Month: March 2012

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Employee Orientation: Prevent New Hire Or “Buyer’s” Remorse

A person being given an orientation on a new job

How much of money do you spend on hiring the right people and then waste by pouring cold water on their enthusiasm on that very first day?

Almost all companies do an orientation for new hires but few pay much attention to them. Often workers come to work excited about the prospects of a new job and new friends only to get cold water in their face the first day or week on the job. Many companies miss an opportunity to make a greet first impression.

Research has shown that improving orientation can increase retention rates by as much as 25%. Like any major decision such as purchasing a new house or a new car, new hires are looking for assurance to the question: Did I make the right choice to come here? Let them know from day one that they did. Below are 3 employee orientation tools to boost their productivity and commitment.

1. Tools to “Celebrate a New Hire”

The “celebration” approach assumes that the first day, week, month as crucial to getting a new hire “signed on” to the company’s mission and committed to the job. Managers and team leaders need to take a larger role in “closing making the new hires feel welcomed and important.

  • Have the CEO, general manager or department head make a “glad you’re aboard” phone call or send a welcome email.
  • Have a surprise welcome party in the new hires work area with coffee and pastry or arrange a potluck lunch.
  • Take a team picture on the first day and have it signed by all or put the new hires picture on.the company website or newsletter.

2. Tools to “Jump Start” Productivity

Many workers encounter delays and frustrations in getting the tools and training they need to start off running in their new job.

  • Have someone show the new hire around (location of supplies, copier, restroom, coffee machine, lunch places,, phone system, expense account procedures so on).
  • Make sure new hires have all needed information and supplies from day one (passwords, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, furniture, computer, tools, etc.)
  • Assign a buddy from their own department so they can ask “stupid” questions and learn “how things are done around here.”

3. Tools to” Make Them Part of the Team”

Quickly assimilating and developing new hires into productive employees can make a significant contribution to your group, team or department.,

  • Plan an hour or so of uninterrupted time with the manager during the first week to go over with the new hire expectations, assignments, role in the department, etc.
  • Have a short team building activity so that the new hire gets to know team members and what they do.
  • Make sure the rest of the team is open, friendly and cooperative especially if the new fire is taking a team members place.

Management Success Tip:

The good news is that a new hire orientation program offers an opportunity to build a lasting impression of the new company. The bad news is that that is going to happen whether you plan it or not. Isn’t it better to plan the new recruit’s impressions than to have it happen haphazardly?

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Your Next Performance Review: How to Get a Great One

A woman going through a performance review

performance evaluationEven if your performance review is due at a later date, you should start getting ready now. Put your best foot forward with these four strategies.

1. Know the system.
To get the most from the experience and present yourself in the best light, understand how your company handles reviews, beginning with the form (s) that has to be filled out. Some companies ask employees to complete a self-review form, sometimes online. Others leave the writing to the boss and let employees have their say in a face-to-face meeting.

2. Keep track during the year.
Most performance-review systems operate on a yearly calendar. Keep track of your work throughout, so that you can cite your accomplishments. Keep a log, or review your e-mail regularly to refresh your memory on the projects, initiatives, and challenges you’ve managed. See My Success Portfolio.

3. Make your case.
Before your meeting, create a short (one- or two-page) document that lays out your view of your: a) work over the past year; b) goals for the new year; c) needs, that is, the tools, training, and access to people that will help you reach your goals; d) your strengths and areas for improvement; and e) feedback for your boss — on communication processes, scheduling, whatever. This works best, of course, with a boss who is receptive to suggestions.

4. Focus on your out-of-the-ordinary contributions.
Many employees believe that they’ll get a good review and a hefty raise if they simply list everything they did during the year. Guess what? Most of that stuff is what you’re already paid to do. A salary increase is a reward for exceptional performance. So when you list your accomplishments, focus on key results. For example, as a human resource specialist, the employee survey you were responsible for, lead to a reduction of turnover in the logistics department.

