I Have 8 Things to Say...

Thoughts, observations, and stream of consciousness* on the nonprofit sector in Idaho from INC's, Kevin Bailey.

1 – I’ve loved seeing posts recently about friends’ and colleagues’ favorite reads of 2024. Here are a few of mine:

2 – Favorite novel of 2024: Damascus Station. I’m a sucker for spy novels and international thrillers. Most in this genre stretch the limits for plausibility but this one felt grounded, real, and had actual character depth. This one didn’t feel like ‘junk food.’

3 – Favorite nonfiction of 2024. I have two: ​A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon and Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman

Maybe there’s a theme here: I fell for stories chronicling each author’s ability to go beyond what they thought was possible. I am also a sucker for ‘human achievement’ stories, even if the achievements are totally meaningless in the grand scale of things. It goes back to the old mountaineering quote that asks: "Why Climb it?… Well, because it’s there!"
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• ​In A Walk in the Park, we get to follow the author as he tries to traverse the full length of the Grand Canyon, almost getting himself killed in the process. The book is extremely well-researched and takes the reader on a journey through the cultural and geologic history of the canyon while following the author’s journey to simply put one foot in front of the other to survive his months-long trek.

• In Cabin, we follow a similar journey about a dream to build a place of one’s own, without the skill or know-how. In both of these books, I found the theme of ‘pushing beyond one’s limits’ resonating with me and it was a reminder that most of the time, most of us are just ‘making it up as we go’ and that failure is something to be embraced if we are pushing our limits.

4 – Book I’m most excited to finish in early 2025: Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. In this book, Oliver Burkeman makes the case to flip the script on some of modern life’s more annoying features like the constant deluge of email and administrative tasks.

His advice? “[You have to] fully face the reality that you will not, in fact, get it all done…[and] actively avoid quick fixes and the clear-the-decks perspectives.” He says we also have to be able to tolerate that discomfort—and to relax into the discomfort. How to do that? His solution is one that I think is essential to every nonprofit leader: “develop a taste for problems…[because problems] are what life is fundamentally about.”

Congrats to the 2024 Idaho Leads Cohort!

5 – Speaking of pushing the limits and developing a taste for solving problems: Nonprofit leaders do this everyday as they navigate uncertainty about where and when the next grant or big check will come in, staff turnover, and volatility around what the future holds.

We recently wrapped up our 2024 Idaho Leads cohort of nonprofit executive leaders from around the state. This group kicked off the class with a two-night leadership development retreat near Cascade and then continued to have group course content throughout the year while engaging 1:1 with an executive coach.

​Applications for the 2025 cohort are open here.

6 – Participants from the 2024 cohort had this to say about the program:

• “My executive coach turned the Idaho Leads program from a helpful weekend retreat into a transformational experience. Much of my learning was solidified, enhanced, and translated to my day-to-day tasks during my coaching sessions.”
• “I was skeptical going in of how helpful I'd find coaching, but the one on one sessions were the most valuable part of this whole experience to me…topics came up that have been invaluable to me as an effective leader.” – Lettie Stratton, Executive Director of the Boise Nordic Foundation
• “This leadership training improved my ability to identify communication preferences and tendencies. It also enhanced my capacity to address conflict. The personal coaching [I received] solidified these lessons.” – Patrick Reagan, Executive Director of Mahoney House (Salmon, ID)

7 – (Second to) Last but not least: As part of our merger with the Idaho Community Foundation, we were able to launch a unique Youth in Philanthropy Program in partnership with Serve Idaho. The program will provide the opportunity for 6 rural high schools in Idaho to make real-life grants to nonprofits in their community.

​INC will be deploying a curriculum to help educate the participating students on the nonprofit sector, evaluating community needs, and best practices in grantmaking and philanthropy. Cheers to the next generation of Idaho philanthropists!
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8 – (Finally) last but not least: If you missed our Nonprofit Advocacy 101 webinar last week, you can find the recording here. In this 60 minute session, I cover: Why advocacy should be a part of your organization’s strategy to advance your mission and provide a menu of advocacy options that your organization can consider utilizing.

​​​Kevin Bailey, VP of Impact

​​Kevin joined the Idaho Nonprofit Center in July of 2021 after previously serving as CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Idaho. In his free time, he and his family love exploring the great beauty in the West by hiking, biking, and getting outside into nature. On Saturdays in the fall, you can find Kevin avidly cheering on his Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team!