The Bovard Brief
Practical perspectives on events, strategy, and the business of consulting — from the desk of Ilse Bovard.
Where I Learned to Watch the Room
I was recently asked to describe my equity values for a consultant directory. The honest answer isn't a policy — it's a place. On growing up coloured in South Africa, and how that shapes who gets heard in the rooms I facilitate.
The Networking Question Nobody Asks
What if networking wasn't about being seen — but about showing up to serve?
I'm part of a Nonprofit Consultant Learning Lab, and this week's session stopped me in my tracks a little.
We covered credibility, differentiation, visibility, relationship building — all the things you'd expect in a conversation about growing a consulting practice. But the moment that stuck with me came from a fellow consultant named Allison.
She described her approach to networking this way: before she walks into any room, she asks herself how can I serve here? Not what can I get, not who do I need to meet. How can I serve.
She's built what she calls "homes" — conferences, gatherings, and communities where she shows up consistently, where people know her, and where she contributes through speaking, coaching, and workshopping. Not every event. Not every opportunity. The ones where she genuinely belongs and can give something real.
It reframed something I thought I already understood.
Visibility isn't about volume. It's about depth in the right rooms. And credibility isn't just what's on your bio — it's what people experience when you're actually in the space with them.
As someone building Bovard Consulting at the intersection of nonprofit and financial services work, that landed. The goal isn't to be everywhere. It's to be genuinely useful in the places that matter.
Still thinking about where my homes are. But I know that's the right question to be asking.
You Have a Strategic Plan. Now What?
Most organizations invest significant time and resources in strategic planning. Far fewer invest in what comes next — the 90 days that determine whether the plan actually gets used.
Why the Best Leadership Forums Are Built Around Questions, Not Answers
Most leadership forums are designed to deliver information. The best ones are built around something harder to design for — the right questions.
What Nonprofits Can Learn from the Best Corporate Leadership Retreats
The private sector has been refining the leadership retreat for decades. Here's what nonprofit and mission-driven organizations can borrow — without the budget or the golf course.
The Hidden Cost of Leadership Misalignment
Misalignment at the leadership level doesn't always look like conflict. Here's what it actually looks like — and what it costs organizations that leave it unaddressed.
Before You Book the Venue: Five Questions to Ask Before Planning Your Next Leadership Convening
The venue is the easy part. Before you book it, here are five questions that will make everything else — the agenda, the speakers, the format — fall into place.
5 Strategic Mistakes Organizations Make (And How to Avoid Them)
Even strong organizations can fall into these patterns. Here are five strategic mistakes I see most often — and what to do instead.
Why I Started Bovard Consulting
After years of working alongside mission-driven organizations, one thing became clear: good intentions aren't enough without a clear strategy and strong systems to support them. That insight led to the launch of Bovard Consulting.
What Working with Bovard Consulting Actually Looks Like
A practical look at how Bovard Consulting approaches engagements — from discovery to implementation support.
The Most Valuable Part of a Leadership Forum Isn't the Stage
Years ago, I worked as an events manager for Focus Financial Partners, helping design leadership forums and industry gatherings for wealth management executives.
One thing became clear very quickly: the most valuable part of these events isn't the stage. It's the conversations that happen around it.
The best leadership forums create space for advisors and firm leaders to discuss the real challenges shaping their businesses — succession and next-generation leadership, scaling advisory firms while maintaining culture, navigating regulatory and market shifts, and building deeper client relationships in a changing wealth landscape.
What I learned then — and what still guides my work today — is that thoughtful event design can accelerate those conversations. The right agenda, the right speakers, and the right room can create insights that might otherwise take years to develop.
It's been rewarding to come back to this work recently through Bovard Consulting, designing forums that bring together leaders across the wealth and advisory industry.
The best events don't just inform. They connect people to ideas — and to each other.
Working on a leadership forum or industry convening? I'd love to connect.