Core Communicator

One of the advantages of participating in the blogging world is learning from other people, who are smart and know what they are talking about!  This is exactly how I feel about Pete Kistler’s latest post on Dan Schwabel’s Personal Branding Blog:  Five Types to Communicate More Effectively.

To enhance your understanding of his points, I’ll describe how I learned these lessons during my own professional development.

1. Simple is better. I used to write long, complicated sentences.  This technique was successful in high school and college.  Then, I started writing grant proposals.  By necessity, my writing become much clearer.  Now, I am able to articulate my ideas in a more straight-forward way.  This lesson has improved my writing in various forms:  work reports, school assignments, email communication, etc.

2. Anticipate questions and provide answers. I have a habit of working for bosses who are extremely busy people.  So, when I am presented with the rare opportunity for a conversation, I must be fully prepared.  So, I learn my supervisors’ respective preferences, thought processes, and perspectives.  This information allows me to anticipate their questions and concerns.

3. Avoid common mistakes that make you look dumb. Like many others, I have made silly mistakes in email communication, final reports, and other materials.  How do I now prevent these errors?  I’ve learned to type emails, save them as drafts, go on to another task, and return later to review/revise/send.  This works!  I usually fix at least one mistake in every message.

4. Take a moment before responding to angry emails. I had difficulty getting along with a professor last semester and was often frustrated by the professor’s emails.  The tone of these messages seemed disrespectful.  If necessary, I would wait several days to actually respond to the email.  I would also invite a third-party to review my response – to ensure that my words were respectful.

5. Communicate frequently. I’ve found that people love it when you randomly think of them and send a meaningful message their way.  I suggest:  sincere expressions of gratitude, heartfelt congratulations on the latest good news, e-introductions to contacts with common interests, personal invitations to local events, provision of relevant resources, etc.

Nonprofit professionals are more than mission-driven droids.  We are working with people and for people.  How can we treat each other better through improved communication?  How else can a nonprofit professional communicate effectively?  Please leave a comment with your suggestion!

Fundraiser, Are you a Living Donor Coordinator?

Living Donor Coordinator:  This was the job title of the person who was responsible for managing my process as a living kidney donor – for the year leading up to the operation, the surgery, and the post-surgery experience. (Here’s my post announcing my kidney surgery. Here’s what I wrote post-surgery.)

The living donor coordinator guided me through the various medical tests necessary for donation approval.  This medical professional, also, was responsible for helping me make an informed decision.  I could ask her questions about any aspect of living kidney donation.  I credit my living donor coordinator when discussing what a positive experience I had with Clarian Transplant.

So, what does this have to do with fundraising?

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about fundraisers.  We may be seen as beggers.  We may be perceived as money-crazed or pushy.  To combat these stereotypes, I encourage all fundraisers to embody the essence of a Living Donor Coordinator.  Answer these questions to see if you live up to the job title (and the great experience I had with my living donor coordinator at Clarian Transplant.)

• Are you helping donors make an informed decision?  Provide accurate, up-to-date information about your program.  My living donor coordinator could answer every question I had!
• Are you easy to get a hold of?  Be available by email, phone, or mail.  Respond when you say you will.  My living donor coordinator was consistent and reliable!
• Are you focused on the people – not the tasks?  Be sensitive to individual’s needs and preferences.  My living donor coordinator always treated me like a person – not just a line-item on her to-do list!
• Are you there for the whole process?  Fundraising is more than just solicitation – pay attention to identification, cultivation, and stewardship tasks.  My living donor coordinator was involved beginning to end!
• Are you involving your donors in your organization’s programs and clients – to their comfort level?  Consider tours, meeting clients, requesting ideas/feedback, etc.  My living donor coordinator facilitated an opportunity to meet the recipient of my kidney and the entire kidney chain but only because I wanted those experiences!

How else can a fundraiser act like a Living Donor Coordinator?  Please leave a comment with your idea!

Profiles of Professionals

The last week has been stuffed full with informational meetings, networking events, interviews for my coursework, conversations with potential consultant jobs, and progress meetings.  What a whirlwind it has been!  In honor of some of these great individuals with whom I have had the privilege of meeting, I will briefly highlight some of their work here.

Amandula Henry is the Corridor Director for the East Washington Street Corridor Streetscape Project, Irvington Development Organization.  Here’s some reasons why you may be interested in Amandula and her work:

• Indy residents, do you want to see the near-east side of Indianapolis revitalized?
• Do you like to be familiar with Indy’s professionals who are movers-and-shakers in community development?
• Could you learn from a woman who knows how to navigate the interesting political context of local government?
• Parents, do you want an example of how to balance family and work?

