If you could use only one word to summarize the mission of your organization, what would it be?

If you have never taken the time to ponder this point - I encourage you to do so now. Spend a few moments in quiet reflection and let a multitude of words run through your mind. What is the one word that captures the essence of ALL the other things you do? This is harder than it seems and may take much time and reflection to arrive at the place of finding that one word. >> Read More

• Learn the 9 basic responsibilities of nonprofit boards. >> Click here
• Tips for developing an effective donor newsletter. >> Click here
• What do I say when recruiting volunteers? >> Click here

“No matter how much you have achieved, you will always be merely good relative to what you can become. Greatness is an inherently dynamic process, not an end point. The moment you think of yourself as great, your slide toward mediocrity will have already begun.” - Jim Collins

Organizational Life Stages Assessment
This assessment helps you discover the life stage of your organization based on seven areas of development - governance, staff leadership, finance, administrative systems, staffing, products and services, and marketing. Can be accessed through X Factor Consulting, LLC (impact@xfactorllc.com).

Book: Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton
Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, guided by our parents, by our teachers, by our managers and by psychology's fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.

"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." - George E. Woodberry