Month: June 2010

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Time to Think About the Gurus in Your Field?

A professional guru holding a

A colleague called me last week, reporting that she had actually spoke face-to-face with one of the gurus in our field of Organization Development. In her extreme excitement, she could hardly speak slowly enough for me to actually understand her.

Several months ago, I got a brochure announcing an upcoming conference in my field. As usual, I scanned the list of speakers to notice if my personal gurus would be there. This time, it finally dawned on me that I’d like to hear some new voices, rather than the same cadre of strongly adored leaders in my field. Still, I looked for the list of the same gurus.

I’ve noticed over the years that many of my gurus are starting to sound the same. They proclaim the same very broad, seemingly obvious generalizations, many of which could be said by a newbie in our field — but not nearly with the same credibility. So it’s not what’s being said — it’s who’s saying it that seems to be most important.

While we assert the need to think out of the box, to hear different perspectives, are we listening too much to our gurus?

At what point does someone become a guru? At what point does a guru cease being a guru?

What do you think?

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For more resources, see the Library topics Consulting and Organizational Development.

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits and Strategic Planning.

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For-Profit and Nonprofit Boards: More Similarities Than Differences?

Thumbs up and thumbs down concept

The Corporate Secretaries International Association recently released a report, “Twenty Practical Steps to Better Corporate Governance.” It struck me that almost all of the steps applied to nonprofit Boards as well.

(The Report refers to “corporate” governance, the phrase commonly used for for-profit Boards, which is a misnomer I believe because Boards are required for nonprofit corporations, too).

It also struck me how much for-profit and nonprofit Boards could learn from each other, but the continued misperception that they’re totally different continues to hamper that synergy from happening. (I’ve spent 15 years maintaining a massive website, in part, to show the similarities and to help the two types learn from each other, in the Free Management Library.)

The report suggests that following 20 practices:
1. Recognize that good corporate governance is about the effectiveness of the governing body — not about
compliance with codes
2. Confirm the leadership role of the board chairman
3. Check that non-executive directors have the necessary skills, experience, and courage
4. Consider the calibre of the non-executive directors
5. Review the role and contribution of non-executive directors
6. Ensure that all directors have a sound understanding of the company
7. Confirm that the board’s relationship with executive management is sound
8. Check that directors can access all the information they need
9. Consider whether the board is responsible for formulating strategy
10. Recognize that the governance of risk is a board responsibility
11. Monitor board performance and pursue opportunities for improvement
12. Review relations with shareholders — particularly institutional investors
13. Emphasise that the company does not belong to the directors
14. Ensure that directors’ remuneration packages are justifiable and justified
15. Review relations between external auditors and the company
16. Consider relations with the corporate regulators
17. Develop written board-level policies covering relations between the company and the societies it affects
18. Review the company’s attitudes to ethical behaviour
19. Ensure that company secretary’s function is providing value
20. Consider how corporate secretary’s function might be developed

The full report can be found at http://www.csiaorg.com/pdf/research_paper.pdf .

What do you think?

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits and Strategic Planning.

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RULES OF MARKETING: OLD VS. NEW

Similar cubes with RULES inscription on them

What is Marketing? What is PR?

You’ve likely heard it before – in the digital world, “The lines have blurred between Marketing and PR.”

What does that mean? How have the lines blurred? In order to answer these questions, let’s take a look at the OLD versus the NEW rules of Marketing, as proposed by David Meerman Scott in his bestselling book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

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The OLD Rules of Marketing

The message was delivered ONE-WAY, and CREATIVITY was the secret sauce that commanded the audience’s attention. Among the fundamental concepts of the OLD marketing paradigm:

  • Advertising was the core tool
  • The advertising message was generally crafted to appeal to the masses
  • Advertising INTERRUPTED the audience with a one-way message
  • Advertising engaged campaigns for a defined time period
  • Creators focused on creativity – and award-winning campaigns
  • Advertising and PR were different specialties, run by different people

The OLD Rules of PR

The ultimate goal: Spin a press release to capture reporters’ attention, then get a clip of the story, to show that the message was viewed by the audience.

