 We want to welcome you to what Jared and I probably agree is one of our more favorite days, Friday, because we absolutely love Ask and Answer episodes. We're really proud that Fundraising Academy has come on board to support this along with our other supporters. But Fundraising Academy is our premier sponsor of this episode, which comes to you every week. And it's really an interesting way for so many of us to see what are the concerns and the questions that our sector has around the country. We want to thank all of our presenting sponsors. Without you, we would not be here having this amazing discussion. And so let's get started. I'm Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy, joined today by the non-profit nerd herself, Jared Ransom. I always like to say she's the non-profit nerd, your non-profit nerd and my non-profit nerd. One of the great intellects in our sector and our space. OK, sister, are you ready? I am so ready. I've been waiting for this day. I think I missed last week's Friday. And so, yes, I am ready. Good. OK, Joseph from Houston, Texas writes, we have an interim CEO who wants to throw his hat into the ring, cowboy hat, I should say, into the ring of leadership. Can you tell us if this is appropriate? Someone on our team says it is not. You're the interim queen, what say ye? I'm going to say it's totally inappropriate. It happens. I do know that it happens. And I also will tell you, Joseph, every single interim gig opportunity position that I have held, the board always asked me to stay for the full position. And so this is a conversation that professional interim leaders are very versed in navigating. So that might be your difference. I don't know who you've placed as your interim CEO. I do know that there are people that take on that title of an interim CEO, but they are not truly trained in this arena, if you will. So therefore, the bright, shiny object comes swimming on by. And they're like, hey, I think this is great. And I'm just going to stay. Maybe I've gotten comfortable. I've really gotten to know the culture, everything feels just really nice. But here's the difference. And why I say no is this individual who has been serving as your interim CEO now has a leg up on the relationships, on the organization, their knowledge of the organization at large. And so I do not think that it is a fair playing field. And so in that case, every time I start an interim opportunity, I always tell my client, and it's actually in my contract, that I am here for the short term for that temporary succession and have no desire, intent to stay on or to put my hat in the ring, as you say, for that full position. So I am sorry to hear this is happening. And I would agree that I do not think that this is appropriate. OK, so two thoughts come to mind. As a board member who has been there when we're struggling to get somebody, sometimes it's the devil you know versus the devil you don't. It seems exhausting to go out and find somebody new. If you have somebody there that's working and functioning well and you like what they're doing, what if it is a good fit? I mean, to play devil's advocate with that interim. Well, I think it's right or just is it? I mean, so I have stayed on longer than what was intended in my contract, right? I've stayed on longer with the purpose of we're still hiring. In particular, the longest I stayed was right in the beginning of the pandemic, because no one really knew what was going on. And so what there needed to be some level of continuity, but there stood there still should be an opportunity to hire that permanent person. And so I think if it's exhausting and some of those words do you use, Julia, because I hear this a lot, oh, it's so much easier. Let's just go with this individual that's lazy. It's being lazy and you're not doing due diligence for the organization. Yeah, I think you're right. I mean, it also seems to me and you touched on this briefly and I want to ask you this before we go to the next question. It almost seems like maybe the board and the team didn't really know upfront in the case of Joseph what the interim concept means. Do you think that could be? I mean, that it's possible. And I think the interim could have come in with multiple options, really. Yeah, interesting. Well, I know you do this work. And I think it's cool that Joseph is asking you, because I think it's one of those things that we're going to see more and more of as interim's become a fact of life with this great migration to retirement and leadership. So OK, thank you. Name with help from Omaha, Nebraska. You know how I like my name with help. Ew, I think they're starting to send them in like this because they know how much you love it. I know. And sometimes I got a man up. Sometimes I do take off someone's name because like if they're from a small community or they have a very unusual name, even in a mid-sized community, sometimes I'll be like, yeah, I just I don't want them to be identified. But right. So that's that's on me. OK, name with help writes. This was a legit name with help. Have you heard of nonprofits asking their staff to take a DEI pledge while I support DEI issues and it is central to our mission, vision and values. I think this is offensive. You know, we had a question somewhat similar to this. I want to say like last summer. It's basically about taking a pledge. You know, I think you could say whatever it is. It's not that it's the topic. It's the concept of taking a pledge or an oath. Well, and I don't know. So again, like I haven't taken a pledge. Ironically, I was just talking about with some of my close dear childhood girlfriends, you know, where we were in elementary school and the auditorium and there was just say no and they came around with these like bucket full of gummy worms, right. And it was OK, you take a gummy worm and just bear with me, Julia, because it sounds so like, you know, bizarre. But this was the last pledge or one of the last pledges I remember taking. And it