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Oct 14
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Is Your Team Prepared?

By Business Consulting, Family Businesses, Newsletters, Nonprofit, Privately Held, Strategy, Succession Planning
Planning Ahead

Is Your Team Prepared?

Written By: Cheron Smalls | HR Director | Warren Whitney

Learn More About Cheron Here

Is Your Team Prepared?

As you plan for next year, consider what your people need to carry those plans forward.

If your most reliable employee were out for six weeks, what would stop? The answer says a lot about how ready your team is for next year.

I once worked with a technology director who knew an organization’s systems inside and out. He was a founding employee and built many of those systems himself. Two junior employees worked alongside him, but he still held much of the knowledge.

As part of business continuity planning, the organization identified that gap. The director documented key processes, trained his colleagues, and gave them opportunities to handle situations independently. About two years later, he left to start his own business. The team was ready. Critical functions continued, and one of the remaining employees moved into a management role.

“It was a disappointment, but it wasn’t a panic.”

That preparation protected the organization. It also gave employees the experience they needed to take the next step in their careers. As you plan for 2027, how prepared is your team for what comes next?

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Sep 18
Love0
Leaders discussing succession planning and preparation for a leadership transition.

Six Steps For Succession Planning

By Business Consulting, Family Businesses, Newsletters, Nonprofit, Privately Held, Strategy, Succession Planning
Planning Ahead

Six Steps For Succession Planning

Written By: Stephanie Ford | Director | Warren Whitney

Learn More About Stephanie Here

Six Steps For Succession Planning

Succession planning and leadership changes impact all organizations, but a successful transition involves more than choosing the next leader. An owner’s exit impacts leadership, staff, customers, family, finances, and the company’s future. Neglecting these factors can lead to systemic challenges, even with a good successor. Planning should start early to allow leaders to improve the organization, prepare successors, and make informed decisions about the future.

Here are six questions worth answering well before the transition begins.
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Aug 05
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Leader helping a team navigate uncertainty and workplace disagreement

The Challenges of Leadership in Unsettled Times

By Business Consulting, Family Businesses, Human Resources, Newsletters, Nonprofit, Privately Held, Strategy
Top of Mind

The Challenges of Leadership in Unsettled Times

Written By: Tom Prest | Director | Warren Whitney

Learn More About Tom Here

The Challenges of Leadership in Unsettled Times

These days, it feels like the world’s problems walk into work with our staff. Economic anxiety, social tension, and political polarization show up in conversations, social media posts, and in the way people interact or avoid each other.

As leaders, the task is hard: provide stability without pretending everything is fine, and create unity when people genuinely disagree. In unsettled times, the real work of leadership is to lead with clarity, empathy, care, and vision as well as to help teams find common ground even when that proves difficult.

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Jul 14
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HR consultant discussing Virginia pay transparency law and salary range requirements for employers.

Pay Transparency Is Not Just About the Range

By Business Consulting, Family Businesses, Human Resources, Newsletters, Nonprofit, Privately Held, Strategy
New Law

“Pay Transparency Is Not Just About the Range”

Written By: Janet Duncan | Human Resources Director | Warren Whitney

Learn More About Janet Here

Read Our Virginia Pay Transparency Compliance Guide Here

Pay transparency is now in effect in Virginia.

Virginia’s new pay transparency law is about more than adding salary ranges to job postings. Employers should review their compensation strategy, internal pay equity, manager training, and hiring practices before posting a single job. Otherwise, public salary ranges can expose inconsistencies that affect recruiting, employee trust, and retention.

Under HB 636, Virginia employers must include a good-faith wage or salary range in public and internal postings for jobs, promotions, transfers, and other employment opportunities. The law also limits the use of salary history in hiring and pay decisions.

Many employers are starting with the posting. What range do we need to list? How wide should it be? Where should it go? Those questions matter, but they are not the only ones you should be asking.

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Jun 22
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The Financial Management Team Every Organization Needs

By Business Consulting, Finance & Accounting, Newsletters, Strategy

Do you have the right financial management in place?

Most CEOs don’t lose sleep over accounting. They lose sleep when they aren’t confident the numbers are telling them the truth. Financial management isn’t just about keeping accurate books. It’s about giving leaders the confidence to make good decisions. If your financial reports are confusing, your forecasts are unreliable, or you aren’t certain where your organization really stands, the issue may not be your accounting system. It may be your financial management team.

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May 21
Love0
A nonprofit board discussing how to work more efficiently.

