days contribute to personal and organizational resilience.Effective leadership involves regular reflection, adaptation, and forward-thinking.Step-by-Step Process for Planning Your CEO Day:Frequency and Scheduling:Decide on quarterly CEO Days or at least twice a year.Schedule these days well in advance and ensure they're immovable to signal their importance.Location:Choose a location outside of your regular workspace to signal a mental and environmental shift, fostering fresh perspectives and strategic thinking.Planning the Day:Craft an agenda focused on vision casting, strategic planning, and tackling significant projects.Identify concrete outcomes you aim to achieve during the day.Prepare all necessary documents for review, ensuring a productive and focused CEO Day.Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

Do you ever wonder about the approaches someone actually takes to grow their organization’s budget, team, board and impact?Like what strategies do they actually use to go from a $450K budget, a tiny team, and awesome but scrappy programs to a $2M budget a strong team, board, and impact that go along with that growth?The answer is by using approaches to growth that are intentionally about increasing leverage. In this episode, I’m breaking down five of the most powerful organizational and leadership principles that leaders who take their organizations to the next level use to help them lead in a more leveraged way.This is my second episode in this leveraged leadership series, and like the last one, it’s super concrete.What You'll Learn:Discover the power of the Balanced Scorecard in evaluating and optimizing your nonprofit's performance across key areas.Unleash the potential of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to align your team's efforts with your organization's mission and vision.Learn how the RACI Matrix can streamline decision-making and enhance project efficiency within your nonprofit.Key Takeaways:Implementing the Balanced Scorecard provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and improving organizational performance in finance, stakeholder satisfaction, operations, and growth.OKRs foster a culture of clarity and alignment, enabling nonprofits to set ambitious goals and track progress with measurable outcomes.The RACI Matrix clarifies roles and responsibilities, optimizing teamwork and resource allocation for enhanced project execution and decision-making.Embracing the Flywheel concept enables nonprofits to build momentum and efficiency by aligning and reinforcing their activities for sustained growth.Applying the Pareto Principle allows nonprofits to focus efforts on the most impactful activities, maximizing results with minimal resources.Step-by-Step Process:Balanced Scorecard:Evaluate your nonprofit's performance across finances, stakeholder satisfaction, operations, and growth.Use the insights gained to prioritize strategic initiatives and allocate resources effectively.OKRs (Objectives and Key Results):Define clear objectives aligned with your organization's mission and vision.Establish measurable key results to track progress and ensure accountability across your team.RACI Matrix:Identify roles and responsibilities for each project or decision within your nonprofit.Ensure clear communication and streamline workflow by defining who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.Flywheel Concept:Align your nonprofit's activities to create a self-reinforcing cycle of growth and efficiency.Fine-tune initiatives to minimize effort while maximizing impact, fostering sustainable growth over time.Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule):Identify the most impactful activities or resources that contribute to the majority of results within your nonprofit.Focus efforts on these high-yield areas to optimize resource allocation and drive mission success.Resources Mentioned:Leverage Playlist: Access the full series on leverage and other valuable insightConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

I'm resharing one of my most popular podcast episodes: A fantastic conversation with 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 out the type and level of fundraising support you need on your teamWhat it means to hire a "fractional fundraiser,"  andThe difference between a fractional fundraiser and a consultant.Plus, Cindy breaks down how to know when you’re ready to build your team, what to look for in a fractional fundraiser, and how to integrate external development support into your team for maximum impact.Links Mentioned==> RAISE IT!: The Reluctant Fundraiser's Guide to Raising Money Without Selling Your Soul Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

 Welcome to this week’s episode of the Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast! I'm your host, Brooke, and today, I’m thrilled to share an insightful conversation with one of my dearest friends and a true game-changer in the nonprofit world, Rachel Bearbower. As the founder of Small Shop Strategies, Rachel is a wizard in teaching nonprofit leaders the art of untangling complex systems to focus on what truly matters – nurturing relationships and boosting fundraising efforts. In our chat, we delve into the nuts and bolts of building effective systems in small nonprofits. We’ll explore Rachel's unique approach to time management, and her strategies for creating a harmony between digital and analog systems. Whether you're a seasoned executive director or a budding nonprofit enthusiast, this episode is packed with practical advice, relatable experiences, and a touch of farm life charm from Rachel's life in Iowa. What the Listener Will Learn:Strategies for reclaiming time and managing overwhelm in small nonprofits.The