The Monthly Leap - April 2026
Hi there!
It’s hard to believe we’ve already turned the page into the second quarter of the year. April in Wisconsin always keeps us guessing...one day it feels like spring is here to stay, and the next we’re back to winter coats and watching the forecast a little too closely.
Last week felt like a perfect example of that whiplash: we spent Wednesday celebrating LEAP’s 2nd birthday, and by Thursday we were in the middle of an ice storm with power outages across central Wisconsin. It’s a good reminder of just how quickly things can shift.
We’re grateful to be reconnecting this week!
Now to get to the good stuff…keep reading to find out:
What's on Rikki’s mind: Stop making decisions for other people
Tip of the month: Use the time you have more intentionally
What's coming up
I hope this post is a little spot of joy in your month!
Rikki
What's on Rikki’s mind?
A couple weeks ago, I ran into a friend while out for coffee who was sharing that she was struggling with fundraising for an organization she’s involved with. I told her that she was always welcome to throw time on my calendar to pick my brain. Her response?
I know how busy you are and I don’t want to bother you!
I kindly but firmly reminded her she doesn’t get to make the decision for me how I spend my time.
We do a lot of that in the nonprofit sector, don’t we? We make the decision for our volunteers that they have too much going on to help with an important task. We avoid reaching out to schedule a meeting because we’re afraid the person is too busy to meet with us. We don’t send the appeal because we don’t want to overcommunicate.
But when we act like that, we take away the other person’s decision-making power! The way I see it, no matter your role in the nonprofit sector – whether you’re an executive director, a staff person, a volunteer, or a board member – one of your primary jobs is to provide opportunities to others. And when you don’t even give people the chance to say no? You aren’t doing your job.
We’re going to be talking a lot in the next couple of months about having meaningful conversations with people… How do you get people to talk with you? Who should you meet with? What do you say when you’re in front of someone? How do you move a conversation from learning to action?
But before you can tackle any of that, you have to change your mindset. We’re all busy! But we’re also all capable of making our own decisions about what we want to prioritize.
Don’t be afraid to make the request and let whoever you’re trying to connect with make their own decision. You aren’t always going to be successful, but I can guarantee that you’ll get more meetings, find more volunteers, and raise more money if you’re at least providing opportunities for people to decide for themselves, rather than simply assuming they’ll say no.
Tip of the month
One way to stop making decisions for others is simply to meet them where they already are.
We often assume people are too busy to connect, so we hesitate to reach out or feel like we need to carve out a perfectly scheduled time to meet. But you’re already crossing paths with people all the time…
Instead of trying to carve out time for something new, look at what’s already on your calendar this month.
Are you attending a community event, a networking gathering, or a school activity? Is there someone you see regularly but haven’t had a real conversation with in a while? Are there moments before or after meetings where you could linger just a little longer?
Those small windows are often the easiest way to connect. A quick conversation before something starts. Catching up while you walk to your car. Sitting down for a few extra minutes instead of rushing off to the next thing.
You don’t have to ask people to rearrange their schedules in order to have a good conversation. You simply need to be more intentional with the time you’re already sharing. When you do that, it becomes a whole lot easier to build relationships and create opportunities (without overthinking it).
What's coming up?
Thursday, April 16: The UWGB Nonprofit Conference in Green Bay is favorite conference of the year. Registration is already closed… but if you’re planning to attend, please stop by and say hi!
Tuesday, April 21 at 10:00am: Our session on Mastering Meaningful Conversations for Stronger Relationships for that conference filled up almost immediately. If you couldn’t attend in person or you were too late to register for our specific session, we’re offering an encore presentation online. Register today to join us for that free webinar!
Thursday, April 30 at 9:00am: If your biggest challenge is simply getting more donor meetings on the calendar, you might not need another training… Join us for this month’s casual office hours session where you can bring your questions, frustrations, and real-life examples and we’ll talk through them together. As a reminder, these sessions aren’t recorded so plan to attend in person if you want to participate!
We also have several private trainings, retreats, and workshops scheduled in the coming months. If your team could benefit from dedicated time to build skills, strengthen relationships, or plan ahead, we’d love to connect. With many organizations beginning to think about next fiscal year (especially those with June 30 year-ends), now is a great time to start planning how to invest your training dollars. Reach out if you’d like to explore options!