Connie Golds CONSULTING

This past Saturday, my alarm went off at an hour usually reserved for bakers and airport shuttle drivers. Why? Because it was Mega Cookie Drop day. Full disclosure: I was a Girl Scout as a child, a leader for thirteen years (shout out to Troop 1574!) and proudly serve on the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council's Board of Directors. If you’ve never experienced Mega Cookie Drop, imagine a cross between a NASCAR pit stop, a military supply operation, and Willy Wonka’s loading

Four years ago, I received a phone call that changed my life.Okay— changed my life might be a stretch. But it definitely changed my winters. “Hi Connie, do you still have empty bedrooms?” The call came from a former staff member who knows I live alone and also knows my weakness for saying yes before fully thinking things through. He explained that Palm Springs Power Baseball was looking for host homes for interns in their Winter Baseball program. I’d just need to provide a s

At a recent Executive Directors cohort gathering, one ED quietly admitted he felt like he was carrying the weight of five lives—his staff—plus their clients, volunteers, donors, and funders… all on his shoulders. It wasn’t metaphorical. It was physical. Exhausting. Terrifying. One bad fundraising year, he said, and layoffs would be inevitable. His eyes filled with tears as he spoke—not because he was weak, but because he cared deeply. About his people. About the mission. Abou

I’m going to deviate just a bit from my usual governance-versus-operations soapbox this week to talk about something that affects everyone —nonprofit and for-profit leaders alike. And yes, it absolutely shows up at work . . . usually right around 2:00 a.m. when your brain refuses to shut off. Recently, I met for coffee with a former colleague—let’s call him Jack—who had just stepped into his very first Executive Director role. Jack wasn’t new to nonprofits. Far from it. He’d