A Board is not just 3 people on a piece of paper. You learned the hard way. You chase them down, beg them to fundraise. They ghost you. You probably have a Founding board who have no idea what they're doing--neither do you. Learn how to create a culture of giving, active and engaged through effective board training that creates the roadmap, process and practices for an active board.
In the beginning you thought you would be delivering programs not knowing you were starting a business with a purpose. HR, governance, accounting, marketing, fundraising. The nonprofit sector has established rules and regulations. When you make stuff up (MSU). It leads to self-funding. Learn the systems you need in order to help you grow the organization.
There are always more grants than there is money. Because Funders have to reject usually 80% of applications. They don't tell you what's wrong with your proposal. They look for red flags to help reduce the number of proposals they have to read. Learn the reasons why your proposal may not be getting reviewed.
Nonprofit does not mean no profit, but this myth is perpetuated when you don't take a salary. Nonprofits should make the same or MORE than for profit leaders. Say no to the nonprofit poverty cycle and start paying yourself first because it sends a message that your work is valuable. Shift the mindset from "taking from the cause" to "sustaining your leader". Learn how to build your Salary into the budget and grant.
Every Executive Director should understand the role grants play in their funding strategy. Grants should be "a part" of your funding strategy, not the entire strategy. They should make up 30% of your budget. Over reliance puts your org in jeopardy. Learn the danger and compliance issues with single- source dependency.
You're doing the work,You've been around, you're credible, but money isn't flowing like it should. Your program isn't the problem, your positioning is. Why is positioning important? Funders use it make fast decisions. Nonprofits come from a founder's perspective . . . Shift to a Funder's perspective. Learn the language of Funding to help your funder see their ROI. Episode 151 | You Don't Have a Funding Problem - You Have a Positioning Problem: How to Shift Your Language to Increase Your Funding
