Initiative is Scarce

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

“Initiative is scarce. Hence valuable.”

Must…..poke……box…….

I love this line and, I have to admit, I stole it from Seth Grodin’s 2011 book Poke the Box.     This sentiment can be especially true of nonprofit organizations who become afraid of failure or who desire to protect limited assets at all costs.  We become afraid of failure so we search and search for the 100% solution before we get off the dime.

Guess what?

There is not a 100% solution and the United States Marine Corps gets it right: Find a 70% solution and take action.  Besides, once you start the mission you are going to throw the solution you developed out the window and adapt to what is in front of you.  The environment is changing for nonprofit organizations daily.  There is no end in sight.

So move.  Get up and do something different.

Can you identify the one person in your organization who is “the idea guy or gal?”  He or she is usually coming up with new ideas at least once a week.  Many of them are never viable.  Many seem to risky.   Other ideas presented make you pause and think, “What if?”

We live in and work in a knowledge based economy.  If you are fortunate enough to have a skilled knowledge worker in your organization you need to do to things:  1) encourage the ideas to continue and, 2) give them permission to fail.  Poking the box doesn’t mean the answer is right and it doesn’t mean the idea is going to work.

What it does mean is action.  Give your team permission to fail and watch the new initiatives blossom.  Allow an environment of free exchange and use your staff as a creative team.  Give your best knowledge worker the task of solving your single biggest challenge and publicly appoint him or her as your champion.

So that is it for now.  Nonprofit have to engage, adapt and take action.  So it is time to dust of your Thriller album (or CD or iPod) and crank up “Gotta Be Starting Something.”

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Is Your Communications Budget Slim To None? « Phil Cooke

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

See on Scoop.it – nonprofitgovernance

Is your church, ministry, or nonprofit communications budget slim to none?

See on philcooke.com

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16 Tips to Build a Social Business, Entrepreneur & Life Game Plan that Rocks! | Social Media Today

Posted on July 1, 2012 by

See on Scoop.it – Socially Enterprising

Why we have to tie our social media marketing to the passion of the mission, especially for nonprofits.

See on socialmediatoday.com

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Nonprofit Law Prof Blog: Membership Dispute

Posted on December 23, 2011 by

Via Scoop.it – nonprofitgovernance

Nonprofit Law Prof Blog · A Member of the Law Professor Blogs Network. Blog Editors. David A. Brennen Dean & W.T. Lafferty Professor of Law Univ. of Kentucky College of Law • Profile • Email • SSRN Author Page Darryll K.
Via lawprofessors.typepad.com

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Arkansas Nonprofits: My Journey to Here

Posted on December 21, 2011 by

Do you ever wonder if you have a story tell?  I mean a story that someone else would want to hear.  I am not sure that I do but I do think I would like to give it a try.  As you have noticed by now, I am passionate about the nonprofit community and what it achieves each and every day.  But how did I get to this?

It starts with growing up in Holiday Inns.  Yes, that’s right.  And when I say I grew up in Holiday Inns I mean that I lived in or worked at a Holiday Inn the first 18 years of my life.  But I was greatly influenced by the people I met who just worked for a living.  These men and women were bellmen, housekeepers, bartenders, maintenance men, cooks and dishwashers.  Carl the maintenance man took me to cut down a Christmas tree outside of Russellville over 40 year ago; the bartender in Livermore, CA who was a Vietnam Vet and gave a six-year-old boy his Army belt, pouches and canteen; the bellman who took me fishing on the lakes of Minnesota; and the late June White of Russellville (who is a more than an influence than she ever knew).  These people worked.  And they were proud. 

The Windrose Nonprofit Group

In 1987 I found myself in graduate school in Rhode Island.  My dialect made everyone in the state to sound as if they talked normal.  That fall I went to work at Harmony Hill School in Chepachet, working with adolescent boys who were either on the way down from a lock up facility or were headed in the opposite direction.  I encountered several “firsts” here:  Tourette’s Syndrome, anger, survivors of abusive homes, uncontrollable violence and masterful manipulation.  My first day at work a seven-year old boy ran away from the school in a New England snowstorm.  The best case worker we had had been a high-school dropout and street survivor.

By 1990 I was back in Arkansas and a history graduate student at the University of Arkansas.  Looking for a bit of supplemental income I answered an ad for a 3p-11p direct care worker in a residential homes for adults with developmental disabilities for the Elizabeth Richardson Center.  I met men and women I will never forget:  George, Chip, Connie, Tim, Karen, Joy, Joe and Heather.  21 years later I can name 8 of the 10 adults who lived in the Jones Home.  I spent the next 17 years working with adults and children with developmental disabilities at the Elizabeth Richardson Center, Rainbow of Challenges, and Friendship Community Care. 

