You’re a nonprofit program development team leader. How do you keep your team from falling apart?

When you have a team, it is best to give them general guidance, then get out of their way! If you hire impactful, goal oriented, motivated professionals, and your mission resonates with them, they will move mountains to achieve their assigned goals. Another item to consider, have regularly scheduled planning and goal obtainment meetings to determine outcomes.

In my experience make time for people in the team and plan together, make ownership of the processes in the work actually theirs not only a task to the teamers but their own. Help them use their passion and interest to contribute to work. Make 4C approach useful for team and personal growth. Communicate and get some fun by jointly celebrating success ??

My team is my #1 priority. If they're not clear on our vision, purpose, values, direction then they're in the dark and cannot fully perform their jobs, grow, and develop professionally. Sharing these things once doesn't do the trick. As CEO, my job is to over-communicate. Trusting the team, providing easy access to me, regular coaching and feedback, and being in service to them can help you build a healthy and high performing team. Importantly, as a leader, embrace healthy conflict - the team needs to trust you and one another in order to speak their minds. This has helped me learn about and correct my many blind spots!

Trust your development staff member to do a good job. Give them increasing levels of responsibility, guide them, have a clear communication and trust them to work directly with board members and large donors keeping the leads in the loop. Teamwork is a key to get best results.

Nonprofit leaders must possess a strong drive, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to daily gestures that build trust among their team. These small actions include greeting colleagues, expressing genuine care for their well-being, giving regular feedback, delegating tasks with fairness, and fostering a sense of camaraderie among coworkers. These qualities and actions establish a leader as reliable and capable, creating a solid foundation of trust that becomes invaluable in times of crisis.

Conflicts should be handled as quickly as possible. To let a conflict continue on solely creates a bigger problem. Find out what the issue is first and foremost. For example is it a misunderstanding or communication issue. To try to resolve this I have spoken to each person individually ad then asked whether it was okay for each of them to meet with me together. This avoids each party saying that I took the other side. While being a mediator I let the two of them work out their issues in front of me. If they cannot work it out together then as the manager I must set the ground rules.

Handling conflicts positively is crucial for any team, especially in nonprofit. Conflicts arise over program aspects like design, budget, and team dynamics. Ignoring conflicts harms teams; addressing them constructively fosters creativity and collaboration.

Conflict happens, even with great teams. The key is how you handle it. Ignoring problems never works – they just get worse. Instead, try to see conflict as an opportunity to find a BETTER solution. Start by digging into the WHY behind the disagreement. Often, it's not about who's "right", but finding what works for everyone. Listen respectfully, even when it's hard!

Communication is one of the key component and significant tool to handle team within organization and handle relevant stakeholders. Clear communication will help to achieve the organization goals and objectives. A strong partnership with other organizations can only expect through clear and strong communication channel.

Es importante verificar con que clase y tipo de conflicto nos enfrentamos. ?Es conflicto interpersonal? ?es de desacuerdos en desarrollo de ideas? ?es un conflicto entre dos personas puntuales? ?o es entre un equipo entero? ?es con la forma de comunicación? etc etc. A partir de ahi, es importante entender que siempre prima la escucha sobre que esta pasando, y a su vez, hay ciertos conflictos que es mejor encarar con una posible solución y dejar que tomen su curso. No agrandarlos, pero si estar atentos.. No es lo mismo un conflicto en la comunicación, que uno entre dos personas. Algunos conflictos se resuelven sin darles demasiada atención, y otros, al contrario necesitan un plan de acción.

Collaboration is essential to any successful team, especially in nonprofit program development. You need to collaborate with your team members and stakeholders to plan, execute, and evaluate your programs.

Teamwork makes your work better! And honestly, a lot more fun (with a good team). Start with the basics. Does everyone understand the big-picture goal you're working towards? Are job roles clear, so you're not duplicating effort? Play to each other's strengths. If someone has a way with social media? Have them lead on that piece. Don't be afraid to try new tools! Monday, Slack or Notion there's tech that can make sharing info and tracking progress easier. And if you win then celebrate those wins TOGETHER.

Collaboration will move your organization from chaos to alignment to integration. When this happens, the entire team will function more efficiently, as you are all moving in the same direction with the same end goal.

Effective collaboration is key for any successful in nonprofit program development's team. It should be necesary work closely with team members and stakeholders to plan, execute, and evaluate programs. Additionally, collaborating with other teams or organizations allows for sharing information, resources, and best practices. To collaborate efficiently, establish clear, shared goals, roles, and processes. Also it's good to use appropriate tools and technologies for communication, coordination, and documentation. Monitor progress, performance, and results, celebrating achievements and learning from setbacks.

Working together well means sharing tasks in a smart way, using what each person is best at, and feeling like we're all in it together.

Micromanaging your leaders will lead to an organization's slow death. Reagan once said, "Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided on is being carried out." Enable your leaders to make decisions without running to you each time. However, be sure the policy/culture you decided has been clearly expressed from the start.

An excellent leader always should empower their team to use their creativity and expertise to build a program. Provide feedback and resources that they need, and when there are any barriers to providing those things, communicate even more! Leaders understand that their team will do extraordinary things and they will also make mistakes. Having open and honest communication to learn from the positives and negatives will help your team build trust and know there is a safe space with the culture that is being built.

A strong team has a strong leader. Are you giving them what THEY need to succeed? Support isn't just about money – it's about offering training, giving honest feedback, and making time to listen. Recognize their wins, big and small. This builds confidence to take on even bigger challenges. Mistakes are how we learn! Create a team culture where it's okay to try something that flops, as long as they learn from it. Investing in your team pays off long-term. Talented people who feel valued stick around (usually)!

Backing up and empowering team members creates a positive atmosphere at work, which in turn boosts creativity and innovation.

You know that the non-profit world is hard. Burnout is a real risk if you don't set boundaries. Notice the signs – in yourself, and those you work with. Irritable, exhausted people don't do their best work. Model healthy habits. If you're working late every night, your team will feel pressured to do the same. Openly discuss mental health. Make it okay for your team to say ""I need a break."" This stuff might feel ""soft"" but it's not. Taking care of your team is how you ensure your programs can keep making a difference. Your team already has a lot of pressure of deadlines, commitments, events and client handling. Don't add to that pressure.

Make sure to take care of yourself and your team, ensuring a good balance between work and personal life and offering support for mental and emotional well-being.

Maintain clear communication channels, prioritize team well-being, foster a sense of purpose, and provide opportunities for collaboration and feedback. Establish a supportive work culture, acknowledge individual contributions, and address conflicts promptly to ensure a cohesive and motivated team within the non-profit program.

Check in regularly with the team with two things: 1. A reminder of their work matters in the non-profit sector and 2. A question whether they realistically have have the resources they need to complete the goals you’ve communicated. If resources are too scarce to meet the goals, be willing to reduce the expectations. Focused efforts can maximize impact because people like to feel their work made a difference.

Furthermore, it's important to establish clear objectives, offer chances for career growth, and create an environment of trust and respect among team members.