Lessons Learned in the First Year as CEO
Listen on iTunes, Spotify, or stream in your browser.
Megan Rose is the CEO of Better Together, a nonprofit that provides a voluntary, preventative alternative to foster care. Megan has spent her entire career working in social services and was recently awarded the 2019 Civil Society Award by the Manhattan Institute. In today’s episode, she shares about the important work Better Together accomplishes, facing imposter syndrome as a CEO, and balancing motherhood and leadership.
Show Notes:
Megan starts by sharing some important facts about foster care in the U.S. today:
When a child is removed from their home, the child is reunited with their family less than half the time.
Even when families are reunited, around 35% of them re-enter the foster system again.
Seventy percent of the families in the foster care system are there because they can’t navigate a temporary problem like a job loss.
Through their two programs, Better Families and Better Work, Better Together works to address all three of those issues and reunite families. The Better Families program connects children at risk with host families, allowing parents to focus on solving a temporary crisis. Through the Better Work program, they help churches to organize and host job fairs.
2:14 “Our mission at the end of the day is to empower people and strengthen families by giving them a hand up, not a handout. And we do this through the local church, volunteers, and donors that help at-risk parents navigate their current crisis and come out the other side restored.”
Megan highlights that partnering with churches has been key to making an impact. Not only do churches share Better Together’s mission and vision of helping and supporting families, but they also have the resources, volunteers, and space to make it happen. Better Together simply gives churches the structure so families can connect with volunteer mentors, host families, or local companies.
Megan’s Journey
Megan always had a desire to work with families in need. Her first job was in social services, which allowed her to work in the system and understand it. Now, that experience helps her as she leads Better Together in keeping families out of the system.
While Megan always gravitated towards leadership, she didn’t necessarily foresee herself where she is today. She shares that she experienced some imposter syndrome, feeling as if she didn’t belong in her role when she became CEO. Asking for money and fundraising was a new responsibility that didn’t come naturally. Her tips for overcoming these feelings and fears include:
Be authentic.
Know that the work you are doing is important and worth supporting.
Constantly learn from donors and board members.
Include donors and board members in struggles and the journey.
When she shared her fears with a board member, they encouraged her with the advice that “If it feels natural, you’re probably not trying new things or you’re getting too comfortable.”
Balancing Being a CEO and a Mother
Megan is quick to credit her ability to be a business leader and a mother to marrying a supportive spouse. She also shares that flexibility, hard work, intentionality, and leading by example are key. Most importantly, she emphasizes that it is possible to be both a good mom and a successful CEO.
Fundraising and Leadership
Constantly focusing on engaging new donors and cultivating current ones is crucial to your nonprofit’s success. Megan emphasizes that building relationships with donors and accomplishing your vision takes hard work, time, and money.
Megan has seen that adopting a leader-leader mentality rather than a leader-follower mentality among their team has helped them be good stewards of the company’s mission and vision and overcome challenges.
One of those challenges included learning that one of their largest, six-figure donors was walking away from Better Together right at the time Megan became CEO. This forced her to remember that:
Your nonprofit is not entitled to money.
You need to have resources and back up plans.
You need to prepare for the future.
Cultivating the Right Donors
When you are authentic and have a strong mission, the right donors will want to invest in you. Megan emphasizes that it’s okay for some donors not to renew. Instead of trying to salvage relationships, sometimes it’s better to focus on cultivating new partners who will be really invested.
Right after becoming a CEO, Megan pitched a couple who she had met and felt really aligned with Better Together’s mission. She was nervous for the ask, but she prepared well, spoke from the heart, and they decided to invest.
Putting in the time to prepare for asks and really engage with your donors allows them to see how their partnership with you is making a difference. In addition, Megan highlights how donors and board members can provide so much more than just financial support.
27:45 “It’s so great to have them financially contributing, but the wisdom and the support that they give me has really helped me transition to this role and feel confident and know that although I have a lot to learn I’m moving in the right direction because I have a lot of really great people supporting me.”
Megan’s Advice
Remember, you’re not alone. Her tips for navigating leadership roles in nonprofits include:
Listen to the 7-Figure Fundraising Podcast.
Engage in the 7-Figure Fundraising Program.
Cultivate a peer network so you can support one another.