If you’ve read any of my past blogs, you might have noticed that I often draw connections between the personal and professional parts of my life.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." –Harriet Tubman

I love this time of year. The sun feels warmer, the flowers are blooming, and the days are getting longer.

The past year has been busy! From March 2024 to March 2025, I have worked with 27 clients on projects ranging from visioning, executive transition, feasibility, to strategic planning.

Cleaning out the closet can be hard, especially when it involves two people.

We are honored to introduce you to this week's guest blogger Nicholé Morgan, Co-Founder and Executive Director at TheGifted Art based in the Triangle.

As we move ahead in 2025, I am humbled by the profound lessons learned and deeply grateful for the people who stepped up to help during the challenging times of the past year.

We all have blind spots—things we just don’t see.

At the time of this writing, I, like countless others across the state, have been trying to make sense of the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.

When my kids were little, I had so much fun creating a theme for their birthday parties.

Have you seen Twisters yet? I have, and it’s worth the hype!

I had the great fortune to take a trip to Ireland earlier this year with a few friends.

In my daily life, I am grateful to work with so many people and organizations doing good together.

With the NBA playoffs underway, I have been thinking about basketball and strategic planning.

During the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to lead or be part of strategic planning initiatives ranging from local health services and groups all the way up to international endeavors such as the Global Workspace

When I use the term “strategic planning,” what is your immediate response?

My family is still reveling in the joy of a great spring break trip to Washington, DC.

‍The nonprofit I serve, Arise Collective, equips women with the tools and support they need both in prison and in the communities to which they return.

My neighbor recently reached out about the maintenance needs of the old logging bridge leading to our homes.

Former Major League Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra once said, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”

I am beyond excited about my upcoming retirement in the year 2043. In fact, according to my current calculations, I now have 20 years, 5 months, 3 hours, and a few seconds on the clock before I can go fishing every day.

I was running on one of my favorite trails recently when my run shifted from (mostly) enjoyable to frustrating.

In 2014 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives were prioritized at a statewide non-profit where I was the CEO.

Armstrong McGuire is excited to announce that Todd Brantley and Dana Mangum are joining the team as Senior Advisors.

Shannon Williams has been named Armstrong McGuire’s Managing Director.

Recently, I was talking with my neighbors about the flooding in KY, fires in the Southwest and other hard hit areas (not to mention countless global atrocities). Questions naturally arose in the conversation: How can we help?

I know I am not alone when I say my family rebooted their imaginations when homebound for extended periods of time due to COVID.

As you prepare for a third year operating, living, working, and navigating pandemic norms, is your board ready to assume the responsibility and leadership obligations necessary for the transformation coming to the nonprofit sector?

And just like that we are two weeks into 2022! The two-week mark is usually where I check in with myself to see if my habits that are supporting my New Year goals are sticking.

With a passion for using analytics to drive fundraising growth, Samantha Wright joins Armstrong McGuire as a Senior Advisor.

Being prepared crosses all parts of life in small “Do I have my mask?” “Am I off mute?” ways and in big “Do I have the necessary supplies for the approaching hurricane?” ways.

“Thank you so much for your application for (YOUR DREAM JOB!!). You have tremendous skills and expertise. However, I am sorry but we have selected another candidate.” Unfortunately, most of us have heard that phrase some time in our career.

Have you ever known that something is important, and you know you need to process it, and you just aren’t sure how?

My sister asked me recently, “What do arts leaders need to hear from you in this moment?”And my answer came easily: “We need these organizations to help the community heal.

Okay…so the last few months have been completely crazy for everyone.

Our younger son, Carson, graduates high school this Sunday—sort of.He will put on his cap and gown. We will drive to the school. He will jump out of the car and onto a makeshift stage.

This past week has been unlike any other I have experienced.

A BHAG, pronounced bee hag, is an acronym for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. The term was originally coined in the book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras.

Earlier this week our team of nine spent a day-and-a-half focused on strategic planning. We are at the midpoint of our three-year plan, so we evaluated our progress and set goals for 2020.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend time with my friend Nicholé.

