Governance as Leadership

Issue 108 - April 2, 2024

In This Issue:

• NEW BLOG: Ten Ways to Engage Your Board Members - Part 2​
• Does Your Nonprofit Need a DEI Language Guide?
• Rowdy Meeting? Here's What to do.
• External Communications - New Free Resources!

One of the challenges we hear most often from chief executive officers and board chairs is engaging board members so that they feel valued and committed to the advancement of the organization. Here are ten ways (five this week and five next week!) that boards have been successful in engaging their members and moving forward. Keep in mind that engaged members make for a much more effective board and a much more productive organization. Read on here.​

Does Your Nonprofit Need A DEI Language Guide?

​Prosper Strategies noticed a trend in the last couple years: more and more not-for-profits are making the move to put together a DEI language guide or style guide.

These guides typically define the organization’s stance on the use of terms surrounding race, ethnicity, gender, ability, and other identity-based language. In an ideal world, they are developed with input from the people and communities that the language within them aims to describe, and they provide guidance on using language thoughtfully, based on individual preferences, rather than stereotypes or set standards.

This trend is a positive one, but one can make the argument that simply focusing on identity-based language (as is the norm with language guides that have a DEI lens) is not enough. We need to move beyond using language to celebrate diversity, foster inclusion and advance equity. We need to think of language as a tool for centering the people and communities our not-for-profits serve. And for that purpose, a strength-based communication guide can be a far further reaching and more effective tool.

Strength-based communication focuses on highlighting the strengths, assets, and positive attributes of individuals and communities rather than solely addressing deficits or challenges. This approach celebrates diversity, promotes inclusivity, and fosters authentic connections by emphasizing what unites us rather than what sets us apart. While identity-based language guidance is part of strength-based communication guides, most go far beyond that topic and address concerns, such as framing, ethical storytelling, avoiding saviorism, and describing people how they want to be described.

So why choose strength-based communication guide over a DEI language guide? Explore the reasons in this blog post and learn why a strength-based communication might be a better fit than a DEI style guide.

This blog is written by Alyssa Conrardy, co-founder and principal of Prosper Strategies. Alyssa helps not-for-profits to realize the full potential of strategy to advance your mission and drive social change.

​Prosper Strategies helps the leading not-for-profits to develop stakeholder-centric strategic plans, marketing, fundraising and brand strategies.

Who else is interested in Governance as Leadership? Share this newsletter with others!

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Rowdy Meeting? Here's what to do

Chris Macleod, author of The Social Skills Guidebook, paints a picture of an ideal conversation. It’s one where “everyone sticks to a topic, lets each other finish their points, listens respectfully, and adds their own input when appropriate.”

Instead, whether in social situations or business meetings, things can get heated, excited, enthusiastic. We are not talking about disagreements, it’s more about alpha people hijacking the conversation. This kind of ‘liveliness’ can shut down many of us. We can’t get a word in edgewise!

Macleod offers a good piece of advice for this situation: “Don’t spend all your time trying to fit in that one thing you badly wanted to say. Instead, go with the flow of the conversation and look for new opportunities to jump in.” You may get a chance to share your point later in the conversation. At least you are now in the game!

Read Chris Macleod’s article on How To Do Better In Loud, Hectic Group Conversations.

Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson of Shepa Learning teach Positive Communication™ workshops, webinars, and conference breakout sessions. If you are interested in better communication skills contact them for more information.

If you haven't signed up for their tips, you can do so here.

Newly Added! More Resources on External Communications

We are pleased to announce that a new section has been added to our curated collection of free governance resources!

Visit our resource collection now to view section 9.3 on E​xternal Communications ​

Please, share the link widely with your friends and colleagues so that everyone can benefit from these excellent resources without charge: https://www.betterboardsbettercommunities.com/resources​

Thank you for reading this week's newsletter! Do you have any other free resources to share that might be helpful to other NFPs? Please, share them by posting in our Governance as Leadership Facebook Group. Each day we share more resources there an would welcome your additions!

Sincerely,

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