When you see a FedEx truck do you think there goes a company that gets things there overnight? In the moments after a crisis do 
In Zilch, Nancy Lublin outlines the importance of managing your brand with consistency.
Visit Volunteermatch.org or Idealist.org to see two leaders in the sector. Each has avoided the temptation to expand their services by adding peripheral programs that would dilute their brands.
Recent studies have shown that finding time to play at whatever age leads to the creation of neural pathway development and higher productivity. Play time is not just for kids and can foster innovation and a greater confidence in entrepreneurship. Hope you are finding time to play this weekend.
What if your organization has the better cause? What if you assemble better data than your peers? What if you volunteers work harder? What if you staff does more for less because they are passionate? What if every dollar donated goes to support only programs? What if you have a national advisory council that reads like a Hollywood movie? What if you have an adequate facility but not the glitzy new one down the street? What if you have waited your turn patiently to raise funds for a fundamental need? What if your board has 100% attendance at all meetings?
Do you know why you do what you do? If you don’t then how am I suppose to connect at the deepest level with your cause? Try to define the ‘why’ then ‘how’ and finally ‘what’. So often we lead with ‘what’ and we become another commodity, another cause with a need. Start on the inside and work out- it is challenging but fundamentally transformational.
Watch Simon Sinek’s video on the right to learn more.
Watching Apple’s September 1st release event. New products, new prices, new features. Followed by a live musical act. What will I remember? I have remembered enough to opened the Apple website and iTunes already and take a closer look at the features and products.
Who would attend your virtual product release? Would they continue on to your website or store immediately after? Would the information you release draw people inside? Would it be memorable? Would it be a signature event for your cause?
Notice how Apple starts the name of all its products with “i”? It simply gives you- the customer a chance to embed your own signature into a personal experience with the product. What would be the “i” in your enterprise’s release party?
If you could let one member of your organization shadow you for a week, who would you choose? What would they gleam from the experience? What would you hope that they witness? What barriers and challenges would you hope were recognized? Which talents would your shadow daily? After a week of shadowing, what feedback would be valuable?
Imagine you allowed new hires or volunteers to shadow the CEO, Board Chair or a senior member of the organization? Would this be more effective than a formal orientation? What message would it send about trust and transparency in the organization?
Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.
Wondering how to engage individuals who are too busy to serve on your board? Or a young entrepreneur who has has expressed an interest in enhancing your programs? Have an organizational opportunity but unsure of how to proceed? Hoping to evaluate options with the insight of professional wisdom?
A strategy that has worked well for a number of enterprises:
Invite a small group of individuals with appropriate expertise for a 90 minute table top session. Send the attendees a relevant synopsis of your organization and an outline of the topic you propose discussing. Provide food and beverages. Keep your introduction to fifteen minutes when framing the issue. Turn the meeting over to the participants and get their council. As the session wraps-up ask permission to keep the participants updated on the organization’s progress. Report back on any actions taken as a result of the meeting.
Some of the benefits of this strategy include that you use the participant’s time wisely. The attendees use their expertise to further your mission and they in turn become familiar with your organization. Many times these individuals become resources for future sessions, committee members, or even board members. If the connection is strong many will become donors and fans of your cause. They will recruit others to be involved.
Would you commit 90 minutes to gain the wisdom of others?
Riding a chairlift down from a morning hike, I was struck by the different perspective of seeing the ski mountain and surrounding area from a new viewpoint. How do you keep a fresh perspective?
How does your cause demonstrate trust? Is is done with words? Actions? Programs? Volunteers? Partnerships? Relationships? Everyday? By proxy? Through all individual or key leaders? With a large megaphone?
Which organizations do you trust? Why? Which ones would you recommend to a colleague or friend? Which organizations would you trust to take care of a friend no matter when and how they interacted? What makes these organizations so trustworthy?
Keep your eyes open for trust today.
Under what motivations would an individual get a tattoo of a Fortune 500 company on their arm? Which corporate seal would you be willing to walk around with to display every time your bare arms were visible? How much would you need to cheerish their product?
What if you could not even own the product? Would you get the tattoo then?
The company needs to represents something greater than its products, perhaps a movement. The next time you see a Harley-Davidson tattoo on an individual, ask them why they felt compelled to advertise for Harley-Davidson for the rest of their life. My guess is that their answer will not be about their ‘hog’. It is what the motorcycle represents. It is a movement. It is about freedom. It is about patrotism.
Would anyone put a tattoo of your organization’s logo on their arm? Is your logo representative of your programs and services or a movement? Is the logo tied to a static enterprise or a cause in motion? Is there a point of entry where I can align my reasons with your enterprise’s purpose.
Why would tens of thousands of people walk around with a yellow rubber band on their wrist? Why would politicians and heads of state add this accessory to their wrists? The LIVESTRONG campaign provided a perfect opportunity to align a cause in a public manner and bring one’s own story. It was a symbol of solidarity and support with those who were fighting, survived, or been lost to cancer. But more importantly it allowed the wearer to bring their own story. To be part of the movement and represent the personal. The wearer could share their connection to somebody impacted by cancer and yet be part of a cause.
What is the point of engagement for those seeking to intersect your cause with their own stories?
