Social Sector

Social Sector Advent Calendar

Million dollar advent calendar -really, checkout the article!  Reading this story makes me wonder what a social sector enterprise wishes for in its advent calendar?  Some possible ideas:

  1. A budget based on conservative revenue expectations and reliable expenses.
  2. An engaged board with diverse perspectives but united by a common purpose.
  3. Donors who provided unrestricted funding to support general operations.
  4. Volunteers who felt appreciated an engaged in their area of expertise.
  5. Local media that solicited stories from the enterprise on a regular basis.
  6. A gala event that was fun, focused on mission, raised funds and awareness, and attendees asked for next year’s date.
  7. Energized staff who thrived on the personal joy and professional benefit of working in the social sector.
  8. Being touted by Beth Kanter (social media guru) as an example of an organization that used Facebook and Twitter most effectively.
  9. Having all the board and staff friend/follow the cause.
  10. An Executive Director who supported the board with well-designed questions/resources and was inspired by their debate and dialogue.
  11. Paperless Annual Reports, board packets, sustainable/green policies and events.
  12. Local government or officials who could move mountains when needed.
  13. A benefactor who encouraged the cause to envision a brighter future and might just seed the funding for the right projects.
  14. Celebrations that came frequently enough to recharge and shine the spotlight on the entire team.
  15. More laughter than tears.
  16. A waiting list of possible nominees for the board, volunteers for the events, and numerous applications for each staff opening.
  17. A strategic plan that inspires and stretches the organization.
  18. A reserve fund or endowment that generated reasonable principal.
  19. An HR consultant.
  20. A website designer, who actually answered emails and identified issues before the clients.
  21. A database.
  22. Being selected by Oprah for her “Favorite Things” episode.

Just a few wishes for the social sector advent calendar.  What would you add?

Klout

Interested in the impact of your social media presence?  How likely are your online actions going to encourage followers/friends to take measurable action?  Klout measures your influence using the Klout Score as defined here.  The basic metric runs 1 to 100 with 100 representing the top end of the scale.  Some sample Klout Scores:

Dalai Lama- 91
President Obama- 89
New York Times- 87
Twitter- 82
Lance Armstrong- 80
Facebook- 77
Oprah- 73
Southwest Airlines- 73 
Congressman Joe Wilson- 58 (down from 79)

Checkout your Klout Score.

The Best Governance Handbook

BoardSource released, The Handbook of Nonprofit Governance recently.  It covers a wide range of topics from computing available cash to establishing internal controls.  Establishing Executive Director compensation to creating a dashboard.  This text boook has become my new hands on reference resource.  It is one of the definitive resources for getting answers to many of the governance questions that routinely arise in the social sector.  If you want the closest thing to the numerous resources that comes with a membership to BoardSource but have not committed to joining then this book would be my recommendation.

 

Express Train

Woman sitting next to me on the Hudson River line last night found herself watching her train stop race by as we headed directly into the heart of New York City. As the conductor walked by to check tickets he told her that our train had changed from a local to an express at the last station. She was going to have to ride into the city and then head outbound to get to her destination.

It was a reminder that one of the reasons we to hold public unveilings of our strategic plans is to share with our supports and advocates where the organization has decided to become an express or local. A car full of passengers thinking the train is going to do one thing only to watch it do another can create a lot of distractions. Update your fan base often, keep them aware of your progress and intended destination. Perhaps we can aim to run on-time like the Swiss railroads and standout as remarkable.

Best First Step?

I received a copy of the following letter today:

Thank you for your time in reviewing this letter.  The intent of this communication is to determine if your foundation goal and the special project goals of the ____ (organization) are complimentary.

The letter goes on to list ten funding opportunities.  I felt a bit like a trout sitting on the bottom of a stream watching a fly with the price tag still attached floating on the surface.  If you cannot customize the presentation in any meaningful way then the most likely catches will be the uninitiated or unmotivated.  Direct mail in the social sector is shown to get 2-3% return rate.  Since this letter was addressed to “Foundation Administrator” I project that very few individuals will feel a personal connection.

