Fulcrum YouTube
Fulcrum LinkedIn
Fulcrum FacebooK
🌟 FULCRUM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS SIMONSEN 🌟
This week, we're pleased to spotlight Chris Simonsen, CEO of Orangewood Foundation, and a valued member of Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership.
With 19 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Chris brings a refreshingly straightforward philosophy to his role as CEO:
"I have two responsibilities as the CEO: Serve the staff and serve the young people."
That commitment to servant leadership is at the heart of Chris's work at Orangewood Foundation, where he and his team are dedicated to helping young people overcome challenges and build brighter, more independent futures.
Chris has set an ambitious professional goal: expand Orangewood Foundation's housing capacity from 70 beds to 250 by 2030. It's a bold vision that reflects his commitment to meeting the growing needs of vulnerable young people in our community.
Beyond his professional responsibilities, Chris describes himself as an 80s metalhead who enjoys sports, international travel, hiking in National Parks, and visiting wildlife sanctuaries. It's always fun to discover the interests and passions that make our nonprofit leaders who they are!
When asked about his favorite Fulcrum offering, Chris pointed to our Orange County get-togethers, where nonprofit executives have the opportunity to connect, learn from one another, and build meaningful relationships.
Chris, thank you for your leadership, your dedication to serving young people, and your involvement in the Fulcrum community. We're grateful to have you as a member!
At Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership, we believe great leaders deserve to be recognized and celebrated. Our Member Spotlight series introduces the remarkable nonprofit executives who make up our community, sharing their experiences, leadership philosophies, and aspirations.
Learn more about Fulcrum at www.fulcrumleader.com.
#FulcrumNonprofitLeadership #MemberSpotlight #NonprofitLeadership #ServantLeadership #OrangewoodFoundation
Words matter in nonprofit leadership because the language leaders use shapes how people understand, connect with, and act upon an organization’s mission, vision, values, and goals.
Leadership is communicated through words every day.
The way a nonprofit leader describes the mission can inspire people to believe in something bigger. The way they talk about challenges can create confidence or anxiety. The way they communicate expectations can build clarity or confusion.
Words also shape culture.
What leaders emphasize, celebrate, repeat, and reinforce tells people what matters.
That is why great nonprofit leaders are intentional with their language. They don't simply communicate information. They use words to create meaning, build connection, reinforce values, and move people toward a shared future.
The right words can turn a mission statement into a movement.
This is Lesson #26 in Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership's 365 Nonprofit Leadership Lessons series.
If this resonates with you, like, follow, and share it with a nonprofit leader who understands that leadership begins with how we communicate.
365 Fundraising Truisms | #195 of 365
“Fundraisers are servant leaders.”
The best fundraisers understand that their work is not about themselves. It's about the mission they advance, the donors they serve, and the lives they help change.
Servant leadership in fundraising means listening before asking, putting relationships ahead of transactions, and recognizing that generosity begins with the donor, not the fundraiser.
Great fundraisers don't seek the spotlight. They help others discover the joy and fulfillment of making a difference. They lead with humility, build trust through authenticity, and measure success not simply by dollars raised, but by the impact those dollars make possible.
Fundraising, at its best, is an act of service.
This post is part of my 365 Fundraising Truisms series, sharing one practical insight each day to help nonprofit leaders and fundraising professionals strengthen relationships, inspire generosity, and advance their missions.
If you find these insights valuable, I invite you to follow along and share them with others committed to advancing philanthropy.
Elite athletes and exceptional nonprofit leaders have more in common than we might think. Both thrive when surrounded by strong support systems, the right tools, trusted peers, skilled coaches, and experienced mentors. When the right conditions are created, extraordinary performance follows.
We understand this intuitively in athletics.
We would never expect an elite athlete to perform at the highest level without coaching, training, equipment, teammates, medical support, and a strong network around them.
Yet we often expect nonprofit leaders to do exactly that.
We give them enormous responsibility and expect extraordinary results, sometimes without providing the support systems necessary to achieve them.
Great leaders need great support.
They need people who challenge their thinking, tools that increase their effectiveness, peers who understand the journey, coaches who sharpen their leadership, and mentors who can offer perspective earned through experience.
Talent matters. But talent without the right conditions can only go so far.
If we want exceptional leadership and greater mission impact, we need to create the conditions in which nonprofit leaders can perform at their best.
