Author: Bill Rowley

Most nonprofit boards have a recruiting problem. But it’s not because there aren’t good people. It’s because recruitment is treated like an event instead of a system. It usually starts when a seat opens. Or worse—after it’s been open for a while. So the board shifts into action: A name gets suggested.A quick conversation happens.Maybe…

Most nonprofit boards don’t struggle to recruit. They struggle to define what they’re recruiting for. And that changes everything. When a board says they’re looking for someone who is: • Passionate • Well-connected • Experienced It sounds right. But it’s not useful. Because none of those answer the real questions: What decisions will this person…

I watched a board spend six months trying to fill two open seats. Six months. Just… two chairs at a table. They had two names. That was the list. Not a shortlist. Not a pipeline. A list. Of two. One declined after doing a little homework.(The polite version of “this doesn’t feel right.”) The other…

Good governance rarely makes headlines. But its absence destroys everything. When boards govern well, you almost don’t notice. There’s no drama.No scandal.No crisis. Programs run. Leaders are supported. Decisions are made with care.Communities are served. Trust accumulates quietly. And nobody writes a press release about it. This is what I want people who join nonprofit…

The Core Problem (Ignorance + Urgency) In my experience, two forces drive most premature capital campaigns: 1) Misunderstanding2) Urgency Let’s start with misunderstanding. Many boards think: “We already fundraise… how different can this be?” Very. A capital campaign funds what your operating budget can’t. Which means: → New strategy→ New donor expectations→ New systems→ New…

A nonprofit leader asked me a simple question recently: “Why do organizations start capital campaigns too soon?” It’s a great question. Especially in small towns and rural communities… …where excitement builds fast …and announcements hit the newspaper even faster. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Most organizations don’t start too soon because they’re reckless. They start too…