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Leadership insights and community resources for those building capacity in themselves and others.

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Carol Stream Volunteers Drive $500,000 in Giving

Carol Stream Volunteers Drive $500,000 in Giving

Nineteen local charities just received a share of $124,500. The entire event is driven by an amazing group of Carol Stream residents who bring people together for two weeks of tournament play and massive local impact.  Over the last decade, they have given away more than $500,000! I participated on behalf of the Bloomingdale Parks Foundation. For us, this support translates into concrete action. Over the past six months, we provided an estimated 875 hours of recreation and childcare for local...

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Ecker Center: Accessible Behavioral Health and 24/7 Crisis Support

Ecker Center: Accessible Behavioral Health and 24/7 Crisis Support

Access to comprehensive, integrated behavioral health care can be a lifeline. Knowing where to start in a crisis is a major community barrier. The Ecker Center for Behavioral Health is a solution bridging that gap.  Ecker Center has served Kane County, northwest Cook County, and the surrounding communities since 1955, providing accessible, comprehensive behavioral health care through prevention, education, and intervention. As a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), they offer...

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Building Future Founders: Why We Brought a “Solution Board” to Lake Park High School

Building Future Founders: Why We Brought a “Solution Board” to Lake Park High School

What happens when you stop asking high schoolers "what they want to be" and start asking them "how they would solve this?" Innovation and creativity happen in real-time. Mark Connor and I represented our businesses, Provable Solutions LLC and Good Works Results LLC , at the Lake Park High School Career Fair. While we were honored to be among 50+ diverse organizations spanning everything from health sciences and engineering to public service, we wanted to offer something that went beyond a...

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Navigating Growth and Leadership Barriers (Bloomingdale Township Nonprofit Leaders Forum – March 2026)

Feeling stuck in operational tasks with no time for "new and needed things"? Wanting to expand your thinking but unsure how to navigate existing leadership dynamics? These were the real challenges we tackled during our Nonprofit Leaders Forum session, where midlevel leaders dove into navigating perceived versus real barriers to their growth. This powerful peer-learning model empowers nonprofit...

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Leadership Confidence Through Peer Support (Hanover Township Nonprofit Leaders Forum – March 2026)

How do you balance being an available manager for your staff while protecting time for strategic work? How do you navigate moments of self-doubt, even when you are hearing that you are leading effectively? These were the real, human challenges shared and navigated at our fourth session of the Nonprofit Leaders Forum (Hanover Township), serving midlevel leaders. This powerful peer-learning model...

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When Fifty Community Leaders Share One Room

What happens when you bring 50 community leaders into the same room to talk about what we're seeing in our students? New connections. Cross-sector problem-solving. And the most common feedback: "I wish we had more time." That's the goal of the Community Leaders Series (https://www.goodworksresults.com/communityleadersseries), creating spaces for businesses, nonprofits, law enforcement,...

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YWCA Metropolitan Chicago: Vital Childcare and Family Support

The immense challenge of finding affordable, quality childcare is being directly addressed by the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. They are a social enterprise dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace. This nonprofit agency actively mitigates significant community challenges, ensuring families have access to stability, trauma recovery, and vital early childhood mental...

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Peer-Powered Leadership (Schaumburg Township Nonprofit Leaders Forum)

These midlevel nonprofit leaders have built something powerful: a trusted network that validates their experience and renews their capacity to lead. During our final session of this cohort, partners continued to tackle real leadership challenges, including when to advocate for organizational structure where it's lacking and how to navigate difficult employee situations with clear, direct...

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We Rise By Lifting Others Up (Nonprofit Leaders Forum – Bloomingdale Township 2026)

"We rise by lifting others up."  These words from a forum partner captured the spirit of the inaugural session of the 2026 cohort of the Nonprofit Leaders Forum, empowering nonprofit leaders serving Bloomingdale Township residents with tools and a trusted network. www.goodworksresults.com/nonprofitforum This forum, in partnership with Good Works Results LLC, proves that leaders don't have...

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Resource Generator: Concrete Wins at the Nonprofit Leaders Forum (Hanover Township)

What happens when you combine the shared wisdom of 11 empowered nonprofit leaders with a focused commitment to action? That was the powerful formula for success at the recent Hanover Township Nonprofit Leaders Forum. Our session was a resource generator. Partners shared tangible resource leads and strategic connections that expand upon services and address critical client needs. We produced...

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The Groundwork of Leadership: Growing to Give

We are working and supporting others in what feels like a chaotic season.  To show up well for others, let's look together at the emotional and strategic bandwidth required to lead effectively. What I am Hearing Managing Perceptions : One leader realized that while half of her energy went to strategic work, nearly as much was being drained just managing how external parties perceived her...

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Sticky Habits: Tools I’m Learning from the Leaders I Partner With

I am learning alongside the leaders I partner with. These practical strategies come from people like you who are navigating these challenges in real time. Capacity is built in the small, "sticky" habits that allow us to lead with more clarity and less anxiety. Tools from the Field The Self-Interruption Tool: Many of us have a natural pattern of filling space with words when things get chaotic,...