This is Lesson #25 in Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership's 365 Nonprofit Leadership Lessons series.
Invest in the leader. Strengthen the conditions. Elevate the impact.
365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights – 45 of 365
“CEO evaluation should be an ongoing conversation, not an annual surprise.”
One of the most important responsibilities of a nonprofit board is overseeing the CEO.
But effective CEO oversight is not something that should happen once a year.
Too often, the annual CEO evaluation becomes a moment when everything gets placed on the table at once.
What went well.
What didn't.
What needs to change.
What the board expects.
For a CEO, that can create an uncomfortable question:
“Why am I hearing this now?”
The annual evaluation should never be the first time a CEO learns about a concern.
It should be the culmination of conversations that have been happening throughout the year.
A strong board and CEO should regularly discuss:
Are we aligned on priorities?
How is the organization performing against its goals?
What is working?
Where are we falling short?
What support does the CEO need from the board?
Have circumstances changed?
Do our expectations need to change with them?
These conversations create something incredibly valuable:
clarity.
The CEO knows what the board expects.
The board knows what the CEO is focused on.
Concerns can be addressed while they are still manageable.
Successes can be recognized while they are happening.
And the relationship becomes one of continuous leadership rather than periodic judgment.
That doesn't mean boards shouldn't conduct a formal annual evaluation.
They should.
But the annual evaluation should be a summary of an ongoing dialogue, not a surprise performance review.
The same principle applies to accountability.
If the board expects the CEO to address a problem, it should have the courage to raise that problem when it appears.
If the board wants different results, it should communicate those expectations clearly.
And if the CEO is doing exceptional work, the board should say that too.
Good CEO evaluation is not about catching the CEO doing something wrong.
It is about helping the CEO lead better.
The strongest board-CEO relationships are built on candor, trust, clarity, and regular communication.
Because the best evaluation conversation isn't the one you have at the end of the year.
It's the conversation you've been having all year.
I'm excited to continue sharing 365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights, my newest project designed to help nonprofit board members become stronger leaders and more effective stewards of the organizations they serve.
If you find these insights valuable, please like this post, follow me, and follow Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership so you don't miss future installments. And if you know someone who serves on a nonprofit board, I'd be grateful if you shared this series with them.
Together, we can help build stronger boards, stronger organizations, and greater community impact.
365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights – 44 of 365
“The board's job is not to eliminate uncertainty. It is to help the organization navigate it wisely.”
Uncertainty is simply part of nonprofit leadership. Economic conditions change. Funding changes. Community needs change. Technology changes. Policies change. And sometimes, a board has to make an important decision without knowing exactly how things will turn out.
A board cannot eliminate that uncertainty, and it shouldn't try. Its responsibility is to help the organization navigate it wisely. That means asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions, considering different scenarios, and understanding the potential consequences of a decision.
This is an important distinction. Good governance isn't about waiting until every question has an answer. Sometimes more information is necessary, but eventually leadership requires judgment. The goal isn't perfect certainty. The goal is informed judgment.
Strong boards help CEOs and leadership teams think through possibilities without pretending they can predict the future. They create space to consider what could happen, what the organization can control, and how it will respond if circumstances change.
The best boards don't say, “Come back when you know what will happen.” They say, “Let's understand what we can, consider what we can't know, and decide how we're going to move forward.”
That is governance. Not eliminating uncertainty, but helping the organization navigate it wisely.
I'm excited to continue sharing 365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights, my newest project designed to help nonprofit board members become stronger leaders and more effective stewards of the organizations they serve.
If you find these insights valuable, please like this post, follow me, and follow Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership so you don't miss future installments. And if you know someone who serves on a nonprofit board, I'd be grateful if you shared this series with them.
Together, we can help build stronger boards, stronger organizations, and greater community impact.
The expectations placed on nonprofit leaders are too significant, and the consequences of leadership failure too consequential, not to invest deeply in their professional development.
Nonprofit leaders carry enormous responsibility. They are expected to navigate complex challenges, lead people, manage resources, build relationships, respond to constant change, and ultimately deliver meaningful impact for the communities they serve.
Yet we too often expect leaders to develop through experience alone.
We would never expect a surgeon, pilot, or other high-stakes professional to stop learning once they reach a position of responsibility. Nonprofit leadership should be no different.
Professional development is not a perk. It is an investment in leadership capacity, organizational strength, and mission success.