As the years passed I moved further and further away from the direct services provided to people with developmental disabilities to an administrative role.  One night I found myself watching a program on television about street kids in Oregon who were surviving any way they could and those who were helping them to live on the streets.  The next day I called a good friend in the nonprofit community and told him I no longer felt like I was making a difference, especially sitting in an office all day.  He told me something I have never forgotten:  “Because of what you do now others are able to do make the impact you used to make yourself.  You are making a difference, just in a different way.”  That made sense.

I left the nonprofit community as an employee four years ago.  It was time for a change.  But a side effect of the change was an ever-increasing role on the other side of the nonprofit community:  a board member.   The roles and responsibilities associated with nonprofit governance were completely new and each organization presented (and still do present) their own unique set of challenges and governance style.  No two organizations are the same.  And governance is a challenge from the small volunteer fire department to the largest, most high-profile of nonprofits.

But at the end of the day I am still trying to make a difference in the Third Sector.  Whether that difference is by celebrating the “victories” of organizations and individuals or sharing what I have learned about the nonprofit world over a two decade period is yet to be seen.  Hopefully it becomes a combination of the two.  Regardless, there is little doubt the passion still exists.

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Arkansas Nonprofits: 6 You Should Get to Know

Posted on December 17, 2011 by

The Windrose Nonprofit Group celebrates the good work accomplished by the nonprofit community Arkansas.  Here are six organizations with think you should know and how we are improving our state and local communities with through our own efforts.

The Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. 

The Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc.

The purpose of the Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. is to provide a meeting place for those seeking to recover from their addiction to alcohol and for loved ones and others affected by their addiction.  Today, there are more than 40 meetings a week and a variety of special events for those who are participating in these 12-step programs of recovery.

Legal Aid of Arkansas 

Legal Services of Arkansas


Here is a great read about how AmeriCorps, Legal Aid of Arkansas and a law school education can make a difference to low income residents of Arkansas:  A Community of Social Justice Lawyers.

Rebuilding Together of Northwest Arkansas

Rebuilding Together of NWA

Working in partnership with Northwest Arkansas communities, it is the mission of Rebuilding Together of Northwest Arkansas to preserve and revitalize houses and communities – assuring that low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, and families with children, live in warmth safety and independence.

Teen Action & Support Center (TASC)

Our vision is to create a safe and inviting place where youth, parents, community members, and staff work together to develop practical and emotional supports and opportunities designed to connect and support teens and their families. 

Teen Action & Support Center (TASC)

Connect…young people to opportunities and resources that will help them so that they may help others.

Support…physical and emotional needs of young people and their families by providing a continuum of care that includes parent education, counseling, and referrals.

Women’s Foundation of Arkansas 

Women's Foundation of Arkansas

The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is dedicated to improving the economic viability of women and girls through our focused philanthropic efforts in the area of education.  We leverage our grant-making to educate women and girls about STEM career fields and life skills. This includes helping women enter the work force at a family sustaining wage and preparing girls for non-traditional careers throughout the state.

 

 

City of Faith 

City of Faith

 

Partnering with both state and federal agencies, City of Faith provides a rehabilitation service to individuals needing a second chance. City of Faith has established with their local communities a trust and a bond than will better serve their clients and neighbors.  By building a lasting relationship with local employers and outreach opportunities, City of Faith gives their residents the option of change.

 
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Arkansas Nonprofits: On the Move (12/11/2011)

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

Never Too Young to Make A Difference

Congratulations to Abby Hill, a sophomore at Conway (AR) High School for the feature in today’s Arkansas Democrat Gazette (River Valley & Ozark Section) for the highlight on the nonprofit she created:  Backpacks for Homes.  Backpacks for Homes provides foo for meals to low low-income students in need on weekends.   Backpacks for Homes is currently providing 51 backpacks each week, representing 160 individuals. 

The Windrose Nonprofit Group

 

A Difference Through Photography

Help Portrait NWA completed the 2011 Help Portrait event yesterday in Northwest Arkansas.  Help Portrait is a global movement of photographers using their gear, time and experience to give back to those in need.  The concept is simple:  Find someone in need, take their portrait, print it and give it to them.  People in need are identified through The Cobblestone Project, The Samaritan Community Center and other local organizations.  The next event for Help Portrait NWA will be a Senior Picture event in April 2012.

50 Years of  Service!

The Faulkner County Day School celebrates 50 years of service to children and adults with developmental disabilities in Arkansas.  On December 31, the school will celebrate with The Racin’ New Year’s Eve 5K, starting at 10:00 a.m. at 1700 South Blvd in Conway.  The cost is $25 and includes a t-shirt.  From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., tours will be given of the Faulkner County Day School.

