Launching the Nonprofit Water Cooler. Over a decade of stories, laughs, and learnings.

The Nonprofit Water Cooler goes live on July 29th. The newsletter for nonprofits - telling it like it is. Here is a taste of what is to come:

My very first client. Check that. My only client. The CEO, a mentor, and friend. Racking up personal costs on their nonprofit’s dime, and copping to it. Telling me it was an accident. Lying about paying it back. Over, and over again. And I was the only one aware.

I was just a a vendor. Fresh into the self employed nonprofit consulting world. I had a choice. Keep moving forward and pay the bills for my wife and newborn kids, or keep my integrity and force their hand. Risk losing it all.

And force their hand I did.

I went to a trusted board member to let them know what was happening. Then to the CEO, giving them an ultimatum - explain what has been happening to the Board Chair, or I quit. And if people want to know why, I am an open book.

CEO wizened up, explained their “circumstances”, and a week later the organization was made whole in repayment. The CEO’s trust was broken with myself and his volunteers. Shortly thereafter the CEO moved along to be a problem at another organization…as CEO…

That was 10 years ago, but a moment where my perspective of the nonprofit landscape forever changed. These are still businesses. Entities with fallible and unsavory types in a counter balance to some of the most amazing leaders and mission drivers.

This newsletter is my nonprofit consulting experience. Thousands of board meetings. Hundreds of management teams. And ooooooweeeee…stories on stories.

My goal at the Nonprofit Water Cooler is to teach you what I have learned in this space, and hopefully have some laughs doing it. My experiences and stories. Failures and successes. Tips and warnings.

Each week I will share a nugget from this space. The amazing things organizations accomplish and the crazy sh*t that goes on. Leaders you want to run through a wall for and others you want to throw into one.

Come on this ride with me, and lets dish some tea at the water cooler together.