importance of integrating digital and analog systems for optimal productivity.Practical steps to simplify and organize tools and routines for better results.Five Key Takeaways:Time is a nonprofit's most valuable asset - effective time management can transform your organization.Creating synergy between digital and analog systems can significantly enhance productivity.The ‘Sunup and Sundown’ routines are essential for managing daily tasks and reducing decision fatigue.Understanding your goals is critical before selecting and implementing any system or tool.Simplifying processes and having clear systems in place can significantly reduce the stress of decision-making and task management.Step-by-Step Process:Identify Your Goals: Understand what you're trying to achieve before diving into system organization.Baseline Your Current Systems: Assess your current tools, habits, and routines to understand your starting point.Simplify and Organize: Determine what tools and systems are essential and eliminate or integrate the rest for efficiency.Implement Sunup and Sundown Routines: Begin and end your day by syncing your digital and analog systems to reduce mental load.Regularly Review and Adjust: Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your systems and make adjustments as necessary.Resources Mentioned:Small Shop Strategies: Nonprofit consultancy focused on system optimization. Visit WebsiteCalendly: Scheduling tool for efficient meeting planning. Explore CalendlyAsana and Notion: Project management tools to streamline tasks and goals. Asana, NotionGoogle Drive: Cloud storage solution for organizing and sharing documents. Google DriveAirTable: A flexible organization and data management tool. Discover AirTableConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In this episode, I unravel the art of getting out of the daily hustle to carve out space for strategic visioning and impactful leadership. Join me as we explore how to harness 3 specific strategies for spending time on high leverage activities throughout your leadership journey, whether you're implementing them today or aspiring towards them as your future benchmark.What You'll Learn:Elevating Productivity with Energy-Aware Scheduling: Understand how to align your tasks with your natural energy cycles to enhance efficiency and avoid burnout.Prioritizing with the Big Rocks Philosophy: Learn to identify and focus on your most crucial high-leverage objectives, ensuring that your key goals never get sidelined by the minutiae of daily tasks.Batching for Focus and Efficiency: Discover the technique of grouping similar tasks to minimize cognitive load and maximize deep work, propelling your leadership to new heights.Key Takeaways:Energy Mapping for Optimal Performance: Recognize the different types of energy (physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological) and how to schedule tasks to match your energy peaks and troughs.The Big Rocks First Approach: Emphasize scheduling your mission-critical objectives before anything else to ensure they receive the attention they deserve.Batch Work to Reduce Cognitive Overhead: Group similar tasks to lessen the mental strain of switching contexts, thereby increasing focus and output.Intentional Scheduling to Guard Your Time: Be deliberate about your calendar to protect your high-leverage work times from interruptions and lesser priorities.Mindful Replenishment of Energy: Incorporate practices into your routine that renew your four types of energy, supporting sustained high performance.Step-by-Step Process:Map Your Natural Energy Flow: Identify when you're most productive for different types of work (creative, deep thinking, social interactions) and align your tasks accordingly.Implement the Big Rocks Strategy: Determine your high-leverage objectives and schedule them into your calendar first, ensuring they are immovable priorities.Batch Your Tasks: Organize similar tasks into dedicated time blocks to focus deeply and minimize the mental cost of task-switching.Protect Your Scheduled Time: Adopt a mindset that prioritizes intentional scheduling and learn to say no or redirect inquiries to protect your focus time.Replenish Your Energy Intentionally: Integrate activities that renew your physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological energy, enabling sustained high leverage work.Resources Mentioned:Leverage Playlist: www.brookerichiebabbage.com/leverageplaylistLeveraged Leadership BundleThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: By Stephen Covey, this book introduces the Big Rocks philosophy among other effectiveness strategies.How to Get Into Flow State: An article providing tips on achieving a state of flow, where you're fullConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

This week is another quick strategy episode. I’m sharing a powerful strategic framework that organizations use to anchor and align their growth: Intentional Design.What You'll Learn:The difference between Referential & Iterative and Intentional Design approaches in strategic planning.How to define and analyze your organization's focal problem for clearer vision and impact.Steps to develop a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and align your activities with your Theory of Change.Key Takeaways:Understanding the two basic strategic approaches: Referential & Iterative and Intentional Design.Importance of clearly defining the focal problem your organization aims to solve.Insight into leveraging your unique understanding of the problem for strategic advantage.Crafting a BHAG to guide your organization's strategic direction.Developing a Theory of Change to choose the right strategies for impactful change.Step-by-Step Process:Identify the Focal Problem: Define the specific problem your organization aims to solve, in simple terms that a 10-year-old could understand.Problem Analysis: Gain clarity on your unique insight into the problem and identify leverage points in the system.Set a BHAG: Define what 'moving the needle' looks like for your slice of the problem.Develop a Theory of Change: Determine the best strategies to achieve your BHAG, focusing on general approaches rather than specific activities.Outline Activities: Once you have your approaches, decide on the specific activities within each approach.Infrastructure Assessment: Evaluate what internal and external capacities, budget, staffing, networks, and systems are needed to scale your activities effectively.Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In this episode, I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Farra Trompeter, Co-Director and Worker - Owner at Big Duck. Not only is Farra just delightful to talk to, every time I talk to her it’s like a masterclass in strategic brand building. She - and her colleagues at Big Duck - have been the go-to for nonprofit brand building for as long as I can remember. I used to devour their resources when I was an ED, because they helped me come to see my organization’s brand as more than just its logo and website. And that’s what we’re talking about today. We discuss how an effective brand - one that actually serves as a driver of growth and funding and impact - is so much more than your visual aesthetics. It’s about how you define and articulate your organization's identity, your impact strategy, and your daily practices. Farra dissects the elements of an effective brand and offers both practical advice for organizations of all budget sizes to enhance their branding efforts and excellent examples of what an effective brand strategy looks like in practice.Enjoy.What Listeners Will Learn:The difference between brand, brand strategy, and branding, and their impact on nonprofits.The nuts and bolts of developing a strong brand identity and strategy that resonates with your target audience.Practical steps small nonprofits can take to improve their branding with limited resources.Key Takeaways:Branding is more than visuals; it's about crafting your organization's identity and perception.A strong brand strategy aligns with the organization's goals and communicates its core values effectively.Consistency in branding helps build recognition and trust among your audience.Small nonprofits can benefit significantly from focusing on clear, strategic branding.Regular brand evaluations can ensure alignment with organizational objectives and audience expectations.Step-by-Step Process:Elevator Pitch Exercise: Engage your team in describing the organization to gauge consistency and clarity in branding.Materials Review: Assess current branding materials (print, digital) for consistency in color, imagery, and messaging.Strategic Review: Revisit the organization's strategy and see how branding can support its goals.Resources Mentioned:Big Duck: A strategic communications firm specializing in nonprofits. They offer services in branding, communications, and fundraising/outreach campaigns. Visit Big DuckBrandraising by Sarah Durham, Big Duck's founder: A book offering insights into nonprofit branding. Find the BookConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In this week’s quick strategy episode, I dive into a pivotal mindset shift that revolutionized my approach to leading and coaching: the concept of 'WHO not HOW.' This idea isn't just a strategy; it's a growth catalyst, steering you away from mundane tasks and towards high-impact activities like visioning, strategy, and relationship-building.What You'll Learn:The importance of focusing on 'WHO' instead of 'HOW' in organizational leadership.Strategies for delegating tasks effectively to facilitate growth and reduce overwhelm.How identifying the right people for tasks can lead to more efficient and impactful work.Key Takeaways:'WHO not HOW' is a powerful strategy for leaders feeling overwhelmed by tasks.Delegating work to the right people is crucial for effective leadership and organizational growth.Identifying the right people for tasks can lead to significant improvements in efficiency and impact.Embracing this mindset shift can lead to more strategic and high-leverage work, such as visioning and planning.Resources Mentioned:Jack Graham's Podcast Episode: A previous episode featuring discussions on smart growth and meaningful impact.Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In this episode, I explore the concept of the flywheel concept, a game-changer for any organization aiming for sustainable growth and impact. Developed by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great,” this concept is about building systems that gain momentum over time, propelling your organization forward with each turn. I share my journey of understanding and implementing this powerful tool, offering concrete examples and actionable insights. Whether you’re struggling with donor retention, seeking more impactful results, or simply looking for a sustainable growth model, this episode is your guide to harnessing the true potential of the flywheel in your organization.What Listeners Will Learn:The foundational principles of the flywheel concept and its significance in driving sustainable growth.Steps to construct and implement a flywheel in your organization, turning effort into enduring impact.Strategies for reducing friction and amplifying efficiency in your processes to maintain momentum and achieve your goals.Key Takeaways:Understanding the Flywheel: Learn what a flywheel is and how it can stabilize and enhance your organization’s output, ensuring