Connie Golds

When Structure Meets Harmony: Why Your Team Tension Isn’t Personal How Perceptual Style™ Improves Team Communication

Workplace tension isn’t always about competence. Sometimes it’s about perception. When a Method leader manages a Flow team member, friction is predictable, but fixable. This week’s post explores how Perceptual Style TM improves communication and productivity

Evaluation Isn’t a Necessary Evil—It’s Your Nonprofit’s Secret Weapon ICYMI from January 2025: Doing "good work" isn't enough.

Program evaluation isn’t a necessary evil. It’s your nonprofit’s GPS. If you’re avoiding evaluation because it feels expensive or complicated, this post might change your mind. Simple. Practical. No drama.

Hey Nonprofit Leader What's Keeping You Awake at Night? Sometimes, Endings Are the Right Thing

Sometimes leadership means starting something new. Sometimes it means knowing when—and how—to end.
This week’s blog looks at nonprofit dissolution (yes, really), through a personal lens—and explains what California nonprofits need to know before “closing the doors.”

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Strategic Plans: Unicorns, Dust Collectors, and the Ones That Actually Get Used

Nonprofit hot take—a strategic plan that isn’t used is just very expensive desk decor. This week, I explore why plans stall and how Boards can bring strategy back into the room.
#nonprofitLeadership #strategicplanning #BoardWork

Hey Nonprofit Leader, what’s keeping you awake at night? ICYMI from 2024--Avoiding Nonprofit Mission Creep (aka The Sneaky Side Quest Syndrome)

ICYMI for nonprofit folks!
Mission creep=the sneaky side quest no one asks for. Staying mission-focused doesn’t mean saying not to everything. It means say yes, intentionally.
Read. Learn. Subscribe (it’s free!).

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? What the Girl Scouts’ Mega Cookie Drop Can Teach Us About Nonprofit Leadership?

Volunteered at Girl Scout Mega Cookie Drop this weekend—
✔ flawless logistics
✔ empowered volunteers
✔ leadership training disguised as cookie season
Nonprofit leaders, there’s a lesson here for all of us.
New post up--Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night?

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Unpaid interns, good intentions, and how not to accidentally break federal labor law.

Unpaid interns + nonprofits = ???
This week, I unpack IRS & FLSA realities (in plan English, promise) and why good intentions aren’t enough. Not legal advice—just real talk to help you sleep better at night.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Why leadership is heavy—and why community lightens the load

Nonprofit leaders don’t lose sleep because they don’t care. They lose sleep BECAUSE they care.
This week I wrote about leadership, loneliness and why community matters more than we admit.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? (Hint: It might not be governance . . . it might be perception.)

What if the problem isn’t your leadership . . . but how you and your team perceive things differently?
This week’s post is all about Perceptual Style™.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What's Keeping You Awake at Night? ICYMI--capacity building edition

Weekend throwback: one of my most-read posts on capacity building — the unglamorous hero of nonprofit success.
ICYMI, here’s your refresher. Enjoy!

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? The “Let’s Stop Pretending New Year’s Resolutions Actually Work” Edition

Nonprofit leaders don’t need New Year’s resolutions. They need sleep.
This week’s post = small changes, big relief.
New blog + free 30-min consults now open.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What's Keeping You Awake at Night? ’Twas the Night Before Year-End (A Nonprofit Leader’s Poem)

‘‘Twas the night before year-end . . . And nonprofit leaders everywhere were refreshing their donation dashboards with care . . .
This week’s post is a holiday poem for all of you losing sleep!

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? “Transparency” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

“Nonprofits must be transparent — let me into the board meeting!”
If only that’s how it worked. This week’s blog tackles what transparency really means, why board meetings stay closed, and how to keep volunteers informed without breaching governance.
Clarity + a little training = a lot more sleep.

Invite your friends to read Hey Nonprofit Leader! Thank you for reading Hey Nonprofit Leader! Your support truly allows me to keep doing this work—and I’m so grateful for you.

Nonprofit friends! I’m trying something new: referral rewards for my Substack. Share Hey Nonprofit Leader to earn real tools
Like donor trackers, Board profile worksheets and even Perceptual Style assessments. Details below. Share and help more nonprofit leaders sleep at night.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? (Is it… your Board Chair?)

When the Board Chair forgets they aren’t the CEO . . . governance gets messy.
New blog on rogue Chairs, blurred roles and how training + communication can turn chaos into collaboration.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? (Hint: It might not be your Board or your budget this time.)

Great teams aren't built on skills alone--they're built on communication. New blog on how Perceptual Style helps leaders turn tension into trust and conflict into collaboration. Virtual and in-person workshops available.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? How to Have a Successful Giving Tuesday in 2025 — December 2, 2025

Giving Tuesday 2025 is coming fast.
The secret to a smooth December 2? Start now.
New blog: practical tips, donor-focused messaging, tech checks, excitement-building—and a story about why I once ran a “Giving Belt Day.”