How could this invitation be improved?  Would a personal salutation help?  Had the letter noted previous grants made by the foundation that aligned with this organization’s funding opportunities would it resonate more?  Would a follow-up call to expand on the communication be compelling?  What would attract your interest?

What is the Score

How do you measure your cause’s success?  As an endurance athlete I occasionally enter a race and gain immediate feedback on my level of fitness.  What is the equivalent for the social sector?  Is it dollars raises at a gala?  Number of members? Total program attendees?  Size of your annual budget?  Ratio of funds raised to operational costs?  Your annual report versus another organization?  The number of mentions in the paper or on the internet?  How many people are clambering to join your board?  How many members of the community will recommend your cause?

I am not sure what the appropriate fitness test is but I imagine we all have an idea.

Help Wanted

I am posting a help wanted sign.  Not specifically for a person but a system. In order to further my consulting enterprise’s purpose of empowering causes that inspire, I am seeking a better platform for selecting strategic priorities.  I have been fortunate enough to assemble a team of powerful planning methods but I am still browsing from the buffet of taking inspired talk and capturing the ideas into strategic initiatives.

My help wanted sign reads: Seeking innovative system to consistently transform generative and inspired conversations into strategic initiatives that can form the backbone of a strategic plan.  Must be reliable, energetic, willing to travel, network with other systems, and memorable.

Who should I interview?

Perspective

This morning greeted me with the sound of honking horns and ten minutes of emergency sirens.  I rolled out of bed and went to the fitness center for a workout.  I did not feel the need to look out the window or turn-on the TV for a news update.  In New York City for meetings, I expect the urban background noise and would worry if it were too quiet.  However, had the same racket been produced in my neighborhood in Boise I would have grabbed a phone and perhaps a large stick as I headed for the front door.  Why does the same set of circumstances cause no alarm in one setting and would come closer to panic in another?

Environment sets expectations.  Live near a hospital and you expect sirens, fly on a stormy day you can anticipate turbulence, or engage with a nonprofit and you can expect an unquenchable thirst for resources.  Of course, not all of these conditions are true all the time but the expectations can be set.

It makes me wonder what expectations we are setting as our members of the social sector.  Do we perpetuate the perspective or create a new paradigm?  Are we the best kept secret or the cornerstone of the community?  Are we explaining what value we add to the community or do we express what we need from the community?

The Board’s Role

Star Trek’s Captain Picard use to utter, “make it so” and the command became action.  I often find a parallel in strategic planning.  Boards dream great visions, set lofty goals, and turn to their Executive Director and in either word or action say, “make it so.”  The consequences of vision without resources can be overwhelming and disheartening from the staff’s prospective.  An in-tune board chair must comprehend the bandwidth of the enterprise.  Consider asking the following questions to the board:

  • Do we have the expertise to manage the goal?
  • What resources are required?
  • What role can the staff play?
  • What role does the board need to take to champion the goal?

There is a difference between “make it so” and “let us all commit to the initiative.”  I would suggest that often a strategic initiative is treated like a ‘to do list’ which can be leveraged to another party.  A true strategic priority requires all parties to participate, much like a summit attempt on a high alpine peak.  Without the commitment of the entire party, the rope lines and high camps cannot be established and no individual can be placed high enough to summit the peak.  “Make it so” should be “let’s go.”

Preferred Customer

Three telephone calls tonight that started with some form of the intro, “you are a preferred customer and therefore….”  I listened politely and declined the new limited time offer of additional service (insurance, travel protection, purchase protection).  Each call made me wonder, does being a preferred customer mean more harassment?  I cannot seem to opt-out of the offers from these corporations so now I must decide if doing business at all is worth-while.  


How does your enterprise treat its preferred customers?  Do you know what they wish to be contacted about?  Are you building a relationship on trust or transactions?