Nonprofit Leadership Archives - The Nonprofit Imagineers

Behind the Scenes Heroes: What the Winter Olympics Teach Nonprofits About Storytelling, Leadership, and Engagement

The Winter Olympics just wrapped. We watched athletes fly down mountains. We held our breath during triple axels. We cheered for gold medals decided by hundredths of a second. But some of the most talked-about moments didn’t involve medalists at all. They involved the people behind

Nonprofits Aren’t Meant to Win—They’re Meant to Last

Why the Infinite Game Mindset Changes Everything Nonprofit work often feels like a series of finish lines. The end of the fiscal year. The next campaign. The grant deadline. The enrollment target. The gala. The board report. We move from one high-pressure moment to the next,

Hanukkah as a Blueprint for Sustainable Donor and Community Relationships

Hanukkah is not a holiday built around a single moment. It has no grand finale and no requirement to experience it all at once. Instead, it unfolds through small, repeatable actions over time. A candle lit each night. A modest gift exchanged. A shared meal around

The One-Shot Mindset: How Borrowing Film Techniques Can Help Nonprofits See Their Work Differently

When Netflix asked Ed Sheeran to film a concert, he could’ve done what every artist has done for decades: a stage, a crowd, a multi-camera production, a familiar rhythm. Instead, he decided to try something completely different. Inspired by the film Adolescence, Sheeran shot the entire

Everything I Need to Know About Nonprofits I Learned from Children’s Books

When you think about the wisdom that shaped you, you might picture college lectures, professional mentors, or leadership conferences. But the truth is, some of the most profound lessons about empathy, communication, and purpose came long before that — whispered to us from the pages of

Why Nonprofits Should Stop Chasing the New and Start Rebooting the Old

In the past few weeks, we’ve looked at some surprising comebacks in culture: vinyl records and cassettes returning to the spotlight, Polaroids making a splash in an all-digital world, and mom jeans taking over wardrobes again. Each of these trends cycles back not because people rejected

The Summer Reset: Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Season of Reflection

In the nonprofit world, fall is for launches, winter is for giving, and spring is for preparation. Summer, on the other hand, often feels undefined. With school out, staff on vacation, and calendars in flux, summer can bring a slower rhythm to otherwise fast-paced organizations. But

Level Up Your Impact: Game Design Principles for Nonprofit Success

Imagine if your nonprofit’s programs were as irresistible as your favorite game. Those of you who read The Nonprofit Imagineers book know that (spoiler alert) the happy ending is based largely on gamifying the experience of supporting a nonprofit. If supporters lined up to volunteer like

Not Everyone Feels Like They Belong—And That’s Our Problem to Solve

What Nonprofits Must Do to Create True Community We love to talk about how welcoming our organizations are. We say things like “we’re like family,” or “everyone is welcome here.” And for some, that’s true. But here’s the uncomfortable reality: Not everyone feels like they belong.

How to Tell Your Nonprofit’s Cinderella Story: Why Everyone Loves an Underdog

Every year during March Madness, millions of people fill out brackets, pick their teams, and follow college basketball with an intensity that surprises even the most casual fans. But it’s not just about the sport—it’s about the stories. The teams no one expected to win. The

Category: Nonprofit Leadership

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