|
 Lately,
I have been thinking a lot about coaching--why it
is important for nonprofit organizations and what
it has done for me personally. The executive coaching
group that I co-facilitate, CEOs Together, just
celebrated its fifth anniversary. That made me reflect
not only on my experience with the group, but also
on the years before that when I made use of a coach
myself.
Having a coach gave me more perspective on the problems
I faced in the organizations I was leading, and
later in my emerging consulting practice. It helped
me to be more patient. (I’m still working on it!)
And it allowed me to receive honest, constructive
feedback--to test my ideas with someone with experience
in nonprofit management who also had a deep knowledge
of my history and habits, strengths, and weaknesses.
I stuck with coaching because I knew that the guidance
it provided was essential if I was going to remain
in the field over the long term. I saw that many
colleagues were unable to stay engaged in the work
they loved because the demands of the work seemed
to exceed their personal capacity. On their own,
they were often not able to find ways to stay healthy
in their jobs, avoid overwork, and remain effective
and creative leaders.
Five years ago I started CEOs Together to share
my coaching experiences with others. The group is
professionally facilitated and relies on peer coaching
among its members. The group setting provides a
cost-efficient way for nonprofit executives to get
the support they need and to become better leaders.
In my five years with the group, I have witnessed
some remarkable things. To document those results,
I recently produced a paper called “A Group of Coaches.”
The article includes interviews with current and
former participants who discuss four key issues
addressed by the group: 1) Decreasing isolation
and stress; 2) Breaking patterns of unproductive
behavior; 3) Developing leadership and modeling
behavior for the organization; and 4) Gaining technical
assistance.
The paper is now available on the LAPA Web site:
http://www.lp-associates.com. I encourage you to
take a look. Although I focus on the needs of executive
directors, I believe coaching is important for all
managers and supervisors. I hope you will share
with me your thoughts on the topic.
Laurence A. Pagnoni, MA, MPA
lpagnoni@lp-associates.com
P.S. Please forward this newsletter to others whom
you feel it would benefit. If you would like to
be removed from our list, follow the instructions
at the end of the page. Thank you and enjoy!
| 2005
is LAPA’s Tenth Anniversary--It remains our
privilege to help you make a positive difference
in your communities! |
by Melissa Shurkin, LAPA Senior Associate
If your organization is an HIV/AIDS service provider,
or works with healthcare providers in New York State,
you will want to know about a new resource. In a
few weeks, LAPA and the Westchester County Department
of Health (WCDOH) will release a comprehensive directory
of HIV/AIDS service providers in Westchester, Rockland,
and Putnam Counties. This user-friendly tool is
chock full of details about programs serving the
Tri-County area’s 2,900 people living with HIV/AIDS--all
organized around multiple indices for quick reference.
LAPA used a survey to gather up-to-date information
on 125 providers within 18 major service categories,
including primary care, housing, food, legal, substance
use, and transportation services. We also created
wallet-sized Resource Cards with the phone numbers
of essential and emergency services in each county.
We thank team member Orlando Adiao, a skilled graphic
designer who has worked with LAPA since 1995, for
his dedication and expertise in tackling the project.
The 2004 Directory and Resource Cards are available
through the Westchester County Department of Health
Ryan White Title I, and posted in PDF format at
www.lp-associates.com and www.westchestergov.com/health.
If a service directory is on your horizon, or if
you have other material development needs (such
as annual reports, e-newsletters, brochures, or
campaign materials), don’t hesitate to contact Melissa
Shurkin at 212/868-4800 (ext. 4) to explore how
LAPA can help you gather, organize, and publish
the information your stakeholders need most.
Q. Dear LAPA,
I'm looking for advice on overcoming the following
scenario: A board member, during a board meeting,
responds to an anticipated campaign by suggesting
to the other board members that they each chip in
a set amount, when, in fact, some are capable of
giving more than others. The board member might
say, "Let's each pledge $10,000 today!" But you
know that there are board members who could give
as much as $250,000 or more. How do you overcome
the board member's suggestion?
- Kim in Manhattan
A. LAPA President Laurence Pagnoni responds:
Dear Kim,
This has happened to me three times in my 25-year
career. The first time I did not respond in the
group setting, but later dealt with each board member
privately. That proved to be a mistake. Most potential
high-level givers still made the smaller gift. I
was able to salvage one board member. When he handed
me the check for the smaller amount, I asked him
if he could pledge the same amount every six months,
and he agreed.
When it happened the second time, two years later
at a different organization, I was more prepared.
I simply said: “Your enthusiasm is contagious, and
it pleases me greatly that you care that much to
give what for you is a significant gift. Thank you.
However, because we all don't give the same amount,
but give at higher or lower levels based on our
means, circumstances, and abilities, it would be
more beneficial for our campaign to allow me to
speak privately with each of you after this meeting.
Then, at our next meeting, I can report back to
you on the collective board giving.” I then turned
to the board chairperson and asked, “Don't you agree,
Ruth?” And thankfully, she did! I made sure to handle
the situation the same way the next time it happened
to me.
It is important to remember that despite all their
governance hats, a board is also a group of donors.
It was good for me to free myself from their board
member status (and the assumption that I have to
treat them more gingerly than other donors) and
ask myself how I would handle any group of donors
in a similar situation. My answer was to take action
to correct the misconception that all donors behave
the same and give the same way.
Of course many smaller, community-based organizations
would love to have this problem! I mention this
because the "let’s all chip in and pledge" issue
unites both smaller (poorer) and larger (wealthier)
nonprofit boards in an unusual way--these types
of "surprises" happen when not enough preparation
work is done before the board meeting. It is the
executive’s, the consultant’s, and the committee
chair’s job to stretch to reach new potential (in
the case of the smaller agency), and refine giving
performance (in the case of the larger agency).
Poorly prepared board meetings are the bane of nonprofit
performance.
Sincerely,
Laurence
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR LAPA? Please e-mail your
queries to lapagnoni@lp-associates.com
with the subject “Ask LAPA.” Our team will answer
as many of your questions as possible in future
newsletters.
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