board governance – Page 8 – The Healthy Non-Profit

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant!” ~Dr. Seuss

May 28, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, volunteers

For those of you who regularly follow DonorDreams blog, you know that for the last month I’ve been publishing real letters from real non-profit people. These letters have been anonymous and all center on the theme of things that non-profit boards do that drive the letter writer a little nuts. Rather than just making this a good old fashion “rant,” each author was asked to incorporate a suggested solution into their letter.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s series. If the data analytics for this site are any indication, it looks like many of you enjoyed it A LOT!

As you can see from all of this month’s posts, I incorporated a “mask” theme for a few reasons.

This theme was inspired by the fact that I am the Nonprofit Blog Carnival host this month, and I thought incorporating masks as a visual would tie the ideas of “carnival” and “anonymous letters” together perfectly.
Additionally, humans have used masks for an assortment of things for millennia including ceremonies, protection, medical protection from plagues, disguise, and performance.

Interestingly, I’ve been on an Alaskan cruise for the last two weeks (I just got home last night), and everywhere I turned in all of the gift shops I encountered native Alaskan masks. So, for your enjoyment, I snapped a whole bunch of pictures and included them at the bottom of this post for your enjoyment. (Keep scrolling down below my signature block to enjoy those pictures)

Tomorrow is Wednesday, May 29th, and it is the day we’ve all been waiting for. Tomorrow is the day we celebrate the Nonprofit Blog Carnival. As you know, I asked the nonprofit blogosphere to consider writing an open letter to non-profit boards about something concerning to them along with a suggested solution. I also challenged them to incorporate something from Dr. Seuss into their post because this iconic children’s author is considered by many people to be an “architect of social change“.

If you couldn’t tell, I am hoping this month’s series of posts culminating with tomorrow’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival will become a blueprint for “change” regarding how you engage your non-profit board on a variety of issues.

I titled this blog post with an inspirational quotation from Dr. Seuss that I believe sums up this entire exercise.

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant!“

Now that we’ve got whatever it was off of our chest, I encourage you to shift your thinking to the following questions:

What will you do about it?
How will you tactfully engage your board in addressing the issue you’ve identified as critical?
Can some of these issues become generative questions and conversations that get incorporated into your board meetings?
Do you have a board governance committee that does more than just recruit new board volunteers? If so, what is their role in addressing some of these issues?
How can you use this exercise to develop a system focused on continual organizational improvement?
Have you given any thought to asking your board volunteers to write anonymous letters to you with suggestions on how to improve aspects of your job?

I hope you’re looking forward to tomorrow’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival hosted here at DonorDreams blog. I’ve seen the submissions, and I’m hopeful that you will enjoy them as much as I have. In the meantime, please start thinking about the questions I just posed and use the comment box below to weigh-in with your thoughts keeping the following quotation from Dr. Seuss in mind:

“Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act.”

Here’s to your health . . . See you tomorrow at the carnival!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

If you are a lover of this kind of art from the Northwest coast, then I suggest you visit Hill’s Native Art online to check out their large selection.

Dear board volunteers . . . let’s get on the same page, please?

May 27, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, volunteers

DonorDreams blog is honored to be hosting the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme this month is “Dear board volunteer . . .” and the idea is “If you could write an anonymous letter to a nonprofit board about something they do that drives you crazy, what would that letter look like and what suggested solutions would you include?” If you are a blogger and would like more information on how to participate and submit a post for consideration, please click here to learn more.

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit professionals and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Up to that fun-filled day, I will publish real anonymous letters every day from real non-profit professionals right here at DonorDreams blog.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Volunteer:

Together, we share a partnership. We are in this together.

I realize that you can only devote a portion of your life to our mutual cause and that it is my full-time responsibility, and then some. I am mindful and respectful of your time, and I hope that likewise you are respectful of mine. However, if and when (probably more like when) we are in “crisis mode” when we need each other, then we are available for one another regardless.

Our relationship needs to be one that is open, honest, and brutally frank. We both want the best for our organization and we both work hard to achieve excellence. I will always tell you the absolute truth, never hiding any information or embellishing it on all topics. I expect the same from you.