Career Success Tip:

Keep your manager in the loop. The more she’s aware during the entire year of your plans, progress, challenges and successes, the more in sync you’ll be at that big annual review. Wouldn’t it be nice to see eye-to-eye there and then retire to a relaxed lunch?

Readers, reply with your horror as well as your glory stories about your experience giving or getting a performance review. I’ll compile them in a later post.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Contingent-Pay for Development Staff

An organizational staff agreeing to a contingency pay

Why Not Work on Percentage, Bonus or Commission?

I have long and unyieldingly stood against any form of contingent-pay in the non-profit sector — having an organization’s staff development officer working for compensation based on a percentage of funds raised, a bonus, or a commission.

Such arrangements, and any variations, are denounced by major “for-the-profession” associations. They go so far as to state, emphatically, that contingent-pay is unethical.

Most development professionals themselves think it’s a bad idea. But I do far more than just cite high standards and strong ethics as good reasons to have nothing at all to do with the contingent-pay practice.

I let the contingent-pay principals know of the very real harm possible when working in that way. In my article on the subject I list a number of very real and damaging consequences that may befall both parties when working to such an arrangement. (See: The Argument Against Paying Development Professionals Based Upon The Amount Of Funds Raised For Non-Profit Organizations)

My hard stance against contingent-pay was bolstered even more by a personal experience, several years ago, when I was engaged as a fundraising consultant for a major organization. Sadly, it represents what appears to be an ever-growing issue.

During my several months serving the organization, I conceived, developed and produced fundraising plans where there had been none. Annual, endowment, capital, sponsorship, and underwriting campaigns were all fully developed and were being phased into the duties of the organization’s new and first-ever Director of Development … whom I helped hire.

The individual was hired at a straight annual salary basis while I was nearing the end of my consulting term. Soon, the Director of Development was up and running very well and I concluded my consulting engagement.

In a routine phone call some months later, just to check in to see how that individual was doing, it became readily clear that the several key development initiatives I had set out for the organization had not progressed much, if at all, except for the Annual Fund.

There were no ongoing cultivation activities. Recruitment of a volunteer fundraising team was abandoned. There was nothing in place to ensure opportunities for long-term funding. What was clear was that the Director of Development was dead set only on meeting the Annual Fund goal.

Why? Because after I left, the next salary review with management allowed the D.O.D. to work toward a bonus of $5,000, contingent upon meeting the Annual Fund goal by the end of the campaign/fiscal year.

Just about all of the warnings I cite in my article were at work in this case. Money was being raised only for this year. There was no thinking/planning for tomorrow.

When I see all the wrong that can befall an organization, or an individual, in contingent-pay schemes, I cannot imagine for the life of me why anyone would want to go that route.

What do you think? I’d be interested in your comments.

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If you have a question or comment for Tony, he can be reached at Tony@raise-funds.com. There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website: Raise-Funds.com

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History of Organization Development (Part 1 of 6) — “Prehistoric OD”

A-group-of-executives-working-for-the-benefits-of-their-organization.

(Guest post from John Scherer, Co-Director of Scherer Leadership International, and Billie Alban, President of Alban & Williams, Ltd. This is the first blog post in a six-part series about the history of OD.)

Introduction to this Blog Series

  • In our work as OD practitioners, whose shoulders are we standing on?
  • Whose ‘conceptual DNA’ runs in our veins?
  • What are our operating assumptions and where did they come from?

Believe it or not, there was a time when things like involving people in action-planning, group decision-making, action research, feedback, high-performance/high-satisfaction team-development, leadership and management coaching, the stages in the consulting process—and a host of other standard OD practices—did not exist. Who figured them out—and passed them on to us?

You may know some of the people on whose shoulders you are standing, certainly you have read the works of earlier ‘elders’ who have shaped your work, but many of those who developed ways to improve their social systems are lost in the mists of time. . .