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Trust Plus Action (Nonprofit Leaders Forum – Schaumburg Township)

After seven sessions, these midlevel nonprofit leaders know each other. They've built trust through shared challenges and honest conversations. In a "Partnership Expansion Lab" segment at our recent forum, we strengthened those relationships by translating connections into concrete benefits for the agencies they serve. The "plus-one" model makes this happen. Partners pitch a specific service...

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The Infrastructure of Community

What happens when leaders serving the same community meet? They offer to be resources for one another: A family advocacy program links with a housing provider. An immigrant services organization connects with a behavioral health agency. Four new working relationships form from a single meeting. Connection isn't just networking. It's infrastructure. What Emerges from Convening Cross-sector...

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When Leaders Show Up

Federal uncertainty, funding scarcity, and heightened community need. These are the conditions leaders across our region continue to navigate. Through coaching business owners and nonprofit leaders, facilitating forums, and conversations across sectors, I'm humbled by how our community leaders are choosing to show up. Doing the Personal Work Leaders are showing up by learning to set boundaries...

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Translating Overwhelmed into Action: Nonprofit Leaders Forum (Hanover Township)

How do you translate "we're overwhelmed" into concrete numbers that leadership will act on? How do you build the business case for resources when you're caught between proving need and protecting capacity? Eleven partner agencies serving Hanover Township residents tackled these questions at our Nonprofit Leaders Forum, hosted by Family Service Association of Greater Elgin. Two consultations...

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Building Trust Through Peer Learning: 2025 Bloomingdale Township Forum Impact

What happens when you give leaders a space to be real with each other for an entire year? The final session of the 2025 Nonprofit Leaders Forum serving Bloomingdale Township answered that question: trust builds, leadership confidence grows, and a professional network emerges that strengthens how leaders serve families across the community. Partners reported significant growth in their awareness...

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Forum Impact Report (Township of Schaumburg) – Fall 2025

I recently presented a midpoint Impact Report on the Nonprofit Leaders Forum to the Township of Schaumburg Mental Health Board. View Impact Report Then I asked the Board: What keeps you up at night? Waitlists. Agencies with backlogs in an overburdened system. Access barriers—residents don't know where to start. Network isolation—agencies that need to work together more effectively. When agencies...

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Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley – Community Resource

Access to early intervention and developmental support can be life-changing for children and families—but wait times at most facilities stretch for months, leaving families without answers or support. Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley fills this critical gap, ensuring families get the help they need without the barriers that often delay care.  Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley serves...

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The Lonely Leader: The Squeeze of Leading from the Middle

Leadership is lonely. I've written about this before, but spending three years facilitating forums with mid-level nonprofit leaders has given me a front-row seat to just how true this is—and how specific the challenges are for those leading from the middle. What makes mid-level leadership uniquely challenging? Mid-level leaders occupy a distinct space in nonprofit organizations. They're not the...

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How Do You Want to Show Up?

We're living in a season that feels heavy—uncertainty, tension, challenges that seem beyond our control. It's easy to feel overwhelmed about how to move forward. Recently, someone asked me a thoughtful question: "How do you want to show up in this season?" Not how should I show up according to someone else's playbook. Not what role do I need to perform? But genuinely—who am I, and what am I...

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Why Visionary Small Business Owners Need an Integrator

Small business owners are dreamers. That's their superpower—they see possibilities others miss.  But that same visionary thinking is often a blind spot that prevents them from scaling beyond their own capacity.   I'm currently working as an Integrator for a growing business, and I'm watching this pattern play out in real-time.  The founder has big ideas, deep client...

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Strengthening Nonprofits in Township of Schaumburg (Nonprofit Leaders Forum)

The profound importance of mutual support—hearing each other, facing challenges collectively, and even sharing moments of laughter—contributes to a sense of community, balance, and a safe path for growth. This is the essence of the Nonprofit Leaders Forum, empowering nonprofit leaders serving Township Of Schaumburg residents with tools and a strong network. (Learn more:...

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“We are helpers, and we do not give up.” (Nonprofit Leaders Forum – Bloomingdale Township)

"We are helpers, and we do not give up."  This call to stay in the action emerged during our October session of the Nonprofit Leaders Forum (Bloomingdale Township serving agencies), capturing the spirit in the room. But what does it mean to be a helper when you're managing 13 clinicians with pressure from above and below? What does it mean to be a helper when your interns and volunteers...

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Understanding Community Mental Health Boards

Imagine a local entity dedicated solely to ensuring your neighbors have access to vital mental health, developmental disability, and substance use services. That's precisely the power of Community Mental Health Boards, often called '708 Boards' in Illinois. In Illinois, this legislation enabled the establishment of 708 Boards, requiring local referendums and a local tax to fund community...

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Finding Perspective Through Service

I have found that intentionally focusing on the needs and experiences of others is a powerful way to gain perspective and stay grounded. The opportunity to serve, to connect with people from different backgrounds, and to contribute to a shared purpose larger than my own is incredibly meaningful. My inspiration for this comes from the words and actions of Jesus, who willingly chose “not to be...

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Startup Spirit, Community Heart: What Connects Local Nonprofits and Small Businesses

Within the tapestry of our local communities, two distinct organizations stand out: community nonprofits and small businesses. While their missions may seem divergent at first glance—one driven by social impact, the other by profit—a closer look reveals surprising shared characteristics crucial for a flourishing community, with common ground found in: Shared Foundations and Goals: Nimble...

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