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? (Besides your budget, your to-do list, and the fact that your gala is in six weeks?)

Nonprofit Board keeping you up at night?
You’re not the only one who’s asked if you can “just get rid of them.” (You can’t. Sorry.)
New blog on why Boards struggle, how to steer them back on track, and why governance training = better sleep.
DM me if your Board needs a tune-up.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Spoiler alert: It’s not budget season... it’s awards season!

Who says philanthropy isn’t glamorous?
National Philanthropy Day = our nonprofit version of the Oscars.
This week I’m celebrating our local Coachella Valley heroes—from youth advocates to bar owners with big hearts.
Read the blog, meet the changemakers.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Spoiler: This week, it’s not your Board. It’s me struggling to fall asleep!

This week, I’m ditching the board drama and fundraising gripes to celebrate my first love—teaching.
My UCR Extension course is full of passionate women changing the world. From yoga nonprofits to horse therapy to food security advocates, the future is bright.

#nonprofitlife #teachingadultlearners

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Is it your annual appeal letter? Yeah, I thought so.

Annual appeal season got you sweating? This week, I walk you to rough how to write a letter that actually works.
*Warm, not wooden
*Stories that stick
*Clear call to action
*And yes—don’t skip the P.S

Need help crafting yours? I’m just an email away.
#AnnualAppeal #FundraisingTips #nonprofit

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Is Your Mailing List Helping or Hurting Your Year-End Appeal?

Is your year-end appeal headed for the dead letter bin? Up to 45% of donations come in the last two months of the year. Don’t blow it because half your donor letters come back with “Return to Sender.” Read how NCOA can help you mail smarter, save money and stop crying at the mailbox.

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Why Funders Might Pass You By (Even If Your Mission Is Amazing)

All-volunteer nonprofit? Cool. Also: Tiring.
Here's a reality check for those trying to run a nonprofit on vibes and volunteers alone.
Spoiler alert: funders want to see you invest in your own infrastructure before they invest in you.

#NonprofitHumor #SustainableNonprofit #AllVolunteerProblems

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Is it a Board member telling your staff what time to open the office? Or suggesting you cancel a program because they don't like it? Or--gasp--ask you to fund their "pet project?"

Hey nonprofit friends!
Have you ever laid awake at 2 AM wondering if your Board member asking your Program Director to “fix” something is… overreach?
It’s one of the most common questions I get from Executive Directors.
Need help navigating Board boundaries? I’ve got tools and training!

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Could it be your lack of community?

Nonprofit leader keeping weird hours?
You don’t need to do it all alone. I didn’t—and I tried. (Ask me about the PVC dressing rooms.)
This week’s post is a reminder that community is your secret weapon. Don’t stay stuck in isolation. Let’s talk: I’ve got coffee & ideas.

#HeyNonprofitLeader

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? If You Get Hit by a Bus, Who Knows the Wi-Fi Password?

Is your nonprofit just one PTO day away from total chaos?
This week’s blog is all about documenting your brilliance and finally letting go of the control-freak cape. ✨
Read + laugh + maybe cringe.
#NonprofitLeadership #SOPs #TeamBuilding #ConnieGoldsConsulting

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? Is it your Board Chair… or the fact that you're the Board Chair?

Hey Board Chairs:
You got the gavel, now what?
This week on we’re breaking down the real role of the Board Chair—from running tight meetings to being the ED’s biggest supporter (not their nemesis).
Bonus: the true story behind the blog’s name 👀

#NonprofitLeadership #BoardChair #HeyNonprofitLeader

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? If the car's driverless and the staff keeps jumping out, we may have a problem…

Just rode in a driverless Waymo in SF. No human—just blind trust and white-knuckle prayers.
Sound like your org lately? Staff jumping out, no clear direction, culture in freefall?
This week I dive into why who’s driving your nonprofit really does matter.
#Nonprofit #HighTurnover #OrgCulture

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What's Keeping You Awake at Night? This time, it’s excitement.

I preach “celebrate the wins,” so I’m taking my own advice:
✨ 100 Substack subscribers! ✨
One of my kids even called it “cool” (not saying which one!).

Read it here:
#NonprofitWins #SubstackLife #CelebrateTheWins #HeyNonprofitLeader

Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night? What one family home and one nonprofit policy have in common.

Spent 5 weeks cleaning out Mom’s house.
Found:
• A spoon collection
• Credit card receipts from 1983
• My old report cards
• A nonprofit metaphor
Turns out, a good document retention policy is more valuable than that Ping-Pong table.
#Nonprofit #Governance #BeeGees #StayingAlive #FileItOrTossIt