sustainability even amidst fluctuating inputs.Building Momentum: Discover the importance of consistency and the compound effect of efforts in driving your flywheel, making your system increasingly efficient.Action to Result Cycle: Recognize the cyclical nature of actions and results in a flywheel and how each segment feeds into the next, creating a self-propelling cycle of impact.Analyzing and Refining Processes: Understand the criticality of identifying and smoothing out friction points in your processes to ensure your flywheel spins without resistance.Testing and Implementing the Flywheel: Learn the process of testing, refining, and implementing your flywheel to maximize impact and ensure sustainable growth.Step-by-Step Process:Identify Your Goal: Determine the central objective around which your flywheel revolves, such as donations, program participation, or communication.Assess Current Systems: Analyze your existing processes to ensure they align with your central goal and identify any steps that may cause friction.Streamline Processes: Refine your processes by eliminating non-critical steps and addressing areas of friction, ensuring a smooth, circular motion for your flywheel.Close the Loop: Ensure that the outcomes of your processes contribute to the start of a new cycle, creating a self-sustaining loop.Test and Refine: Implement your flywheel, monitor its performance, and make adjustments as necessary to optimize efficiency and impactResources Mentioned:Jim Collins’ Book “Good to Great”: This seminal work introduces the flywheel concept, showcasing its role in achieving sustainable growth and impact. Find It HereFund Your Strategic Vision: Get step-by-step help turning your strategic vision into actual funding. Sign Up HereNewsletter Graphics: Visual aids to complement the podcast content, illustrating the difference between traditional processes and the flywheel approach. Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

In today's episode, I’m talking with two of my favorite people: Becky Endicott and Jon McCoy, co-founders of We Are For Good. They pull back the curtain on one of their collective superpowers: A strategy they’ve used to grow their community to tens of thousands of nonprofit leaders and practitioners, and one of the simplest and most powerful ways to amplify your organization’s impact. Content syndication.Content syndication is the process of turning a single piece of content into a ripple effect of engagement, growth, and community building. If you're leading a small or growing nonprofit and wondering how to make your voice louder and your footprint bigger, this conversation is a gold mine of strategies, inspiration, and real-life examples. We walk through how syndication works, and how, when paired with strategic storytelling and genuine engagement, you can use it to turn your mission into a movement!What you’ll learn:The nuts and bolts of content syndication, and how it applies to the nonprofit sectorInnovative ways to repurpose content across different platforms without overwhelming your audience or team.The pivotal role of authenticity and human connection in content creation and community engagement.Key Takeaways:Understanding Syndication: Discover how syndication is not just about spreading content but strategically placing and tailoring it to spark engagement and growth.Impact Arc Framework: Learn how the Impact Arc Framework can guide your content strategy, ensuring every piece aligns with your mission and resonates with your audience.The Power of Stoking: Uncover the magic of 'stoking'—engaging with your content actively to fuel discussions, deepen relationships, and build a community of advocates.Strategic Storytelling: Embrace storytelling as your superpower, crafting narratives that connect emotionally, highlight real transformations, and stop your audience mid-scroll.Voice Authenticity: Realize the importance of maintaining a consistent, authentic voice that reflects your mission's soul and resonates deeply with your community.Step-by-Step Process:Identify Core Content: Pinpoint your organization's most impactful stories, messages, or educational materials.Adapt for Platforms: Tailor this content for various platforms, considering the format, audience preferences, and engagement styles unique to each.Engage and Respond: Don't just post and forget. Engage with your audience, respond to comments, and stoke conversations to build a loyal community.Monitor and Iterate: Keep an eye on how different pieces perform across platforms. Use these insights to refine your approach and content.Resources Mentioned:Impact Arc Framework: A strategic guide for content creation and distribution, ensuring every piece aligns with your nonprofit's goals and values.Otter.ai: An AI-powered transcription tool mentioned by Jon McCoy, useful for extracting key points from speeches or meetings and turning them into engaging content.Syndication Strategies from 'We Are For Good': Explore their podcast and resources to dive deeper into effective syndication practices.Connect With BrookeConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