The Growing Challenge of Nonprofit Board Leadership

By Board Development, Newsletters, Nonprofit, Strategic Planning Nonprofit

The Growing Challenge of Nonprofit Board Leadership

Over the last 25 years, the number of nonprofits has grown dramatically. In Central Virginia alone, estimates suggest an increase of between 3,500 and 4,000 nonprofit organizations. Every one of those organizations needs a board. More importantly, every one of them needs a good board.

That is becoming increasingly difficult.

It is hard to find good board members. And frankly, it is hard to be a good board member in today’s environment.

Board Development, BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer
Co-Founder, Owner, & Director

Katherine M. Whitney

Katherine M. Whitney is a Co-Founder, Owner, and Director of Warren Whitney, where she has spent more than 35 years helping organizations strengthen leadership, governance, and decision-making. Her practice is focused almost entirely on nonprofits, with deep experience supporting boards and management teams through board development, executive director and CEO searches, strategic planning, succession planning, and organizational change.

Katherine brings both professional consulting experience and firsthand governance leadership to her work. She is a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer and has served on numerous nonprofit, educational, civic, and community boards across Virginia, including roles as board chair, governance committee chair, strategic planning committee chair, and search committee chair. Her board service includes organizations such as Christchurch School, The Memorial Foundation for Children, St. Michael’s Episcopal School, St. Catherine’s School, The Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, Heart of Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, RichTech, Greater Richmond Partnership, and The Richmond Chamber.

Katherine holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a BS in Mathematics from Davidson College, and is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond. Her work is grounded in a practical understanding of the nonprofit and philanthropic landscape, particularly in Virginia, where she has helped mission-driven organizations align strong governance with effective execution.

Contact Us

For years, nonprofit leaders have talked about the “three Ts” of board service: Time, Talent, and Treasure. The goal for most boards is to have members who can bring at least two of the three. Today, checking even two boxes has become increasingly challenging.

The Time Challenge

Time has become one of the greatest barriers to nonprofit board service. Scheduling is harder for nearly everything we do. People retire later, work longer hours, travel more, and manage increasingly complex family and professional responsibilities.

Even highly committed board members can struggle to find time for:

  • Board meetings
  • Committee meetings
  • Preparation and reading
  • Strategic discussions
  • Fundraising activities
  • Community engagement

At the same time, the work of nonprofit governance has become more demanding. Boards are expected not only to provide oversight, but also to think strategically, support leadership transitions, strengthen community relationships, and help organizations navigate financial and operational complexity.

The Talent Challenge

There is no shortage of intelligent and capable people in our communities. The challenge is finding individuals with the specific skills, experience, and mindset that nonprofit organizations increasingly need.

For example, every board should have several financially savvy members. Not everyone with financial strength needs to be a CPA but having someone who understands the complexity of nonprofit accounting, nonprofit financial statements, cash flow, and organizational sustainability brings tremendous strength to a board. Yet the controller and CFO pipeline has become significantly smaller over the last decade, making those candidates harder to find.

Beyond financial expertise, boards increasingly need people who can:

  • Think strategically
  • Ask thoughtful questions
  • Build relationships in the community
  • Open doors for the organization
  • Understand governance responsibilities
  • Help organizations “see around corners”

The strongest board members are not simply supportive of the mission. They actively strengthen the organization’s future.

The Treasure Challenge

The financial expectations of board service have also become more complicated.

As the gap widens between the very wealthy, upper middle class, and middle class, there are not enough individuals who are both willing and financially able to support multiple nonprofits at significant levels.

The traditional model of “you support my nonprofit, and I’ll support yours” is becoming harder to sustain. At the same time, nonprofits are facing increasing competition for philanthropic dollars, volunteer leadership, and community attention.

Organizations that rely solely on financial capacity as the primary criteria for board recruitment may find the pipeline shrinking.

Why Great Boards Matter

Strong boards and strong nonprofit CEOs tend to reinforce one another. Great boards help organizations:

  • Think more strategically
  • Strengthen accountability
  • Expand community influence
  • Support fundraising and partnerships
  • Navigate leadership transitions
  • Build long-term sustainability

A high-functioning board also improves the return on the CEO’s time and energy. Nonprofit CEOs invest substantial time working with boards. When the board is engaged, thoughtful, and strategic, the organization becomes stronger.

Great boards rarely happen accidentally. They are built intentionally over time.

How Organizations Attract Strong Board Members

Strength attracts strength. Talented people are drawn to organizations that are well-led, well-organized, and mission-focused.

Three things consistently help organizations attract strong board members:

1. Strong Leadership

A strong CEO who communicates a compelling vision, builds trust, and represents the organization well is far more likely to attract strong board members. People want to be associated with organizations that are making meaningful progress.

