What are effective ways to network in nonprofit leadership as an introvert?

Introverts are an asset to any organisation, and often possess skills that are not easily visible, which makes them a hard sell as leaders sometimes. If you're an introvert looking to work in leadership, establish yourself as a professional extrovert. As a leader, you will be expected to network and communicate and you must play your strengths and build on your weaknesses wisely.

Lean into your introvert superpowers! For instance, prepare notes in advance that naturally weave in your background research, draft questions beforehand that get at the heart of what you hope to glean from the prospective connection or partnership, and send suggested agendas prior to conversations to guide the dialogue. Also, don't be afraid to acknowledge your introverted tendencies! Simply being honest about this reality while also presenting yourself in a prepared and polished way can go a long way toward breaking the ice.

Preparation for me is critical. What is my agenda? What questions can I prepare that will allow for useful conversations? Who am I meeting and what can I find out about them? What connections do I have with them, either in our careers or extra curricular? I always feel more confidant when I have done the preparation

As part of planning, knowing the purpose for which you seek to connect helps in developing conversation starters that would pique the interest of the person you are connecting with, therefore creating a more fruitful conversation.

If verbal communication is challenging, start by engaging more through emails or messaging platforms. This can help you to gradually build connections and feel more comfortable in face-to-face interactions later.

Although I have trained myself to be an extrovert, I am a natural introvert. I would often attend networking environments with a work colleague as I find the support helpful. If not available then often there will be people attending the event who I know and might use them as a type of "anchor" that I can go back to during the event, almost like a "safe place".

Identify people on LinkedIn that you specifically want to connect to and see if you have a mutual connection. You can ask the mutual connection to make an introduction which makes it easier to connect than reaching out on your own.

You have to know yourself first. Since networking in Non-Profit domain challenges individuals to speak out as much as one can to bring the best like minded patrons and well wishers in the network pool. If you believe in your cause, and you believe that you're introvert by nature than it's better to have someone who could speak on your behalf as a spokesperson of your Non-Profit. Speaking here is not only limited to coming out and delivering talks but also spreading words through texts and visuals on social media. The more people you reach out to the stronger your non-profit network would eventually become.