The Practice of Nonprofit Leadership
The Practice of Nonprofit Leadership
Recharge and Reflect: Navigating the Holiday Season as Nonprofit Leaders
Join Tim and Nathan as they unpack the themes of rest, connection, and planning during the holiday season. The conversation touches on the rejuvenating power of spending quality time with loved ones, celebrating successes and setting positive intentions for the year to come. Through practical tips like establishing guiding words, reflective practices, and planning ahead, this episode serves as a reminder for nonprofit leaders to prioritize personal commitments and embrace the new year with hope and creativity. Let these insights inspire you to recognize the impact you've made and approach the future with renewed enthusiasm.
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The Hosts of The Practice of NonProfit Leadership:
Tim Barnes serves as the Executive Vice President of International Association for Refugees (IAFR)
Nathan Ruby serves as the Executive Director of Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH)
They can be reached at info@practicenpleader.com
All opinions and views expressed by the hosts are their own and do not necessarily represent those of their respective organizations.
Welcome to the Practice of Nonprofit Leadership. I'm Tim Barnes and I'm Nathan Ruby. Well, this episode is dropping Christmas week and just a few days before we jump into the new year, 2025. It's crazy. We thought we would share a few ideas of things that we think are important to do during the Christmas holiday to help you prepare to jump into this next year. Now, before we jump into our topic, Nathan, just a quick question. You know what do the holidays look like for the Ruby household.
Nathan Ruby:You know, tim, it is. I don't know if it's because we're getting chronologically older not mentally older, tim, just chronologically older. Mentality wise, I'm probably younger than I've ever been, but it is going so fast. Uh, my wife and I we have a, a ritual, not a ritual, a routine, uh that where we watch there's like I don't know eight or nine christmas movies that we watch every year. Uh, and you know the traditional right, you know home alone and uh, gosh, I can't even think of now but all the you know christmas chronicles and all the all those Christmas movies.
Nathan Ruby:And we're like looking at our calendar and it's like I don't know when we're going to get these all done. So, um, so a little rushed, I think, uh, but the actual Christmas week is, you know, we've got, um, like a lot of people, we have multiple different Christmases on multiple different days. Uh, so, a lot of family, a lot of friends, a lot of fun. Church is a big part of our lives, so that's something that will be part of that as well. And then the last week of the year, something we really look forward to we take off out of town for a week and go with Missy's parents, and actually my parents also go winter in the same location, so we go down and spend a week with them and kind of bring in the new year on the beach, which is something that we always look forward to. How about you Tim it?
Tim Barnes:sounds really good. You know, christmas on the beach, our new year's on the beach, it sounds really good. Yeah, you know, we have similar routines. This really has been one of my favorite times of the year and I feel like over the last few years things have gotten so kind of crazy and hectic that sometimes you just kind of lose the wonder of the holidays. But for us, you know again, faith is important, as you just kind of lose the wonder of the holidays, uh, but for us, you know again, uh, faith is important, as you said.
Tim Barnes:So Christmas Eve service, uh, is part of what we do and usually we have our, our family, kind of our family time on Christmas Eve. That's always a a neat time, with a fire in the fireplace and maybe a Christmas movie and, uh, some of those kinds of things, and then just really really enjoying a few days off. And, to be honest with you as we talk about this, nathan, I often come into the holidays and I think you would agree with this a little low on fuel, to say the least. There's so much that goes into the last few weeks of the year, whether it's budgeting, fundraising, all those things that are happening, that I try to make sure, not only for myself, but also for our team, that we take a few days off during this time, and I really feel like that's important and it's kind of why we want to talk about this today.
Nathan Ruby:Yeah, I'm feeling you, tim. Coming into year end, our organization, we have our winter board meeting in this time of year Actually, we just had it last night and we only have four board meetings a year. So prep for those can be significant because there's just so much material that we have to go through. And then, of course, some years are better than others on revenue to expenses, and some years there's the stress of I don't think we're going to make it. I think we're going to end up red for the year, which it's not the worst thing in the world, but I'd rather not, uh, I'd rather not have a net loss for the year. Uh, this year, uh, it's going to be, it's going to be close. I think we're going to do it, I think we have enough.
Nathan Ruby:Uh, it's kind of like when you run out of gas in the car and if you could just crest the next hill, you could coast down to the gas station at the bottom of the hill. So I think we're going to make it, I think we're going to get over the top and then we're going to be able to cruise down. But then I think, like you just said, we get into that, especially that last week, the last few days into first of the year, and then you know the second and third. A lot of times I the example of being out of gas is just perfect because I am out of gas and and then the stress starts of. Okay, you know, january 1, what is the? What does the database say? Oh great, the database says zero and we start all over again.