I can’t do the job by myself. I rely on our staff and I also rely on you as well as our other volunteers to make it work. Working together collaboratively gets a lot more done and in faster time.

If you’ve had issues as an organization before I got here, don’t expect that just by hiring me that the problem will all quickly go away. I know how to fix them, but I will need your support and the staff’s support to really get the job done — and it will take time because we are dealing with a cultural change of doing things differently to improve the results. Some “sacred cows” will have to be slaughtered along the way and not everybody will be happy, but the organization will be stronger in the end as a net result.

You are paying for my leadership, experience, advice, and expert counsel. Please pay attention and follow my recommendations to help improve the organization. These recommendations are based on years of experience, sound business principles, and best practices.

Our board should be composed of people of influence and affluence. We can have other groups that are “working groups”, but our board needs to be the absolute top of the community power structure for our organization to thrive. If we have a board composed of less than that, then we will not be maximizing our organization’s full potential.

My view is that the board establishes a vision for the organization, oversees its governance, approves an annual budget, raises funds for the organization, and employs the Executive Director. The staff is hired by and reports to the Executive Director to execute the plan for the organization. The staff runs the day-to-day operation of the organization within the confines of the established budget and resources. The staff does NOT report to the board, but to the Executive Director.

There will come a time when we disagree with one another on something important. To the best of our abilities, we will do so privately, iron out those differences behind closed doors, and then come out publicly with one agreed upon course of action.

Thank you for being a board member of our great organization!

Best regards,
Your Executive Director

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner. If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below. If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . tips from the outgoing CEO

May 24, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, Fundraising, Planning, volunteers

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These folks are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board of Directors,

I want to thank you for my time and opportunity with your organization and community. I have learned a great many things during my time here. My hope is that you share these things with your new Executive Director, so that he/she may succeed and serve the clients who need us the most.

First, they’ll need your attention. You need to give them your attention inside and outside the board room, paying attention to key metrics – are we meeting the mission? Are we raising enough financial support – money – to allow the staff to meet that mission? Are you responding to hard and soft metrics with a cause of action – simply put, are you doing things daily/weekly/monthly that help our clients?

Second, they’ll need your advocacy. Are we visible in the community – staff & board together – as advocates of our cause? Are you proud to tell your friends, co-workers and associates that you’re part of our organization? Do you bring people to see our mission in action, either during events or during our day-to-day operations?

Third, they’ll need your aspirations for the organization. Do you think about where we should be in five years? Can you share that with them? Can you share that with your associates? Can you put that into action?

The successful organizations in your community are doing these things, and are thriving. In fact, your lack of attention, advocacy and aspirations are noticeably absent to many others in the community. I’ve been told many, many times during my time here that my passion was appreciated by many, but wasn’t visible in any noticeable quantity from the board leadership. That sent a clear message to them that if our clients weren’t worthy of your passion & talents, as the true leaders of the organization, theirs wasn’t either.

My hope is that you find the staff leader that you’re looking for, as well as that they find the leadership in you that they’re looking for and need as well.

Respectfully,
Your Former Executive Director

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner. If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . Please stop selling us short to your friends.

May 21, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, Fundraising, volunteers

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Up to that fun-filled day, I will publish real anonymous letters every day from real non-profit people right here at DonorDreams blog.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Today’s anonymous letter is a little different from Wednesday and Thursday’s submissions. This contributor decided to take on the persona of the iconic advice columnist Dear Abby.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Member,

First, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your good intentions. I know that your good will toward our organization and your personal investment is sparked by a desire to make a difference. I appreciate that you have invested energy, time, and resources generously.

But why on earth, after making that kind of investment in us, do you constantly sell us short to your friends and colleagues?

If you truly value our mission, why do you assume others won’t? If you really believe in our work, why do you approach those in your sphere apologetically, with a hat-in-hand posture that telegraphs an attitude of begging? Don’t you realize that the message you are sending is that you, as a board member, don’t believe the organization is worthy of their investment? That you expect to receive only whatever crumbs may be leftover after all their “important” investments have been made? If you as a friend, colleague, and person they respect and as a member of the governing body of our organization, communicate that expectation, how could they reach any other conclusion?

