Calling fatigued board members searching for answers...
It’s time to bring your board onboard with a brand new approach that will radically transform how you work together and the impact your organization can have!
You have a dream. And it’s a big one.
…about the impact your organization can have, the people you can help, the lives you can change.
And you came onboard The Board excited to make a difference. To share your skills and knowledge, to help it all happen.
But the nitty-gritty realities, politics (and yes, dramas) are weighing you down, stealing the joy and making it feel hard - and tiring, and you’re thinking “this is NOT what I signed up for”
You feel…
- Frustrated by the decision-loops and lack of clarity/disagreements on who’s responsible for what
- Confused about what exactly is expected of you, how your role fits into the bigger picture and how to best help your organization create maximum impact
- Unclear and anxious about your legal responsibilities and whether you’re “doing it right”
- Ill-prepared and untrained for the funding aspect that you know is so crucial to the future of your organization
Everything feels harder than it should, takes longer than you expected and it just doesn’t feel good!
I want you to know this:
You are NOT alone
I’m Sarah and I’ve stood where you stand - as the former Director of 3 nonprofits and member of 5 nonprofit boards, I know exactly how hard this can feel. And having done consulting and coaching work with over 40 nonprofits, plus thousands more who I’ve spoken to via trainings… I’ve seen the same kinds of issues emerge again and again.
Every day I speak with Board Chairs and Executive Directors who are frustrated because they know their Board is a powerhouse of passionate, powerful, talented individuals but, collectively, it just isn’t operating effectively.
They’re frustrated that decisions are overly influenced by a specific opinion - or feel arbitrary. Or that their processes aren’t clear or transparent, or consistent. They lack systems. Or the right kind of expertise. They strive for collaboration but personalities, power-dynamics and conflicting agendas make that challenging.
Your Board Members are talented, passionate advocates who selflessly give their time and expertise but, quite simply, without the right structures and processes, their good intentions aren’t enough - you’re fighting against wind and tide and it's a struggle to move your organization forward.
But… it’s not your fault.
“Honestly, It’s not you. It’s that the systems and structures under-pinning your Board’s foundations are based on REALLY bad advice dressed up as 'Best Practice' - which gets perpetuated and regurgitated by 'Experts' trying to help you, but which is fundamentally the root-cause of everything you’re struggling with.
It’s like trying to bail the water out of a boat while there’s still a gaping hole in the hull, gushing water in faster than you can bail it out."
The good news?..... It’s entirely fixable!
Once you understand what needs to change.
But until we fix it, all the strategic planning, board meetings, fundraising plans, finance discussions - will feel like you’re spinning your wheels instead of making the progress you imagined and the impact you dreamed of.
Because having a solid foundation is EVERYTHING to your success - to how easy and joyful it feels - and how impactful you can be.
And it all starts with getting your board in alignment and having total clarity on the roles and responsibilities you each need play, and the systems, structures and processes to support that (which are actually very different to how you’re doing it right now)
And when you get this right, it feels easy, streamlined, efficient, effective.
A weight is lifted.
You start getting more done with less work.
As Board Members you feel valued. And valuable. You have total clarity on the impact your organization is making and your role in it, which means it becomes the rewarding experience you imagined it to be.
Are you ready to create a cohesive, aligned, high-functioning Board that will drive your organization’s mission forward, faster?
Introducing
The Board Impact Retreat
Moving the needle forward on your organization’s impact by empowering your Board to support your mission in a more cohesive, organized, structured way
Walk away with…
- A clear, cohesive and shared vision (embraced by your whole Board because you arrived at it collaboratively) which outlines exactly how you’ll work together to achieve maximum impact with your mission
- Total clarity on the actual edges of your responsibilities and roles (instead of the false ideas and subjective opinions that are causing infinite decision-loops and deep frustration)
- Clearly defined job descriptions and resource/skill-gap assessments that help you identify the organization’s needs and streamline the onboarding processes for new board members
- The ability to understand and identify the blind spots you didn’t even know you had (so you can finally get “unstuck” and it doesn’t feel so hard)
- A fit-for-purpose decision-making process that honors your legal duties AND feels good (and will smooth out ALL your Board communications - this one is a game-changer)
“The Impact Retreat was so much more than a program - it was our catalyst for change. We finally got our whole board ONBOARD and in alignment which has enabled us to truly feel like we’re pulling together, in a way that just didn’t seem possible before - I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been life-changing”
-Joan Dillon, Executive Director, GCDC
Build the IMPACT Board of your dreams
“It was incredible. A total game-changer for us - and I would say to any Board Chair if you’re thinking about joining, do it, you won’t regret it, you’ll come out of it…lighter. So much lighter. It’s honestly taken such a weight off” -Sandra Pearls, Board Chair
What we do together
The Impact Retreat is a one day immersive virtual experience for your whole Board.
