Lately I’ve received lots of Anonymous Questions about the role of a board of directors in relationship with the Executive Director. There are many legal grey areas associated with this relationship, so for Season 3 Episode 6, I asked my favorite nonprofit attorney Rachel Schaffer Lawson of Schaffer Law Firm to come back to the show and answer all the questions you have submitted. Please keep in mind her answers to my questions do not constitute legal advice for your specific nonprofit organization or situation! If you have further questions, please reach out to Rachel directly--she does not charge for phone calls or emails.
Grantwriting is More than Just Asking for Money
Grantwriting involves a lot more than simply filling out an application asking for money. The infrastructure and operations of your organization play a big role in determining which types of grants and how much funding you qualify to receive, so it’s important to make sure every part of your organization is working together as you enter your next grant application process. In Season 3, Episode 5, I spoke with Danielle Tong from The Kind Elephant about how to effectively measure and communicate your outcomes to grant makers. I also asked Rachel Stanley from the Latin American Association to tell me how she works with the other departments in her organization to write better grants.
How to Collaborate to Make Your Nonprofit Stronger
You’ve probably heard a dozen and half times that nonprofits need to stop duplicating services...but that’s a lot easier said than done. There’s also a lot more that goes into successful nonprofit work than trying to be different for the sake of being different. We really need to work together to create lasting change, and Megan Godbey from Nashville Public Library Foundation gave me some awesome advice for finding strategic collaborative partners and how to structure these relationships. I also talked with Stacia Freeman from Epic Girl to hear her give some examples of how her organization collaborates with nonprofit and for-profit community members.
Giving Tuesday -- Last Minute, Low Budget Plans
Giving Tuesday is coming up on November 27! If time got away from you this year, or even if this is your first time hearing of Giving Tuesday, you still have time to put together a solid Giving Tuesday campaign. An amazing Giving Tuesday campaign doesn't require a ton of planning time, a huge budget, or even a donation ask if you feel like you've been asking your supporters for money too frequently. In this episode, Hayley Levy from Gilda's Club describes how she planned some of her past Giving Tuesday campaigns. Then Jon Fraser from DipJar comes back on the show to give some advice on adding a live, in-person element to your strategy.
Nontraditional Volunteers
In this episode for Season 3 Episode 2, we're talking about nontraditional volunteers! Many nonprofits struggle to recruit high quality volunteers and to retain them for longer than a year--but maybe it's because we're looking for volunteers in the wrong places. This week, hear from Sharie Loik at Meals on Wheels and Sabrina Schoenborn from The Girl Narrative about how they activate nontraditional volunteers at their organizations.