What do I do with new donors so I don't lose them?The answer is: Learn as much about your new donors as possible so that you can communicate with them better and more intimately.In today’s episode, I’m going to give you an easy, low-hanging fruit strategy for gathering information about your donors so that you can begin to segment and personalize your emails, donor appeals, and even events.What Listeners Will Learn:How to personalize communications for more impactful donor engagement.Effective techniques for segmenting your email list based on donor interests.Practical strategies for optimizing your email content and strategy.Key Takeaways:Personalization is key: Tailoring your communication to resonate with donors' specific interests increases engagement.Importance of segmentation: Categorizing donors based on their interactions and interests helps in sending targeted messages.Utilizing email analytics: Analyzing email open rates, click-through rates, and content engagement can guide your email strategy.Resource Optimization: Efficient use of email analytics maximizes impact without significant costs.Types of emails to send: Welcome series, newsletters, educational content, event invitations, and fundraising appeals tailored to donor interests.Step-by-Step Process:Choose an Email Service Provider: Ensure it supports link tracking, tagging, and segmentation (e.g., ConvertKit, Mailchimp).Incorporate Various Links in Emails: Include links to educational resources, multimedia content, event registrations, donation pages, and volunteer opportunities.Send Diverse Email Types: Use welcome series, newsletters, educational emails, event invitations, and fundraising appeals to engage donors.Analyze Engagement Data: Track open rates, click-through rates, and which links are most engaged with to understand donor preferences.Conduct A/B Testing: Send two versions of the same email with one element changed to test what works best.Resources Mentioned:FYSV Online Course by Rhea Wong: An online course offering insights on donor surveys and communication. Details HereConnect With BrookeLinkedInInstagramYouTubeConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

Today I’m doing a special rerun of one of my most downloaded and shared episodes, as a tribute to my sister, Darcy Richie. This tribute show is airing on January 30th and Darcy would have been 42 years old today. I think honoring her work - of which she was so proud - is just one way that I can celebrate her today. This episode is a celebration of three things that Darcy was so very good at: >> Managing people in ways that helped them step into the best version of themselves, in whatever role they were in; >> Listening and hearing both what people were saying and what they meant to convey; and >> Building organizational teams that allowed people not just to work across difference, but to transcend it, so that their work together was greater than the sum of their individual parts. If you’ve heard this episode already, I recommend listening again. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. It’s a fantastic conversation between me and my thoughtful and talented sister.   Enjoy. Connect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

Whether you're an aspiring changemaker or an established leader in the social sector, the essential rules of strategic and sustainable growth don’t change - that’s what we’ll be exploring today.In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Jack Graham, a UK-born, Brooklyn-based queer social change strategist and writer. Jack's journey from founding Year Here, a fellowship for aspiring social entrepreneurs, to consulting for nonprofit clients in the U.S., is both inspiring and educational.In this episode, Jack shares his experiences, offering valuable insights into the world of social entrepreneurship. We break down the essential rules of growth and delve into the practicalities and philosophies of both starting and sustaining social impact ventures.What You Will Learn:In-depth Understanding: The power of deeply understanding social issues cannot be overstated. This knowledge is crucial in developing effective solutions.Balancing Impact and Sustainability: Successful social enterprises strike a balance between creating social impact and ensuring financial sustainability.Learning Through Experience: Real-world experiences offer richer learning opportunities compared to theoretical knowledge.Simplifying Business Models: A complex business model isn't always better. Simplification can lead to more focused and effective outcomes.Collective Action: The future of social change lies in collective efforts and movements rather than isolated ventures.Your Start-Up Roadmap: A Step-by-Step ProcessFrontline Placement: Start by gaining real-world experience with the problem or issue that you’re working on. Gain both a frontline and a systemic understanding of the problem.Consulting & Service: Integrate your personal insights and expertise into what you’re learning about the problem.Lab Test: Develop and test solutions fueled by insights from your frontline experience.Incubate: Secure network and funding support for the development of long-term solutions based on what you’ve learnedYour Start-Up Toolkit: Resources MentionedYear Here: A fellowship program for social entrepreneurs. Learn more here.Giving Tuesday: A global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities. More info here.Quotes from Jack Graham:"Social change happens with people not to them, for them, or at them. It's about being a friend and a partner to people living through tough realities.""There's no growth or learning without the prospect of real failure. Learning in the real world is so much richer than in a lecture hall.""The solution part will flow much easier the more you invest in really deeply understanding your problem.""Social enterprise and social entrepreneurship are explicitly modeled on commercial entrepreneurship, but we don't even copy and paste that well."Connect With Jack:LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/jackdgraham Instagram @jackdgraham Twitter @jackdgrahamConnect with Brooke:LinkedInConnect With Brooke: Enhance your leadership journey by connecting with me. Let's explore the paths to impactful leadership together: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube