The Monthly Leap - April 2025
Hi there!
Earlier this week, LEAP Nonprofit Consulting celebrated our first birthday. I have no idea how that’s possible. Since I already shared some reflections on the first chapter of our business on Tuesday, today I want to keep things “business as usual” for our monthly newsletters.
Keep reading to find out:
What's on my mind
What's coming up
A tip of the month
A quick request
I hope this email is a little spot of joy in your week!
Rikki
Founder & CEO
LEAP Nonprofit Consulting
What's on my mind?
I’ve been thinking a lot about why I founded this business (our vision) and what we want to do for the nonprofit community (our mission). But I’ve also been reflecting on how we do our work (our values).
When I do vision, mission, and values work with organizations, I spend a lot of time on that last piece. In my model, values aren’t just words on a page. They are actions that help you make decisions and guide how you do business.
I put a lot of work into defining the core values of LEAP when I launched the company. And I’m proud to say that I think we’ve done a good job of living them over the last year. For example:
I bring my complete self to my work – even if that self is sometimes messy. My personal, school, and professional worlds overlap and I have embraced that without trying to compartmentalize. It would be practically impossible because authenticity is my most important value!
After every workshop that I present, I get a least one email from someone saying they “love my energy” or “can tell how much I love my work.” The enthusiasm I bring to every interaction is intentional. I want everyone to find joy in fundraising and nonprofit work!
Some of my favorite work that I’ve done this year is co-creating the future with my clients. We don’t just create a plan. We collaborate to define a vision for the future, whether that’s for the organization as a whole or for a specific project.
I have continued to embrace the idea that everyone brings value to the table. While I’m an expert at my work, I’m not the only person with a lot of experience that should inform the work we’re doing.
While the first four values are baked into my core as a human, balance is something I’m constantly working on. Have I always gotten it right over the last year? Of course not. But I think I’ve done a good job of modeling that we all need time to work, play, and dream, and I’m extremely proud of myself for that.
As LEAP moves into its second year, these values remain at the core of everything we do. They guide our decisions, shape our relationships, and define the impact we want to have. Here’s to another year of showing up authentically, bringing enthusiasm to every challenge, collaborating to build something meaningful, honoring the expertise around us, and making space for balance along the way.
If your organization isn’t tying its values to its everyday work, I urge you to ask, “Why not?” I speak from experience when I say that the long days and hard work are so much more rewarding when they are aligned with what matters most to you.
What's coming up?
I’m honored to be keynoting the Women in Business luncheon hosted by Portage County Business Council on May 1. I’ll be sharing about the research I’m doing for my dissertation around Authentic Leadership.
Continuing the Mastering Donor Meetings online course and hosting a few client-only trainings on securing donor meetings, asking good questions to move relationships forward, and making the ask. (Want fundraising training for your team? Let’s talk! I love this work.)
Hosting our team for the 90FM trivia contest through University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. If you aren’t familiar with the contest, check out the trailer for Triviatown, the documentary they made about it almost 20 years ago. It’s not your average trivia contest. (Fun fact: My husband is “the voice” of the current contest, so if you play along, you will hear him during the opening and reading all of the ad breaks!)
Celebrating my 40th birthday by visiting my parents in Green Bay while my hometown hosts the NFL Draft!
Tip of the Month
April is National Volunteer Month, so it’s the perfect time to recognize and thank all the people who give their time to make your mission stronger.
Many of the organizations I work with, including those with paid staff, rely heavily on volunteers to help carry out their missions. When we think about volunteers, we often picture the people who show up every week to stuff envelopes, serve meals, or run programs. Those people are incredibly important, but volunteers are so much more than that. They’re also the board members guiding an organization’s future, the committee members lending their expertise, and the campaign volunteers making fundraising possible.
If you saw my LinkedIn post on National Employee Appreciation Day, where I introduced my assistant Chelsey, you know that I kind of roll my eyes at made-up national appreciation “holidays.” We should really be appreciating people year-round. But months like this are still a good excuse to say thank you, especially if you mean every word of what you say. So don’t let April go by without thanking your volunteers. They’re often the heart of your organization.
A Quick Request
We’re making some updates to the website in the next month and I want to include a few testimonials. If we’ve worked together on a fundraising project in the past and you enjoyed the experience, please reply to this email and share some kind words. They obviously make my day, but they also help others understand what working with me is like!