It's Always a Good Day When My Technology Works

If I can just successfully log in to my email, catch a cell signal, and launch that web meeting connection, I feel pretty powerful. A true technology master ... and I've barely begun my day.

How did we ever become so dependent on technology? Well, I'm certainly a few steps behind many people, perhaps a little ahead of some. I'm forced through my work at NorthSky to use tools I'd probably never try and to actually lead (good grief) some aspects of our technology development. I've struggled to learn many things that I've felt hopeless to master only to have that energetic rush that occurs from a successful download or set up.

Everyday, I find something new to help me in my work-- some little technology tool or trick. An invaluable resource in my education has been technology expert Andy Wolber who will be launching his 2011 NorthSky technology webinars this month. These are great sessions starting with an "Introduction to Google Aps for Nonprofits" on Feb 10. Check out the schedule at our website: www.northskynonprofitnetwork.org.

Here's hoping you have a good technology day with lightning speed connections and no computer crashes!

A Mouse is Living in My Car

Yes, you read that correctly. A mouse has taken up residence in my glove compartment. I became suspicious after finding shredded Kleenex and napkins lodged there. And although there is no other evidence in the car- nothing running around my feet or nibbling on my lunch- I'm pretty convinced I've had a roommate traveling with me.

So, here's how I picture it. The car is parked outside our home which is located in an isolated wooded area in northern Michigan. The cat, who is queen of everything outside, chased the mouse under the car. In a desperate survival move, the mouse darted up and into my dashboard and voila-- located a perfect, cozy little hideout.

Continuing the story, my mouse becomes an unwitting traveling companion as I hop in and head off, traveling around northern Michigan. In search of food, the mouse ventures out of the car at one of my stops, perhaps at a nonprofit organization in Charlevoix or Suttons Bay, and is left behind; many miles from my home (and his) in Manistee County. He has no clue how he got there or how to get back.

So, why does the mouse in my car remind me of a nonprofit organization? Well, how often have we bolted into a seemingly safe haven in a desperate survival move? Perhaps, agreed to a partnership or funding requirement that truly took us to places we hadn't anticipated or weren't prepared for. Or developed a poorly conceived strategic plan that is more wishful thinking then decisive strategy. How often have we had no clue how to retrace our steps or get back home?

What's the lesson? These are desperate times for many nonprofits. Before dodging into what appears to be a safe haven, it's essential to do your due diligence. Evaluate and plan for that partnership. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of that innovative revenue opportunity. Don't jump into that moving car without a GPS and road map.

You'll find partnership and grant opportunity evaluation tools, as well as business planning and strategic planning tools in the NorthSky Online Resource Center at: www.northskynonprofitnetwork.org

Make sure the next journey you take as a nonprofit is one you planned.

Stand-out Year End Appeals are Harder than Ever

The fall is rapidly fading into early winter and we're making plans for the holidays, kicking us into the high season of fundraising. The economy is still sluggish (and in serious decline in many areas), placing the success of our fundraising activities at risk. Many nonprofits generate more than 50% of their fundraising revenue in the last quarter of the year. What to do? Now, more than ever, it's essential that we adhere to pristine fundraising methods and don't forget the basics.

Those year-end appeals must make a compelling case for support and demonstrate to prospective donors that your organization is professional and worthy of support. And they must accomplish all of this in one page or less. That means a glance at your letter must pull the reader in with a "hook" and hold the reader with an attractive, easy-to-read layout. Your hook might be an invocative first sentence, a quote, or client success story. Don't forget the basics: perfect spelling, grammar, an easy-to-use response card, and accurate mailing list. These elements are far more important than a slick or clever design. To seal the deal, include a signature or note from someone the reader knows-- a board member or volunteer is ideal.

You'll find some great suggestions for conducting a successful direct mail campaign at the Capital Ventures website.
http://www.cvfundraising.com/resources/tip_sheets/direct_mail
http://www.cvfundraising.com/resources/tip_sheets/direct_mail_2

Or join us at the November 18 NorthSky Break for Lunch session, "Developing a Compelling Case Statement," with fundraising expert, Lyn Jenks. You'll find the details at www.northskynonprofitnetwork.org

Can we learn anything from political campaigns?

It's election season and once again we're being bombarded by phone calls, mailings, radio and television ads; all focused on capturing our attention and influencing our vote. With every candidate driving to be successful on November 2. It triggers the question, doesn't it? How do we launch a successful campaign for our own cause or nonprofit organization? How do we borrow the best from political strategists and effectively use their techniques to advance our mission and forward our cause?

Andy Knott, executive director for The Watershed Center, led a great professional development session at NorthSky last week on Grassroots Advocacy. Some tips he shared:

• Build your advocacy network by identifying and recruiting individuals who support your cause and share your passion. How do you find these folks? By going public with your cause --perhaps through an education session, event of some sort, or media story.
• Carefully craft your message and train the members of your network to deliver it. Don't assume that they can convey your message effectively: arm them with materials and train them to deliver the message.
• Communicate with and build relationships with politicians and opinion leaders. Use letter writing campaigns, phone calls and meetings to get to know one another.
• Build coalitions with other organizations who share your mission and support for the cause. List and publicize your coalition partners to gain support from other individuals and organizations.
• Meet with officials at the local, state and federal level. Remember: you'll have more impact if other coalition members and constituents participate. And, develop a print piece that you can leave behind.