Tim Barnes:We're're not trying to be Debbie Downer.
Nathan Ruby:We were supposed to be having fun on this episode, Tam.
Tim Barnes:Contrary to what's being said, no, seriously, but we do have some things. And it's not to put another burden on you Like, oh man, I got more things to do, but there are things that we feel are important to take to take place during this, this break. First of all, please take a break. You know, take a break. You're doing important work, so take some time, but during that time, here's some things to keep in mind and that's what we want to do. And before we jump into that, there's you've heard the 12 days of fund major gift fundraising. That Nathan's done. We we're excited about that and the response we're getting, and there's an opportunity for you to be to take another step in that. So let's listen to that real quick.
Nathan Ruby:I know you probably didn't wake up this morning excited about getting out there and asking your donors for a major gift. I get it. It's hard work. I have something that's going to help you. Every two weeks, I put out a quick video packed with game-changing content for executive directors trying to learn major gifts. In these videos, you'll get expert tips and proven strategies, practical fundraising hacks, innovative ideas to engage donors, real-world case studies and solutions and, for the first time ever, exclusive access to casual Zoom hangouts with fellow executive directors and me and Tim, who are sticking their toes into the major gift work just like you. Don't miss out on this opportunity to join a community of passionate fundraisers who are committed to excellence in major gift development. Go to nonprofitleaderonline and sign up today to receive your first video newsletter and start transforming your major gift program. I'll see you there.
Tim Barnes:Well, I hope you consider being part of the group and getting the newsletter that Nathan's putting out. So let's jump into some key points. What do we do during our break? And here's four things that we'd like to share. The very first one is and this may surprise you, but the very first one is rest. Rest. Now, that might look different for each of us. It could include maybe taking a few naps during that week or a few days off, and you know what? Give yourself permission. If you want to lay on the couch, turn on football or basketball and take a nap, by all means, go for it. If anybody pushes against you, have them come to us. We'll talk to them.
Nathan Ruby:That's right, we'll set them straight.
Tim Barnes:Yeah, but maybe you just need to say boy, I just want to take a nap. Possibly it's reading a good book, there's a book that you've been waiting to read, and so it's an opportunity during this time to read a book. Or, you know, rest can be doing a fun activity because it brings life to you, it gives you, recreates you. So maybe you're going to go skiing or sledding or hanging out with the grandkids or with your spouse or whatever. Maybe you're woodworking, watching movies, whatever it is. But take some time just to to take a breath and enjoy and enjoy the time and recreate. Uh, recreate that, Nathan. How do you, how do you rest during, during that break?
Nathan Ruby:Oh, man, um, I was going to ask you that, um, cause I know how you, I know how you would do it. Um, you know, for me it is um, I really like um spending time with my wife in uh in the morning, uh, at eight, eight, 30, nine o'clock. I just love sitting and uh being together. Uh, so that's rest for me. Um, I also, um, I do some things with my boys, uh, and that's uh. We do some, uh, some outdoor activities together. I always enjoy that, uh, I am.
Nathan Ruby:I do tend to watch a little bit of sports this time of year. There's a lot going on Uh, so I am probably going to do some of that. Uh, and what else am I going to do? Uh, and what else am I going to do? Uh, naps are definitely on my on my list of things to do. I do not need an hour. I could. I could take a nap in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and feel totally ready to go again, so might do some of that, um, so, yeah, so those are. Those are some of the things, Tim, I know the I could picture you right now, when it comes to rest, one of the biggest things you love to do is to go with your wife Liz, find a coffee shop you've never been to before and hang out there for about an hour and a half.
Tim Barnes:Wow, you have me pegged. That's really good Coffee would definitely be involved with it.