Through 5 trainings and lots of interactive exercises, Sarah will guide you and your Board members to understand the foundational scaffolding you’re missing and how it’s impeding your effectiveness AND the bottle-necks and blind-spots that have been blocking your path and how to blast through them to create a powerful and cohesive team.
A BETTER Board Job Description
- Understanding the origins of the prevailing Board job description and why it’s stacking everything against you
- The bad advice disguised as “best practice” and the eye-opening truth about real accountability & governance
- A new board job description that will set you free
Unlock Your Nonprofit's Business Model
- The nonprofit business model – and why it’s more complicated than for-profits
- Mapping your “mission pie” and “money pie” to uncover the specific challenges your nonprofit faces
Secrets To A Great Leadership System
- Understanding the systems of leadership
- How your current systems are actually working against you and keeping you stuck
- The ACTUAL responsibilities of the Board in terms of leadership
Providing Leadership As A Board
- 6 key Board leadership practices
- The 4 types of committees and their role in effective governance
- The role of your Officers
Mapping Your Leadership Blueprint
- The 4 pitfalls of your current leadership blueprint
- Building a distributed team focused on outcomes
- The accountability exercise you need to do to understand the real reason everything feels hard
BONUS: Roadmap For Your Board
- The 5 functions you HAVE to let go of, to function effectively as a Board – and what you’ll do instead
- Your transition timeline - what to report on and when, and how it differs with and without committees
- Your annual schedule of meetings and agendas for a year
- Templates for updating yor Nonprofit Bylaws, Board Meeting Agendas, Action by Unanimous Written Consent, Committee Meeting Minutes
Our attendees REALLY enjoy:
- The powerful dual money and mission exercises that create a penny-drop moment which radically changes your thinking around the delivery of your strategic plan
- The counter-intuitive “switch” and reframe which immediately engages your whole Board
- The accountabilities and responsibilities task which gets you straight to the heart of why things feel hard (and what to do about it)
- The Nonprofit Leadership Blueprint that gives you total clarity on the REAL edges of your responsibilities
- Understanding the MASSIVE gap between what Board Members think they’re responsible for versus what they’re actually responsible for - and how this realization drastically improves Board effectiveness (and relationships)
- The alignment and clarity that comes from bringing your Board together - and also the validation from seeing that you’re not alone - that your peers in other organizations are struggling with the same challenges you are
Don't Just Take Our Word For It...
Here is what people are saying about how we did it for them
Luke Keen
Board Member, StepOut VT
"DO IT!"
Lauren Friedman
Executive Director, pkDO
"In one day that you will learn so much! It gives peace of mind, takes out some of the guesswork, and really instills good practices for everyone to follow, as well as motivation to keep improving."
Board Member
"When I signed up to do this today. I was like, okay, I'll do it. I'll probably sit in on about an hour of this and then I'm going to go on with my happy day. And… I stayed for every minute of it and I think that it was incredibly impactful."
Victoria Baker
Nonprofit Founder
"This is a one time investment that will guide your course, whereas poor decisions can create ongoing losses that repeat and multiply challenges."
Janice Johnson
Executive Director
"After the Impact Retreat, my board members were more engaged and I’m so excited for the new bylaws and committee structures we are putting in place."
Sandra Pearls
Board Chair
“Everything we learned made so much sense and was so easy to implement, we started adopting the new board job description Sarah gave us while we were at the retreat! Change has never been so easy!”
Are you ready to see the IMPACT this retreat can have on your board?
Of course you are! There's no reason to wait.
The next IMPACT Retreat is on Sunday, Mar. 10th, 2024
This includes a seat at the virtual workshop and training for your CEO and the entire board.
Enrollment: Just $1450 for your entire board
Got questions? Send them to sarah@pivotground.com
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