If you’ve spent any time in the nonprofit world, you’ve probably met at least one “expert.”
Sometimes it’s the consultant who shows up with a framework you’ve never heard of, tells you everything you’re doing wrong, and leaves behind a 42-page report no one will read.
Other times it’s the board member who joined two meetings ago, read one article on governance, and now has very strong opinions about how everything should work.
We’ve all been there.
So let me start here: I am an expert, but not that kind of expert.
My expertise comes from 20 years of actually doing this work: leading organizations, working with boards, serving on about a dozen boards myself, and facilitating more meetings, retreats, and planning sessions than I can count.
Through all of that, I’ve learned this: most nonprofits don’t need someone to make the work sound more complicated. They need someone who understands how the work actually happens.
The messy parts. The human parts. The “we have 12 priorities and no time” parts.
That’s why I’m starting these posts.
Some of the best sessions I’ve ever been part of haven’t been formal presentations. They’ve been simple “Ask Me Anything” conversations with boards and leadership teams. What are you seeing work at other organizations? How can we improve this? What are the best practices we should know? What would you do differently?
Those are my favorite conversations. No overproduced slides. No jargon. Just real questions, practical answers, and a chance to help people see what might be possible. That’s where things actually move forward.
This space is going to be an extension of that. I’ll share practical board governance guidance, strategic planning insights, membership and engagement strategies, lessons learned, and plenty of thoughts on what I’ve seen work, and what definitely did not.
Some posts will be tactical, like how to structure board meeting minutes. Others will be more direct, like why your strategic plan isn’t going anywhere. All of it will be grounded in real experience.
And this is not just for executive directors or nonprofit staff. It’s for board chairs, board leaders, and board members who want to do this work well. If you’ve ever sat in a meeting thinking, “There has to be a better way to do this,” you’re in the right place.
More than anything, I want this to be useful. So send me your questions. Seriously.
Ask me about board minutes, executive sessions, strategic planning, board recruitment, disengaged board members, messy agendas, unclear roles, or the difference between governance and getting the work done.
Wondering if your board meetings could be better? Trying to figure out how to recruit the right people? Not sure what best practice actually looks like in real life? Send it my way. If you’re asking the question, someone else probably is too.
Nonprofits do some of the most important work out there. When boards and leadership are aligned, clear, and functioning well, everything gets easier and more impactful.
That’s the work I care about. I genuinely love this work. Give me a room, a board or leadership team, a Diet Mountain Dew, and a set of real questions, and I’m in.
My hope is that this space gives you practical ideas, useful tools, and a little reassurance that you are not the only one trying to figure this out.
I’m glad you’re here. I hope you’ll read along, send questions, and take what’s useful back to your own organization.
And if at some point you want someone to sit in a room with your board and help work through it? That’s still my favorite thing to do.