NOTE: This site distinguishes the difference between “organizational development” and “Organization Development.” The former phrase refers to the nature and scope of change in organizations, i.e., the change is to the entire organization or to a significant portion of the organization. The latter phrase refers to a field of well-trained people with expertise in guiding successful organizational development.

Pre-Historic OD?

We have no way of knowing, but imagine a group of Neanderthal men, sitting around their fire in the cave, when Karg, a more free-thinking hunter, using whatever grunts and motions he had available, speaks to his buddies. ‘You know, guys, we got the mastodon today, but I wonder how we could kill them without losing so many of us in the process?!’

Now imagine the group dynamics that might have ensued. Assuming that the leader—the fiercest hunter and warrior—allowed this discussion to continue, perhaps another hunter made a suggestion about using longer spears (technology). Maybe one of the more courageous women listening in suggested that a few hunters draw the mastodon’s attention in one direction while the best spear-throwers came at it from the other side (teamwork). Perhaps someone else said, ‘Let’s do both!’ (polarity management). Maybe the shaman suggested that they should all drink the animal’s blood to strengthen people’s ability to hunt (human resources). The result: the world’s first ‘socio-technical OD intervention’.

We would not still be here as a species if learning had not taken place at crucial points in our development. Our ancient ancestors faced real-time, real-world consequences (feedback) on a daily basis and did everything they could to solve life-and-death challenges with a combination of improved technology and smarter teamwork.

Around 10,000 BCE, as humans began to multiply more rapidly and settle down—especially around The Fertile Crescent in what is now Iraq—the tribal social system, which served so well as long as people moved around, began to break down. When humans put down roots to live in one place because of climate, water supply and/or the presence of game, a more complex social system was required. New roles and new forms of organization had to be invented. Now some people had to not hunt or farm, but stay back to guard that which had been garnered. Someone now needed to count quantities and weights and keep track of who got what. Someone had to make decisions and control the group’s effort and direction. (See Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel for a fascinating exploration of the rise of civilization and the changing role of leadership.)

The First Consulting Engineers—circa 5,000 BCE

There is evidence that the Egyptian culture during the time of the Pharaohs had what we would call ‘consulting engineers’, whose job it was to go around to the major construction projects and make sure they were ‘on time and under budget.’ When the Nile flooded every year, communication and cooperation all up and down a thousand miles of river was necessary, leading to command and control structures and enforcement capabilities. If one community astride the river failed to maintain their section of the dam or did not channel the water properly, the ensuing flood would wash away crops all along the river, threatening the very survival of the entire region.

This emergence of larger social systems also inevitably led to the emergence of a new kind of leader who was not simply the best hunter or fighter, but who was good at what we would call strategic planning and decision-making. The leader then needed people below them (read ‘managers’) who did the organizing and controlling. Just think, all this was in place centuries before the shop floors of the Industrial Revolution.

Moses and Jethro: The First Recorded Coaching Consultation for Large-Scale Change

What may be the earliest written account of ‘consulting for organizational change’ can be found in the biblical story of an exchange between Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro. (See Exodus 18:13-27.) Moses had just led the motley bunch of former slaves through the desert, turning South after escaping Pharaoh’s army to rest awhile in Jethro’s domain, the Land of Midian. Moses was probably there to check in on his new wife, Leah. Just a thought, but since Jethro was a Midianite, he would be seen by the client (Moses) and the client system (the Hebrew people) as ‘from out of town,’ and therefore perceived as neutral regarding substantive issues and solutions. (One of Richard Walton’s criteria for predicting a consultant’s effectiveness. . .) As the ancient tale goes, caught in a state of complete overwhelm, Moses turns to his father-in-law, Jethro, for help.

