My Manifesto

Nonprofits are doing good work for their communities
Nonprofit employees are intrinsically motivated to be a part of this good work
Nonprofits need to spend more time establishing and encouraging their organizational culture
Too many nonprofit employees leave their organizations due to culture misalignment or poor job fit
Nonprofits could do more good if they could focus on growing their current employees rather than continually onboarding new ones
There is often a concerning disparity between the compensation of executives and employees

Nonprofit leaders participate in reciprocal feedback with their employees – the “boots on the ground”

Nonprofit employees feel the freedom to speak up when they notice an inefficient process or have a recommendation for an improvement
Culture is so engrained in nonprofit organizations that employees know the next steps before leadership even speaks
Nonprofit leaders have a quarterly or annual review meeting with all employees or certain groups to evaluate the defined culture and make adjustments as needed
Women are welcomed in positions of leadership and not punished for having children by receiving lower pay or lesser titles
There are mechanisms in place to maintain reasonable executive compensation

Integrity – making the right decision no matter the repercussions
Accountability – having those around you who can make sure you do or don’t do what you say you are going to do or not do
Empathy – seek first to understand then to be understood and take action based on what you find out
Humility – you are not the most important person in the world or in the room
Resourcefulness – if you don’t know the answer or how to help, find out
Communication – be conscious of who needs to know what and consistently keep them in the loop