I was surprised recently when I learned that two of my cool, confident colleagues are introverts. “Really?,” I exclaimed, admitting they had me fooled. “That makes half of our staff,” I thought to myself, bewildered. One of them quickly followed up, “But I can fake it really well.” Her delivery was flat and reactionary – like when a doctor taps your knee with that triangular rubber hammer thingy to check your reflexes. Your knee moves forward, in a sudden swift jolt as if prove that it works – it’s normal.

I understood intimately what she meant by that because we’re the same – introverts living and working in an extroverted world. I’ve been “faking” extroversion for years – some days more convincingly than others. You never hear extroverts say “oh, but I can fake introversion” because it’s not a quality traditionally revered by our society, especially in the workplace, and particularly in conversations about leadership.

But that’s changing, and Greenlights is quite the test kitchen with more introverts than extroverts on staff (several of whom I would have guessed wrong). You might be surprised to learn that the two colleagues I mentioned earlier are – wait for it – communications professionals! Gurus, even. (Insert head scratch.) Now that’s something to chew on!

It’s become clear to me that introverts can excel in professions historically intended for extroverts (and they are!). Leadership has often been defined by characteristics of extroverts: comfortable in the spotlight, effervescent, ability to make quick decisions with little information, persuasive, alpha, etc. But in Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, she points out that lots of leaders today are introverts. Take for example Larry Page, cofounder of Google, or Douglas Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup. And how about Warren Buffett or Dr. Seuss, for goodness’ sake?! For all the Good to Great groupies out there, you may know where I’m going, because Jim Collins said it, too. Big, bold personalities aren’t the only ones revolutionizing companies and the way we do business.

The need to fake extroversion is a learned behavior directly tied to Cain’s observations during her research at Harvard Business School: If students jump into conversation frequently and assertively, they’re in the game; if they don’t, they’re bench warmers, at best. We’re conditioned, even as infants, to believe that extroversion is ideal, the norm.

It’s time to shed some light on why introverts might just be your organization’s game changer…
3 skills introverts bring to the workplace:

1. Open eyes – Introverts are hardwired to see roadblocks and pitfalls miles before landing on top of them. This is their comfort zone – the ability to anticipate problems early and the resolve to find a remedy no matter the complexity.

What’s it got to do with leadership? Visionary-filled offices need anchors and navigators. Introverts are realists who ask “what if” a lot, sometimes to the chagrin of big hairy audacious extroverts. Realists infuse farsighted ideas with sustainability. They finish baking valuable, yet half-baked ideas that might otherwise crash and burn soon after their cinematic launch. The value-add here is balance, and it’s worth more than any liability insurance money can buy.

2. Open ears – Introverts are listeners. They let you do the talking. They value contemplation before (re)action.

What’s it got to do with leadership? When leaders listen, they hear – ideas, that is. It’s a magical thing really. When employees feel heard, they speak up more which leads to transparency, collaboration and out of the box thinking. Perhaps surprisingly, introverts are some of the best leaders of innovators, because they don’t get in the way.

3. Open arms – Believe it or not, introverts are some of the best connectors, in part because of skill #2. While they aren’t charged by social interaction in the same way extraverts are, they’re actually quite savvy at networking, particularly when they have clear purpose.

What’s it got to do with leadership? Introverts have observation skills akin to submarine radar detection. They hear and see things that extraverts sometimes miss, and they’re fantastic matchmakers because they pick up on what makes people tick, often able to connect people to an organization’s mission in very personal and mutually beneficial ways. (Perhaps not coincidentally, both fundraisers here at Greenlights are introverts. I’m proud to say that I’m one of them!)

My point is not at all to say that one personality type is a better leader. Call it what you want, but it’s clear that introverts and extraverts alike can benefit from “faking” a little of the other. And therein lies my point: Introverts bring a heck of a lot to the leadership table that has been overlooked for a very long time, and perhaps the game changer is really about striking a balance within your organization.