Donation Spotlight

Every gift is critical to the small and emerging nonprofits trying to establish their place in the community.  This week, the Windrose Nonprofit Group recognizes Helen Riek, owner of bobistheoilguy.com, for her gift of $700 to the JP Ranch and Rescue of Atkins (AR).  JP Ranch and Rescue is dedicated to preventing suffering, neglect, abuse and cruelty to animals by providing them with a home where they will receive love, medical care, food, water and shelter until they are adopted to a family.

This Week’s Additions to the Nonprofit Directory

The links in the directory of Arkansas Nonprofits is organized by county.  Go check out the good things being accomplished in your back yard and get involved.  Be the change you want to see.

Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (Pulaski)

Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas (Pulaski)

Hot Spring Jazz Society (Garland)

NWA Arkansas Center for Equality (Washington)

Project Compassion (Sebastian)

Safe Places (Pulaski)

Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas (Pulaski)

Sheep Dog – Impact Assistance (Benton)

The CALL (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime) (Pulaski)

Subscribe to the Windrose NonProfit Group e-Newsletter.  The newsletter is published 2-3 times monthly. We do not sell your information and we are compliant with all laws regarding internet SPAM.  Click HERE to subscribe. 

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Nonprofits: Visionaries or Managers?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by

Anonymous. 2009.  How good management can make you lean, not mean.  Strategic Direction, 25(8).  17-19.

Could you, as a nonprofit board member or executive, name the 20% of your operations and/or services you would eliminate today if you had no choice?  Yes, we often argue every service we provide is valuable and we must continue to fund even those services that harm us financially.  As visionaries, we see the need for every service. But, as the effective manager, we know the organization’s long-term viability must be sustained.  Vision is simply not enough. 

The author notes the majority of donors to our organizations prefer to see their funds go toward direct support services at the impact and grass-roots level.  Donors want to know they are affecting change when they give.  They are not considering the need for effective management, which includes talented people and systems.  (I saw an instance today where a nonprofit childrens’ service organization made a significant donation to a local university.  If your donors do not want to support internal systems I am fairly confident they do not want their donations funnelled to a third-party).

Nonprofit leaders, it is noted, are not recognized for being effective managers but for being  visionaries.  But you can not be an effective visionary if the right metrics are not in place to map your current and future success.

Strategic clarity is the key term and encompasses two questions to the nonprofit.  One, what impact are we prepared to be accountable for?  Two, what do we need to do — and not do — in order to achieve this impact?  Nonprofit organizations far too often measure only the metrics immediately, and conveniently, available.   The Chief Financial Officer dutifully provides the board with the financial update each and every month, for example.  But this presents two problems:  financial statements are inherently backward looking and, second, they may have very little significance to the overall impact generated by the organization’s mission.

Nonprofit organizations must define for themselves, and their mission, the appropriate metrics.  Teach for America is cited in this article as a prime example of impact metrics.  Teach for America measures the metric of having children make one and a half years of progress in one school year.  It also measures the number of alumni assuming leadership roles in a wide variety of settings.  Metrics that measure impact.

The article concludes with a discussion on hard choices with regard to the management team, especially as an organization grows and evolves over time.  First, it is suggested, nonprofits must create a “second in command” or a “chief of staff” to focus on operations in an effort to mitigate “Founder’s Syndrome” or to allow the chief executive to fully function as the visionary and primary fundraiser.  Second, organizations must determine how to address team members who are “passionately dedicated” to the mission, but who are “not able to contribute at the level needed.”  It is a cliche but it remains true:  it is not just who is on the bus but also where they are sitting on the bus.

The bottom line is the nonprofit organization must embrace the challenge of functioning in an effective manner as the best possible steward of limited resources, especially in an economically challenging environment.  We need visionaries to see the way ahead and to project potential solutions the rest of us do not see.  But we also need the effective manager to deploy and implement the vision.  Strive to establish both to the best possible fit for  your organization.

(This post is intended as a summary of the article cited above and all due credit is directed to the cited article).

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How To Host Engaging Online Events: Key Principles

Posted on December 1, 2011 by

Via Scoop.it – The Social Third Sector
How do you transform a webinar or an Internet conference into a memorable, highly engaging and useful event?
Via www.masternewmedia.org

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Social Justice is not a theology its the heart of Christ

Posted on December 1, 2011 by

Via Scoop.it – Of the Christian Left

God is compassionateIn Mark 1:40 (NKJV) the bible tells a story, “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean,” Then Jesus, moved with compassion (my emphasis),…
Via www.churchbooklive.com

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