really was like we are saying no to drugs and we are going to pledge by all eating this gummy worm at the same time. So to me, yeah, that was like the initiative of just say no at that time when I was in elementary school many, many years ago. So to me, what I hear mainly is there is a core belief in your organization to have a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Do you need to have a pledge? I don't know. Is this a core value, a core mission, a core belief that your organization makes business decisions on? That I think is most important as opposed to the pledge. So I'm not against the pledge, but I really think that the pledge is a little bit of like meh, you know, like I don't know what good it's going to do. I think your DEI really needs to be so perfectly woven into your business practices and your decisions that it is a part of your culture that you don't need to have a gummy worm moment. Wow, you blew my mind on like so many levels. Was it the gummy worm? Well, I think it's the public act of doing something that cements in theory a belief or an action, you know? And I think that that's a really big issue. And I guess the thing with the DEI part separating it from the pledge for me is what stands out, you know, to your point, Jared, this should be woven into your culture and to the fabric of how you lead, how you teach. And this is not a one day thing. I mean, this is all the time. And so, you know, maybe having that mission moment that includes a DEI piece is more appropriate, you know, every time you have a big meeting or a standup or however you communicate to your team, your stakeholders. I mean, a pledge seems somewhat, I don't know, I hate to say this, but threatening or, I don't know. Yeah, I see it as going through the motions. I don't see it as sticking. I think making this, you know, a part of your culture a mission moment, I think that is more substantial and sustainable. Yeah, very, very interesting. Wow, name with help from Omaha. You need to let us know how this works out. I'm glad I could tell the gummy worm story because we literally reminisced on this whole nostalgic moment, you know, talking about the orange carpet on the amphitheater. So, yeah, that was a pledge that I remembered. It was just they know the drugs. Well, you know what, it's the cultural phenomena of a group that has a physical aspect of a pledge. Collective action. Collective action, yeah, very interesting. Okay, let's go to Phil from Tucson or Tucson. We have too many lapsed donors. I'm the new DD development director and I'm wondering if you have any strategies on how to reconnect with these folks. I need a plan so I can get my very small team on board and reconnecting with these donors who at one point must have loved us. I love this, they must have loved us. They must have loved us. Well, this does take me back, right, to the cause selling education model thanks to Fundraising Academy. And we really talk about re-engaging your lapsed donors. They remain on the cycle, they remain in one of those phases. So it really isn't a great opportunity, it is a great opportunity to reach out to them, Phil. And I was just coaching the client yesterday about segmenting their constituency base, creating some type of portfolio. It doesn't have to be a formal portfolio, but I would say, Phil, because you do say we have a very small team on board and reconnecting with these donors. I would also engage your leadership team as well as your board to reconnect them. So I would take your constituency base, I would segment them based off of dollar amounts, you could do it that way. You could also do it by the campaign in which they mostly gave to, right? So for instance, we're in our community in Arizona, we're a tax credit state. So if that was their, are not benefit, but if that was their motivation to give or find their motivation, that is another way to segment it. And then again, six degrees of Kevin Bacon, who knows this individual, who has a better relationship and get on the horn and call. I love that. You know, I'm thinking back and like, sadly, I can't remember, you spoke one time about, and you had a really interesting acronym and it was like last, but not lost. LIBUNT, last year. Yeah, so that's a known one. It's called LIBUNT and there's also a SIBUNT. So last year, but unfortunately not this. So L-Y-B-U-N-T. And then SY is some year. So they gave it some year, but unfortunately not this year. So did they give last year? So I would do a SIBUNT and LIBUNT report. SIBUNT is they gave it some year, but last year are really the ones that gave so closely into the year. Interesting, yeah. Well, Phil, you learned from the master here. So that's great. Thank you, Jared. That's wonderful advice. Oh, another name withheld, St. Louis, Missouri. I'm considering applying for promotion within my organization. The job is PR manager. The deal is that I don't think the current contracted PR firm is doing a good job for our agency. Should I say this, or would it be a problem for me going forward? Ooh, what do you say, Julia? I want you to start. It's such an interesting thing. You know, my sense of it is you've got to be upfront about it because chances are if you are seeing issues other folks in your leadership are seeing issues. Now, they might not be as educated as you to specifically articulate what the problems are, but if you are the leader, you're going to want to be supported. If you get this job, you're going to want to be supported in making decisions. Because how frustrating would it be to have this as a strategy to move into that position and then not be able to enact it? So I don't know. So I'm going to say name withheld. I would use this to your advantage in the promotion that you are applying for. And I would say, you know, once given the opportunity to lead this organization or department in this way, this is one of the initiatives that I would like to take over. This is where I would like to see it. Here's the metrics that I feel that