Leadership In Nonprofits

This year I worked with 23 nonprofits across 6 time zones and 3 continents. Budgets ranged from $300K to $100M. I spent time with 17 CEOs and EDs in board meetings, donor conversations, crisis strategy sessions, and all the messy in-between moments. This year drove home a familiar truth: we’re funding the #nonprofit sector backwards. Too many institutional and individual funders pour money into programs, services, and "impact,” and still refuse to support the very systems that make any of that possible. Funders say they want innovative solutions, but won't fund the infrastructure that lets an organization try something new without breaking. They talk about agility, and then restrict every dollar so tightly that leaders can't move. They demand accountability but won't invest in the systems that produce it. Here's what became even more clear to me during this turbulent year: the orgs that held steady had something far less glamorous than blue sky vision. They had solid operational foundations. Not perfect, but enough that when the ground shifted under their feet, they didn't lose their footing. What does "operational infrastructure" look like? It's the donor database someone keeps updated and the finance reports that don't arrive three months late. It's documentation so when the one person who knows everything leaves, the org doesn't fall into a months-long scavenger hunt. It's the unglamorous stuff that makes everything else work. Vision is essential. And funders love to fund it. But I’ve seen too many groundbreaking visions fall flat because they didn't have systems to land on. Too many leaders can’t find the dollars to strengthen operations. Capacity-building grants are small and scarce. Individual donors have been conditioned to believe that operations = waste, which couldn't be further from the truth. The cost of not funding this is that program staff spend half their week fixing problems that shouldn't exist. Leaders burn out because they're holding entire systems together with paperclips. Momentum fades because the scaffolding to carry ideas forward isn’t there. If we want a nonprofit sector that can survive years like this, funders must stop treating organizational strength as optional. Programs don't run on hope. They run on people, systems, and structure. We’ve asked organizations to build the plane while it’s in the air for as long as I’ve worked in this sector. And we’ve paid for it in lost leaders, lost momentum, and needless strain. Funders: operational strength is what makes the impact you desire possible. #NonprofitLeadership #Philanthropy #CapacityBuilding #Funders

A few weeks ago, a friend who had just joined a donor organisation asked what advice I would give someone starting out in philanthropy. I hesitated. It is a peculiar ecosystem, full of well-meaning people, careful language, and meetings that manage to sound both urgent and abstract at the same time. I told her I did not have real advice, only impressions. Philanthropy can be generous but also self-reinforcing. It funds change but is rarely willing to change itself. The further one sits from the problem, the easier it becomes to mistake confidence for competence. The job rewards eloquence and analysis, although what the work often needs are patience, humility, and the ability to sit with not knowing. Those qualities rarely make it onto a performance review. Then, just some days ago, she wrote again. She said she had started to notice how easily sincerity becomes performance, how curiosity turns into certainty, and how the language of care often comes wrapped in the comfort of control. She also admitted that she felt emotionally drained, expected to care deeply but only within acceptable limits. I told her that this is one of philanthropy’s quiet paradoxes. It preaches empathy yet trains distance. It funds transformation yet fears unpredictability. Over time, people learn to sound principled while staying safe, to manage emotion while avoiding vulnerability, and to use "learning" as a verb that requires no change. I still do not have clear answers, and maybe that is the point. Philanthropy's real challenge is not only what it funds but also what it teaches its people to value. It decides whose knowledge counts, which risks are tolerable, and how far courage can go before it becomes inconvenient. The best people I know in this field resist that drift. They stay human in small, unglamorous ways, by listening longer, by admitting uncertainty, and by refusing to turn empathy into a line item. In a system built on confidence, doubt might just be the most honest form of care.

In just one year, youth offences on the remote Groote Eylandt plummeted from 346 to merely 17. This isn't statistical noise, it's a 95% reduction achieved not through increased policing or harsher penalties, but through something far more powerful: community ownership and cultural connection. At the heart of this transformation is the Anindilyakwa Groote Peacemakers Program, where local Elders mediate disputes before they escalate into criminal matters. Elder Elaine Mamarika explains: "We have to tell stories about their country, which kinship they belong to, like a family tree. These are the sorts of things that we talk to young people about so they understand and see where they belong within the families." This deceptively simple approach, reconnecting youth with identity, purpose, and community has generated extraordinary outcomes. What makes this story so powerful is its grassroots foundation. The shift began in 2018 when Local Decision-Making agreements empowered communities with control over housing, education, economic development, health, and justice. Cultural knowledge and community leadership, resources that already existed were finally recognised as assets rather than obstacles. The Gebie Gang program evolved from supporting justice-involved youth to a comprehensive mentoring initiative offering practical skills from cooking to driving licenses. Young people disconnected from work and education found pathways back to community and purpose. 🚩 The Opportunity Before Us As we witness communities across Australia struggling with similar challenges, Groote Eylandt demonstrates that solutions may be closer than we imagine they exist within the wisdom, relationships, and cultural strengths of our communities. How might your organisation, community, or leadership approach shift if you centred this wisdom? What untapped expertise and leadership exists within the communities you serve? When we move beyond "fixing problems" to nurturing strengths, remarkable transformations become possible. #IndigenousLeadership #JusticeHub #CommunityEmpowerment

