There are lots of rules that are unique to nonprofits. Keeping them all in mind can be a challenge. This post is about 5 very important nonprofit “no-nos” that are really important. Sometimes people forget these basic rules because they aren’t paying much attention to the 990 tax return. Many charities forget these rules because they also just believe “If I am doing good work in the world but accidentally cross a line, we can address it then.” or “Perhaps the powers that be will be lenient since we are doing good work.”

One of the biggest challenges in leadership is to know when it’s time to leave. This is a very tough challenge because typically there is no scandal, no contract termination date, and no rule book for how this works. This decision is unique to you and your organization and comes after soul searching, stakeholder input, and other factors.

Instead of worrying if someone else could be doing your job better, use your newness to your advantage. Chances are you already have the skills, experience, and instincts to do 90% of your job. Whatever you don’t know can be learned. No one is actually expecting you to know 100% of your job on day one and if they are, they’re jerks. Most problems work themselves out. For those that need your attention, you will figure it out. There is no need to stress about being an imposter. You are not an imposter. You already got the job. The experts hired you so you can’t be an imposter!!

Most professionals know that doing any two things at the exact same time probably means you aren’t doing either very well. I am not saying that every task or project must be solved before a new one is begun. It’s perfectly OK to have 10 tabs open on your browser and multiple files open on your computer. We all have our own little tricks for staying on top of our responsibilities. But we must not confuse having multiple assignments with multitasking. We all can balance numerous responsibilities and multiple systems on the same day. The problem with valuing multitasking is cultural. We think the best way to communicate skill or value is by looking really really busy.

I remember hearing a podcast once where a business consultant was chastising a big telecom company for wasting money doing “research” to find out what their customers thought of them. The consultant said, “Why spend a million dollars hunting this down? You have a hotline where you are getting free feedback on your performance every day. People are yelling at you online and on the phone daily. This is free data!”

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Failure doesn’t come because people intend to fail. Failure comes because people fail to plan and protect. Yes, it’s really that simple. Here are four warnings to be aware of that will help you be one of those success stories.

Nonprofit leaders don't get effective training in management, especially executive directors. It's also particularly acute in nonprofits to not fire people because of a host of reasons. Check out my blog post and share with your friends. Then join us for the webinar on "Common Executive Director Mistakes...and How to Avoid Them" mentioned at the end of the blog post.

It goes by lots of different names, but an executive session is the time during a non-profit board meeting when the board excuses the Executive Director (ED) and staff so they can talk among themselves. I don’t know who created this practice or why it is allowed to continue. It is universally despised by executive directors, and many board members privately admit that it feels a little bit icky. Yet through inertia, it persists.

Too often, nonprofit organizations (especially white-led) take an approach to diversity that is a tad lazy, sloppy, uninformed, filled with bureaucracy, and even inauthentic. Don’t get me wrong, it may be well-intentioned, but it’s not working.

Immediately after the election of Donald Trump as President, many people were worried about potential restrictions on civil liberties for LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, communities of color, and certainly Arab and Muslim populations.

The word “capacity” is nebulous for many people. It’s like saying “organizational infrastructure” or “intersectionality.” It can seem like jargon; it may be hard to define but you kinda think you’d know it when you see it…maybe. For folks newer to these terms, or afraid to raise their hand to ask, “what exactly do you mean by ‘capacity’” here’s a list!