Successful grassroots advocacy depends on relationship building and using others to deliver your message over and over again. You need to become an exquisite communicator with the ability to infect others with your passion. It takes time and energy.

Other suggestions to share?

Recovering from a Service Failure

Service recovery- ever heard that term? It's common in the for-profit sector and emerging in the nonprofit sector, particularly in the health and human services arena. The term refers to addressing a failure in customer service (and rapid recovery from the problem in the eyes of the customer.) The goal is quick response and problem resolution as to maintain customer confidence and goodwill.

I had a service recovery moment this week when a NorthSky webinar went very wrong. The technology failed during our first session of the Fall series including the phones, the computer, and the Internet connection. And it occurred during a session that was well attended with an excellent speaker. Bad, bad timing...

So what do you do? Well, hopefully you do, what I did: everything to make it right including a re-broadcast of the session and a tuition credit. Your service recovery solution will be different than mine but the basic success factors remain the same: sincere regret, quick response, strong communication, and ultimately, a solution to the problem.

The tricky part of service recovery rests in the reality that it's your front line staff and volunteers that need to be prepared to respond. Time delays can be deadly, resulting in a disgruntled constituent communicating their dissatisfaction throughout your service area. Successful service recovering relies on the empowerment of your staff and volunteers. Are you ready to give up some control?

Service failures are inevitable as hard as you work to avoid them. Your nonprofit's success relies on being poised to respond. Have you prepared yourself and your team? Have you developed guidelines and conducted contingency training? Literature abounds on service recovery. You'll find an excellent article at www.greatbrook.com/service_recovery.htm

Any thoughts to share?

Look Out the Window

The view can be not only inspirational but an education. We all forget to do it. It’s easy to become absorbed by the internal workings of our organizations. We respond to our clients, staff, donors and other constituents and increasingly view the world through a narrower lens. Overtime, we may base decisions, conclusions, and recommendations on an internal perspective without drawing information from a broader environment.

Yet, to gain a truly comprehensive and objective mindset, we need to open the window, watch and listen to what’s going on outside. We need information and knowledge from the larger world.

Exceptional nonprofits are in touch with the outside world in a way that others are not. They regularly receive and internalize information on community need, perceptions, and behavior. They monitor and anticipate trends and are masters at adopting change and best practices. They establish listening posts and viewing stations and use exquisite listening skills to process incoming information to perfect their strategies. So, how do they do that?

1) Establish creative and active listening through informal meetings, town meetings, focus groups, surveys or key informant interviews with a wide range of people.
2) Create a culture of non-defensiveness and receptivity to change by rewarding adaptability, encouraging information exchange, and incentivizing continuous learning.
3) Set up listening posts encouraging customer and public suggestions through comment boxes, email, survey or a dedicated phone line. And then, review and respond to the information you receive.

Most importantly, get out of the office mentally and physically. Talk to people, listen to them and observe. You'll learn a lot!

Push for More Productive Meetings

Life intensifies in the summer as we try to juggle work and home life during the short, sweet vacation season. Yet, it’s nearly impossible to cancel every meeting and postpone every project until the fall. One high leverage opportunity—get better at conducting meetings and work sessions. You’ll feel better about scheduling the time and the team will be more energetic, enthusiastic and productive. Here are some techniques I’ve found to be helpful.

1) Always, always have an agenda with clear objectives for the meeting. Send it out ahead of time; help the team prepare to use the time well by supplying any documents or pre-reading that you can.

2) Identify a good location that provides quiet space, no distractions, reasonably comfortable seating (preferably with a table) and a flip chart/ white board for capturing ideas. An excellent (and greener option) is to use a laptop and projector to capture brainstorming ideas electronically and project them up on the wall for the team to reference.

3) Set ground rules and post them. It will be easier to pull folks back on to the agenda if the team has agreed to “stay on the subject.” If you have “chatters” who dominate the discussion, a ground rule about sharing speaking time, assists the chair in cutting them off.

4) Start and end on time; don’t reward latecomers. Be respectful of those in attendance and get them out the door as promised.

5) Keep a meeting record of decisions, assignments and next steps. Distribute it in a timely manner. Again, a laptop can help efficiently capture meeting ideas in one smooth key stroke, so to speak.

6) If the agenda just isn't working, stop and revise it. Don’t waste time on discussion items that are not helpful. Learn to read the group and improvise as needed.

7) Learn and use online meeting tools. Doodle.com and meetingwizard.com are great free tools for scheduling meetings. Meeting wizard also has tools for creating agendas and minutes.

8) Use online meeting tools to work on documents together online. Google Docs and pbworks.com provide real time access to documents and project work. The team can update and revise documents together. You can post the project workplan, meeting schedule and other team information.

Budgets are tight, time is compressed, and we are all protective of our schedules. Gain the reputation for scheduling and conducting valuable meetings. You’ll have better attendance and more enthusiastic participants.

Any tips to share for more productive meetings?