we're falling short. My number one suggestion would be that maybe what I'm reading here between the lines name withheld is that you would do away with the firm. If you did away with the firm, then what would you do to cover those initiatives? If you kept the firm, right? How would you manage them differently to see the KPIs that you are expecting them to deliver? So I would bifurcate it and I would truly have like working. This is one of the main things that I want to take on in this new position. Here's plan A and here is plan B that way. It's devil's advocate. We can keep them or we can let them go. And I have a solution and a strategy for both. You're hired. Done. Next. Absolutely right. You know, we've talked about this before. Bring me solutions. Identify the problem, but bring me solutions. And we can talk about it. Yes. But don't just bring me the problem and then dump it on my desk and walk away. Right. Don't just vent. Don't just vent. Yeah, I like it. Good job. Okay, Jane from Orlando, Florida. My nonprofit is continuing our work from home process. The situation is that our technology is super outdated. There's no budget for new laptops. I can be more effective with newer tech. I want to go ahead and buy my own new laptop, but that has not gone down well with my spouse. Wow. I'm not good with spousal issues. I had another. It's also why I don't have one. We had, I had another situation this week, literally two instances of board members and they both had spousal issues over a decision with the organization. So this is not an easy one because your home life, your work life, we are one person, right? And so it really does coincide and overlap. Julia, as a spouse yourself, how might you respond to this? You know, the only thing I can think of is to go to leadership, find out and explain to them why you need this, how you would manage it. And then maybe if you pay for it, find out what a recompense schedule could be. Maybe it's so much every month. Maybe it's a part of a donation if you're in a tax environment where that would, you know, would be supported. But I wouldn't just, I know it's frustrating when you have old technology and I think it's so easy to get new technology, it's not cheap, but it's easy. You know, the sense of it is let's drive this, let's finish it, let's get it going. But you know, your organization, they might have tech security issues. They might have inventory issues and with the licensing of the software that you use, they might have other components that go well beyond just that machine. So it's a little bit of a deeper dive. But yeah, I think in the nonprofit sector, I mean, we had a question here and I think Jared, you weren't on the episode, but with somebody saying, you know, they in their development capacity had to entertain donors and then they had to resubmit. And they were waiting a couple of months and it was putting pressure on their, you know, their own home economics. Yeah, personal cost. Yeah, and so I think these are things that we have going on, we don't talk about. I would recommend a technology assessment and that could be formal, informal, but I would really do an assessment. Whoever plays the role of HR or if you are, you know, fortunate enough, Jane, to have an HR department there at your organization, do an assessment, right? Really identify kind of where are we technology-wise. Take advantage of your resources in the space. So for instance, TechSoup offers discounted prices on not only, you know, the actual computers themselves, but some of these other assets that Julia was just mentioning when it comes to licenses for software and different platforms. So I would seek out those other resources that are, you know, available to us as a nonprofit. And additionally, if there is a corporation within your corporate partnership on your board, I would seek their advice and really see what their thoughts are. Maybe they have some machines that are available. They might be outdated to them, but really good for you. It's kind of like that, you know, it's a new car to me and curious, which is really good. But I really also think that there needs to be a work from home policy and that should include how you use technology. We've had Sky Mercer on several times. I follow her religiously on LinkedIn. She just shared a work from home policy that you can download for free. I did just that because as an interim CEO, that is something that I want to have in my tool belt for my clients and technology is included in that. Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. You know, Jane, if you're feeling this way, it's probably not just you, that it's moving across the organization. And I love what you just said, you know, looking at that, at the organization and doing an assessment and determining what that is, where everybody is, that's critical. And I would hang tight, try and get these things done before just going out and getting another, you know, piece of equipment because chances are it's gonna cause other problems and stresses just with the licensing and security alone. I had to buy a new printer yesterday. The one I've had in my office has been like, you know, my staple printer. And then all of a sudden over the last month, it started acting up and I did, you know, the internal cleanings of it. I did all of the functions of maintenance for the printer. And finally, I think I just needed to say, rest in peace, buddy, you've been a wonderful printer. It is time for a new one. So, hurry up, Amazon smile. I know you're on the way. Oh my gosh, I love it. Less in release is what I'm thinking of. You know, we are working with a new potential sponsor of Tech Tuesday. It's a concept that you and I have had for a long time and we'll be announcing that in the next week or two. And it's going to be two shows dedicated every single month that just, it kind of pulls together all things tech. So we might be interviewing somebody that has a new product. We might be talking about tech policies, strategies, from