Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Blue Avocado, Dr. John R. Gerdy, former professional basketball player turned nonprofit leader, provides some nonprofit leadership tips from the basketball court and explains the importance of identifying strengths and weaknesses in your organization.

· Why is it important for your nonprofit organization to set goals? What responsibilities do nonprofit leaders hold? 

· Here are a few ways to grow as a nonprofit leader.

On the basketball court, coaches spend an enormous amount of time outlining players’ roles in an effort to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses, both of which are key to winning. For example, I was a good scorer, while other teammates were incredible defenders.

Defining the roles and responsibilities of your staff, volunteers, interns, and board members is perhaps the central challenge of nonprofit leadership. Articulating and defining roles is critical because nonprofits rely so heavily on volunteers.

This is particularly important when it comes to identifying and recruiting board members. Just like a basketball team, an effective board must be well balanced with members who possess a varied assortment of talents and expertise. Simply being passionate about the mission doesn’t qualify someone for board service, although of course it’s an important pre-requisite. Most importantly, you need to ensure clarity around the specific skills and contacts candidates offer, and how these overlap with current or future needs. Make sure to clearly articulate new member’s responsibilities and how they relate to the needs identified.

Read the full article about nonprofit leadership by Dr. John R. Gerdy at Blue Avocado.