Voluteers
Management by the Many or Management by Email Group
Does the communication and decision making in your organization get hijacked?
A friend recently shared with me and an interesting observation:
In both emails,…, I think we have examples of what I might call Management by the Many, or Management by Email Group. In other words, anyone who has an agenda can simply put an email group [...]
A hiatus?
When is it a hiatus and when is it goofing off? I have been thinking about this ever since I realized I haven’t posted anything new in my blog since September.
At first I thought I was taking a hiatus because I was working on a couple of projects that used a lot of my time; [...]
Group Dynamics and the Board
photo credit: S amo
Group dynamics will make or break your Board.
An important part of functional group dynamics is understanding where you are and where the other Board members are on key issues. Without this understanding there can be no compromise or collaboration; no unity on issues.
You and your fellow Board members need to understand [...]
Boards are for governance, committees are for results
Confusion
I have pointed out in a recent post that nonprofits need to reduce confusion by separating the governance and results function of the organization.
There is a knee jerk reaction when a nonprofit is formed to make those who sign as incorporators members of the board of the new corporation. Then the board, in order to [...]
Why Your Results Stink
Results stink. Volunteers don’t meet deadlines or don’t do what they committed to do. So, the committees are not getting results the board wanted.
Chaotic. Dysfunctional. Disorganized. Organization not operating effectively.
Take your pick. The result is the same. The mission to which you are drawn, to which your heart is connected, is not being accomplished.
If you [...]
Nonprofit: Start One, Lead One
I spoke at the Minnesota Mensa Regional Gathering ‘Last of the Aughts’ Saturday. The topic was:Nonprofits: Start One, Lead One.
I discussed a few key ideas I have.
Start
Don’t start a nonprofit if you can do it with a for-profit. Don’t start a nonprofit if you can do it some other way. The National Council of Nonprofits [...]
Social Entrepreneurs: Source of Nonprofit Income
Lazone Grays posted to the Non-Profit Tools Group an article by Jonathan Ortmans, President, The Public Forum Institute “Entrepreneurs: Engines for Job Creation and Innovation“.
I endorse Mr Ortmans’ belief that entrepreneurs create jobs from the new opportunities that they see.
When they turn their attention to nonprofits they will create new jobs and new sources of [...]
Membership: Footprints in the sand
Membership ebbs and flows in all organizations. When you don’t know why, you can’t effectively recruit new members. You have to understand from the member’s point of view WIIFM or “What’s In It For Me?” You need to know why your prospects do or don’t pick your organization over other opportunities.
When you understand WIIFM you [...]
Following the heart
Why Yay Team! summarizes Michael Cavitt’s ideas and motivation for creating the organization.
Proper Care and Feeding Helps Your Volunteers Grow
Volunteers are the key resource in an all volunteer nonprofit organizations and a critical resource in any nonprofit organization. The leaders in a nonprofit should evaluate their effectiveness as a steward of their volunteers. This should be done on a regular basis.
Volunteers are a unique resource since they are self generating. When they are [...]
