Perhaps Ben Stroup said it best. Stroup, a writer, entrepreneur and business executive, commented: “[Wayne Elsey] has the confidence of a business mogul, the attitude of a coach and the heart of a pastor. To sum it up, he is a force of humanity that will lift you up and take you places you never thought possible.”
Actually, Stroup wrote it in the Foreword in Elsey’s fourth and most recent book GRIP & RIP Leadership for Social Impact, which is the third installment in his Not Your Father’s Charity (NYFC) book series.
Elsey is founder and CEO of Elsey Enterprises and the following suite of independent brands: Funds2Orgs, str@tegic, Not Your Father’s Charity (NYFC) and SocialGoodU (formerly 501c3u.com). Previously, he was founder and CEO of Soles4Souls. Under his guidance, Soles4Souls became one of the top 4 percent of nonprofit organizations in budget size in the United States in fewer than five years.
Now, he is devoting his work and time to helping individuals, social enterprises and nonprofits succeed in a rapidly changing world.
In addition to his businesses, he is challenging those interested in the social sector to work toward a greater vision with his Not Your Father’s Charity book series. Each book addresses a critical topic in the social sector and provides practical and pertinent information for success to nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, media, philanthropists and the general public.
The initial three NYFC books in the series are: Grip & Rip Leadership for Social Impact; Be Bold, Dominate and Succeed in Marketing (for Today’s Digital World on a Limited Budget); and The Rise and Fall of Charities & What You Can Do to be Ready. He is also the author of the motivational books Get Off the Couch: Grip & Rip and Break the Barriers Holding You Back In Life and Almost Isn’t Good Enough. Each is available for free download at Not Your Father’s Charity.
“The old ways of doing things are increasingly being found to be outdated,” explains Elsey. “‘Disruption’ has become part of business as virtually every sector is being touched by socio-economic and technological forces and innovation, which are changing how we all work and do business, including those in the nonprofit sector.”
Why the nonprofit sector? Elsey points to the more than 1.8 million nonprofits across the United States and their need to achieve sustainability. The vast majority of nonprofits operate with budgets of less than $1 million. Since 1970, only 144 nonprofits have crossed the $50 million mark in annual revenue.
The bottom line, Elsey contends, is that only a small number of nonprofits are able to achieve true sustainability, and most nonprofits will not outlive their founder. How can your nonprofit or social enterprise achieve sustainability?
His Not Your Father’s Charity book series explores that sustainability gap and makes concrete suggestions on how to achieve success, based on the experience of someone who has actually done it himself.
His recently published GRIP & RIP Leadership for Social Impact is intended for, among other readers, social-sector professionals who are in a leadership position or want to be promoted into one.
“A lot of people believe that leadership can’t be learned. You either have it or you don’t. I don’t regard leadership being a zero sum game — you’re born with it or you’re not,” Elsey writes in the book’s Introduction. “I think that plenty of people have developed the skills necessary for leadership.”
Organizations rise and fall with leadership, Elsey continues, noting that companies spend more $14 billion each year on leadership development, according to McKinsey & Co., a multinational management-consulting firm based in New York.
“In my experience, if you look at the social sector, small business or group team and when things consistently are not going well, it all boils down to leadership,” he concludes.
Books available for free download by Wayne Elsey:
- NYFC: GRIP & RIP Leadership for Social Impact
- NYFC: Be Bold, Dominate and Succeed in Marketing
- Get Off the Couch: Grip & Rip and Break the Barriers Holding You Back In Life
- NYFC: The Rise and Fail of Charities and What You Can Do To Be Ready
- Almost Isn’t Good Enough