Over the weekend I had the privilege of tailgating at college football’s number one tailgate destination: The Grove at Ole Miss.If you know me, you know I take tailgating seriously, even when my team isn’t as committed to its part of the

Creating a strategic plan, if done right, involves stakeholders and requires time and thoughtful work. It builds consensus around shared goals, provides direction, and hopefully creates excitement.

The 2019 soccer season is in the books! It was a rough season for our household. Luckily, we ended on a high note with our first win in the last game of play of the tournament weekend.

I’ve recently had the good fortune to work on several strategic planning projects, helping clients chart their course for the future.

I love conducting job searches. Throughout my career, I have had the honor of coordinating searches for presidents of foundations, nonprofit executive directors, pastors, senior-level staff members, development directors, and more.

Earlier this year I was searching for a private space in Raleigh for part one of a strategic planning process. Specifically, I was looking for a room for about a dozen people to engage in part meeting, part team building, including dinner.

I consider it an unexpected but welcome gift whenever I get to have a quiet New Year’s Eve at home.

On Monday night I had requests to be three places, all at once. It’s happened to us all, especially in this Fall season when we are gearing up for many great things. I agonized over one of the requests.

Strong and committed leadership is the difference between a good nonprofit and a great nonprofit.

On any given day, if you happened to pull up next to me at a stoplight, you probably catch me singing a favorite tune, certain that my version sounds just as good as the voice I'm emulating on the radio.

I have a confession to make. I am extremely involved with an organization I care deeply about, and they don’t have a strategic plan. “Hi, my name is Mendi, and my favorite organization does not have a plan.”

I have worked in politics in one way or another most of my adult life – run campaigns, lobbied the state legislature, served in state government, headed up a trade association, been a business-issues lobbyist, and consulted on strategies

Nonprofit leaders - take a minute to answer the following questions...

While attending the wedding of our godson last month (congratulations Carter and Shelley), my wife and I had some time to visit with the officiating pastor who is also a longtime friend.

With the continued strategic expansion of its portfolio of services to serve North Carolina’s nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, Armstrong McGuire & Associates is excited to welcome two veteran nonprofit professionals to its team: Beth

Today's blog post serves as an introduction to Armstrong McGuire's newest team member.

A couple of weeks ago I did something I haven’t done in years. I checked the expiration date on the milk in the fridge.

Have you ever heard the saying “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast.”? Many say the quote originated from Peter Drucker, an influential thinker and writer about management theory and practice.

It used to be that I looked forward to some down time in the summer months to get organized and catch up. Nowadays organizations work hard year-round.

We write a lot in this space about the role and impact of great board members. We don’t sugarcoat the significant commitment required and we tout the value of setting early shared expectations to avoid frustration and ineffectiveness.

Recently I spent the day facilitating a strategic planning session with a foundation board. As is my custom, I brought buckets of balls and toys which may seem frivolous, but actually they are an integral part of the day.

This can be a quandary or at least an ongoing topic of debate in nonprofits. Some feel asking their board members to give a specific amount and recruit a specific amount of funding from others is instrumental.

Recently I’ve been helping my mom with some issues she’s encountered in her home.

It’s early January. The fast-paced holidays, which were a welcome break from our fast-paced lives, are a fading memory.

Strategic Planning.Just the words make some people sigh, while others clap, grinning ear to ear.

I love movies and one of my favorite movies is The Hunt for Red October adapted from Tom Clancy’s bestselling book. You remember it – Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris and James Earl Jones.

“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one” –Brad Paisley

Universities, colleges, small and large nonprofits all need to utilize volunteers to accomplish programmatic, governance and fundraising goals.

As the newest Armstrong McGuire Senior Advisor I have been thinking about the most important message to carry with me as I step away from 26 years of soliciting donations to now advising nonprofits.

In North Carolina many of us will head to the beach to celebrate Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial launch of summer.

Recruiting nonprofit leaders, drafting strategic plans, creating campaign case statements, advising clients on fundraising.