The stakes are too high not to develop the people entrusted with leading our nonprofits.
This is Lesson #24 in Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership's 365 Nonprofit Leadership Lessons series.
If this resonates with you, like, follow, and share it with a nonprofit leader who believes that great leadership requires a commitment to continuous growth.
The true measure of nonprofit leadership isn't how much you accomplish. It's how much impact you create.
Every nonprofit leader wants to make a difference. But creating greater impact requires more than passion, experience, and hard work.
It requires the right relationships, fresh perspectives, strategic thinking, continuous learning, and the ability to turn ideas into meaningful action.
That's why we created Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership.
Fulcrum is a growing community of senior nonprofit executives committed to becoming stronger, more effective, and more Future Ready leaders.
For just $50 per month, members gain access to:
• A trusted community of experienced nonprofit leaders who challenge, encourage, and support one another.
• Complimentary Fulcrum Leadership Institute courses that strengthen leadership skills and expand professional capabilities.
• Meaningful peer exchanges focused on real challenges in strategy, finance, fundraising, relationships, and organizational leadership.
• Thought leadership, practical tools, and resources that translate ideas into action.
• Connections and conversations that spark new thinking, sharpen judgment, and create opportunities for greater organizational impact.
The value of Fulcrum isn't simply what you receive as a member. It's who you become as a leader and what your organization can accomplish because of it.
Here's my invitation:
Give Fulcrum one year. Invest $50 per month in yourself and experience what happens when you surround yourself with exceptional leaders, fresh ideas, and opportunities to grow.
The return on that investment could extend far beyond you, strengthening your team, your organization, and the communities you serve.
Stronger leadership. Greater capacity. Higher impact.
Join Fulcrum today and invest in the leader your mission needs you to become.
fulcrumleader.com/register
Questions? Email us at hello@fulcrumleader.com
#NonprofitLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #NonprofitCEO #LeadershipGrowth #FutureReady #SocialImpact #NonprofitProfessionals
365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights – 43 of 365
“Risk management is not about eliminating risk. It is about knowing which risks are worth taking.”
Nonprofit boards have an important responsibility to protect the organizations they serve.
But protecting the organization doesn't mean avoiding every risk.
In fact, trying to eliminate all risk can create its own risk.
An organization that never takes a chance may also miss an opportunity.
A new program might create greater impact.
A strategic investment might strengthen long-term sustainability.
A new partnership might expand the organization's reach.
A bold leadership decision might position the organization for the future.
None of those decisions comes without uncertainty.
The board's job isn't to pretend that uncertainty doesn't exist.
It's to help the organization navigate uncertainty wisely.
That requires asking better questions.
What are we trying to accomplish?
What could go wrong?
What could we gain?
How significant is the downside?
Can we absorb the potential loss?
What safeguards can we put in place?
What would we need to learn before moving forward?
And perhaps the most important question:
Is this risk worth taking in pursuit of the mission?
There is a difference between reckless risk and thoughtful risk.
Good boards understand that difference.
They don't celebrate risk for the sake of being bold.
They don't reject risk simply because it creates discomfort.
They evaluate risk through the lens of mission, strategy, sustainability, and impact.
Sometimes the safest decision is to take the risk.
Sometimes the wisest decision is to walk away.
The board's responsibility is to know the difference.
Strong governance isn't about building an organization that never takes risks.
It's about building an organization that takes the right risks for the right reasons.
I'm excited to continue sharing 365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights, my newest project designed to help nonprofit board members become stronger leaders and more effective stewards of the organizations they serve.
If you find these insights valuable, please like this post, follow me, and follow Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership so you don't miss future installments. And if you know someone who serves on a nonprofit board, I'd be grateful if you shared this series with them.
Together, we can help build stronger boards, stronger organizations, and greater community impact.
The poverty mindset is powerfully present in the nonprofit sector and is very often a destructive force.
There is a difference between financial discipline and a poverty mindset.
Nonprofit leaders have a responsibility to be thoughtful stewards of every dollar.
But stewardship should not become scarcity thinking.
A poverty mindset can convince an organization that it should always operate with less.
Less investment.
Less capacity.
Less technology.
Less staff.
Less professional development.
Less infrastructure.
Less ambition.
Over time, that mindset can become deeply embedded in an organization's culture.
Leaders begin to believe that asking for more is somehow wrong.