What happens when the rigour of the Treasury meets the passion of the third sector? You get a revolution in how we think about doing good. Imagine leaving a role advising the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and the UK Treasury. The very heart of data driven, evidence led policy in the UK. This was Dan Corry’s world. He chose to leave it for the charitable sector. There, he saw a fundamental disconnect. A sector fuelled by immense goodwill and passion, but often navigating without a clear map. Good intentions were everywhere, but hard evidence of what truly worked was scarce. He recognised that without the discipline to measure impact, well meaning funds could be wasted and opportunities to create real change missed. At New Philanthropy Capital, he applied the very rigour he had honed in the civil service. It was an effort to bring structure and focus to the sector’s passion. His journey provides a powerful blueprint for transformation: → Evidence must guide passion. He championed the idea that emotional connection to a cause should be paired with cold, hard data on its effectiveness. → Philanthropy is an investment, not just a donation. Every pound should be treated as capital deployed to achieve the highest possible social return. → Measuring social impact is non-negotiable. He made it clear that to truly help, you must first be able to prove you are helping. Dan Corry didn’t just lead a non profit, he imported a mindset that helped make the entire charitable sector more effective. It’s a powerful lesson in how transplanting discipline from one world can revolutionise another. In your sector, what discipline from another field could be a game changer? #Leadership #SocialImpact #Philanthropy

Dear philanthropists, you need to start funding core operations in nonprofits. One of the most problematic things I’ve heard in the philanthropic space is that “no donor will want to fund operations.” Ugh. This gives me the ick. It should not be something we ask nonprofit leaders to work around. It should be a funding criterion that philanthropists actively CHANGE t to serve what activists and nonprofit teams truly need. Operations (from organizational development, HR and finance, to strategy planning, communication and fundraising) ARE the backbone of how social justice is literally PUT IN ACTION. Refusing to fund operations is extremely anti-feminist and perpetuates power imbalances. It reminds me of a system that still refuses to see domestic or caregiving labor as labor that should be paid. Domestic and caregiving (informal and formal) professionals, much like operation professionals (often women!!) remain invisible, often thankless, and terribly undervalued, but they are essential for the wellbeing, sustainability and flourishing of communities and organizations they serve. Would it sound okay if a philanthropist who also supports feminist or social justice causes claimed that domestic or caregiving labor is unworthy of fair monetary remuneration? If you, too, believe that the answer is no, well, it’s time to be louder about funding nonprofit operations! The truth is that without operations, no program nor activism can develop sustainably and scale in the long term. Operational capacity is foundational in social justice efforts and, therefore, a real feminist issue.   People with money privilege who want to do good need to get on board with this and support it, and stop letting the ego get in the way of their funding agendas (apparently, funding operations does not sound “cool” or “prestigious” enough in the philanthropy bubble…). The truth is that when philanthropy fails to invest in nonprofits' impact engines, it undermines the core impact that leaders and activists are trying to achieve. Philanthropists, if you want to truly serve communities and do your part in contributing to systemic change, this is your opportunity to put the money where the real needs of frontline leaders and activists are.

In many nonprofits, innovation often mirrors privilege. Who gets to dream up solutions? Whose ideas are embraced as “bold” or “innovative”? Too often, decision-making is concentrated in leadership or external consultants, leaving grassroots, community-driven insights underutilized. This perpetuates inequity and stifles transformative potential within our own organizations. Here’s the truth: Privilege shapes perceptions of innovation: Ideas from leadership or external experts are often prioritized, while community-driven ideas are dismissed as “too risky” or “impractical.” Communities with lived experience are sidelined: Those who deeply understand systemic challenges are excluded from shaping the solutions meant to address them. The result? Nonprofits risk replicating the same inequities they aim to dismantle by ignoring the imaginative potential of those closest to the issues. When imagination is confined to decision-makers in positions of power, we limit our ability to create truly transformative solutions. As nonprofit practitioners, we can start shifting this dynamic by fostering equity within our organizations: * Redistribute decision-making power: Engage community members and frontline staff in brainstorming and strategic discussions. Elevate their voices in decision-making processes. * Value lived experience as expertise: Treat the insights of those who experience systemic challenges as central to innovation, not secondary. * Create space for experimentation: Advocate for internal processes that allow for piloting bold, community-driven ideas, even if they challenge traditional approaches. * Focus on capacity-mobilisation: Invest in staff and community partners through training, mentorship, and resources that empower them to lead imaginative projects. * Rethink impact metrics: Develop evaluation systems that prioritize community-defined success over traditional donor-centric metrics. What practices has your organization used to centre community-driven ideas? Share your insights—I’d love to learn from you! Want to hear more: https://lnkd.in/gXp76ssF

