All companies in an industry can use the same technologies, build the same buildings — so really the differentiating factor in business is the people in a company. Hiring, training and motivating employees is key to making your company distinctively superior. 1. Hiring. Be patient and hire the employees that are the best fit for …

A recent email asked: “Do you have an article or statement on what is the standard “special event fundraising equation” used to determine financial success? Obviously, one would set a goal, and if that goal is set, you have been successful. Raising awareness and “making friends” is priceless. But, is there a basic non-profit formula …

Ever hear the phrase; you can’t NOT communicate? I think it’s true, because even when you aren’t speaking, your body language is. Effective communicators pay attention to what their body language is saying. Why? If there is dissimilarity between what you are saying and how you are saying it, your message may be misunderstood. Let’s …

I’m compelled to add a p.s. to one of the people I highlighted earlier, Immaculee Illibagiza. (If you haven’t read that one yet, please do for more context on her. Click here.)A few weeks ago I had the privilege of learning from and meeting her when I went on a retreat in MN. She is …

I ran across a book some years ago by Bo Lozoff called “We’re all Doing Time”. Though written for prisoners to help them see how to use their jail time for spiritual growth, I found his book applied to many work situations. Far too many people feel trapped by their jobs, afraid to leave or …

Keep it flowing both ways In the midst of using multiple media channels, it’s easy to get stuck in “transmit-only” mode, posting your own messages and not interacting with stakeholders. Doing this is a mistake though, especially when it comes time for crisis management. Instead, you should be striving to achieve as much two-way communication …

Communicating on the Internet is equivalent to having a face-to-face conversation with someone, except that your dialogue takes place over a network. Emailing, chatting, texting, tweeting, etc., has become a popular form of communication. You can have a conversation with anyone from anywhere and get up-to-date information on what is happening when and where at …

You know when you are in a job you like. You also know when the tasks you’re doing just aren’t right for you. What lies behind our feelings of job satisfaction or job dis-satisfaction are our fundamental work interests: Those are the things we enjoy doing, whatever the industry or the job title. One of …

Had a “wrong number” phone call recently from a “Director of Development” of an organization based in my area who was trying to reach a totally different business. Even though I was not the intended recipient of the call, when the caller learned that I was a fundraising consultant, she thought that it was “kismet” …

In this blog we talk mostly about project managers and how they can steer the project towards success: how they can start with a strong business justification, do robust planning, enact good change control. But there is another player in the project’s cast of characters who is just as important, if not more, than the …