Hanging Out: Building Connection Within Your Nonprofit

Recently, I’ve been reminded that growth and breakthroughs don't always come from sitting in a boardroom or reading a business book. They can come from laughter, candid conversations, and a little bit of play.  

I’ve been listening to Good Hang with Amy Poehler, and what I love most is how the podcast makes space for curiosity and connection. It reminds me that making time to "hang" — to pause, listen, and enjoy — isn't wasted time. It's fuel for creativity, perspective, and even the courage to take the next step.  

Work Isn't Just the Work  

Your team isn't just a collection of roles and responsibilities. They're people. This is something we all know, but can sometimes feel more conceptual than tangible. The more your people actually know each other as people, the better they work together as colleagues.  

This is especially true — and especially hard — for your board.  

Think about it. You're asking board members to have real strategic conversations, to push back on each other, to politely challenge an idea they don't love. And you're asking them to do that with people they might see four to six times a year. No wonder disagreements feel risky. No wonder people default to nodding along instead of speaking up. When you barely know someone, you can't be sure how your pushback will land, so you don't push back at all.  

The same goes for your board-to-staff relationship and your staff-to-staff relationship. It’s easier to assume the best and know how to address issues when you know someone on an individual level.  

Why This Falls on You  

Creating space for connection isn't something that happens on its own. As the leader, that's your job.  

Your board and your staff are two groups steering the same mission, and could easily never cross paths. Your staff has a built-in advantage here since they see each other daily, but daily proximity doesn't automatically build trust either.  

Your team needs social time together. Real, unstructured time to just talk. Time to just get to know each other as people. These three relationships require three intentional investments.  

It's Not Fluff, It's Infrastructure  

This matters far beyond good vibes. When people know and understand each other, something shifts. They extend more grace — but they also push each other harder. Both things happen at once, and that's the point.  

A team that trusts each other can disagree without it becoming personal. A board that knows each other can challenge a strategic direction without someone quietly stewing about it for a month. A meeting stops feeling like a boring report-out and starts feeling like an engaging way to work through a problem together.  

That time to “just hang” is the line between compliance and real collaboration.   

So this week, build in the time and just let people talk. Your next breakthrough might not come from the strategic plan — it might come from the conversation you almost didn't make time for.  

Want to check how connected your board feels? Get my Board Engagement Scorecard!