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Peer coaching for development directors launches April 22

Nonprofit development director, what could you achieve with weekly support, encouragement and advice from five peers facing the same opportunities and challenges?

What would it mean to you to:

  • Feel less alone?
  • Receive pep talks from professionals who have overcome the challenges you’re facing?
  • Get expert advice tuned just to you, from people who know you and your organization?

If you’re ready to raise more money for your organization and be happier, you can do it with help from your peers.
A stylized illustration of several people talking. Their ideas appear in word bubbles above their heads.

How it Works

Successful people throughout history got that way by meeting regularly with a small team of peers facing similar opportunities and challenges. These “mastermind group” members support and challenge each other to achieve more, quicker, with more happiness than they could alone.

For nonprofit development directors like you, I’ve created a “mastermind group plus”: You get peer coaching from up to five other fundraisers at different organizations, plus professional coaching from me. So that’s:

  1. An “in the trenches” perspective from peers who have faced the same opportunities and challenges as you, or will soon; and
  2. An “above the fray” perspective from a professional coach who counsels all sorts of nonprofit professionals across the country.

Here’s what it looks like:

  • A one-hour phone meeting three times a month with fellow development directors.
  • Getting “12 minutes of fame” (who needs 15?): 12 minutes focused just on you, to get honest, informed, helpful feedback on your latest opportunities and challenges, on a rotating basis.
  • Giving feedback to your peers based on your own experience and success.
  • Being challenged to take positive action quickly—as in, before next week’s call.
  • Investing in a trusted group of advisers who will be there for you through success and failure, joy and tears.

Next step: April 22 launch party

Your next step is to attend my April 22 launch party for the peer coaching groups. Here are the details:

  • Who: Development directors of Lincoln nonprofit organizations.
  • What: Launch party for Help from Peers, peer coaching + professional coaching for development directors
  • When: Monday, April 22. Networking, 11:30 a.m.; program, 12 p.m.; guaranteed to end at 1 p.m.
  • Where: Mo Java, 2649 N. 48th St.
  • Why: Free coffee and tea (I’m buying); learn how customized-to-you advice and encouragement from other development directors can
    dramatically increase your fundraising success, mission impact, and job satisfaction.
  • How: RSVP to john AT johnfulwider DOT com, (402) 608-1608

What do you think?

What do you think? Are you stoked? Do you have questions? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter: @johnmfulwider

Mar 29, 2013 By Blog, Coaching Leave a Comment

Coach Yourself to Career Success: Sept. 10, Council Bluffs, IA

I’m excited to present “Coach Yourself to Career Success” at the 2011 National Federation of Press Women Conference Sept. 10 at Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The program blurb:

In this highly interactive session, professional coach John Fulwider will teach you five steps to reach your Big Hairy Audacious Goal, either with your current employer or after a career transition. With directions and templates from John, you and a neighbor will coach each other on declaring your Big Hairy Audacious Goal; writing a winning game plan; assembling a top-notch personal board of advisers; creating time for the future; and balancing work and life. You’ll leave the session with a list of specific, measurable, and achievable objectives you can start working on immediately—maybe even at this conference.

I’m in some outstanding company, including:

My sincere thanks to Stephanie Geery-Zink for the opportunity.

Jun 27, 2011 By Blog, Coaching, Events Leave a Comment

Your Big Hairy Audacious Goal should attract scoffers

Photo by ff137

If some people see your Big Hairy Audacious Goal as a snowball bound to melt away on a hot day, and others think you are whacked, you are on the right track.

Big Hairy Audacious Goals are BIG. How big? Big enough so you can only take them from impossible to possible by transforming yourself and your organization. They’re so big:

  • “Your idea doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Phoenix of succeeding–yet your gut tells you that if it does, the impact will be game changing.”
  • “Most of the people who you tell about your plans think you are whacked.”

Big Hairy Audacious Goals are those achievements passionate leaders dream about and others scoff at.

  • Man on the moon in 10 years (President Kennedy)
  • Transform minor desktop computer company into world’s largest, most influential consumer products company (Apple)
  • Restore a moribund football team (Coach Bo Pelini, Nebraska Cornhuskers)

(Blatant self promotion: Big Hairy Audacious Goals are best achieved with a leadership coach who may at first be the only one who believes in you, who thinks your idea isn’t whacked and can easily survive a hot Phoenix day. I am such a coach, and you can read more here about how I help make Big Hairy Audacious Goals possible.)

I got the two quoted points above about snowballs and whacked ideas from Dean Rotbart of Buzzsnatching, who shows people how to get national attention for their promotional efforts. He argued those points (and several others) separate a compelling, attention-grabbing idea from one that’s just ho-hum.

The same things, it seems to me, separate that ho-hum reach goal you might feel obligated to pursue from the Big Hairy Audacious Goal you passionately dream of pursuing.

Is your Big Hairy Audacious Goal cold and whacked enough? Tell me about it in the comments.

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My thanks to American Marketing Association Lincoln for bringing Dean Rotbart to Lincoln. If you live anywhere near Lincoln, AMA’s excellent monthly educational luncheons are not to be missed.

Apr 19, 2011 By Coaching, Leadership Leave a Comment

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