According to John Maxwell, best-selling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, one of the best indicators of great leadership ability is having proved yourself as a nonprofit leader for at least 6 months.
Successfully, that is.
Whether it’s leading a board, a fundraising campaign, or an event –Maxwell believes that if you can do this, you have the traits needed to be an outstanding leader.
Influencing people and getting them to follow you is what leaders do.
Raising money and recruiting volunteer leaders to make something happen is more challenging than in the corporate or government sectors.
Why? Positional leadership doesn’t work in voluntary organizations. There’s no leverage.
In business, 
bosses have tremendous power – most employees are cooperative when their livelihood is at stake. In the military, leaders can use rank.
In the nonprofit world – it’s all about the mission. Donors don’t have to give money and volunteers don’t have to volunteer.
The driver of success is your ability to influence, then lead the community to participate – in that order. Trust always comes first.
My guess is that at least once, like me, you’ve had an excruciatingly painful experience working as a volunteer leader.
Oftentimes, in well-intentioned nonprofits, the lack of resources means that there’s minimal training and mentoring for board members.
The resulting frustration and underutilization (boredom) of board members drive many of us away.
But that’s most definitely not the case in all nonprofits. Amazing volunteer and staff leaders surround us.
Boards and executive directors in even the smallest organizations are thinking strategically about the future and stepping out in ways that aren’t in the news.
College students and young adults that haven’t learned to play small are experimenting with innovative ideas that will change the way we look at social challenges.
And you can be sure there are social justice committees with members of all ages at your neighborhood church or synagogue kicking butt raising money to fund scholarships for low-income youth.
The world needs you!
Nonprofit leadership is hard. Really hard. Leading a nonprofit board requires its own set of traits and competencies.
What could you accomplish if you set an intention to further develop your leadership skills at the nonprofit you serve? Skills that are specific to the nonprofit sector.
How can you learn to engage with those you most needs to reach and influence?
That means reaching out beyond the walls of the boardroom.
1 question to determine if you’re at the top of your game as a nonprofit leader.
Can your board of directors and ED show mission-related measurable results to those that care most about your work?
Or explain what’s not working and course correct. That’s leadership.
Is accomplishing your next big idea built into the culture and practices of the board? As opposed to operating hand to mouth year after year.
Raising money and attracting resources is about influencing people. Period.
Reaching out, building trust, and building a partnership to make your big ideas a reality is no small feat.
Outstanding nonprofit leadership takes a certain mindset and a good dose of humility. A willingness to learn, get training, find mentors, and acknowledge that there’s a lot you don’t know, even if you’re a C Suite exec.
Imagine what’s possible if you make a conscious decision to become a student of nonprofit leadership, and bring it back to the boardroom.
Do it because you want to. Play, experiment, make a fool of yourself. Get your adrenaline running.
Then do it again.
The impact could be life-changing for you and those you serve.
Remember, it takes a leader to recruit and develop leaders. And someone has to be first.
That’s the only way to achieve a sustainable, thriving nonprofit that will live on when you’re gone.
That’s legacy.
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