If you truly believe in the value of our work, why do I constantly have to fight to keep you from lowering our standards?

You recruit new board members, telling them, don’t worry, we’ll take whatever you have to give. Any amount of time, any amount of dollars. If you are too busy to attend meetings, that’s OK. We’ll send you the minutes. You tell them, if you’re uncomfortable asking your colleagues to support us, we understand, but just let us put your name on our letterhead. How can you imagine this leads anyone to believe there is value in what we do?

When the budget is tight, instead of calling on community leaders to invest in this life-changing work, you suggest we shift to fewer full-time and more part-time staff, who will work for minimum wage. Really? Do you really believe the work they do is no more significant than flipping burgers or dishing up soft-serve ice cream? When we were hiring a new Executive Director, you wanted to advertise for the lowest possible salary to be “fiscally responsible”. Really?? Is our product (keeping in mind that our services saves lives) truly worth less than a car or a computer or a landscaping job or anything else that is produced for a profit? Why would we not want to hire the best possible leader for this critical work?

If you believe our work has value, please, adopt a posture of worthiness in everything you do on behalf of this organization. If you are struggling with that, let me suggest you do two things:

Visit our sites during service hours. If you get to know some of the kids whose lives we are changing, you’ll start to understand that they are worthy of this chance.

Get familiar with our outcomes. They are in the board reports we review each month and they are proof of the results this work is yielding

This should convince you that we are worthy! If it does, please stop apologizing for asking your friends to support us.

If you do these things and still don’t believe we are worthy, please do the right thing and invest your effort somewhere else.

Stop demeaning the work of the rest of us on the board and of our professional staff.

Sincerely,
Your Board Chair

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner.

If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.

If you are a blogger looking for more information on how to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival, please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . accountability should be a two way street

May 20, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board volunteers . . .

I write to you today with a heavy heart, as it was my hope & aspiration to lead your organization for the rest of my working life. I’m still a bit in shock, as releasing me from my obligations to the organization and the community was the first time I saw you do something together as a group. Please let me explain.

I was hired to do a job, but really to lead. I asked years ago if you were ready to lead together – board & staff leadership – and bring the organization to a place where we could serve more people and be a true community asset. You said yes. I asked if you were ready to provide your time, talent and treasure to the effort & cause. You said yes. I asked what I could do to help you achieve these goals. We agreed on those things and moved forward. Or so I thought.

We spent a lot of time talking about what that meant. Hours, days, weeks months talking about board & staff roles. During this time, we increased services while we debated about who, what, where and how we should do things, while reducing income. We spent much time aiming at the target, but no time pulling the trigger. The organization kept growing serving. Promises of increased involvement ensured, but never materialized.

There were some of you who wanted to help. People joined the board on the promised of fulfilling that mission and making a difference. Once they saw the lack of accountability within the group, the lack of action and poor leadership, they left. They may have had “extenuating circumstances” and “life events” that prevented them from serving on the board, but they were honest with others in the community when they said “I just didn’t want to sit around a table with people who wanted to talk more about something rather than doing it”. Those that remained promised more time or to complete tasks, but when those things didn’t happen, they were never mentioned. There was no accountability.

I did everything I could do. I brought in consultants, both from our national affiliate, state experts and local leaders. Time and time again they stated the need for board members to be active, engaged and supportive – both with talent & treasure – and for follow through on tasks. We would agree, sign covenants and job descriptions, and look each other in the eye and agree that we would hold everyone accountable. But those things never happened. I thought if I worked harder, the job would get done, and you’d be motivated to work hard too.

When the staff finally had enough, and told you so, you looked for the one place everyone could agree was at fault – your CEO. It must be the head cheese, after all, he’s got all the tools and makes all the decisions. If things aren’t getting done, it must be their fault.

I realize that boards never fire themselves. I realize that a change in leadership – whether in a political arena, business or sports – is needed sometimes to start over. However, without you co-leading the organization, they’ll be set up for failure as well. Sometimes drastic changes are needed; are you ready to make those changes with the board as well?

