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Nanette's Notes
Most nominating committees recognize the need for those with financial and legal expertise to sit on their boards. Here are some additional fields from which boards should be looking to add people as well: PR/Marketing Social Networking Fundraising Program and Event Planning Human Resources Sales When nominating people to serve on your board, consider the following criteria in...
Organizations have events for a variety of reasons.Most events can be categorized as primarily for: fundraising, mission fulfillment or outreach and engagement. Too often organizations say goodbye to the guests, clean up, write their thank you notes and check the event off the list. If you are doing so, then you are...
Many organizations in the nonprofit world are seeking to redefine and reinvent themselves. It is important for the leaders of these organizations seeking to make themselves relevant to a new generation and the realities of the times to make sure that the process they use is also up to date. The...
You only have to spend a short period of time in an organization to get a feeling for the environment. Is it formal or informal? Are the people who work there happy? Do they seem energetic or lethargic? Are they at ease or tense? Are people empowered to make decisions?...
Planning for Your Community’s Future
Below is an article that I wrote that was published by eJewishPhilanthropy.com. Planning for Your Community’s Future December 31, 2009 by eJP by Nanette Fridman As we embark upon 2010, Jewish communities across the country continue to work diligently to retool their organizations to allow for sustainable operations. If you spend time in many...
One of the most memorable lines from my childhood was the Wendy’s commercial in which Clara Peller asks “Where’s the beef?” I find myself today asking, “Where’s the passion?” Too many organizations are lackluster and not compelling because they lack passion. Spend time in successful organizations and you will know “Where’s the...
RockStar Leader
The moment Sean’s audition was over, the rest of us looked at each other with a single word in mind: whoa. Strong, rhythmic, tight and articulate, Sean’s drumming would be a quantum leap for our band. Our original drummer had left us – the victim of real life intruding –...
Leadership Lessons from Wynton Marsalis
Here are 15 lessons to help you become and stay a better leader from Wynton Marsalis. 1- THINK BIG, BUT DON’T BE IMPATIENT. Deferring the rewards of long-term success is difficult but necessary if you are going to have the mental fortitude to achieve them. 2. BE PERFECT IN INTENTION; YOU DON’T...
You could say that I booked the first major club gig for our band because of the opportunity to play in front of a larger audience. Or because of the massive sound system we’d get to run through. Or because we could finally hand out actual tickets – with our...
Design Your Best Year Ever. Posted in Intersections ...
Clean, crunch, and lead… They’re the holy trinity of tone among guitarists – endlessly discussed, tweaked, and refined. We’ve all heard dozens of variations on each in popular music. Clean is the sparkling guitar tone in the introduction to Boston’s “More than a Feeling.” Crunch is the thick, meaty tone that opens Deep...
String Cheese and Rock Star Leadership
I liked the format of Time magazine’s 12/14/2009 interview with Foo Fighters front-man, Dave Grohl – regular people emailing in questions for Grohl to answer, which he did with surprising candor and aplomb. But something he said really got me thinking about an important element of being a Rock Star Leader...
Nonprofit Execs on the Edge
A blueprint for action any nonprofit can use
Here is one great model for a comprehensive online advocacy campaign, and it can easily be adapted for a fundraising drive or outreach initiative. Take a look and learn. Borrow individual ideas. Adopt the comprehensive approach. Heck, use it to educate board or staff members on how social media fits into...
Maneuvering the mine field of a nonperforming board member
As an executive director, the hardest thing I ever did (other than lay off a staff person) was maneuver the mine field of dealing with a nonperforming board member. Structurally, this was not my role as lead staff – it was the board chair’s role. But as half of the...
Social media blasphemy – it’s ok to keep quiet
Remember when your mom told you, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”? I’d take it a step further with social media: “if you don’t have anything to say, just stay quiet”! Forget what all the social media experts tell us about tweeting several times a...
