Scenic Hudson

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

Nonprofit Concierge

I recently had an opportunity to visit with the nonprofit conservation group, Scenic Hudson in Poughkeepsie, NY. This is a tremendous enterprise focused on the preserving key land in the Hudson River Valley. One of the pleasures of the visit was the tremendous thought that had been put into planning the tour. As we reached each site a Scenic Hudson staff member or key leader from a partnering conservation group was waiting to give a brief tour of the specific project. I mentioned to the Executive Director that I felt as if I was part of a bank heist since we switched vehicles and pick-up drivers repeatedly to expedite our travels.

The lasting impressions from the visit:

* Gained a wonderful appreciation for the programs and priorities of Scenic Hudson. Connected with 4 staff members, 1 board member, 2 volunteers, and 1 strategic partner.
* Explored 4 different projects on foot and drove past countless others. Stood at key viewpoints and was able to see property that Scenic Hudson had deemed classified as critical.
* My time and hopefully Scenic Hudson’s resources were used effectively (and efficiently). And I made an online donation on the train ride back to NYC.

The epiphany that I believe would serve numerous social sector causes is to think of yourself more like a concierge. How can you customize a meaningful experience for individual advocates or donors? What would be a great use of your limited resources and the guests time? How do you orchestrate an experience that would be so memorable that your guest could be reminded of the event and immediately be transported back to a powerful memory? If you selected 5-10 individuals to focus on, what might be your organization’s return on this type of investment? What would you like a Mayor, foundation president, celebrity, journalist, or prospective board member to experience?