I wish you the best as you provide the services our clients desperately need.

Sincerely,
Your former CEO

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner. If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . Please join for the right reasons.

May 17, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board volunteers . . .

I have served on this Little League board for 5 years. In these 5 years, I’ve seen many board members come and go. I feel to have an effective board, members should serve at least two consecutive terms. The first term will be a learning curve and in the second you will be aware of what needs to get done. You will be in position to take a new member “under your wing” and continue to improve the board.

In the past 5 years, I have seen 80% of board turnover in member who were “one and done”.

I know sometimes life just happens (e.g. change in job, kid does not play baseball anymore). However, a majority of the board member were on it for the wrong reasons from the start.

In one example, board members applied for the post season all-star manager job. Their kid had never made the all-star team and by all indications should not have made in that year. Luckily, as a board, we voted another candidate to the position. So I ask, why did you go out for the board? What were your intentions?

Another person had a daughter of age who could work in the concessions. The Mother had applied to serve on the board even though she did not have a child in the program. When the season started and all of the previous year’s concession workers returned, there were no jobs for her daughter (but she was placed on the wait list). The Mother quit the board. Again, why did you really join the board? What were your intentions?

This is my point . . . the purpose of any volunteer, non-profit board is focused on the good of the many and not the few. The league is about all the player, workers and officials, not your kid and your agenda.

There are so many ways to contribute, which will show your kid the art of giving back and make the organization better over all. If you’re a handy person, there is always something that needs to be fixed or repaired. If you are a great sales person, you can sell raffle tickets for the cash drawing on opening day. If you have a connection with a food supplier, we are always looking for ways to cut costs and increase revenue.

So, I will end with this……….make this season about the league. Make it the best league in the country. Work as a team. The bylaws are clear. You don’t need to reinvent the league . . . just refine the small stuff.

Sincerely,
Casey at Bat

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . please speak up at board meetings

May 15, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board volunteers,

First of all, thank you for your service and time. Your commitment is invaluable to the organization and helps us push forward in achieving our mission.

As your Director, I work hard to implement your strategic plan, vision and goals. I am grateful that you have outlined a clear strategic plan, and chart of work with measurable objectives so I know your priorities are and what areas you want me to focus on.

Having said that, I would ask that we could work to clarify the best way to communicate.

As you know, putting together a board means bringing together a group of people with different ideas and experiences. It is very difficult to manage requests from each of you to focus on a project, a lead or an idea that each might have.

The strategic plan and my chart of work was outlined and clearly defined in order to ensure that we are on the same page and we are working towards meeting strategic goals to move the organization forward. Once we leave a board meeting, it is not helpful for board members to contact me and give me all of their thoughts and strong feelings on a topic that was covered in a meeting — a meeting at which they sat silent.

I can appreciate how intimidating some of the group norms can be in a board of directors setting; however, it is each person’s responsibility to provide his/her input and contribute to the conversation and ultimately the decision.

On another similar note, as each board member has their own opinions and areas of interest, it is important that the board provide the director guidance as one voice.

For a moment, please imagine having a dropper filled with water, and 23 different cups. If that dropper must put a drop in each of the 23 cups, there is little impact towards filling the cup; however, if there are perhaps three cups, the little dropper makes much more of a difference in filling the cup.

It is critical that the board stick to the agreed upon strategic direction and a measurable work plan for the Director.

Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely,
The CEO who is NOT kicking stones in the parking lot after meetings with their board volunteers

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . I’m sorry about so very much!

May 14, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, Donor-centered fundraising, Fundraising, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Members,

Over the last several years, we have accomplished much together. Our budget has nearly tripled, we serve nearly twice as many youth, and the community recognizes us as an effective and trustworthy not-for-profit. Despite our great successes, we certainly could have done more.

Rising short of our full potential, there are some things I need to share with you.

First, I am sorry that many of you came on the board and were not adequately engaged in the work of the board. Far too many of you just simply coasted along without more regular contact from me or the board leadership team. We wasted your potential.