Share your love for your favorite nonprofit
In honor of Valentine’s Day, spread a little love for your favorite nonprofit. It will only take a minute to blow a kiss their way. Here’s how:On Facebook:1. On your favorite nonprofit’s Facebook (FB) page, post a photo relevant to what they do or something you’ve participated in. It will show...
Nonprofits: don't make these 3 communications mistakes
I recently observed a few surprising mistakes made by businesses using social media and online marketing. I share these in hopes that your nonprofits will not run your online communications and community engagement efforts like these businesses did. Mistake #1: Bribing me to be your friend/fan.A lot has been written about...
A simple outline for your fundraising ask
“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.Seth Godin’s recent 8 questions and a why provides a simple and brilliant basis for every fundraising ask. I edited Godin's questions just a tad for use in crafting your ask:Who are you trying to...
Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog
Management Improvement Carnival #91
The Curious Cat Management Blog Carnival provides links to recent articles to help managers improve the performance of their organization. A Mindless Worker is a Happy Worker “when people are given a chance to participate in creating something good, solving a problem, and play a role in adding value through the...
Improving Software Development with Automated Tests
Automated software testing is a mistake proofing (poka-yoke) solution for software development. The way automated testing works is that software code is written that tests the software code of the application. This automated testing code test that business rules are correctly being followed by the code in the application. So for...
Improving Education with Deming’s Ideas
This interview with David Langford discusses how to improve education using ideas from Deming. Along with Alfie Kohn, David have long been the learning and management experts I find most valuable. I have long remembered is his idea that he was the CEO of his classroom. On hearing Deming...
Management Improvement Carnival #90
The Curious Cat Management Improvement blog carnival provides links to recent blog posts for those interesting in improving management of organizations. Leader Standard Work Should Be…Work! by Mark Hamel – “A lean leader’s standard work, among other things, may require him to check a particular work cell once in the morning...
Get Rid of the Performance Review
How Much Do You Hate Performance Reviews? by Bob Sutton Deming emphasized that forced rankings and other merit ratings that breed internal competition are bad management because they undermine motivation and breed contempt for management among people who, at least at first, were doing good work. … If you want to read the...
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, Fulfillment and Flow
“After a certain basic point, which translates, more or less, to just a few thousand dollars above the minimum poverty level, increases in material well being don’t see to affect how happy people are.” The speech includes, the first purpose of incorporation at Sony: To establish a place of work where engineers...
Gina Abudi
Project Teams With a Musical Twist
(This article is adapted from Tom’s upcoming book: Juntos, Music, Sports, and Business Projects: Team Dynamics, to be published in the Spring of 2010 by the Sterling Planning Group. ) Not long ago, I got together with several musician friends with whom I have sung and played for decades. We...
HR’s Challenge for the Recovery
2009’s economic downturn was twice as deep as previously forecasted however Deloitte’s recent survey shows: "More surveyed executives believe the worst of the economic downturn is behind us, by a decisive 31% to 7% margin" Despite indications of economic recovery, many companies have only marginally planned for...
Interview Questions to Determine a Good Fit With the Organization
With so many individuals looking for new opportunities, it is important to select new hires that are a good fit for the organization. Finding the right individuals – those who can be motivated by what the organization has to offer them – is not always easy;...
Protecting Your Small Business Against Burglars
Ever wonder about the mindset of a burglar? Likely you haven’t – who has really. We just all hope our place of business doesn’t get robbed. Here are a few things a burglar will never tell you: Of course I look familiar; I was at your office just last week pretending...
The Benefits of Project Documentation
Project documentation?? “Hmmm…I would prefer to use that time meaningfully by doing some other project activities.” Are you buried in paperwork? “Let’s do it after completing all project activities, not right now.” “I am focused on delivering the project. This is a low priority.” “I can complete one more project if I don’t do documentation.” Sounds...
& By David Shirley We all know that business is beginning to appreciate the value of green. That’s of course in harmony with an increasing “green wave” of awareness amongst the general population. In fact, there has been much discussion surrounding the topic of green business but very little about green projects,...