Reverend Charles H. McClain, Jr. is the Senior Pastor at New Haven Missionary Baptist Church.  Here’s some ways Pastor McClain’s ministry can provide a fresh perspective to your work:

• Reassess your motivation for your profession.  Why are you doing what you are doing?
• Have a sincere concern for the people that you serve and work alongside.  Are you treating others well?
• Consider new ideas and a fresh perspective.  Are you ready to be doing a new thing?

Janet Arnold is transitioning from her position as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School to the Indiana Convention and Visitors’ Association.  Here’s a thing or two that other professionals could learn from Janet and her career:

• Give back by mentoring young professionals and connecting them to others in your network.
• Keep up with the latest best-practice recommendations by attending conferences and reading research.
• Learn the latest technology, for your personal and professional benefit.

I am so grateful for these three individuals (and for all others) who are involved (whether in a small or big way) in my development both as a professional and as a person.  Working with great people is a constant motvation and inspiration for me to strive for better and better.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts!  What wonderful people do you have the pleasure of working with?  What inspires you to achieve personal and professional success?

Tool Kit for Volunteer Fundraisers

Serving on a board?  Helping plan a special event?  Volunteering to fundraise?  No matter the fundraising task, there are certain essentials for success.  Before you ask anyone to support the cause or even begin discussing money, there are 3 important tools to put in your fundraising tool kit.

1. Personal Case Expression
2. Elevator Speech
3. Value-Based Conversation

1. Personal Case Expression: Explain why you are involved in the organization.  There are so many ways you could be spending your time – why did you choose this organization?  The questions below may help inspire your thinking.

• What first attracted you to the organization?
• What has made you stay with the organization?
• Why this organization – and not another nonprofit?
• What values do you share with the organization?
• How does the organization impact you?
• How do you impact the organization?
• How does the organization impact your community?

2. Elevator Speech: Briefly share about the organization.  Assess the effectiveness of your elevator speech with the criteria below.

• Clarity: Does your elevator speech make sense to a new acquaintance who is unfamiliar with you and the organization?
• Brevity:  Have you completed the elevator speech by the time you reach your floor?
• Compelling:  Is your elevator speech persuasive enough to convince listeners to learn more or get involved?
• Memorable:  Can you make a positive, lasting impression with your elevator speech?
• Conversational:  Even though it’s a “speech” to a captive audience, does your elevator speech seem natural?

3. Value-based Conversation:  Express the work of the organization through its values not its operations.  It’s fine to understand the “how’s,” but focus on the “why’s”?

• First, begin with a statement of belief.
• Second, identify the issue that inhibits this belief (or vision) from becoming a reality.
• Third, affirm the organization’s role in addressing this issue – bringing the vision closer to reality.

Here’s a quick example to illustrate the value-based conversation.

• “I believe every child deserves a quality education.”
• “Unfortunately, many families and school systems lack the necessary resources for basic school supplies (like pencils, paper, and books).”
• “Providing basic school supplies, Indianapolis Public School Education Foundation helps students learn and benefit from education opportunities.”

This is much more interesting than a summary of an organization’s operations.  Does the following information compel you to get involved?

• Founded in 1984, the Foundation supports Indianapolis Public Schools.
• School staff complete applications to receive necessary funds for clasroom resources.
• The foundation approves those requests that comply with criteria.

So, volunteer fundraisers, keep focused on the real reasons you are involved and clearly express those shared values with others!  What other tools do you put in your fundraising tool kit?  Please leave a comment with your favorite tool!

Infusing Research & Practice

I am naturally an analytic thinker.  Plus, I have an undergraduate education in sociology.  So, it should be no suprise that I take a particular interest in academic literature.  I leverage research to inform my practice in the nonprofit sector.

There are some key benefits in applying research to practice:

1. Empirical evidence provides insight into social issues beyond the capacity of anecdotal stories.
2. Research projects are contextualized within others’ research – building upon prior understanding.
3. Thorough understanding of a problem is necessary for effective solutions, and research strives to uncover all hidden relationships.

I encourage other nonprofit professionals to seek out academic literature in many situations:

• When confronting a problem – a social concern or an organizational issue
• When entering an unknown area of practice or management
• When desiring greater understanding and improved effectiveness

To find relevant research, I suggest The Foundation Center’s Catalog of Nonprofit Literature. If you want to browse a particular journal, I recommend the Association for Research on Nonprofits and Voluntary Action.

Then, apply the existing literature to your circumstances.  Consider the following questions:

• What is the primary research question?
• What methodologies are used to address this inquiry?
• What solutions are offered?
• What are the limitations of this research?
• How are these findings relevant?

What other questions should be considered when applying research to practice?  Please leave a comment with your idea!