leadership lessons – ARK Consulting Group

June 16, 2025

Why Nonprofit Leaders Stay Stuck (And How to Finally Take the Leap)

A year ago, I took a $40,000 pay cut to join a mission-driven organization. Friends thought I was crazy. Family worried about my financial future. Former colleagues questioned my career judgment. But here's what they didn't see: I was already paying a much higher price by staying in a role that didn't align with my values and potential. The real cost wasn't the money I gave up—it was the impact I wasn't creating, the growth I wasn't experiencing, and the leadership I wasn't developing.

June 16, 2025

Beyond Grants: How Revenue Diversification is Redefining Nonprofit Sustainability in an Uncertain World

When the pandemic struck in March 2020, two nearly identical youth education nonprofits in the Midwest faced dramatically different fates. Both served similar communities, had comparable budgets, and shared passionate commitments to their missions. Yet while one organization was forced to lay off 60% of its staff and suspend core programs, the other not only maintained operations but actually expanded services to meet increased community need.

June 16, 2025

Leadership Lessons from Lamont Robinson (My Cat): And Why Everyone Has Something to Teach You

Meet Lamont. He's a cat. He's also a terrible cat by most conventional standards—he knocks plants off windowsills, ignores basic commands, steals food from plates, and has absolutely zero respect for authority. But here's the thing: Lamont is my baby, and he's taught me more about effective leadership than most business books.