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News Update:
Tips of the
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Liar, Liar Pants On Fire: The Truth-Challenged
Employee
By Mark
Hrywna
Confronted by his boss about an
affair with the cleaning lady in his office, Seinfeld
character George Costanza asks: “Was that wrong? Should I
not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorance on this
thing, because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I
first started here that that sort of thing is frowned
upon...”
That might be from an old
Seinfeld episode but any human resources director
probably has more than a few good stories. Some could ask, is it
necessary to have a written policy about not sleeping with the
cleaning lady? Well, maybe you don’t have to go that far,
but it is important to put in writing and communicate to
employees what’s expected of them, even if it might seem
obvious at times.
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the complete article click here... |
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Management ...
3 levers to
ensure strong management
Without strong management, even the most successful
nonprofit will lose its effectiveness over
time.
The December issue of Leadership Matters,
published by the Bridgespan Group’s Bridgestar initiative,
features an article by Bridgespan partner Daniel Stid and
Bridgespan managing partner and co-founder Jeff Bradach. The
article, “Strongly Led, Under-Managed,” is based on
discussions with executives at 30 nonprofits.
Bridgespan found three key levers to ensure that
organizations appreciate, build and sustain strong management
practices. Each of the levers depends on the other
two.
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Get to strategic clarity. Answer, in concrete terms, the
questions that are core to an organization’s mission:
“What impact are we prepared to be held accountable
for?” and “What do we need to do -- and not do -- to
achieve this impact?” Stronger clarity does not
necessarily mean developing a time-consuming strategic
plan.
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Anchor strategic clarity in
metrics. After achieving strategic clarity, keep staff focused
by zeroing in on a few key metrics. These metrics can enable an
organization to flag unproductive variations across their sites,
drive increased growth and effectiveness and lower unit
costs.
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Build and align the key
leadership team. Transitioning an organization to stronger
management often involves supplementing the experience and
capabilities of the senior management team. Typically,
organizations appoint a second-in-command who has managerial
experience, as well as expertise in systems and
processes.
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Online ...
Script a plot before going to
video
Before you break out the video
camera to make an online video, you should think about what you
want that video to do, according to Michael Hoffman, CEO of
Chicago-based See3 Communications. During a talk at NTEN’s
recent 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference, Hoffman said you
should ask yourself a few questions about the video’s
function.
So put away the boom
microphone and ask yourself these four questions:
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What are our goals? Think
strategically about what you want the video to do. Will it be
for fundraising or to inform people about the mission? Do you
want your video to be a viral sensation to build brand
recognition or target supporters to take action?
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How will we measure success?
Success is different for everyone. Metrics could include views,
if people watch the whole video or how many people look for
further engagement after viewing. Plot out what success works
best with your intended goal.
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Who do we want to see this?
Your intended audience will mold the tone and information in the
video. Do you want to make video that will appeal to a young
volunteer demographic or your mature major gift donors?
-
How can we build
interactivity into the video itself? Customization can spawn
viral actions. For example, MoveOn.org Political Action created
a mock news video that could include someone’s name. Then
once the video was customized, viewers were encouraged to send
examples to their friends. |
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Boards ...
Keeping your board happy, fed
and watered
Ask not what the board can do
for the organization, but what the organization can do for the
board. Hint: Let ’em get their hands dirty.
The organization doing for the
board? Board members with dirty hands? Surely, this isn’t
your grandmother’s nonprofit world.
No, but that approach, which
seems at first counterintuitive to the very concept of nonprofit
boards, is pivotal in the thinking of June Bradham, president of
Corporate DevelopMint, a fundraising and strategic planning
consulting firm that Bradham founded 20 years ago. She was
honored as one of seven Women of Achievement at the first South
Carolina Summit on Women in April of 2008.
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