The Hell I Will!

This week I'm sharing two OMG stories with you that I have dealt with the past four months. Should be interesting!

The first one is about a President & CEO - a 501c6 Member Organization. of a large Chamber of Commerce. Location will not be revealed! 2,800 members strong. That is amazing!

Anywho, I was hired by the Board to conduct a review of their compliance documents - Bylaws, legal and financial policies, etc. I love doing this and working with the Board and Chamber Team to make sure they are ready to go.

Except ONE little thing. The Board did NOT tell the President & CEO that they hired me to do just that.

My first conversation with the President & CEO went like this:

Hi, I'm "me" and I was hired by your Board to conduct a compliance audit. I'm really looking forward to working with you".

His response to me: The hell I will do this! They have no right to do this type of thing at MY chamber. They think they run this place. They do not."

Okay, then. Not surprised that he was upset they did not tell him. I would have been, too. I told him that I agreed with him! He was stunned. I also told him I was contacting the Chair of the Board with his concerns. STOP...he yelled. He said "I'm already on thin ice with them. Let's just do this and make them happy. We have never needed updated stuff before." YIPE!

Okay, then. Once he sent me their Bylaws and pitiful policies, I understood why he didn't want me to talk to the Chair of the Board! The Bylaws were over 15 years old. No legal policies AT ALL. No financial policy. Nothing.

After a month of back and forth with updated Bylaws et al, everyone was pleased. I also took the initiative to work with the President & CEO about his issues. Once he trusted me, he listened. Phew! This one took all the patience I have!

Second story is about a 501c3 Charitable Organization.

I received a panic call from the Executive Director of a mid-sized charitable organization.

"I got your name from so and so. I need HELP!"

Me: "Tell me what's going on."

Her: "The President of the Board recently quit her job and is now coming after MY job".

Me quietly thinking to myself...like this has NEVER happened before. .

She told me the stories. There were many of them. She felt she was hanging on for dear life. In other words, not getting anything done because she was living in fear of losing her position. She has been at this organization for 8 years. I felt bad for her! She was talking in stacatto so I knew she was in full panic mode.

I asked her if I could contact the President of the Board. She said yes. That she had nothing else to lose. So, I did.

Well, now, this was most interesting! The President of the Board WAS going after her job! Shocked even me that she was that open about it. She told me that she was better equipped to handle the position and that her job right now was to get the Executive Director to quit so she could take over.

Holy moly.

The President of the Board's last position was with a recycling company. Never had a position with a nonprofit before. Rose to the President position since no one else wanted it (ugh).

I was seriously quiet with her. Let her go on and on and on.

Called the Executive Director back and said I would put together a Proposal for Board development. She received it, signed it and paid me.

The Board Zoom meeting was most interesting and eye-opening for the remainder of the Board. I purposely did not have the Executive Director at this meeting. Took me 2 1/2 hours to convince the Board that the Executive Director should remain on the job. All but 1 person agreed - of course the President of the Board lost her mind and finally after my pressuring, resigned her position. The Board was not even aware this was going on. I figured as much. They were embarrassed that it had gotten so bad. Once the President exited the room, we had a great development session.

There was peace back in their nonprofit! Cull out the bad blood at the Board table. Do it! You won't believe how joyful it can be to attend a Board meeting and actually get something done! That's the way it should be -- every single time. One of the Board's responsibilities is to support their top paid executive not try to get them to quit. Come on, people!

Sometimes we forget to have those critical conversations. Let's NOT do that any more!

Let's STOP the nonsense. Our nonprofits need our help more now than ever. This is NOT the time to rattle cages if cages do not need to be rattled. This is the time to grow, to partner, to collaborate.

I hope you didn't catch the crud that has been sweeping the country like I did! Cough, cough, sneeze, blow. Sheesh! Three week of this and I am tired of it!

Thanks for reading,

Sally

Brian Basilico

Director of Direction B2b Interactive Marketing Inc.

https://b2binteractivemarketing.com

Brian Basilico stands at the intersection of traditional marketing wisdom and cutting-edge digital and AI strategy, specializing in empowering nonprofit organizations to amplify their impact through data-driven, cost-effective campaigns. As the founder and president of B2b Interactive Marketing, Inc.—an award-winning consultancy serving corporations and nonprofits since 2001—he has refined a relationship-centric approach that transforms how mission-driven organizations connect with donors, volunteers, and communities.

Brian has served on nonprofit boards, including membership organizations like the American Marketing Association Raleigh Chapter, and as a member and president of the Batavia (IL) Chamber of Commerce. He has also worked with the United Way of Aurora (IL) and numerous other local and national nonprofits. With over 45 years of marketing experience, he knows how to define an audience, reach them, and get them to take action. He is also a nationally known speaker, author of 5 books, and has his own podcast with over 1000 episodes.

Brian is someone YOU need to know!