A success-destined Executive Director is a visionary who goes well beyond their passion to achieve their organization’s Mission. Like such leaders, as she has demonstrated in this Series, Robin Morgan can clearly see the forest (the whole non-profit space) for the trees (of her extensive financial work).
If you strive to be a Non-profit Leader who can wisely see the big picture, please read this post – and Share it with a friend. A few choice nuggets from the Series, which concludes with this post, will hopefully give you some food for thought. They will also, by the way, reveal the breadth and depth of Morgan’s knowledge.
Three words to the wise shared by Morgan in this Series
- “Most non-profit, Founder/Executive Directors (ED) see an unmet need and have the passion! Few, however, have all the skills and knowledge needed to run their organization . . . the education of a non-profit ED should be an ongoing process. As changes occur in an emerging organization, being observant and teachable becomes vitally important. Those who aren’t observant fail to see opportunities and obstacles. Seizing opportunities and dodging obstacles may be the difference between thriving and simply surviving. Those who are unteachable, who are reluctant to educate their self, are putting the non-profit at risk”. (Starting a Non-profit: 3 Habits to Master after the Launch)
- “Good leaders, good Executive Directors, are willing to roll up their sleeves. Most good ones have a good working relationship with their group, board and their donors. They are willing to put that vanity piece aside, roll up their sleeves, and just dig in”. (4 Must-have Qualities of Exceptional Non-profit Leaders)
- “While the Executive Director is the face of the organization, their real role in growing successfully is often misunderstood. Dealing effectively with growing pains, I’ve observed, really depends more on an organization’s Board members than it’s Executive Director. The Board of Directors play a crucial role in a non-profit’s growth, from the early stage to the middle stage to the stage of maturity”. (The Life of a Non-profit: Growth & Growing Pains)
An extra bit of wisdom, for future Non-profit Leaders . . .
Morgan offered 5 habits for prospective non-profit launchers, namely: Having both passion and (written) vision; getting training in the basic skills of running a non-profit; doing the right research in advance; securing sufficient funding; and, lastly, making a fully-informed decision whether to launch a non-profit. (5 Habits of People who Start Non-profits Successfully)
- An aspiring Executive Director/Founder who can’t see the forest for the trees (of their passion) may not be at the helm too long. Passion alone isn’t enough. If it were only that easy!
- How many more non-profits in this country would still be alive and well today if they’d followed the five-habit strategy shared by Morgan on this blog? We can only imagine (smile). She also offered 3 must-master habits (link) for young Founders. Have you mastered all three of them? (They apply to young and seasoned Leaders alike by the way)
Who is Robin Morgan?
A statement from the first post in this Series, I feel, captures poignantly the unconditional service and future legacy of this woman.
“I was raised to be, not a servant, but a person who is willing to serve unconditionally. And the good Lord didn’t put you here to just make money, to just be a family. He put you here to leave a legacy. And that can be knowledge, that can be money, that can be service. To me, it’s service.” (Unconditional Service: Robin Morgan’s Non-profit Mission)
That statement, during Your Outcome Well’s meeting with her last Fall, speaks for itself! She is a widely-recognized Volunteer. Are you really surprised?
- Her breadth of knowledge has allowed her to be a sought-after pro bono consultant (for non-profits), speaker/lecturer, and to sit on several Boards. It also allowed Morgan to make a professional move earlier this month; she is now the Director of Operations for the Housing Consultants Group.
- A full biographical profile of Morgan was provided in the first post in this Series (link)
After a career as a Financial Director (non-profit) and Controller (corporate), to think her only area of expertise is finance would be a colossal mistake. Those who are in this field typically gain a great deal of insight into many non-financial facets of the operations they work for. While the prior post in this Series did focus on her financial knowledge (link), this post showcases the overall, non-financial information and insight that Morgan’s journey has produced. Morgan and the Your Outcomes Well Team hope you’ve enjoyed the journey – as shared by her on this blog.
- Feel free to leave a comment, follow this blog (get each new post by email), or tell a friend about us.
- Look for a new Series featuring another non-profit visionary on this blog in the upcoming weeks!
Photo credit (forest): Jeff Power/flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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