Training & Facilitating

Build a Strong Banking Relationship For Your Nonprofit

Build a Strong Banking Relationship For Your Nonprofit

Nonprofits play a vital role in strengthening communities in and around the DFW Metroplex and having the right banking partner can make that work even more impactful for the long term. A strong relationship with a banker isn’t just about transactions. It’s about collaboration, shared values and leveraging financial resources that help your mission thrive.

Below are practical steps for nonprofits to build and sustain a banking partnership that contributes to sustainable impact of the organization.

Managing the Summer Schedule Shuffle

Managing the Summer Schedule Shuffle

Summer is a season of sunshine, travel—and for nonprofit leaders, a strategic juggling act. As board and committee members head to vacation homes, travel abroad, or simply unplug, keeping your organization’s momentum for strategic planning, fundraising and community engagement can feel like a challenge. Add in your own need for rest and vacation time, and it’s easy to see why summer requires a thoughtful approach.

Here’s some good advice for managing the shuffle of summer schedules while still making meaningful progress on your mission.

Find Joy in the Job

Find Joy in the Job

With a recent invoice payment, we received a handwritten thank you note insert from a client, (and we were still in the middle of the assignment).

At a board meeting, we were given an iced sugar cookie in the shape of a unicorn with appreciative words of how unique our services were to the exact needs of that board and foundation.

Another time, we received a crystal vase from an executive committee with sentiments of how we served as the vessel for their cause to flourish and how they hoped we would remember them by filling the vase with fresh flowers in the future.

Have your board members reached their limits? (Their term limits, that is.)

Have your board members reached their limits?  (Their term limits, that is.)

Everyone has, at one time or another, felt like they were stuck in a rut. Maybe you’re cooking the same thing for dinner week after week, or you just streamed your favorite TV series for the third time. It happens to all of us! However, when your board members feel stuck, serving year after year with little change or break, it’s not fun for them or sustainable to advancing the mission they are so committed to serve.

Good Advice: Write it Down!

Good Advice: Write it Down!

I started my job with Project Partners in January and am loving being a part of this fabulous team. I quickly learned that even though we are a small company, we maintain a very large project portfolio! One thing that has allowed me to jump right into all of the incredible work with our clients is the fact that our files are robust, well-organized, intuitive, and easy to access. During this era that has been dubbed “the great resignation” it seems that staff turnover feels inevitable. However, encouraging your team (and yourself!) to keep impeccable records can ease the pain of losing someone special, while also shortening the learning curve for anyone new to your staff. Some specific examples to keep in mind: