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program development

Creating Awareness is Like Surfing: You Have to Catch the Right Wave

May 17, 2013
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Disclaimer: In general, the second someone earnestly tells me about this urgent new awareness campaign upon which they are about to embark, is the exact moment my eyes begin to roll back in my head. As a matter of course, the vast majority of awareness campaigns fall far short, IMHO, of their intended goal. As [...]

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How Does a Non-Profit Gain Traction? Part 3

October 16, 2012
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This is the third of 5 posts that deal with the kind of “hand waving” response you often get from people who have never actually run a non-profit. Part 1 – Part 2 Answer No.3 Make a few stickers/T shirts/badges/flyers etc with your logo and mission printed on it. You can drop the flyers at [...]

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A Real Client Conversation: transcript

May 22, 2012
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This is the transcript of a conversation I had with a new client. The Executive Director and her partner have a small but successful after school acting program for kids from 4 years old to teenagers. Having operated for 8 years, the time had come to consider expansion and growth. The E.D. had obtained her [...]

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Who’s On First? Just Who is Doing What…

January 18, 2012
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Sometimes it can feel as nothing has changed other than the last digit of the year, which usually takes me until February to switch. But it is a new year, and a great opportunity to take moment and some perspective on what is going on in your office. While you are getting underway with the [...]

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Consensus is Good, Until It is Not

May 10, 2011
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Many people who strive to lead organizations and projects often describe themselves as consensus builders. In general, this is a very good thing. In contrast to the boardroom bully, the consensus builder obtains differing thoughts and opinions, plans of actions and concepts of success. He or she listens, collates and aggregates the thoughts of many [...]

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NonProfit Membership

April 13, 2011
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What does being a member of a nonprofit mean? Membership is very loosely defined in the dictionary as being part of a group. If you have a condition that others have, does that make you a member of the group? Do you have to actively make a choice to join a group? If you have [...]

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Triumph and Tears

March 7, 2011
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I met the most amazing woman tonight: someone who truly embodied the heart and spirit of what I have always thought a nonprofit would be. Maybe I have become slightly cynical after being involved with several more ‘corporate’ type nonprofits; not to say that is bad, but the raw feelings this woman shared were outstanding. [...]

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NonProfit Membership

March 3, 2011
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Members? Many groups talk about their ‘members’, but just who, or what, constitutes membership? The dictionary defines a member as a person who is part of a group or company or nation. That is a pretty broad definition and includes many variations. For your nonprofit, what is a member? Is it someone who has donated [...]

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Less Is More: Words

February 16, 2011

When it Comes to Words: Less IS More When we are passionate about something, something that really matters, it is often tough to shut up. When introducing someone to your work, often the tendency is to have an extended conversation about how and why. It can be difficult to say less than what you feel [...]

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