Now, we don’t know what exactly happened back then in that conversation, but here is one paraphrase:

  • ‘I can’t handle it any more!’ Moses says one night to Jethro.
  • ‘What’s the problem?’ says Jethro, caring deeply about this wild man who is married to his favorite daughter.
  • ‘I’ve just got too many people coming to me for decisions and advice. All day long. . . It’s all I do now. Hundreds of people bringing me every little problem they have, wanting a decision or a judgment. It’s driving me crazy! I’m exhausted. . . What can I do?!’
  • Jethro thinks for a while and says, ‘Yes. . . This is going to be a problem all along your journey, son. People are going to want solutions from you as long as you are their leader. . .’ He thinks some more. ‘Well. . . How about this? What if you set up some of your best decision-makers to be responsible for a hundred people, and a few of your very best to be responsible for a thousand people. That way, some handle the little stuff, others handle the not-so-little stuff, leaving you to take care of the really big stuff.’
  • ‘Hey!’ says Moses. ‘I like that!’ and he did what Jethro suggested, creating a hierarchical organization much like the one you probably work in—or consult to—today. (Only it sounds like Moses had a slightly wider span of control. . .)

There is a lot about OD consulting, albeit the more traditional ‘expert’ variety, embedded in this ancient vignette:

  • There was real-world pressure for change, and sufficient dissonance in the client. Moses is hard-working—you might say even driven—and is experiencing some strong dissonance between his idea of how this wilderness trip was supposed to go and what was actually happening.
  • They had sufficient mutual trust for this conversation. Jethro is older, more experienced, knows his way around, and is someone Moses respects.
  • Jethro had the emotional distance and clarity to help his client from behind a solid boundary. He didn’t get reactive to Moses’ complaining.
  • Moses was trapped inside his old paradigm—the one that came out of his promise to Yahweh about getting everyone to the promised land all by himself—and couldn’t see his way to a solution.
  • Moses asked for help. The feedback and coaching was requested. This opened Moses’ heart and mind to receive his coach’s radical idea. (The typical hierarchical organization chart that he recommended is so familiar to us today that we fail to understand just how strange that proposal would seem, especially to someone who thought he had to do it all. . . alone. . . for Yahweh.)
  • Jethro first affirms what will not change in the situation. He stands in reality, not in ‘pie-in-the-sky’ thinking. ‘Yes, Moses, these people are going to keep coming to you—or someone—for a long time. . .’ (This observation is from the creative theologically-trained mind of OD consultant and good friend, Mike Murray.)
  • Jethro then suggests something for Moses’ consideration. He doesn’t try to force or ‘sell’ his idea. It is an offering, not a command. Like a good consultant, he offers an idea, he did not use positional power with his client (which he would have had as a father-in-law in those days), but rather relied on the validity of the idea itself.
  • Moses acts on the coaching. He sets up the organization suggested by Jethro and sees it through.

So we OD consultants of the last 50-60 years are not the first in history to attempt to improve the quality of leadership and/or the effectiveness of the organizations around us. Written records are not available for many others, but surely kings and princes and religious leaders around the world had advisors they would turn to from time to time for help in matters military, economic, spiritual or political—or maybe even personal. Just as today, we can look back in time and see what a leader has decided—and the results. What we can’t see is the process by which that decision came into being—and who contributed.

There was the court jester who played a very important role in the medieval halls of power. The jester’s job was to hold up a mirror, playfully, to make a point in such a way that decision-makers and their hangers-on could laugh at what they saw. Then, on reflection, the more thoughtful participants could possibly see the folly in a particular decision or situation, and either change it or do things differently next time. If we think getting fired by a client is bad news, imagine what our ancestors faced every time they pushed the leader’s face in their own mess!

These historical attempts to have more effective organizations were missing several important ingredients, especially the distinction between content—where most of the above ‘consulting’ almost certainly focused—and process, something yet to be discovered. It was up to the unique exploration of more recent minds and hearts to discover and apply the principles that launched what we would recognize today as Organization Development.

Let’s take a look at some of the ‘heavy’ contributors in the next blog. . .

? What’s your reaction to this history of OD?

