Ep 3 Connection for Good:Exploring the Hearts of Nonprofits
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Sara Mayer: [00:00:00] Welcome to Impact Unleashed, the nonprofit edition, where we dive deep into the untapped potential of nonprofits and their remarkable ability to create a lasting impact. I'm your host, Sarah Mayer. Let's dive in.
Sara Mayer: Hello, I'm so excited to have you here on today's episode, where we are going to talk about nurturing nonprofit connections, and we'll explore all the roles and relationships that nonprofits have. So first off, Nonprofits have many stakeholders and you may be serving in a role that I mentioned, or maybe I don't mention, but I think it's important to explore all the different stakeholders.
Sara Mayer: So let's start off with our founders. I have had the privilege of founding several nonprofit organizations, and I can [00:01:00] tell you it's truly inspiring. It's one of the greatest things that you can do to align your personal desire and your impact with others, but it is also challenging. I also have had the privilege of working with many founders as they start on their journey towards making a better, bigger impact and founding their nonprofit and founders truly are motivators and they identify a problem and set out to make change with a vision that aligns.
Sara Mayer: With their goals. And so many nonprofit founders start off with a passion or they find a problem they want to fix, and they go about the difficult process of forming the nonprofit and doing all the paperwork that is required now. Our founders [00:02:00] may be around in the nonprofits we serve, or they may no longer be around.
Sara Mayer: But at some point, somebody took the action to decide to create that organization and bring it forward. And it's really cool because our founders lay the groundwork for what the future is to be. And hopefully they lead with that purpose. And at that point in time in the nonprofit, they decided other roles that would be involved in other people.
Sara Mayer: So many nonprofits have a board. All nonprofits have a board of directors. And many nonprofits have officers within the board of directors. And those officers are responsible for the fiduciary responsibility of the nonprofit, setting the direction and the course. And we will dive into different board [00:03:00] formats and how they will work, but the officers really lead that charge.
Sara Mayer: And oftentimes as an officer. Or if you're serving as a board member, you have an incredible passion for the organization and your role really is to guide and give to create connections so that others can be involved. And so it's about governing for the good. And one of the ways that board members govern are by ensuring that their duties are met, they make decisions for the organization, and they look to the future to ensure the longevity of the board.
Sara Mayer: And they. Do you have a vital role in that strategic direction? Now, some boards are just getting started there. You're small, you may be involved in a smaller nonprofit, and so [00:04:00] you may be a working board where you do more than strategy. But in general, board members are responsible for governing for good.
Sara Mayer: And also empowering through giving one of the things that the board does is examine the philanthropic goals of the organization and make some type of impact through support of the organization. And this is an empowering way to get. Others to support the organization. I love the role of a board member because it truly is a way to create that leg or continue that legacy from a founder and to perpetuate the organization into the future by keeping their eye on the mission.
Sara Mayer: Many organizations have volunteers or members fueled by [00:05:00] passion and those members really. Are involved with the organization to help the organization carry out the work of the mission. And so it's critical that the board finds a way to ensure that members and volunteers do have. A job to do, but also feel appreciated and have a role in fulfilling the mission because it's the mission that drives the effort and that is what will drive positive change.
Sara Mayer: Now, if you're in an organization and you're a member, or maybe you're involved as a nonprofit, as a volunteer, there is a little difference between members and volunteers. And so the role of members in membership based organization is really to reap the benefit of the nonprofit, to engage in those [00:06:00] opportunities and to create that community through membership.
Sara Mayer: Whereas volunteers carry out the mission. Many time members are receiving the mission. And as many things can happen through the power of partnerships and nonprofits are funded by supporters and partners and nonprofit partners could be. A donor who goes forward and makes a donation either in cash, or they make that donation in, future, endeavors, but it also could be a partner that amplifies the impact addresses complex challenges and has a furthered shared mission. So many times we think of partners as donors, but is so much broader than that, when we're trying to pull out [00:07:00] the mission. Of nonprofits, and they truly are partnering for progress, but they are the heartbeat of support.
Sara Mayer: So they may advocate. As an ambassador, they may decide to donate funds in order to highlight the power of change and provide support for the mission. And I think it's important as you work with partners to identify their why. I, why are they coming forward to support the organization? Why are they coming forward to ensure that this problem is solved?
Sara Mayer: Why do they think that this is a cause worthy of support? There are a lot of key players when you. Work with a nonprofit and it's important to connect the dots. So there are a couple of things that you can do as a [00:08:00] board member, a volunteer, a member, whatever seat you have in the organization. It's important to emphasize how connected everyone is.
Sara Mayer: And you can do that in whatever role you're in because. When everyone is working together towards that mission, it will allow the nonprofit to perpetuate forward. So there's a couple of ways that you can do this, especially when you have so many stakeholders. You can engage experts to evolve the landscape of non, of your nonprofit to define the roles.
Sara Mayer: You can build relationships with the key stakeholders and identify what. Make sense for them to own for the mission. And it's important in these partnerships that they all have a specific area of responsibility that is defined and [00:09:00] explored and the board ultimately oversees the strategy so that it is aligned with the strategy.
Sara Mayer: So if you're curious about how you might. Get involved with a nonprofit or you're listening to this and thinking, I might be interested in a board position, or I might be interested in an officer position, or I might be interested in a volunteer position. That is a great way to get started by exploring what the nonprofit does.
Sara Mayer: Now I would be remiss if I didn't mention that many nonprofits do get to the point where they can hire professional. Staff or teams to run the organization that are paid. And that also might be a great way to get involved with a nonprofit by connecting with a staff member to determine what might be the best fit for you.
Sara Mayer: Nonprofit work is not easy. It is challenging. And many of the world's [00:10:00] problems that we're trying to solve are seemingly impossible, but when board members, founders, officers, volunteers, and donors all align in a mission and move the mission forward one step at a time, that is what creates the power. And unleaks unleashes the untapped potential of nonprofits.
Sara Mayer: Now, I know you may be listening to this and you already have a nonprofit and you're rocking and rolling. If you're looking for resources, tools, tips consultant, or just other people who are trying to do the good work like you, please visit nonprofit. Impact unleashed. co again, nonprofit impact elite unleashed.
Sara Mayer: co and there you will find tips, tricks, resources, and all the things [00:11:00] you need to run your nonprofit. It's time to unleash your impact. So you are able to truly make a change in the world. So let's get to it.
Sara Mayer: Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Impact Unleashed, the nonprofit edition. I'm so excited you were here on this journey. If you haven't signed up for our newsletters and wonderful resources, please visit nonprofitimpactunleashed. co. Again that's nonprofitimpactunleashed. co. I look forward to seeing you on our next episode.
Sara Mayer: Of Impact Unleashed.