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Beyond the Donation Episode 21 courage-based culture interview with Julie Boll

Ep. 21 | A Courage-Based Culture, an interview with Julie Boll

Our Guest: Julie Boll, Founder of Julie Boll Consulting

About Julie: Julie is a licensed facilitator with Dare to Lead and has been in the nonprofit sector for over two decades. She built her career as a grant professional, and eventually started her consulting company in an effort to partner with NPOs to spot them in grant work. This led to her digging deeper in assisting nonprofits with capturing their vision and pursuing the Dare to Lead path.

[5:00] The importance of vulnerability in leadership development

[6:37] “We call it courage building, so when I have a tagline, it’s ‘Helping people live and lead more courageously.’ So that means being okay with vulnerability, recognizing your shame triggers, knowing what your values are, and knowing when they’ve been compromised.” - Julie Boll

[7:26] Building a healthy culture

[10:18] Organizational values

[14:11] The process and inclusion of defining values

[18:24] Value-Based decision making (for leaders, especially)

[24:18] Courage to influence positive change

[26:00] Parting advice for leaders

More About Julie:

LinkedIn       |         Website

To Connect with Beyond the Donation Podcast:

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The average fundraiser leaves within 16 months because of unrealistic revenue targets, unclear role definitions, and a misalignment between what they were hired to do and what the organization actually needs. Burnout is the symptom, not the root cause. Turnover usually starts during hiring, when expectations are set without the strategy, systems, or board support to match.

Last updated
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Consistently: ending a program that donors love but outcomes do not support, letting go of long-tenured staff whose roles have outgrown their skills, raising fees or declining a gift that comes with strings, and saying no to a mission-adjacent opportunity that would stretch capacity too far. Each is a leadership call, not a management one.

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How do I make tough decisions with my nonprofit board?

Bring data, options, and a recommendation — not open-ended questions. Boards govern best when staff present the decision framework and the trade-offs, then ask for approval. Open "what should we do?" conversations produce committee drift. Hard decisions move faster when the executive director owns the recommendation and the board owns the ratification.

Last updated
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Author
Elisha Ford
Content Writer
Last updated:
April 29, 2026
Written by
Elisha Ford
Content Writer

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