A few years ago, a CEO I coached said, “Every week feels the same. The same fires, just in different departments.” Like many leaders, he was solving brilliantly but within the same loop. ✅ What he needed was a systems-thinking shift. It often comes down to this: • Leaders who think in steps solve problems repeatedly. • Leaders who think in systems solve them once. Most leadership energy is wasted in firefighting mode, reacting to outcomes instead of addressing the structures that create them. Systems-thinking leadership changes that. It’s preventive leadership. Instead of asking, “What went wrong?” Ask, “What pattern keeps creating this?” When you fix the pattern, the symptom often disappears permanently. That’s why organisations led by systems thinkers see up to a 60% reduction in recurring issues. You can start by: 1. Mapping the flow:  Where does the problem originate? 2. Identifying repetition: What keeps resurfacing? 3. Intervening at structure: What policy, rhythm, or decision loop fuels it? One systemic intervention can prevent dozens of future fires. That’s strategic leverage. Because when leaders build systems that self-correct, teams become self-managing, and leadership finally shifts from firefighting to fire prevention. What’s one recurring issue in your organization that might be a system problem in disguise? #LeadershipDevelopment #SystemsThinking 

𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 - 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐈𝐬𝐧’𝐭. . . Meetings scheduled. Targets moving. Decisions taken. Yet by evening, you feel drained. Not unproductive. Not disengaged. Just quietly exhausted. Many leaders tell me this: “𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤.” The truth: this is not a productivity problem. It is an energy management gap. You are available all day. For escalations. For reviews. For quick decisions. But rarely for deep thinking. Rarely for recovery. High activity outside. Low cognitive reserve inside. That gap reduces executive presence. It affects decision quality. It slowly erodes leadership clarity. 1️⃣ Not every meeting deserves equal energy. Protect your high-focus hours. 2️⃣ Schedule thinking time like revenue meetings. Strategic clarity needs prime energy. 3️⃣ Close the day intentionally. Signal your brain to switch off. 𝐴 𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒 𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 77% 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑗𝑜𝑏𝑠. 𝑀𝑐𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡. The issue is not your capability. It is energy leakage. Ask yourself tonight. Where did my energy go today? Leadership today is less about doing more. It is about sustaining clarity. Time can be scheduled. Energy must be protected. If this resonates, stay reflective. We are not managing calendars. We are managing cognitive capital. To your leadership, Coach Vandana Dubey 𝐸𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐸𝑛𝑟𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑠 #ExecutivePresence #EnergyManagement #LeadershipClarity

As a Board Chair, ensuring board effectiveness is key to driving organizational success. Here are some key ways to achieve this: 1. Fostering a Collaborative Culture: A great chair promotes open communication, mutual respect, and a collaborative environment, ensuring all voices are heard. 2. Clear Agenda Setting: Structuring focused and strategic board meetings allows for more productive discussions and decision-making. 3. Continuous Development: Encouraging ongoing training and development ensures board members stay informed on governance best practices and industry trends. 4. Balanced Governance: The chair ensures there’s a balance between oversight and support, empowering the executive team while safeguarding the organization’s long-term goals. 5. Performance Evaluation: Regularly assessing the board’s performance fosters accountability and helps identify areas for improvement. Effective board leadership is not just about managing the agenda, but about inspiring a board to operate cohesively and strategically. #BoardLeadership #Governance #percyvaid #BoardEffectiveness #Leadership

Recently I worked with a leader who wanted to foster a more inclusive environment but wasn’t sure where to start. Like many leaders, he believed inclusion was about major initiatives only. But in one of our conversations, he shared a small, seemingly insignificant moment that changed everything for her team. He noticed that in meetings, the same voices dominated discussions while others stayed silent. 🗣️ He started asking: "What do you think?" to quieter team members during meetings. At first, it felt awkward, but over time, something shifted. Team members who rarely spoke began to share their ideas. One day, a quiet team member proposed a solution to a recurring problem that the team had been struggling with for months. The solution was simple, effective, and something no one else had considered. 💡 This small action—inviting someone to speak—transformed not only the team dynamic but also their outcomes. That story stuck with me because it reflects the heart of inclusive leadership. It’s in the little things: 👉 Asking, "What’s your perspective?" 👉 Responding to mistakes with curiosity instead of blame. 👉 Acknowledging your own missteps to model accountability. 👉 Encouraging debate over ideas, not individuals. 👉 Being intentional about who’s in the room and whose voice might be missing. Inclusion isn’t always about what you change on a large scale; it’s about the daily moments that build trust, equity, and connection. 🤔 P.S.: How are you creating space for every voice on your team today?