Reference List of Books from This Series

For More Resources About Organization Development, see These Free Management Library Topics:

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John Scherer is Co-Director of Scherer Leadership International, and Billie Alban is President of Alban & Williams, Ltd. This blog is an adaptation of their chapter in the ‘bible’ of the field of OD, Practicing Organization Development (3rd Edition, 2009, Rothwell, W.J., Stavros, J.M., Sullivan. R.L. and Sullivan, A. Editors). Many colleagues contributed, among them Warner Burke, John Adams, Saul Eisen, Edie Seashore, Denny Gallagher, Marvin Weisbord Juanita Brown and others. They have drawn heavily from Weisbord’s wonderfully rich, easy-to-read, and well-documented description of the origins of the field in Productive Workplaces (1987 and revised in 2012).

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To Train Or Not To Train A Technical Writer

An instructor training a staff while pointing at the laptop screen

Lots of questions have been asked as to whether or not you need formal training to be a Technical Writer. Personally, I feel the answer is yes. You need to have some kind of training or degree, whether it is a degree in journalism or a certificate in Business Writing, or a degree in English or Communication. But it is even more than that. Today’s Technical Writer needs a technical degree or a technical background to get a foot in the door, such as a degree in the Sciences, i.e., Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, etc. Many companies have hired people who are not technical and are just writers and have been disappointed in the results. Reason being, their responsibilities included:

  • Gathering requirements from subject matter experts such as clients, developers, etc.
  • Translating complex technical information, development and relational database concepts into clear easy to understand language for developers and users as well as for training and marketing material
  • Understanding complex technical information and organizing it into logical sections that can be followed by the target audience
  • Creating a variety of documents that involve standard operating procedures, request for proposals as well as usability testing and regulatory compliance requirements
  • Having good communication skills and being able to stick to schedules
  • Developing project plans and being a knowledge liaison across departments.

Originally, people started off with a degree in writing (i.e., journalism, Business Writing, English) and worked in various companies or did freelance work. Sometimes this work took them into the technical writing arena. From there, they gained more and more experience within the technical field.

If you begin with a technical degree, you can end up writing for an infinite variety of industries from financial to education, to technical companies to publishing, to Civilian and Defense industries to government contracts, to any kind of global contract. If you begin with a degree in the sciences like Biology, you can possibly end up working in pharmaceutical companies or in a related field. Also, fields such as engineering, chemistry, physics, aerospace, manufacturing, computing, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology all need Technical Writers. The field is wide open to you.

So yes, you need some sort of training to be a Technical Writer, because a Technical Writer has to comprehend technology in a way that can be explained to a target audience. You have to be able to research and understand the technology you are working in. Think of the position as a Technical Communicator, because we are translators and professional editors. We are translators because we break down technical terminology into understandable everyday usage for our target audience. We are editors, because our documentation has to be error free in the usage of grammar, spelling, etc. This is especially important when producing writing matter such as marketing, training, or compliance material, which reflects upon a company’s image.

Do you agree?

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HR Systems for the 15%

Group of active workers in an organization

Human Resource professionals are often given the task to create performance management systems. One would expect these systems should focus on the individual and organizational performance needed to achieve the organization’s targets and goals. However, it seems that often times these systems are counter-productive and result in anything but higher levels of achievement consistently and across all areas of the organization.

In my experience, the more systems we try to create, the more controls we tend to impose on the people in the organization. And despite the research that indicates these systems don’t produce improved engagement and long term productivity, we still tend to focus on systems that inflict control and encourage managers to monitor employees closely imposing strict rules and compliance.

A few years ago, I attended a SHRM conference where the keynote lunch speakers were Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, the creators of R.O.W.E. (Results Only Work Environment). As the speakers explained R.O.W.E. and the supported research and positive impact it had when launched at their organization, my table mates were shaking their heads and commenting on how it would never work in their organization.