Tim Barnes:Coffee and my wife, liz Liz, are definitely in the picture. So yeah, whatever it is and we're not telling you what to do, we're just saying rest and however that happens for you, make sure you take some time to kind of get your spirit back up and rest. I think a second part of this and these kind of tie together a little bit. But the second thing is use this time to connect. Holidays are a mixed bag for some of us. Some of us are really excited, others of us it brings family issues. You know you don't necessarily want to hang with the family. I know that's hard to believe, it's all over the place for us and so definitely understand that. But I will say we are created for community. We're created to connect with other people and this is a great time. If you have really good family relationships, it's great to connect with your family. Maybe you have some friends. But part of what needs to happen is to fill your relational tank during this time and find some of those people that give you life, not take away life. Who is it that when you're with them, you go? I wish I could spend more time with them, because it fuels you, it gives you life, and so this is a great opportunity during the holidays to say, hey, let's grab a cup of coffee or an adult beverage at a local pub or whatever, but find a space to do that and to spend time with people who are important to you and I think Nathan you mentioned you know you spend time with your and that's such an important time and maybe you guys are so busy, this is an opportunity or with your partner. Whatever, it's a great time to do that. Grab coffee, share a meal and if you're apart from each other like my son lives in the Pacific Northwest we're in the center of the Midwest. We always make sure we do a Zoom and kind of hang out that way and have a good conversation. So connect, use this time to connect with those people that are going to give you life.
Tim Barnes:The third thing that we would mention is and please don't have a breakdown when I say this, but this time between Christmas and New Year's is a great opportunity to do some planning. And let me say, when it comes to planning, I think the first thing that you should do is to celebrate, take some time and celebrate, look back and celebrate the wins. You know what great things happened this year. Yeah, there were hard things. Yeah, there were things that were frustrating, but there were wins. Celebrate the impact. Celebrate the lives that have been changed by the work that you're doing, or the neighborhoods that have been changed, or communities. So don't just jump in and like, oh, I gotta, I gotta get all my plans together. Stop start by celebrating what went right this year, what was really good, what, what was what was uh. We're celebrating.
Nathan Ruby:Yeah, and I think, tim is, as nonprofit leaders and and I'm going to throw you and me, you and I, you and me, uh us into the same, uh, into the same basket here, cause we, we always see at least I'm susceptible to this I see other organizations getting the big gift, getting the big grant, getting the big recognition and they've done all of these amazing things and all these great things and I'm struggling to make payroll or I'm struggling to get through the next month. I'm struggling to get through the next month and I get. I am, if I'm not careful, I am susceptible to just being negative or being down because we're not getting the growth that others are getting. So obviously there's something I'm doing wrong, and then that irritates me and that makes me mad, and then that puts me in a bad, a bad frame of mind.
Nathan Ruby:But that's not true, because my organization, tim, your organization and if you're listening to this podcast, I guarantee you, your organization, you are doing amazing things and you are changing the world and making an impact in the world with very little human resources, very little funding, very little human resources, very little funding, very little of anything, but yet you are still changing lives and saving lives and, just like Tim said, you have got to take a few moments to think back, reflect and celebrate the awesome things that you're doing and write those down. You would just make notes or bullet points because later next year when you're looking for things to talk to your donors about, see, we got to turn this back into fundraising. Tim, those will be the things that you want to talk about with your donors going into next year. So absolutely start off with celebrating the wins and the impact that you're making celebrating, celebrating the wins and the impact that you're making.
Tim Barnes:So, after you celebrate, it would be a good opportunity to set your intentions for the upcoming year, and I think you can set the intentions first of all. Just personally, what is it you're hoping for? Where do you want to head in the new year? And there's so many. I mean, you can buy a gazillion books about how to do this, or listen to all kinds of podcasts or YouTube about how to do this. Whatever, just pick something you know, nathan and I we've shared on here before we often do our three words. Three words are going to help us define this next year. It could be here some key goals or even personal development. How do you want to develop as a person next year? It could be here's some key goals, or even personal development. How do you want to develop as a person next year? Maybe you have some health goals or education goals. Maybe you want to learn a language or write a book, or I don't know whatever it is, but write those down, set those out as to what you want to see happen.
Tim Barnes:One of the things I've been thinking about this already, one of the things I want to try to do and I've been challenged by a few people is I want to do a better job of doing a Friday review in the new year, where I oftentimes just kind of blow past Friday and get into the weekend and do things and the importance of taking some time on Friday to look back and review, hey, what went well, what needs attention, what will happen next week that I need to follow up on.
Tim Barnes:So taking some time. So that's one of my intentions personally and organizationally. I want to try to do that for 2025. So I'm working on on setting some of that, but that's upsetting my intentions there and also I think it's a great time to set your intentions for your organization. I find that that I am able to think better and to see things more clearly when I'm away from the day-to-day. Sometimes on your day-to-day it's really hard to. You're so busy with all the details and I find that oftentimes when I'm taking a break, ideas come to me, thoughts come to me, and so write some of those down. Begin to capture some of those things that come to your mind and take some time to write those down.
