More than any other single thing, being successful at something means not giving up.
Everything takes longer than you expect. Lots longer.
In a volunteer based non-profit people don't have the shared goal of making money. Instead every single person has their own personal agenda which motivates their participation.
Unfortunately “dreaming big” is more fun and less work than “doing big”.
Process matters. How you get there will effect not only the end result, but how people feel about the end result.
Email is guaranteed to evoke the worst possible response from someone, especially during conflict.
Nothing is as refreshing to the soul as receiving an unanticipated act of generosity.
One of the primary jobs of a leader is to act as a “lightning rod” for discussion. As such it is often more important to have an opinion, than to have the correct opinion.
When dealing with difficult situations it's vital to stay focused on the goal and not get pulled into emotional responses. My mantra was: “read, react, respond, reduce”.