How do you manage your career when you work for a non profit or community organization? That was a question asked of me during a recent presentation at a conference for community health care professionals. No matter if you work in human services or business services, one thing is for sure…your career is your responsibility. …

On a listserve in which I used to participate, someone posted the following: << We plan to write to donors who have not contributed in the last few years and ask if they would like to remain on our list…. >> My Response: Those folks must have had some reason for giving to you in …

Three traits identify outstanding leaders It’s accepted that there are many different effective leadership styles, but are there certain traits that tie top performers together? Executive search consultant Justin Menkes thinks so, and he’s got evidence to support his theory. A quote, from Fortune.com: Menkes’ book is based on his work with corporate boards as …

A couple of weeks ago I saw Kung Fu Panda 2. Having enjoyed the first Kung Fu Panda movie as a light children’s movie, I was surprised by the depth of the messages in the sequel. Though still a nice children’s movie, I walked away with several key ideas that are worth remembering. Just to …

As a general rule, project teams will agree with the idea that Risk Analysis makes for a better project. It gives the team visibility of worrisome items, a forum to prioritize them, and some time to react before the risk materializes. So why don’t more project managers incorporate Risk Analysis regularly in their project’s governance? …

How skilled are you at communicating messages to others? Effective communication is one of the keys to success. Here are some tips that you will find useful to communicate messages more effectively. 1. Notice your impact when speaking/delivering the message – what is going on with the other person? Watch for their nonverbal cues of …

You only need one lead to make a sale, says common wisdom. However, your chances of selling increase with more leads. So, how do you generate more leads? 1. Offer compelling products and services for your customers. 2. Be compelling. Approach prospects with a view to helping, rather than making a sale. Show your enthusiasm, …

Low marks for Germany in crisis management case Europe has been struggling with a virulent E.coli outbreak which appears to have originated and is most severe in Germany. With accusations flying back and forth between several countries during the initial stages, crisis management was slow to get started, and less than effective once it did, …

In any discussion of educating or training our young, we must talk about both education and training. We want our managers, and certainly our CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, and quite a few others to have impressive degrees and from impressive institutions of higher learning. The levels have changed over the years. A long time ago, …

While billions of dollars are donated online annually, your nonprofit is probably not getting its fair share. And that’s probably because your own website is getting in the way. We have recently made online gifts “secretly” to over 80 nonprofit organizations with some surprising results, which we’ll be talking about in this and future issues. …