In his book, Drive, Daniel Pink discusses further research and examples of organizations whose systems are getting more consistent results. These organizations are doing things differently than the traditional HR systems. Examples include Netflix no vacation policy and the customer service policy at Zappos which includes no scripts and no call time limits. These organizations have been able to achieve leading customer service and employee loyalty. They have become models for achieving the results that many HR folks are striving for when creating their systems. However, what do you think those HR folks say when they go to Vegas to tour Zappos? Oh, this would never work in our organization.

In our organization we manage to the 15% of people who need those rules, those scripts, and all that monitoring. And we can’t figure out why the other 85% keeps leaving.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz

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Social Media Crisis Management Strategies

social-media-connection-concept.

Why you need social media for crisis management

“Enterprises simply cannot afford to ignore social media as a crisis communications tool,” said Andrew Walls, research vice president at Gartner. “In many cases, social media may represent the only available means of locating and contacting personnel; providing stakeholders with the information and assistance they need; informing citizens, customers and partners of product/service availability; and taking other business-critical actions following a disruptive event.”

This quote, from a Gartner Newsroom release, is a perfect example of exactly why every business needs the capability to use social media for crisis management. Let’s use our home state of California as an example. We could, at any given moment, have an earthquake. Now, if one of these earthquakes takes out telephone lines in the area, how exactly do you think you’re going to get ahold of your employees?

Social media is the answer. There are few people today who sleep with their cell phone more than two feet away, and this presents the perfect avenue for communications in a crunch. These mobile web portals can receive emergency alerts or browse to internal company forums designed to inform, improve employee safety and facilitate coordination. As the quote says, this same capability can be used with business partners.

Another thing to remember – when you’re in the midst of a crisis, the last thing you want to do is leave your customers hanging. Of course, it should be easy to keep them updated through those active Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages that you’ve already got going, provided that you’ve actually done the legwork ahead of time!

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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World of Words

Business-people-discussing-on-social-enterprise.

The words we use make a world of difference. If you look at the words “word” and “world”, there is only one letter difference and that’s a “l.” I believe the more we respect, honor and love the words in our lives, the more it will open up our world.

Take my two-year-old son. Now that he’s beginning to talk and learn more words, his world is expanding. He is able to more effectively communicate his needs and wants with those around him like never before. On the other hand, take my friend who recently received a diagnosis of dystonia. According to Wikipedia, Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder, in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Now whenever she speaks, she struggles not to slur her words. While my son’s world is opening up, her’s is closing in as she is choosing to limit her words in order to best communicate with others.

We all know the power of words when they are misused and how much they can discourage us in our work, hopes and dreams. These type of words are ones that hopefully we avoid using and avoid receiving. Thus, I won’t spend any more “words” on them.

The words that matter are the ones that encourage and affirm others. In fact, “Words of Affirmation” is considered a love language. The Five Love Languages is a book and series of work from author Gary Chapman. Words of Affirmation is one of the five ways that we receive and express love with others. If this is how you express love, this is also how you would mostly likely prefer to receive love.

Words of Affirmation in Action

The most memorable way I’ve received recognition at the workplace is when I was given a thank you gift that spoke my love language, Words of Affirmation. A colleague gave me a meaningful card with a handwritten note that expressed her gratitude for my work on a project of hers. Along with it, she gave me a bag of chocolate-covered peanuts, one of my favorite treats. She tapped into how I express my love and appreciation to others, especially through sending out thank-you cards with handwritten notes of gratitude.

Who can you affirm with your words and make a difference in their world? Share a comment with us below.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

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Basics of Satisfaction Survey Design – Part 2 of 4

A lady with a survey form on her screen

Question Design

The way you design your questions will certainly affect the way the questions are answered. Or even IF they’re answered! We’ve all been caught on the phone with a surveyor who promised to take 3 minutes, then proceeded to ask 15 or more questions. Don’t ever be that person.

The Golden Rule “Do unto others…” certainly applies here.

Basics of Survey Questions

Keep questions short and easy to read. The longer and more complex the questions, the less accurate feedback you’ll get. This is particularly true of phone surveys.

