Author: whatifconcepts

Empowering those that inspire so they can excel at the work that matters.

The Importance of Storytime

A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All

The field of education is receiving a lot of attention right now.  Education budgets are being cut as states try to balance their fiscal houses, assessment scores of US students are being compared to those of the rest of the world, and the President spoke about education reform in the State of the Union.  Online course options are ever expanding, charter schools are competing for students and sustainability, and movements such as StudentsFirst are launching to significant media coverage.  Wendy Kopp recently authored, A Chance to Make History an interesting book from her perspective as a leader with Teach for America.  The Lottery and Waiting for Superman are now mainstream films that are part of our daily discussions.

Many great ideas are being surfaced in this period of high anxiety and a collective consciousness towards education.  Other brilliant causes within the education sector are being left in the shadows.  A specific reason for success and failure may not exist but there are certainly clues.  I was struck by the comments of Nicholas Kristof in his interview with Randi Zuckerberg at the the World Economic Forum in Davos.  When asked how groups should distinguish themselves from other similar movements, he suggested that humanitarian groups needed to do great work on the ground but also practice the art of storytelling.

What is your story?

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Highlights

I was playing Air Hockey on an iPad with my son this morning.  Everytime I scored, my son pushed a button to skip the slow motion replay of my goal.  When he put the puck in the net, he watched the highlight with much interest and enthusasim.  

I made me wonder how often the organizations I support push out their highlights and ignore those of their partners and other members of the sector.  

One of my favorite models for promoting other organizations’ great works came from Scenic Hudson.  They designed a gala fundraisier that was entirely focused on presenting the accomplishments of their strategic partners.  Using a larger platform, Scenic Hudson helped build awareness and visibility for smaller but equally important enterprises.

Robert Egger in Begging for Change, makes a compelling case for not seeking all the attention and money from your community.  Rather establish a balanced approach that occasionally brightens the house lights so everyone knows who else is seated in the audience.

Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient, and Rewarding for All

Who to Invite?

I have heard lots of invitations from speakers at the World Economic Forum to ‘join their cause.’  This feels remote and challenging.  I am not all that motivated to join based on just the facts they are reciting.  If I understood what these causes believe and I shared their belief then the causes and I are joining efforts.  It is now a shared experience.  The relationship is established on a totally different paradigm.  I do not have to do all the work.  It is a joint responsibility to engage our respective talents to benefit those who share our belief.

Are you just handing out lots of invitations to people to join your cause or are you encourage those that share your beliefs to partner?  

Focus Group

Does your cause spend a significant amount of time thinking about how it is perceived by the community?  Are there decisions that you need to make that have no data or commentary to provide guidance?

Consider running a focus group.  Invite in one or a series of small groups that are representative of a key constituency you want to hear from.  Hire a facilitator or find a person of neutral standing to run a couple 60 minute session.  Send an invitation, provide the respondents with a brief synopsis of the intended outcome.  In advance, select the key questions or areas of concentration, most likely no more than three.  Provide the attendees with a space that feels conducive to a conversation and allow the facilitator to engage the participants in a conversation about the selected topics.  Provide an additional feedback mechanism (electronic or hard copy) for anyone who may have additional observations to share once the group’s session concludes.  Of course, thank the attendees and keep them in the loop.  How did their input help the organization advance its purpose and mission?  Anyone who is willing to participate has a motivation that needs to be reasonably honored.

I predict that you will gain tremendous insight and it will fill-in some of the uncharted gaps that exist on your strategic map.

Scavenger Hunt
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Have you played a round of my favorite social sector games?  “Let’s collect a representative from every major corporation in town to sit on our board!”  The game can be played yearly, quarterly, or monthly and you cause wins once you require a team of governance consultants to work for a year sorting out the mess that has been created.  Once the experts wrap-up their engagement they have enough material to write a book just about your enterprise.

I am not a fan of filling the board with individuals who primary attribute is their link to a major corporation.  Harvard professor and governance expert Richard Chait suggests that you should love your board members for something other than their money first, otherwise you may as well call them an ATM.  If your Nomination Committee leads with the question, “who do we know at the Nameless Corporation,” alarm bells should sound.  You may as well start advertising for a new school bus driver by suggesting anyone who owns a green safety vest is qualified.  