2. Good Processes

Busy and talented people want their time used wisely. Organizations that thoughtfully cultivate board candidates, provide strong orientation and education, communicate effectively, and design engaging board meetings are more likely to attract and retain strong members. Board meetings should not feel like “necessary but boring” reporting sessions. The best meetings create opportunities for strategic discussion, learning, problem-solving, and meaningful engagement.

3. A Culture of Accountability and Excellence

Healthy board cultures matter. Board members are more likely to stay engaged when expectations are clear, participation is meaningful, and fellow board members follow through on commitments. Strong cultures create momentum. High-performing board members tend to attract other high-performing board members.

Organizations should be intentional about creating a culture of:

  • Accountability
  • Respect
  • Partnership
  • Gratitude
  • Engagement
  • Excellence
Final Thoughts

The work of nonprofits is too important to settle for passive governance.

Strong boards do not happen by chance. They are built intentionally through thoughtful recruitment, meaningful engagement, clear expectations, and strong leadership.

Time, talent, and treasure are increasingly stretched; organizations that invest in governance will be far better positioned to fulfill their missions, support their CEOs, and strengthen the communities they serve.

Questions Every Board Should Ask

As nonprofits continue to grow and evolve, boards should periodically ask themselves:

  • Do we have the skills and perspectives we need for the future?
  • Are we cultivating future board leaders now?
  • Are our meetings strategic and engaging?
  • Do board members clearly understand expectations?
  • Are we using people’s time wisely?
  • Are we creating a culture that attracts strong people?

Are you ready to make potential happen?

WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Apr 30
Love0

2026 Nonprofit Compensation, Benefits & Work Culture Report for Richmond, VA

By Business Consulting, Human Resources, Newsletters, Strategy

May 2026

2026 Nonprofit Compensation, Benefits & Work Culture Report for Richmond, VA

We’re excited to share that the Moving Toward Equity Compensation, Benefits, and Work Culture Report for RVA Nonprofits is now available for download.

This year’s report covers compensation data for 27 key positions, drawn from responses across 65 nonprofits, capturing 698 wages and real insights from staff pay equity, work experience, and direct service provider surveys.

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Apr 15
Love87

April 2026: How to Handle Poor Performance

By Business Consulting, Human Resources, Newsletters
Director of Human Resources

How to Handle Poor Performance: Five critical questions to determine the root cause of poor performance
Written by Beth Williams

Poor performance presents an opportunity! Managers should view it as an open door to dialogue with their direct reports. The opportunity is for both the manager and the employee to better understand how best to support each other and succeed in their roles. The manager’s job is not to react first, but to diagnose well.

So, how do we approach the poor performance of an employee? We seek to understand the root cause of the performance issue and address it head-on. As you seek to understand poor performance, ask these five critical questions:

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Feb 03
Love87

March 2026: AI For Business Leaders

By Business Consulting, Newsletters, Strategy, Technology and Operations

David Nelms serves as a member of Warren Whitney’s management team of for-profit and not-for-profit clients. He works with firms in the areas of technology and operations, where he provides services ranging from strategic planning to ongoing management of teams and key initiatives.

Written by David Nelms

The use of AI in small to medium-sized businesses is increasing and will soon become a necessity. If you are a business leader in the early stages of integrating AI into your organization, read on to explore several key concepts and examples of how to implement different tools.

As a note, and in the spirit of transparency, I used AI to help draft this article. The value was not in having the tool “write” the piece, but in using it as a thinking partner. I started by outlining the structure and key ideas, then worked through the draft conversationally by asking it questions, refining language, and pressure-testing my thinking along the way. For business leaders, this is where AI can be most effective: not as a replacement for judgment or experience, but as a tool that clarifies ideas, speeds up iteration, and improves the quality of the final output.

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Jan 21
Love87

February 2026: Right-Sizing Risk Management

By Business Consulting, Human Resources, Newsletters

Right-Sizing Risk Management: Build a sustainable framework
Written by Scott Warren

Risk management is often viewed as a compliance requirement or a reaction to potential threats. In reality, it is a strategic discipline; one that helps organizations prepare for uncertainty, make informed decisions, and strengthen long-term resilience. Over the years, Warren Whitney has applied risk management in various formats, such as SWOT analyses, enterprise risk frameworks, and disaster recovery planning. In every case, the goal is the same: to think ahead about what could go wrong and plan accordingly.

An effective risk management approach begins with a simple goal: identify and prioritize potential risks and mitigate their impact whenever possible. From there, it’s about finding the right balance between structure and flexibility, developing a process that fits the organization’s size, culture, and stage of growth.

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