Hi! Darren here.

These are the most common questions I get asked when I talk to nonprofit executives who are interested in Wizard Roundtables:

1. Why did you create Wizard Roundtables?

2. What are your credentials for leading this program?

3. How is this different from my professional association conference?

4. What do you mean by “implementation support”?

5. Shouldn’t my association be doing something like this?

6. Who pays the fee, my organization or me?

7. Can I get a grant to pay for this?

8. Do you offer scholarships?

9. Who else will be in my cohort?

10. How long is the program?

11. Where do we meet?

12. Couldn’t I just get a group together and do this myself? Why would I pay you for it?

WARNING! The answers below rely on irreverent humor. If you are offended, we probably shouldn’t work together anyway.

1. Why did you create Wizard Roundtables?

As I talked to Executive Directors and CEOs, I learned they are frustrated with existing professional development opportunities. Many programs are designed for emerging leaders. What about the leaders who have already “emerged” but still want to develop their effectiveness further?

What’s more, MBAs, MPAs, MSWs and other formal education programs/workshops don’t make a direct link from the classroom to the everyday work environment. Plus, they’re bloated with theory, sanitized case studies, and too-basic management platitudes. Execs are asking for something more practical.

Oh yeah, other programs also move at a snail’s pace (to allow for those folks who don’t pick things up as quickly). Nonprofit executives are extremely smart people. They like to move fast.

What they need most is support in implementing new ideas and better processes.

2. What are your credentials for leading this program?

• Formerly an Executive Director of a nonprofit organization. I know what it’s like to have my name in the paper when things go right. And when things go wrong.
• Good at learning, teaching, facilitating, and holding people accountable.
• I dedicate 10 hours per week to research and learning.
• I host a podcast where I have in-depth conversations with nonprofit executives.
• Soon I will have several Roundtables with awesome executives, which will continually give me the opportunity to cross-pollinate groups with great ideas and examples.
• I have a Ph.D. from the school of life. My thesis was being resilient in the face of adversity.

3. How is this different from my professional association conference?

(apologies to my association friends)

• Wizard Roundtables are dedicated exclusively to issues of importance for the chief staff person; that employee who leads the staff and reports to the board.
• Fact: every association wants to set a new record for attendance each year. Therefore, content is necessarily broad–one mile wide, but only one inch deep. This is fine for staying abreast of trends in your industry, but isn’t particularly helpful for you to develop greater strength in your leadership skills.
• Your conference doesn’t have implementation support as a basic foundation of the program. Wizard Roundtables does.

4. What do you mean by “implementation support”?

This is what differentiates Wizard Roundtables from every other professional development program. It’s the fix for the fatal flaw of every other learning experience you’ve ever participated in.

See if this describes a situation you’ve ever found yourself in. You go to your annual conference. While sitting in breakout sessions, you have three brilliant epiphanies. If you could implement even one of these in the next year, it could fundamentally improve the long-term effectiveness of your organization.

One year later, you go to the same conference, and realize that you’re still operating much as you were last year. What happened?

• You never had time to plan how to implement your new ideas.
• When you got home, you set your conference bag (containing the notes from these genius ideas) down next to your credenza while you caught up on voicemails and emails you deferred while you were away. Six months later you noticed the conference bag still sitting there in that same spot, albeit more dusty than before.
• You began to implement one of the ideas, but encountered resistance from your team and board. Not because they are bad people…they just can’t see your vision and need to be convinced. This takes energy, and that inspiration you felt at the conference is now flagging.

Wizard Roundtables is fundamentally designed to overcome this specific problem.

How?

• We set aside time during our two days for you to think, journal, and map out your action plan for implementation.
• You leave the retreat with three specific, written, goals for growing yourself or your organization. I keep a copy and you keep a copy.
• You also leave the retreat with a pre-scheduled implementation call with me for two weeks after the retreat. The call will go like this, “So, you’ve had a chance to address all the fires that came up while you were gone, now what are you planning to do this week to move your goal forward?”
• You have quarterly webinars with your cohort for a jolt of energy in tackling your change initiative. We were all there when you had your great idea and can remind you of your excitement and the significant impact you believed it would have.
• You have monthly calls with me to explore any barriers in your way and brainstorm ways to overcome these obstacles.

5. Shouldn’t my association be doing something like this?

• Maybe. If you introduce me to your association director I’d be happy to talk with him/her.
• Then again, maybe not. Often associations are already spread thin by the myriad programs and services their members demand while doing their best to keep dues low.
• Intensive leadership programs for established directors serve a very thin slice of the membership and, therefore, aren’t necessarily a good investment for the association.
• A professional association cannot be as picky on admission requirements as we are.