communication, tech issues, to data management, tech issues. And I think you and I can agree, you know, we see these types of questions more and more. We do. We see the digital nomenclature of our management changing and our employees and our staff. It's a big deal. It's not going away. No, it's not going away. And so much so staffing boutique, right? She talks about it often that it comes up in the negotiation stage of every most, I should say most interviews because there's so many opportunities to fill. There's a large workforce pool in particular with the nonprofit sector. Not if you want to like install a pool in your backyard, that's going to take another 18 months. But this whole technology work from home, flexible schedule, that is here to stay. Yeah. And I think it's really exciting for the nonprofit sector. I think it gives us a lot more reach. Remember we were talking to Jeff Banner of Boardable and his comments about how, you know, the pandemic actually allowed a lot of boards if they could use the right technology. And for some, that's a big get. It allowed them to expand their leadership and the influences that they brought to their organization. Yes. And I think that's great. I think it's great. And look at you and I because we too have had the opportunity to go visit clients and communities, you know, throughout the nation. And that has also allowed us to stay here online with the episodes. So we have a bit of a mobile studio, but it's been really interesting. There's been a lot of learning curves when it comes to that as well as for me and my business. And I know for you and yours, because we're separate, right? American Nonprofit Academy, the Raven Group. We come together for this wonderful show. I've had to enhance and evolve my own technology systems over the last 18 months to really adapt and stay with the trends and what I needed to do for connectivity. So we're all looking at this. Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, you know, think about just how many Americans, well, not just Americans, but people around the planet have had to learn how and what a router is. I mean, you know, things like in their home that were performing functions that they didn't really know about and they weren't really sure where it was. And it's that little box with the antennas over there or whatever. I mean, all these things that we've had to look at. And so this kind of goes back to our last question and that is one of those things that it's a bigger picture than just what that little laptop in front of you is doing. And you and I both have been working from, you know, a remote studio for several years, but now that everyone also started doing it, I had to upgrade my own router, but just because of the traffic, right? There was other traffic here in my, you know, like vicinity, right? That took up the airwaves. So just because I had been doing it for so long, it affected me and my, you know, business and connectivity because of the traffic that surrounded me all at one time. And I think that's something that we do need to address, but so many changes, so many, you know, as we talked about in our Chitty Chat Chat, moving into the formal episode for the Q&A today, the ask and answered rather, is really about how nonprofits and our leaders are truly able to be nimble. So there's a lot going on. There's a lot of supporters that you see behind both Julie and I, we are here to support you to make sure that you can continue doing the great work that you do in your community. So, Julia, this was wonderful. It feels great to be back on a fry, yay. Well, it's lovely to have you here. I always, always, always love, they're not always the same as what I would immediately think of or even ponder about. So I love it. I think it's super cool. Again, here's my information. Here's Jared's information. Reach out to us and let us know what's cooking because we always want to hear from you. This is the beauty of what's going on. We have many ways for you to connect with us. Kevin Pace, our executive producer, is actually even getting more inquiries on Twitter. You can reach out to him. He's the one that navigates that platform for us, non-profit underscore show. Reach out, let us know. If we don't have the answer, we'll find it. Yeah. Well, you know, it's funny because Tony Gull last week said, and because I was going through the slide and I said, you know, we'll get to you. And he said, and we won't make it up. And I was like, I don't know about that. Well, you know what's fun, honestly, and him too, because we talk about it all the time, is we have all been doing this for so many years. So while we joke and say, we'll make it up, we won't make it up, the truth is, and I'm sure you all know this, because many of you are avid watchers, is we have years and years, decades within the sector. So this, it might be a new position, question, you know, something to navigate, but we are pulling on our 20, 30 plus years of experience in the sector. Yeah, it's true, it's true. You're informed decisions. Oh my gosh, thinkers. It's correctly educated guests. Hey, again, thank you to our premier sponsor of Ask and Answer, Fundraising Academy. They have a really, really interesting approach to working with donors, working the process, running your development team. It's been a joy to work with them and we're gonna continue delving into your questions and concerns. Again, thank you to all of our presenting sponsors about you, we would not be here having this discussion and we are so appreciative for your amazing install work support. Hey, Ms. Jarrett, have a great weekend. You too, I'm hoping for more rain because we certainly need it. I know, I'm so excited. In fact, my eyeglasses are fogging up as we speak. So I will take my glasses off, which is always perilous in an episode of filming, but we wanna remind everybody to stay well so you can do well. We'll see you back here next week, ready to go on Monday morning. See you Monday, stay well.