I’m Sasha Kalcheff-Korn, Executive Director of Realm of Caring Foundation, a global nonprofit primarily serving families who are dealing with life-limiting and chronic health conditions. We provide services to 74,000+ clients. I have been working in nonprofits for 15 years in Uganda, New York City, and Colorado. I earned my master’s degree in International Human Rights from the University of Denver and currently live in Colorado with my husband, son, and daughter.
I never imagined the true complexities of running and growing a nonprofit organization. Despite the master-level courses and working in nonprofits for twelve years before becoming an Executive Director, the real learning began when I stepped into this role. While I am still growing every day, here are some of the tidbits I feel comfortable sharing as they have recently provided me with the most value.
Lessons Learned
Grow your circle.
I am fortunate to have a supportive board who have instilled a lot of trust and mentorship in me. Regardless of whether or not you have that – seek new, meaningful relationships and talk to everyone. I’m not talking about entertaining every sales pitch or software demo that hits your inbox or sends you a LinkedIn message, I mean seek those conversations that will benefit your capacity to grow.If you are apprehensive about that, think about the intended goal of a nonprofit – to bring together a community for the greater good of fulfilling a need where a solution doesn’t exist. Lean into that “community” aspect and build one around you. Meet with other nonprofit leaders or organizations that run parallel to the services you provide. Meet with associated businesses and seek mentors. Find inspiration outside of the space from which you spend so much of your time. Not all conversations will be beneficial, but you’ll learn something every time.
Mistakes will be made (and they will most likely cost you).
This may seem obvious, but as you seek growth, mistakes are inevitable. I have tried various projects that I thought would be a golden ticket and turned out to fall completely flat. It’s like when SNL writers talk about sketches they think will be a hit but then the audience doesn’t laugh. Don’t let it blow your ego, just brush it off, admit where you went wrong and talk through what you could do better next time – then do that. If there is an opportunity to do a small test before spending too much time, money and resources, also do that. The saying goes “you can afford to take your time, you can’t afford to waste it”. When mistakes cost money or resources, it’s not just the organization that feels the loss – it can impact the very communities you’re striving to serve. Research the plan before you execute, create a pitch around it and (back to the first point) ask someone who has done something similar before and learn from them. As nonprofits we are all in the business of giving, so it is likely that if you ask for help it will be given.
Hot Tip
Love the rollercoaster.
In the workplace we hear these common terms and phrases like “pivot” thrown around a lot. It can be nauseating, but they stick around for good reason. Every nonprofit has a lifecycle, and some may face a path where hard decisions about continuing or pivoting are necessary. Challenges persist and take on new forms. Your best defense when it comes to these challenges is to call on your team and broaden your perspective, taking in inspiration from internal and external sources. If you have been at a nonprofit for more than two years then you have likely already witnessed a pivotal stage of the lifecycle where it may have been a low point that rose or a high point that fell.
It’s possible to survive no matter how big or small your team is. Don’t stay stuck in the lows and keep an eye on the horizon past the highs – whatever point you are at, keep moving forward.
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