In January, I blogged about nonprofit overhead costs and why using overhead cost ratios can be a misleading approach for donors to evaluate nonprofit organizations. The bottom line is that nonprofits need access to high quality infrastructure including technology, financial systems, fundraising, advertising and performance management systems in order to effectively carry out their missions. Nonprofits also need the ability to provide training and professional development and offer competitive salaries in order to hire and retain quality staff. Without these investments in overhead, nonprofits will have a difficult time becoming truly high performing organizations.

Unfortunately, nonprofit leaders continue to feel pressure to keep their overhead as low as possible. The reason behind this pressure probably has a lot to do with what the Bridgespan Group and the Urban Institute have identified as the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle.

1. The Starvation Cycle starts off with funders’ unrealistic expectations about how much it costs to run a nonprofit.

2. In the second step, nonprofits feel pressure to conform to these unrealistic expectations.

3. In the third step, nonprofits respond to the pressure they feel by spending too little on vital overhead resources and at the same time under-reporting their true overhead costs.

4. This in turn leads to the perpetuation of funders’ unrealistic expectations about nonprofit costs.

This is a vicious cycle which ultimately leads to organizations unable to deliver quality services to clients and the community.

Before coming to Greenlights, I spent seven years working in the Austin public schools supporting students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. In this role I was often reminded of just how difficult it can be to create real change in the lives of children and their families. It takes significant time and resources and comes at a cost. But what can we do to educate funders, boards, and the community to have a realistic understanding of what it takes to deliver on outcomes?

The Bridgespan Group offers several suggestions to consider in an attempt to break free from the Starvation Cycle.

For Funders:

• Begin to shift your focus from overhead to outcomes. Ask the questions, “What is the program trying to achieve?” and “What would define success.” Demonstrate that impact, not overhead costs, is what is most important.
• Have open, honest conversations with grantees about what it will take to deliver on outcomes consistently.
• When possible, provide general operating grants and fund the administrative costs needed to run effective programs.

For Organizations & Boards:

• Commit to truly understanding overhead costs and infrastructure needs. Then create a strategic planning process which outlines the long-term plan for building your organization’s capacity.
• Educate board members about the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle.
• Encourage board members and key stakeholders to talk about your organization’s outcomes and the importance of investing in infrastructure and building capacity.
• As a board member, be willing to ask the question, “Where are we under-investing?” and “What will it take to achieve impact?”

What are other steps we as a sector can take to reduce the Starvation Cycle?  Will breaking the cycle lead to greater impact?  For more information on this topic, check out Dan Pallota’s recent TED Talk, The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong.

Hi, I’m Alanna — Greenlights’ Services Coordinator. As part of our mission to strengthen the nonprofit sector, we get all kinds of questions here at Greenlights, from viewing our in-office salary surveys, to using your workshop vouchers. To answer your frequently asked questions, “Ask Alanna” has a regular spot on the Greenlights’ blog, and this month, I’m covering a few questions I receive regularly around member benefits.

Our organization has been a Greenlights’ member for three years and I know we get discounts on workshops. That’s worth the membership itself! But can you tell me more about the discounts available to Greenlights’ members?

Dear Greenlights’ Member,

Thank you for reaching out to start using more of your member benefits! You’re right — Greenlights’ members receive discounts on our workshops. You also get discounted member rates on local events like Board Summit and the Texas Nonprofit Summit. Besides that, members also receive special rates on Board Excellence and Financial Management toolkits, as well as special offers on nonprofit services like Directors & Officers liability insurance, consultation services, and much more from our Business Partners.

Come meet other Greenlights’ members at our happy hour on March 27, 2013. You can also contact our Development & Membership Manager if you have any specific questions on discounts or other member benefits.

See you at a workshop or event soon!
Alanna

My organization is interested in becoming a Greenlights’ member, but I have to convince our board that it’s worth budgeting for. Any member-exclusive opportunities that might help win them over?