Keep questions easy to answer, otherwise participants may abandon the survey, or provide incorrect information (e.g., giving the same answer/value for all questions, simply to get through the survey).

Keep “required” questions to a minimum. If a participant can’t or doesn’t want to answer a required question, they may abandon the survey.

Use a consistent rating scale (e.g., if 5=high and 1=low, keep this consistent throughout all survey questions). For rating scales, make sure your scale is balanced (e.g., provide an equal number of positive and negative response options).

Label each point in a response scale to ensure clarity and equal weight to each response option.

For closed-ended questions, include all possible answers, and make sure there is no overlap between answer options.

  • Use consistent word choices and definitions throughout the survey.
  • Avoid technical jargon and use language familiar to participants.
  • Be as precise as possible to avoid word choice confusion. Avoid words like “often” or “rarely”, which may mean different things to different people. Instead, use a precise phrase like “fewer than three times per week.”
  • Try to construct the questions as objectively as possible.

‘Skip Logic’ or ‘Conditional Branching’

When creating technology-based surveys, skip logic can be helpful. Skip logic enables you to guide participants to a specific follow-up question, based on a response to an earlier question. This technique can be used to minimize non-relevant questions for each participant, and for filtering out survey participants. For example, if you are looking for U.S. citizens only to fill out certain parts of your survey, anyone who answers “no” to the question “Are you a U. S. citizen?” can be skipped to the next relevant section.

Next time, we’ll discuss common survey question types and examples.

(Many thanks to USA.gov for guidance on question design.)

Do you have a favorite style for designing survey questions?

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

.. _____ ..

ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book has a name change! The Net-Powered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide will be available in April 2012. Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. She 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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The Dog Ate My Foundation Report…

Entreprenuers-working-on-a-grant-report-for-a-funder

Grant Reports Aren’t Always Required, But They’re (Almost) Always A Good Idea !!

Not sure about you, but the dog eating my homework excuse never worked for me. And not turning in a grant report to a funder who requires one is not going to work either.

At best, you’ll be given an extension for the report, and have a slightly tarnished reputation. At worst, you’ll lose that funder forever.

So, what about grantors that don’t require a report? Should you take the time to write and submit one? My answer is a qualified, “Yes.”

Reporting is an important part of stewardship, and a great way to show the donor that their gift has made an impact. In addition to several feel-good communications to the grantor during the year, a grant report submitted sometime during the year or with your next proposal is certainly best practice.

What should be included in your grant report? A good template would be a report required from another foundation that funds the same project or program. In lieu of that, I recommend including the following sections:

1  Briefly outline the goals of the project/program funded by XXX Foundation.

2  Who or what has been the primary beneficiary of this project/program? How many
    people have you served through this project/program?

3  What were the specific results of the project/program? Compare the actual results to the
    projected outcomes described in the original proposal.

4  Attach a detailed project budget and a specific breakdown of how the grant has been spent.

5  What difference did this grant make to your organization and for the population you are
    serving?

6  What are your plans for the future of this project/program, including funding, expansion,
    replication or termination?

Will preparation of this report require extra work on your part? Yes, but hopefully not too much, because an NPO’s established grant program will have defined goals, metrics and budgets for each project/program for which it is seeking grant funding.

These goals, metrics, and budgets will have been included in grant proposals, and the results of which will need to be communicated in grant reports.

One final point, circling back to my qualified “Yes” as to whether you should submit a report to grantors that don’t require a report. As I have said in previous postings, “relationships are at the heart of all fundraising activities, and grants are no exception.”

Communicating with your grantor is an essential part of continuing a healthy relationship that benefits the foundation or corporate grantor as well as your nonprofit.

So call, write, or e-mail your grantor if you don’t know what their reporting requirements are. They will appreciate your follow-up, and they will appreciate your providing them with the reports they want, in the format they prefer.

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Lynn deLearie Consulting, LLC, helps nonprofit organizations develop, enhance and expand grant programs, and helps them secure funding from foundations and corporations. Contact Lynn deLearie..