Second, I am sorry that so many of you were not more thoroughly cultivated before you were brought on board. Far too many of you needed to be exposed to the message and the mission before you were brought on board. We didn’t stoke your passion and develop your commitment near enough.

Third, I am sorry that many of you were brought on board (and this is really hard to say) and never should have been invited in the first place. Too many times, we were bringing people on who just lacked the connectedness within our community. Too many times we were bringing people on who lacked the passion, lacked the ability to work as a team, or lacked the wisdom of life that could make all the difference. We brought you into a situation that set you up for failure.

Fourth, I am sorry that we have not committed enough time to exploring and understanding the board-staff relationship. The challenge of making sense of this complex relationship demands that we spend more time researching and examining best practices, adding to our wealth of knowledge and molding a strategic direction. We owe it to ourselves, our organization, our donors and our members, to become the most effective team possible. To date, we continue to find our “sweet” spot. We need to do more.

Lastly, I look forward to our coming years together. Like the members we serve, we have great potential for growth. So much has been done in such a short time. So much more needs to be done.

Let’s move forward having learned from our recent success, striving to realize our full potential.

Most Sincerely,
I’m sorry . . . so very sorry!

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner. If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . digging in your heels doesn’t help us!

May 10, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, organizational development, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Members,

We have spent the last six months discussing board member responsibilities, attributes and expectations. We agreed in today’s climate, a healthy, engaged and responsive board is the foundation for sustainability. In order for our organization to thrive and grow, a new kind of board leadership is a must. Clear expectations were defined, a Governance Committee was established.

Now as we are in “ execution” phase, there appears to be push back on the direction of the board, its structure and responsibilities.

Honestly, this is so so frustrating and am wondering why we (the board & me) spent six months developing a plan when there was no intention of using it. This type of behavior is probably why you have had three Executive Directors in the past four years.

I am committed to raising board engagement to a higher level and creating a meaningful board membership experience but I need your help. If we truly want to impact the lives of the children we serve, we must change. We have the right mission for the right reason, let’s not let our kids down.

I know that change is not easy, but we need to push forward towards a solution. Here are just a few simple suggestions that I have:

let’s move a few of our more resistant board volunteers off of the board and onto another task force or advisory council,

let’s shake up our board leadership,

let’s add a few fresh faces by recruiting two or three new board volunteers, and

let’s find a donor who is willing to make a challenge gift that is tied to implementation of our original plan.

Sincerely,
G. U. Dummie

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please be respectful and share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . I can’t do this all by myself.

May 9, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, Fundraising, Planning, volunteers

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Volunteers:

First, let me say that I truly appreciate all the time, talent and treasure you give to our organization each year. That said, I must air my concerns regarding some practices that I see as undermining the functioning of our board and the ultimate success of our committees and fundraisers.

We have board committees designed to do work outside of the board meetings and then provide a written report to include in our board packet for review/approval at meetings. These committees are not functioning according to their design and reports are not being completed or submitted. As a matter of fact, few committees are even meeting unless I force the issue. Then I must type up the notes and follow-up on what is to be done.

New board members are learning the wrong way for committees to function. We developed the committee structure through a well thought out process….let’s use it.

You are all aware that we do not have a development person. So, it falls to me or the office manager to complete the tasks that you do not. While I understand that you are all busy, each committee chair could recruit community members to help with their committee. You can delegate and assign work to those folks. You can also check on your committee members completion of assignments.

Call/email/text your committee to stay in touch and remind them of their commitments. Get the job done!

When I am doing committee work, I am not doing the following:

writing grants,

completing billing or grant reporting,

marketing the agency, or

managing our staff and programs.

My job requires 50 hours a week to just keep my head above water. When I take on these other tasks, I am drowning.

I have no problem putting in the 60-70 hour weeks just before a fundraiser, but I cannot do this week in and week out in order to balance my every day responsibilities and those of the various committees. We need to work together to ensure the success of our organization.

With each board member renewing their commitment to their chosen committees, we can guarantee the success of each committee and fundraiser, so please do your part.

Let’s start this year with a great attitude and renewed motivation.

Sincerely,
One sleep deprived exec

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner. If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!