Meet Shelley Milne,
Nonprofit Success Strategist
Shelley Milne helps nonprofits create powerful social change! Her passion and personal mission is to help charitable nonprofit organizations create positive, lasting change in their communities and in the world. For more than 20 years, Shelley has had the great fortune to work in the nonprofit field with a myriad of extraordinary people who have dedicated their work – and often their lives – to creating a better world.
Nonprofit I.Q. was finally birthed by Shelley in 2016 to help leaders from small to mid-sized nonprofits learn how to position their organizations for greater efficiency, effectiveness, and fundability so that they can serve their clients, communities, and the world in the way that they’re truly needed. Shelley’s long-term vision is to transform the nonprofit industry into one that is strong and powerfully positioned for long-term success so that they can continually work to improve our communities and world for future generations.
Background & Experience
Her experience in nonprofit consulting began in 2002 as a professional grantwriter and quickly transitioned into incorporating organizational development consulting for small to mid-sized nonprofits, helping nonprofit leaders understand what funders are looking for when assessing prospective grantees.
Shelley’s work within the nonprofit sector over the past two decades includes direct services, volunteer recruitment, volunteer program coordination, program development, program management, grant development, fundraising, organizational development, strategy planning and board work. Nonprofit I.Q. was developed as a culmination of Shelley’s education and experience in the nonprofit sector as well as more than 25 years of studying universal success principles that transcend specific work disciplines and the latest research in brain research and psychology.
In 2016 Shelley ventured into the world of philanthropy – giving rather than seeking grant funds – in preparation to create a grant program to give back a portion of Nonprofit I.Q.’s revenue to the nonprofits that exemplify their commitment to continuous organizational and personal improvement. This experience as a grantmaker has greatly enhanced Shelley’s knowledge, perspective and understanding of the funding process, enabling her to share both perspectives with her nonprofit clients and helping them maximize their funding success.
A Different Perspective on Nonprofit Success
Shelley believes that the key for long-term success is the development of strong, committed leaders who are focused on creating a “culture of excellence” within their organizations and who are dedicated to a healthy work-life balance for themselves as well as their teams. Without this vital leadership piece, nonprofit leaders typically find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle of reactivity, putting out proverbial fires and forever chasing their elusive goals and dreams – which all-too-often leads to stress and burnout. The good news is that this completely solvable!
True lasting success is simply not possible without balance. We’re erroneously taught that if we work hard enough, we will become successful. Look around. This is a myth. There is no shortage of unsuccessful people who work incredibly hard – in fact, many of our nonprofits serve those very people. We fill our minds with knowledge – we get degrees, go to endless meetings and trainings and employ the latest tools and strategies. If all that work and learning isn’t leading you to achieve your goals, I invite you to look your situation from a different perspective.
Our minds are incredibly powerful! Human brains are essentially computers that have internal programs that are responsible for 95% or more of what we think, do, and say… and therefore the results we get. If we want success, we MUST address the inner programming as well as the outer strategies and tools for ourselves and our teams. One without the other is ineffective. You must work on both the inner and outer game of success.
We need balance between both the head and the heart if we are to inspire ourselves, our teams and our volunteers, partners, and supporters to action. This requires a comprehensive approach to creating success and a focus on our professional development as well as our personal development. This balance creates stability, which in turn gives us peace of mind and a knowing that our life’s work is making a huge impact in our communities and world.