  • Media comprised the toolbox, in order to get the message out
  • A press release was the core tool
  • Only significant news commanded the attention of the media
  • It was all in “the spin” (or HYPE!)
  • Quotes from third parties were an important element of a press release
  • Press releases were meaningless unless a reporter decided that it was worthy of a story

The NEW Rules of Marketing and PR

Since the internet is now one huge publisher, ANYONE can learn how to create compelling messages and publish them. Getting found online is the science and art. A few of the new rules include:

  • People don’t want “spin” – they want authenticity
  • People don’t want to be interrupted anymore (it’s now called SPAM)
  • People don’t want to be ‘told’ (push marketing), they want to be heard
  • People want VALUE (content), which develops relationship and trust
  • Marketing and PR can reach niche audiences online in a wider variety of ways
  • Content is KING, and stays online, with no end to the campaign

The New TOOLS of Marketing and PR

It’s no longer TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, etc. Meaningful, valuable CONTENT is the vehicle that captures audiences’ attention. It is now found on:

  • Websites
  • Blogs
  • Microblogs (Tweets)
  • Social Media platforms (Facebook.com, Myspace.com, etc)
  • Article Directories
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Etc, etc etc!

What new marketing rules and tools have worked for you?

For more information, see the full article, NEW RULES OF MARKETING & PR

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman: With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

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An organisation’s most valuable resource is its staff

Staffs-in-a-organization-holding-their-hands-together.

For any company to be successful in the current economical climate it is going to be vital for organisations to optimise their resources. And surely any organisation’s most valuable resource is its staff.

Nurturing talent will be a key tool in combating the recession
Nurturing talent will be a key tool in a successful business

For example, one option is to use this period to promote young talent rather than take on the cost and risk of recruiting externally, a tactic backed up by Dr Emma Parry’s recent report, Nurturing Talent, published by Cranfield School of Management. Another report from Cranfield suggests that initiatives such as Investors In People can have a positive impact on financial performance.

In these leaner times it is going to be increasingly important to draw a distinction between financial capital and human capital. Whilst there’s little doubt that finances are restricted, now is not the time to constrain your people. In fact this climate of change offers the perfect opportunity to unleash new talent within your organisation, encourage innovation and allow the next generation of leaders to identify themselves. Continue reading “An organisation’s most valuable resource is its staff”

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Major Gifts – Ensuring The Future

a-consultant-initiating-a-program-that-will-ensure-te-future-of-an-NPO

The biggest mistake that many non-profits make is their belief that grants from corporations, foundations and government will continue, or (even) increase, over the long-term.

Historically, those sources of funding for specific programs either remain the same or decrease – especially during rough economic times (Remember !! … It wasn’t that long ago).

While overall costs of operation tend to rise, few foundations or corporations want to make long-term commitments to a non-profit organization.

Planning-for-the-future, therefore, involves identifying potential sources of funding sufficient to ensure continuation or expansion of the programs that satisfy the needs of the people and the communities being served.

Worded another way, “Ensuring future funding requires minimizing the risk of losing a large percentage of your income.”

Most foundations help a NPO initiate a program/concept, help them create the structure that will support it, and then go on to do the same with other organizations.

Corporations want to be perceived as supportive members of the community. The more NPOs they support, from the same, limited pot of money, the more visible they’ll be and (generally) the better their image.

It’s also dangerous to rely just on events — no matter how successful, as someone else’s event or activity may prove to be a greater attraction for your attendees, or the economy may engender second thoughts about buying those event tickets.

Ask yourself, “When the grant for a specific program runs out, do you end that program and discontinue service to those who need it, or will you have a backup plan … a reliable source of ongoing funding ??”

Roughly 80% of contributed dollars come from individual donors or their estates. And the common wisdom is that at least 80% of that amount — or about two-thirds of all contributed dollars – come as major gifts from individuals.

A major gift program is easier to design/implement and more cost effective than direct mail and the vast majority of events. Major gifts are also a more reliable source of long-term charitable funding than all others.

And, by the way, the second biggest mistake that many non-profits make is to assume that this doesn’t apply to them !!

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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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