6. Who pays the fee, my organization or me?

Usually the organization pays as an investment in professional development. Because of the minimum budget size, we know that annual tuition is less than one quarter of one percent of your annual expense budget. So it really shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone in our target market.

If you can’t find a place for it in the budget, though, you could pay for it out of cash reserves this year knowing that your increased effectiveness will yield increased earned revenue or contributions to more than offset the cost.

Or maybe you could pay for it yourself? It’s assuredly less than the amount of raise you’ll get next year once you’ve crushed those three initiatives.

Or, split it with your organization. Or, pay for it yourself now and negotiate it as part of your pay package at your next annual review.

Or pass the hat at a board meeting. Or have a bake sale. I’m just spit-balling here.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed, so you really have no risk.

7. Can I get a grant to pay for this?

Forgive me for being crass, but if this is one of your questions, a Wizard Roundtable is probably not a good fit for you.

We’re looking for folks who are serious about investing in themselves and their professional development. By deciding to do it “if you get funding for it” takes the decision out of your hands and puts it into the hands of a foundation program officer. Or worse, a committee.

I know lots of program officers. They’re really nice people. One I know literally loses sleep because she can’t fund all of the worthy programs that apply. But she doesn’t know the best way for you to grow to meet tomorrow’s challenges for your organization.

8. Do you offer scholarships?

No.

We’re not heartless, it’s a philosophical thing. Our aim is to create a professional development experience that is sustainable. Not subject to the whims of funding cycles. If we offer a scholarship this year, but not next year, what happens then? Will you have to drop out of the program? If so, you suffer and the cohort suffers.

While interviewing nonprofit executives as we were developing the Roundtables, we heard stories of similar initiatives over the years. However, these other programs relied on grant funding so they could offer the service below cost or even free. Once the grant funding dried up, though, the program ended–just when the group had developed great camaraderie and rapport–and left the participants out in the cold.

We don’t want to do that to anyone. Besides, we offer a money-back guarantee.

9. Who else will be in my cohort?

Cohorts are made up of no more than 12 Executive Directors/CEOs.

Roundtables are by application only. This means that other members of the cohort are pre-screened to ensure they are as committed to personal growth and development as you are. It also means you are paired with similar-sized organizations so there is equality of value exchange.

Does this sound familiar? You’re at a meeting of local nonprofit executives, and a wonderful, well-meaning ED of a super-small organization wants to “pick your brain.” This is fine because you’re a good person and want to help the sector. But you’re not getting much in return.

Or, you are in the midst of a high-quality exchange with a peer, and another ED joins your conversation. After a bit of time, you realize the new participant is really just there for the free food and a captive audience to complain to.

This sort of thing doesn’t happen at Wizard Roundtables. Group discussions are facilitated and members are actively curated.

10. How long is the program?

To join a Wizard Roundtable, you will be asked to commit to the group for at least 24 months (though payment can be made semi-annually). This ensures the cohort has time to “gel” and provide value to the others in your group.

After that, though, your participation lasts as long as you are getting value from it. There is no “completion date,” so to speak.

You should know, though, the habit of setting big goals, and then achieving them, is addictive. You’ll likely find that you, like other high achievers, will want to continue jumping higher and higher hurdles. The support, coaching, creativity, and discipline baked into the Roundtable is perfect for cultivating this.

11. Where do we meet?

The first meeting will be in Omaha in April 2016. Omaha is a remarkable combination of central location (continental USA), easy airport access, great food, great museums & attractions, pedestrian friendliness, and affordability. It annually hosts the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting, BigOmaha, and the College World Series, and will host the USA Swimming Olympic Trials in 2016.

 

12. Couldn’t I just get a group together and do this myself?

Yes you could!

So why would I pay you to do it?

In one word: convenience.

One word is so boring, though, so here’s more:

Answer #1: You’re buying a curated, facilitated, experience that just automatically happens. I schedule the meeting date, I book the conference room, I book your hotel room, I plan the meals, I set the agenda, I facilitate the meetings. I coordinate the follow-up calls.

What are you responsible for?

1. Getting yourself to Omaha (we’ll pick you up at the airport).
2. Receiving my phone calls for coaching meetings.
3. Sending us checks.

It’s that simple.

Answer #2: Facilitation is important. When we’re in a group meeting, our brains can only function in one of two ways: 1) facilitator or 2) participant. If you’re trying to do both, you’ll do one poorly. We facilitate, so you’re free to be an active participant and maximize your investment.

 

Ready to get started?

Click here to select a time for Darren to call you.