Here is the flaw in the formula.  Corporations are geared towards granting funds to organizations that provide a social benefit and whose message can be directly incorporated into the company’s marketing strategy.  The company’s communication experts have a significant say in how most corporate foundations award their grants.  These organizations create philanthropic budgets to distribute their funds.  The practice of awarding a board seat to the ‘Namless Corporation’ in return for an annual contribution is purely transactional.  You train a business to act based on their needs and not take into consideration the cause’s needs.  The corporation rarely asks your enterprise which attributes and talents are most needed on the board, they select an individual from their ranks that will serve as their proxy and oversee the impact of their contribution.  That said, the financial commitment from the company is usually capped and there is little chance of developing a relationship with an individual where your cause can understand the motivations and emotional drivers that lead to philanthropic investment.


People give to other people.  Individuals develop emotional connections.  They can take a journey with a cause that allows them to form their own experiences and points of confluence.  Corporations may represent a critical source of funding but they cannot replace the human dynamic.  There are many amazing individuals with highly desired talents that serve the socials sector extremely effectively and some happen to work for prominent corporations.  If you love your board members for their individual purpose and talents first and foremost, you may just find they have many hidden treasures to offer.


Good luck on your search.

State of the Why

“We are part of the American family. We believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people; that we share common hopes and a common creed; that the dreams of a little girl in Tucson are not so different than those of our own children, and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled.  That, too, is what sets us apart as a nation.
Now, by itself, this simple recognition won’t usher in a new era of cooperation. What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow.  I believe we can. I believe we must. That’s what the people who sent us here expect of us. With their votes, they’ve determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all — for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.”

Barack Obama, 2011 State of the Union

The President of the United States used the concept from Simon Sinek’s, Start with Why to set the stage for last night’s State of Union.  By capturing those who share the belief of a shared vision and dream he defines the purpose of the United States.  Then he introduces the ‘how’ (cooperation, shared responsibility) before presenting the ‘what’ (education, green energy, fiscal policies).  The State of the Union represented a highly visible example of communicating from the inside-out instead of the outside-in.

Looking for volunteers that are motivated?  Perhaps stuffing gift bags for the upcoming gala is not the highest use of your generous volunteer’s skills, the one who happens to be a CPA and could provide assistance to your enterprise with a pending balance sheet project.  How are you engaging the architect, school teacher, warehouse manger, or author who are fans of your cause?  There is no prefect model.  Each person requires being treated and engaged differently- which makes developing a genuine volunteering relationship so time consuming and challenging.  But given the chance to have 15 highly capable individuals providing essential focused tasked versus 100 people running an assembly line production, I think one can make a reasonable argument for engaging the 15 individuals and their talents.


Organizations like Catchafire.org are focused on finding the ideal pairing of mission related work with individual expertise.  One blogger referred to Cathafire as the eHarmony of the volunteer network.

Words of Change
It’s a lot easier for an organization to adopt new words than it is to actually change anything.
 When you look at your current strategic or long range plan and compare it to your last version, did your cause create real change or simple wordsmith concepts from the past?  It is exciting to talk about striking out into the wilderness and journey towards a significant landmark.  It is another thing to sleep alone in the middle of a forest and listen to strange sounds outside your tent.  If you are not experiencing moments that jolt you from the day-to-day routine, you may not be on the journey you wrote about.  Real change takes more than words.

No Coupons Needed

What is the value of withholding a benefit from a customer or member of your enterprise because they do not have the appropriate coupon?  An offer is extended to those who have a pre-existing relationship with an organization and then the success of the transaction hinges on a the client having the action code at their immediate disposal when they are ready to interact with your cause.  Frustration and dissappointment are always present when any part of the system falters.  Why not extend the offer and opportunity to anyone who meets a specific criteria?

Costco allows only members to shop in its warehouse.  Then why not extend the discount on an item to anyone who purchases the product within the determined time frame and quantity.  Perhaps Costco’s motivation revolves around hoping not everyone will redeem the coupon and their business model is focused on acting like a commodity instead of building a relationship with its customers.

The next time you offer a buy one ticket get another for free promotion, try designing the entry point to be simple.  If you are sending out usernames and passwords (that can be distributed to non-members and friends in an instant), consider setting clear parameters and letting your community engage with you immediately. 

In and age of Groupons, Woots and livingsocial offers, the competition for easy-to-use discounts are ubiquitous.  It is incumbent on us to provide a transparent and efficient process.  Engage, do not enrage your customers and fans.