Why Organizations Thrive: Lessons from the Front Lines for Nonprofit Executive Directors

by Jonathan Poisner

Overview

On January 2, 1997, I showed up for my first day of work as the Executive Director of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (Oregon LCV).

The Board shouldn't have hired me.

I was only 30. I had zero fundraising experience, virtually no personnel supervision experience, and had only been involved previously with one other nonprofit organization.

I was given lots of training to make up for my lack of knowledge. They generally covered the specific skills I needed -- fundraising, financial management, and board development, to name a few.

What I rarely encountered was training that identified the patterns of behavior that separate Executive Directors who make their organizations thrive from those that merely do okay.

In my own experience over a dozen years as an Executive Director, and in collaborating with, volunteering with, and consulting for dozens of nonprofits, I've come away convinced it's not primarily about the skill set.

It's about how those skills are applied, with what emphasis, and with what mind-set.

This is the book I wish I'd been able to read in my first year as an Executive Director. Or my third. Or my fifth for that matter.

The book's fifteen lessons provide a mix of theory and practical tips that should be of value to any nonprofit leader looking to step up the level of their work.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940044498037
Publisher:	Jonathan Poisner
Publication date:	04/26/2013
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	599,862
File size:	111 KB

About the Author

Jonathan Poisner has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.

Since fall 2009, Poisner has worked as an independent organizational development consultant, with a focus on strategic planning, fundraising, communications, coalition building, and other organizational development challenges. Poisner also works as an Executive Coach for leaders who're looking for ongoing leadership development feedback from a seasoned professional.

In 1997, Jonathan became Executive Director of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and its sister organization, OLCV Education Fund. During his twelve years leading OLCV, he grew the combined revenue of OLCV and OLCV Education Fund from $200,000 to $1.1 million per year.

During his tenure, OLCV's staff grew from just one and a half full time employees to more than 11 FTE, while dramatically increasing its capacity to involve thousands of volunteers in its work. During his tenure, OLCV's electoral program defeated more than a dozen anti-environment elected officials and helped elect many more environmental champions to office.

Jonathan also led the Oregon Conservation Network to develop shared priorities.

"Priorities for a Healthy Oregon" raised the bar in the Oregon Legislature — helping pass new laws that promote renewable energy, recycle electronic waste, protect farmland, and safeguard clean water.

Jonathan served on the founding board of the Federation of State Conservation Voter Leagues, where he was a strong voice for growing state LCVs. From 2007- 2009, Jonathan was elected to serve on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters and LCV Education Fund.

Jonathan holds dual degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania. He has a JD from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley.

Prior to his tenure at OLCV, he practiced law as an associate attorney at the law firm of Arnold & Porter, served as Environmental Law Fellow at Lewis & Clark Law School, worked as an Adjunct Law Professor, and served on the regional staff of the Sierra Club.