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Sharpening the Focus on Your Mission

Sharpening the Focus on Your Mission

In a recent survey, 37% of responding nonprofit leaders and board members reported that they were concerned that their mission was “less clear and compelling than it was in the past.” If the individuals closest to the cause are uncertain, how can they hope to send clear, compelling messages to the volunteers and donors they depend on to accomplish their work. How can they ensure that their client’s needs are being met? On one hand, the survey data isn’t surprising. When is

Working Together for Alignment and Success

Working Together for Alignment and Success

How often does your leadership team or nonprofit board take time to look beyond the usual agenda items and focus on the big picture? Holding a longer strategic planning meeting can create stronger focus and allow for in-depth processing of ideas to keep your team engaged and focused on your true mission. Group planning and alignment helps you avoid the pitfalls of short-sited, knee-jerk reactions. As Stephen Covey so famously taught, you won’t succeed at cutting down a reco

You have a Facebook Page! Now what?

You have a Facebook Page! Now what?

If you are like most nonprofits today, you have taken steps to implement at least one form of social media communication. Recent research by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research found that 98% of U.S. nonprofits use at least one social media site, with YouTube leading the way, followed by Facebook, then Twitter. So how’s that working for you? I find the nonprofits I talk with often fail to hold their social media efforts to the same standard

Two Ears, One Mouth, Three Keys to Engagement

Two Ears, One Mouth, Three Keys to Engagement

When talking with nonprofit—or better yet, “for purpose”-- leaders about their fundraising activities, I am frequently reminded of a nugget I learned in a sales training course earlier in my career: “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.” Simple, but true, this observation is the key to building a solid foundation for your nonprofit, and the most important skill for engaging support from volunteers and donors is the skill of listening. After analyzing their donor and

How’s Your Balance Sheet?

How’s Your Balance Sheet?

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the late Stephen Covey introduced the concept of “sharpening the saw.” According to Covey, we often get so involved in “sawing”—the day-to-day activity of producing result —that we forget to take time to “sharpen the saw” before we begin, making our work much harder and less productive than it needs to be. We “sharpen the saw” when we take time for those activities that allow us to maintain or increase results in the fut

Making the Most of Your Board

Making the Most of Your Board

In talking with non-profits about strategies for success, the subject of Board participation and commitment frequently surfaces. It seems many non-profits struggle with creating a Board that has the right combination of individuals to provide the expertise, experience and diversity of views they need to achieve optimum results for the clients they serve. Here are three trends that I have identified and some possible solutions to consider. Common Trends All organizations are

The Eyes Have It When It Comes To Your Brand

In reading message boards and blogs, it seems lots of people confuse the terms logo and brand. Your logo is the “mark” that is unique to your organization. It is a graphic representation of your brand. When done well, it is create an almost automatic response. Red means stop, green means go. But your brand is far more than that. Your brand is a combination of what you intend to do and what others believe they know about what you do. To paraphrase the old quote on beaut