There are tons of great member benefits listed on our website you can share with your board, but you may want to specifically point out a few of the following organizational member-only offers. Only Greenlights members can:

• Be featured at Board Summit with 50+ other local nonprofits looking for new board members. (The 2013 deadline is March 15 – apply now!)
• Join the 501(c)ommunity – an online collaboration, resource-sharing site for nonprofit professionals
• Apply for Greenlights’ capacity-building grants

Even better – bring or send your board to one of our happy hours (like the one on March 27) and they can hear about it directly from other Greenlights members!
Alanna

March is Membership Month at Greenlights – join or renew now for the opportunity to win one free registration to the 2013 Texas Nonprofit Summit! If you’re a current Greenlights’ member, what is your favorite member discount or exclusive offer that you’d encourage others to use to their full advantage?

I’ve learned many things from my mom, but one of the most important things she’s instilled in me is, “you’ve got to have a plan.” Maybe that’s why I love being a fundraiser – you definitely need a good plan in place to be successful.

This year Greenlights is developing a new strategic plan to carry us from 2014-2016. I decided to get a head start last year and develop a three-year plan for our fundraising program. It was a daunting task at first. I struggled with the best way to approach the wide variety of information that needed to be covered.

Here are some of the key questions that helped me shape the plan:

Where have you been and where do you want to go?

No matter how old your organization is, it’s good to take a few steps back to look at how your fundraising program has evolved. I found it very helpful to do a SWOT assessment (Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities and Threats) of our development program first to help clearly identify the specifics of our plan. From there it was much easier to outline the road map.

What are your organization’s key growth opportunities?

From there, I focused in on our key growth opportunities (for us, there were five). I included an overview of each opportunity with specific revenue goals and action steps. I also included assumptions impacting the success of the plan. These may seem like no brainers, but it’s important for the board and leadership to see that in order for the development efforts to grow, you need 100% involvement from your board, active participation on the development committee and sufficient time and attention from your executive director on fundraising priorities.

 What are your specific action plans for achieving the goals?  

This is where you get to the heart of your fundraising plan. I organized my plan by our budget areas so it would be easy for me to outline revenue goals. In each budget area, I outlined my plan and rationale, the specific goals and strategies, staff and board involvement, timeline, expenses and target revenue by year.

In the end, it was a 24 page labor of love. My plan-loving self is reassured by having this document as a guide not only for our development team, but for our board and staff as well. The plan will definitely shift and change as most things do, but it’s great to have such a detailed map to follow.

Does your organization have a strategic development plan? What advice can you share with others taking on a project like this?

We all know that networking is important  – it lets us build our colleague base, exchange ideas, make new contacts. We’re “supposed to” do it, especially in a community as tight-knit as nonprofits. But I’ve been to dozens of conferences and networking events (probably a dozen just during SXSW!), and these events can be incredibly valuable or a complete waste of time… it’s all up to you. And you don’t have to be an extrovert to be a great networker (but you do have to fake it)!

Here are some easy tips for your next event:

Keep moving.

Think speed dating. You want to talk to lots of people, see who’s interesting, who might have something in common. Conferences often inadvertently hinder networking by having you sit at the same seat or table all day long. Lunch time is a perfect time to keep moving. Pick up your salad and go sit at a table. Once you’re done, go get something else to eat and sit at a different table. Dessert, new table. Think about how and when you can change seats, stand somewhere else, or move around throughout the day.

Play matchmaker.

If you meet someone early in the day and they tell you some fact about themselves, and later you meet someone else who might be interested, introduce them! Being valuable from the get-go is a great way to boost your new relationship.

Be a conversation starter.

It doesn’t mean you need to start the conversation. Actually it’s quite the opposite. It may seem trivial, but when going to a networking event, I always try to wear something unique that others might comment on. It’s simple – dangling earrings, a shirt with a sports team or organization logo, a brooch or pin, alma mater ring – anything will do.  People are looking for a way to get the conversation started anyway, so why not throw them a bone. Similarly, keep an eye out for any conversation starters to help you initiate an introduction.

Get business cards and connect on LinkedIn (or 501community.org!).

Do it every time. You never know when you’ll want to connect again, so be sure to stay in touch directly after the event.

If you’re going through the effort of showing up, you might as well make the most of it. Don’t have time for networking events? Check out Greenlights’ 501(c)ommunity where nonprofit professionals are meeting online every day. You can network with nonprofit folks, volunteers, funders and board members without having to leave the house!