In this episode, I walk through the 4 core metrics vital for your nonprofit's success. I can't overstate the importance of tracking and understanding your organization's health, effectiveness, and alignment with its mission. Yet, for many nonprofit leaders, navigating this terrain can feel overwhelming and perplexing, leaving them unsure of where to begin. I'm sharing a four-part, structured approach to tracking and measuring your organization's health on a month-to-month basis. While the...

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...

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...

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...

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-playlist 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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Now that you’ve had your board retreat, and set your goals to grow your board or expand your gala, it’s time to think about implementation. So now the challenge is this: How exactly do you keep your board motivated in the new year? In this episode, I’m going to talk about the purpose, power, and anatomy of a good board agreement, and about how it will help you be intentional about shaping your work with your board. What You’ll Learn: The importance of clarity and personalized commitments in...

While some people may think that predictions about the state of the world are somewhere between hubris and a distraction, I don’t agree at all. I think that when offered thoughtfully and rooted in real insight, the information can give us more arrows in our impact quill.  There are people who know a lot about what they do — they have concrete, meaningful insight into what is happening in their corner of the world, and we are only made stronger and more powerful in our own purpose when they...

Do you want to learn how to share your insights, stories, and impact in a way that connects with the right people and brings new supporters into your world consistently and effortlessly? In this inspiring and brass-tacks episode, I talk with Tania Bhattacharyya, founder of Lumos Marketing, about the power of thought leadership as a driver of organizational growth and impact. Lumos Marketing is a thought leadership consultancy for social impact leaders ready to stand out as they stand up for...