Every day, nonprofit executives make hundreds of decisions — about fundraising strategy, staffing, board relations, and donor engagement.

But here’s the truth: most of those decisions don’t matter if you skip the two that shape everything else.

If you want to start right and end well as a leader, it comes down to two audacious commitments.

James Kouzes and Barry Posner once said:

“Everything you will ever do as a leader is based on one audacious assumption: that you matter.”

That’s the starting point. Leadership begins with the decision that your voice, your actions, and your vision will make a difference.

Sounds simple, right? But here’s why it’s hard…

• We’re trained to fit in. From school to career, most of us are rewarded for compliance, not for standing out.

• Standing out takes courage. It means saying the hard thing in board meetings, making bold fundraising asks, or challenging outdated thinking.

• The cost of blending in? Irrelevance. No one ever changed the world by playing small.

👉 If you want to lead, stop trying to be average. Decide you matter — and then act like it.

Here’s the paradox: leadership isn’t about you. It’s about what you make possible for others.

Great leaders end well because they shift the spotlight:

• They empower their staff to grow.

• They build trust with donors and stakeholders.

• They invest in succession so the mission outlives them.

Your legacy as a leader isn’t measured by how much attention you earned. It’s measured by how many people you elevated.

Now here’s the balancing act most nonprofit leaders struggle with.

• Put yourself first → Protect your energy. Read. Learn. Rest. Invest in your growth.

• Then put others first → Use that strength to empower your team, your board, and your community.

If you skip the first step, you burn out.
If you skip the second, you build a career that looks impressive but leaves no impact.

👉 The best leaders commit to both: nurture what makes you stand out, then use it to lift others up.

Decision-making doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Make these two choices and everything else flows:

1. Decide you matter.

2. Decide others matter more.

That’s how you start right. That’s how you end well. That’s how you leave a legacy of transformational leadership.

At The Batten Group, we believe the right leader can transform an entire organization.

We’re a national nonprofit executive search firm with more than 75 years of combined experience placing CEOs, development officers, and senior leaders across nonprofits, healthcare, higher education, and mission-based organizations.

Our work goes beyond résumés. We identify mission-driven, transformational leaders who align with your culture, inspire your teams, and drive long-term impact.

👉 Learn more at thebattengroup.com, follow us on LinkedIn and X, or subscribe to our newsletter for leadership insights and nonprofit career opportunities.

The Batten Group: where mission meets leadership.