In this episode of Lead with Heart, I have Dawn Reese, the Chief Executive Officer of The Wooden Floor, as my guest. She is a social innovator who leverages her unique blend of experience in business, technology, education, and the arts to propel young people forward.
Tune in to discover ways to become a better nonprofit leader, as Dawn shares with us all about the power of leading with empathy through servant leadership, how to be proactive when it comes to fundraising, planning the way to achieve your vision for the organization, building an authentic and engaging culture of philanthropy, and so much more.
In this episode:
- [04:31] Dawn’s transition from the for-profit sector to the nonprofit sector
- [08:34] The Wooden Floor’s successful long-term strategic planning
- [16:19] The Forward Thinking Fundraising Model
- [21:15] The culture of philanthropy at The Wooden Floor and how to build your own
- [26:40] What Servant Leadership looks like in practice
- [39:52] How Dawn stays true to her brand mission
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“I look at strategic planning is the plans as chapters in a book that write that vision. So the vision, the book, chapters aren’t written ahead of the vision, they’re actually answering questions at each juncture of the vision.”
“As nonprofit leaders [we] have to cultivate that in a really authentic way, that’s really heartfelt, and not about transactions. It’s about developing a heart for our mission and making sure that it’s authentic. That’s what I do, I don’t lead with fundraising, I lead with heart […] and that’s my first step in everything I do.”
“I always tell all our directors especially or entity managers, in general, is you shouldn’t wait annually to give feedback. […] if you just give them a little bit of feedback all the time, you’re gonna see improvements along the way, hopefully.”
RESOURCES
If you want to learn more about outcomes listen to Lead with Heart’s Episode 9: How Data Can Help Your Nonprofit Organization Thrive with Traci Shirachi.
Dawn is a big believer in Stephen Covey’s Speed of Trust, one of her top reads. To find out more about the book visit speedoftrust.com
CONNECT WITH DAWN
Dawn S. Reese, Chief Executive Officer of The Wooden Floor, is an author, mentor, consultant, and national conference presenter on the topics of strategic planning, board governance and board diversity, branding, and fundraising. Dawn believes in building a culture of philanthropy and she is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). She founded the OC Nonprofit CEO Forum, and Co-Chairs the Youth Mental Health Committee for the Santa Ana Task Force.
LinkedIn: Dawn S. Reese
Website: thewoodenfloor.org
CONNECT WITH HALEY
Haley is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Certified Stress Management Coach, and Certified EmC train the trainer. She is the Founder of The Savvy Fundraiser, a nonprofit consulting and coaching business. She has worked in both small and large nonprofit teams in the human services, homelessness, and youth sectors; and she specializes in the EmC process, nonprofit leadership, board development, and fundraising. Haley is a passionate, impact-driven, experienced nonprofit professional whose mission is to empower, elevate and engage nonprofit leaders to build healthy, thriving organizations.
Instagram: @thesavvyfundraiser
LinkedIn: Haley Cooper, CFRE
Website: thesavvyfundraiser.com
Leave a Comment