Boards become uncomfortable with healthy reserves.
Donors question investments in organizational capacity.
And success can become defined by how little an organization spends rather than by how much impact it creates.
That is dangerous.
The mission of a nonprofit is not to operate as cheaply as possible.
The mission is to create meaningful impact.
Financial discipline matters because resources are limited. But limited resources should inspire creativity, not institutionalized scarcity.
Strong nonprofit leaders learn to think differently.
They ask:
What would we do if we had the resources to truly pursue our vision?
What investments would increase our capacity?
What would it take to serve more people?
What could we accomplish with stronger systems, stronger people, and stronger infrastructure?
Those are not irresponsible questions.
They are leadership questions.
We should not confuse frugality with excellence or scarcity with virtue.
A nonprofit can be financially responsible while also being ambitious, well-resourced, and appropriately invested in its future.
This is Lesson #23 in Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership's 365 Nonprofit Leadership Lessons series, sharing one leadership insight each day to help nonprofit leaders strengthen their organizations, elevate their leadership, and maximize their missions.
If this lesson resonates with you, please like, follow, and share it with a nonprofit leader, board member, donor, or funder who believes nonprofits should be disciplined with resources without being defined by scarcity.
365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights – 42 of 365
“A board should understand the numbers well enough to understand the story behind them.”
Financial literacy is important.
But knowing the numbers is only the beginning.
A strong nonprofit board needs to understand what the numbers are telling them.
A financial report might show that revenue is up.
But why?
Is the organization growing?
Did it receive an unusually large grant?
Did a major donor make an unexpected gift?
Is the increase sustainable?
Expenses might be below budget.
That could be good news.
Or it could mean important investments were delayed.
A program might be performing ahead of expectations.
Or perhaps the organization is spending more than anticipated to achieve those results.
The numbers don't tell the whole story.
They provide clues.
The board's job is to understand those clues and ask the questions that reveal what is really happening.
What trends are we seeing?
What has changed?
What is driving the change?
Which results are temporary?
Which are sustainable?
What should concern us?
What opportunities do the numbers reveal?
This is why financial oversight should never become a simple exercise in reviewing reports and approving budgets.
Good governance requires interpretation.
The board should be able to connect financial information to the organization's mission and strategy.
Because behind every number is a decision.
Behind every trend is a story.
And behind every financial result is something the board should understand.
You don't have to be a CPA to be a financially responsible board member.
But you should be curious enough to look beyond the spreadsheet.
Don't just ask what the numbers are. Ask what they mean.
I'm excited to continue sharing 365 Nonprofit Board Leadership Insights, my newest project designed to help nonprofit board members become stronger leaders and more effective stewards of the organizations they serve.
If you find these insights valuable, please like this post, follow me, and follow Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership so you don't miss future installments. And if you know someone who serves on a nonprofit board, I'd be grateful if you shared this series with them.
Together, we can help build stronger boards, stronger organizations, and greater community impact.
Too often, professional development is one of the last priorities in a nonprofit budget and one of the first investments sacrificed when resources become scarce.
We talk a lot about the importance of investing in people.
But when budgets get tight, professional development is often one of the first things to disappear.
The conference gets cut.
The leadership program gets postponed.
The training budget gets reduced.
The coaching relationship gets reconsidered.
And the organization moves on.
The irony is that these are precisely the moments when investing in people may matter most.
Nonprofit organizations operate in complex environments. Leaders and teams are asked to adapt, innovate, solve difficult problems, navigate uncertainty, and continually find better ways to advance the mission.
That requires growth.
Professional development isn't a luxury. It is an investment in organizational capacity.
When people develop new skills, deepen their expertise, strengthen their leadership, and learn from others, the organization becomes more capable.
And that capacity compounds.
A stronger employee can contribute more.
A stronger leader can develop a stronger team.
A stronger team can create greater organizational impact.
If we believe that people are our greatest asset, our budgets should reflect that belief.
Being financially responsible does not mean eliminating every investment that does not produce an immediate return.
Some investments produce their greatest returns over time.
Developing people is one of them.
This is Lesson #22 in Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership's 365 Nonprofit Leadership Lessons series, sharing one leadership insight each day to help nonprofit leaders strengthen their organizations, elevate their leadership, and maximize their missions.
If this lesson resonates with you, please like, follow, and share it with a nonprofit leader who believes that investing in people is investing in mission.