Nathan Ruby:It is amazing at least for me, and I don't know if it's for other people but once I actually literally shift my mind out of gear and I shift into neutral and I let it sit, that is when I get the best ideas, the best solutions to the problems that I'm, that I'm dealing with. Sometimes I'm, I'm, I'm getting you know problems are popping up that I hadn't even thought of before, and so sometimes, actually, it's counterintuitive when I'm not trying to push, I'm not trying to focus, when I'm trying to not focus, that it's almost like it just opens up and then, uh and so I think that is an important part of this time is just sitting down wherever you want to sit down at, relax and just let your mind coast for a little bit, and you might. You might find, uh, some of these things come a little bit easier than if you're trying to force it.
Tim Barnes:I think the other part of the planning, too, is to schedule. Spend some time scheduling your year and even just pulling out a calendar and looking at the big picture. Recently, I was in a group of two or three of us. We're meeting with Rob Hatch, who we've had on this podcast and is a friend and encouragement to us, and Rob was just sharing about some of the ways that he approaches the year, where he actually sits down and he looks at the seasons. He still has kids at home and so there's impact around different parts of the school year, there's the spring break and there's the final concerts of the year and some of those kinds of things, things that will impact the, the, the energy of, of the family. And so being able to sit down and look ahead and try to schedule some of those seasons into your, into your calendar, to be aware of how that's going to impact you, Um, putting key events down there, down there, whether it's organizational or personal, make sure listen to me make sure that in your schedule, you write down time off.
Tim Barnes:You need to get that in your calendar. Don't wait and say, well, I'll do it when I can Schedule out for 2025 some key times for you to be off, whether it's family, wise or personal or whatever but just take some time off. So just and again. You don't have to do every detail, but it's so important to look at your, your year, and begin to to schedule out some of those things that are really important so they don't don't get pushed aside I am so bad at that I, I am, uh, I don't do that um.
Nathan Ruby:And then the other thing I'm really bad at when it comes to taking time off is I typically work through that time, um, I just uh, that's something I have to do better on, uh, for next year.
Tim Barnes:And, to be honest, that's why I put it in this podcast episode, just for you.
Nathan Ruby:Well, thank you Tim.
Tim Barnes:The last thing we want to share and this is probably more for us than you, but I think it's a good one During this time, really work to find joy. There are lots of challenges. There are things that are wrong with our world. Some of us feel that deeper than others at times and just really would encourage you to use this time to find and reflect on joy in the work that you're doing. Find joy in your relationships, the growth that's taking place in your own life, the simple things that you have in your hands that sometimes we take for granted, and just encourage you. Go into this next season of your life, in this new year, with expectation, with joy, with hope. So take some time to really enjoy the time, not to be so burdened about all the things you carry and they'll still be there in January. So use this time to find joy and hope as you prepare for this next year.
Nathan Ruby:You know, I recently, as I talk to people and there are a wide wide range of opinions and ideas on how the world should be and what is right and what is wrong. And everybody, including you, including me, including Tim we all have our right to have our opinion, whatever it is. But I have just everybody that I talk to is anxious and upset. And if you want to be upset at the world, if you want to be mad at the world, if you want to be fearful for the future of the world, there is plenty of opportunity for you to do that.
Nathan Ruby:That is, you could go anywhere, open a newspaper, open a magazine, listen to just podcasts it's everywhere but that is not going to get you to where you want to be. It is not going to get you. It's not going to get your organization to the next level, it's not going to get you to your next level of leadership skills. And I think you have to make a decision that, yeah, there's some things in the world that aren't going exactly right, but there's a whole lot that is and focus on that, and that's easier said than done, um, but I think that is a intentional thing that we have to do and there is joy out there. You just have to go find it, um, and when you find it, you celebrate it.
Tim Barnes:Absolutely so. Please take a break, rest, connect with people that give you life Plan, get prepared for what's up ahead and really find joy. Look for joy, look for the good parts that's going on right now. As we close this episode, we want to say that we are grateful for you, the listeners of this podcast, for the work you do to make this world and your country, your city, your neighborhood, a better and more fruitful place. Thank you for showing up. You are doing and remember this you are doing important work. Don't give up, keep going, make a difference and we will continue to show up to bring encouragement, insights. Encouragement insights, practical tips and just a little bit of fun. We wish you all the best for the holidays.
Nathan Ruby:Thank you for listening today. If you are benefiting from what is being shared on this podcast, could we ask you a big favor, and that is to share a review of us on the platform you're listening to us on. Let us know how the podcast is benefiting you. If you would like to get in touch with us, our contact information can be found in the show notes. That's all for today. You next time.