The CIA called. They wrote your agenda.
Hey Changemakers, My Pop could be the funniest person in any room, which made him either a great dinner guest or a terrifying spy trainer. He was both. He taught
From the desk of
Kimberley
Is Your Strategic Plan Just Theater?
Hey Changemakers, A few weeks ago, I was prepping for a strategy session and caught myself spending way too long thinking about the room setup. The chairs. The snacks. Whether
Build Your Construction Trailer: Why 2026 Isn’t About Getting Bigger
Happy New Year, friends! I hope you’re stepping into 2026 well-fed, well-rested, and maybe even a little hopeful. But let’s be honest: The start to the new year doesn’t just
When Giants Stumble: Catching Decline Before It’s Too Late
Hey changemakers, Remember last month when I asked whether you might be part of the reason the board’s performance isn’t where it needs to be? Harsh, yes—and also the question
Avoiding Bold Choices Isn’t “Careful”—It’s Costly
Let’s talk about risk. Not the dramatic cliff-diving kind—the quiet, everyday boardroom variety that decides whether your organization thrives, stalls out, or just fades away. Plot twist: playing it too
Why Your Job is to Distress People (Thoughtfully)
Hey changemakers, I’m about to tell you something that might make you squirm a little. Ready? “Managing change is about upsetting people only at a rate that they can tolerate.”
We All Need Assisted Living: Interdependence and the Powerhouse of Governance
My 89-year-old mom—a force of nature who’s never met a challenge she couldn’t tackle solo—recently looked at me and said something I never thought I’d hear: “I might need some
Building Trust and Purpose Through Authentic Engagement
Create ownership by involving people from the start I love humans and truly believe we’re better together. When we work with purpose, it creates meaning and a bit of magic.
The journey is the juice: 5 tips to help you thrive through change
Last month, we touched on the book Reinventing Organizations to help us think about the challenge of knowing how to do the right thing in a challenging situation. Initially, I
New year, new fundraising strategies
We’re breaking down crucial strategies to meet new fundraising challenges with innovation and inspiration.
Board chairs: passing the baton
Are you passing the proverbial baton to a new board chair at the end of the year? Defining (and nurturing) that relationship will be crucial.
Bottle rockets and business challenges
What do they have in common? They benefit from a little thing your elementary science teacher called “the scientific method”.