The Art of Thank You.

Gratitude should not have seasonality to it however the time between Thanksgiving an d Christmas is punctuated with reminders more then any other season. As the wave of holiday asking, giving and receiving crests, I find myself thinking of my Marmee (my maternal grandmother), whose zealot like convictions about the value of a hand written thank you are engrained, deeply, in my personal and professional life.

I remember one winter morning sitting at my kitchen table with construction paper, glitter glue and colored pencils, my mother prepared the materials and sat me down to write thank you notes for holiday gifts. I don't remember exactly how old I was but I remember being miffed that I wasn't out playing in the snow. My mother explained the importance of thanking people for their generosity, when I continued to protest she handed me a blunky Sony portable phone and dialed Marmee.
My Marmee was born in 1919 and so spend her childhood living through The Great Depression. Her family was fairly well off but she watched others struggle and people who had little to give go out of there way for others.

If you are wondering, I sat down and wrote my thank you notes that day and many days since. In my professional life I encourage my clients to write a personal note for every gift they receive and I do the same when I am responsible for stewarding the gift.

I worked for a wonderful man early in career who, second to Marmee, had the greatest impact on affirming the value of thanks. In the competitive world of small nonprofits, taking a moment to acknowledge the people who make your organization run matters, it sets you apart. You don't need to shower donors or volunteers with lavish gifts, in fact many prefer you spend the money on your programs and avoid such things, but ALWAYS remember to say thank you.

Three rules I live by when it comes to gestures of appreciation

Be Timely.
If you attended a event or dinner, write a note or call the next day.
For gifts and donations you have a week or two window.

Respond Appropriately.
Different acts require different kinds of thanks. A holiday gift can be acknowledged with a nice card while being a house guest for a weekend might warrant a small gift. In business a $25 donation can be acknowledged graciously with a simple note to the donor while a $5,000 gift may call for a personal call, sending photos from a program or offering a personal visit.

Make it Personal. A generic thank you is not much better then no thank you at all.

*Note what I am about to suggest would not be sanctioned by my Marmee, who at 92, believes the internet is entirely useless and turning all of us into unrefined, ungracious drones.*

Personal doesn't mean time consuming. Talking with colleagues, clients and friends people often sight a lack of time as the reason they don't get around to saying thank you. While my Marmee believes you make time to write (and by write I mean pen out, not type) a thoughtful, personal note each time you wish to thank someone, I believe in using technology to make sure get our thank yous in.

Confession. I have texted several thank yous, in the case of an impromptu dinner with friends or after a rewarding meeting with a colleague. Texting is certainly not my preferred method of saying thanks but in a pitch, it lets people know you are thinking about them.

The semi-antiquated phone call. I actually do this quite often. It's really rare that someone calls me just to say thanks for something, when it happens it feels really special so I try to pass on the good will.

Paperless Post. Check out this site. I am not a big fan of email thank yous, I get hundreds of emails a day but the delivery of this e-greeting is top notch.

The Handwritten Note. It is still unrivaled. As a result of the barrage of email I get to four different email addresses daily, there is something warm and nostalgic about going to my post office box and finding a hand written card inside. Yup, they take a little longer then the options above but it's worth it. Here a few tips to make it easier...

Keep a supply of cards and stationary on hand.

Buy stamps. (Fun stamps, not the boring generic forever stamps)

Find a pen you love. (Sounds silly but writing with a crappy pen is well....)

Brussels Sprouts and Strategic Planning

I love food and I eat a lot. I find as much joy in the first ripe summer tomatoes as I do getting news of a $10,000 grant award or sending a new climbing project.

Our family has a CSA share with Alma Farm in Porter, Maine.

I get giddy when they send us an email, mid-winter, asking for our deposit for the next year and equally melancholy when I return our apple crate to the parking lot on Depot street and hug Geoff and Gina for the last time that season.

This year some wacky fall weather extended the growing season, for some regional farms, I have eeked out local produce for a few extra weeks by driving to Berlin, NH and Portland, Maine hitting up their farmers markets.

Yes I know full well if my intention in buying local was to reduce my carbon footprint, I’ve blown it. Carrying my canvas bag of apples, local bacon, squash and kale – I am ok with the duality.

Settling into this season of borrowed time …borrowed summer sunshine, waning moments for autumn color and fleeting opportunities to enjoy food grown in New England soil I felt a sudden urge to eat brussels sprouts. I LOVE everything about this contentious vegetable - its strength and elegance in the garden, the sound of snapping sprouts from the stalk, the smell of tasty halves roasting in the oven with sea salt and sage butter.

My husband remarked over dinner that he wrote off brussels sprouts years ago, avoided them at all cost as an adult, until he met me and consequently was thrust to face his disdain or risk telling his new love interest that he wouldn’t eat her cooking.

I don’t remember the first time brussels sprouts appeared in a dinner medley in our relationship but I imagine it was early on since I met Erik in September. It’s likely their very presence on his plate brought sweat to his brow but he never let on. Years later as the summer light fades and tomatoes are replaced by squash in our CSA he asks for them regularly.

Reminiscing with Erik about his transition from crafting creative ways to dispose of these pesky vegetables to falling in love with their flavor, seasonal presence and versatility resonated with another dimension of my life – strategic planning.

In the nonprofit sector the pharse Stategic Planning has earned itself a reputation strikingly similar to brussels sprouts. Consultants love it, recommend it and work tireless to convince leery staff and board members of its value. The nay sayers balk, squirm, devise pseudo legitimate reasons to continue their protest.

One of my clients began at the beginning with strategic planning citing in their protest that is was, too expense, too time consuming, the organization wasn’t ready for it. Three years ago their timidly allowed the process to make its way to their annual calendar. With careful framing, conscientious timing and diligent follow up they fell into love.

This year they actually came to me in September, they wanted to move the planning meeting up (typically held in January) so they could reflect on the last year’s success and get a jump on 2012 planning.

Pre work for the meeting was done without hesitation, attendance was top notch and board members left the meeting with a better understanding of their role, staff roles, the direction of the organization and fully charge for the coming year, Two weeks out from the meeting they are working in committee, asking great questions and full engaged to start the New Year.

If I sound like I am gloating, I am. It is easy to come up with reasons why you don’t like something, don’t want to do it. It’s natural to have a poor experience with something and write it off so when I see people state down their own fears and skepticism to try something new, I am deeply impressed.

So give brussels sprouts another go (check out this recipe) and find time for strategic planning.

Annual Appeals, Cake Balls, Rolfing, Opportunistic Climbing and The Greatest Compliment of All Time

The title about sums up the beginning of November in New Hampshire for me.
Here are a few musings from the first 11 days of this 11th month of 2011

Annual Appeals.
Children count down days until Christmas with intrigue and excitement. In my late twenties, as a nonprofit consultant, I count down weeks until the sacred ritual of the annual appeal mailing.

In many ways it's just like the twelve days of Christmas, only instead of drummers drumming and maids a milking you have letters writing, collateral material designing and board member signing to sing about.

When you are done your office looks just like the space below the tree after a morning of rapid present opening.



Cake Balls.
Apparently not to be confused with a doughnut hole, especially in front of the local bakery owner who prides herself on her chic french twist to pastries items such as the aforementioned doughnut hol...I mean cake ball. Give me a break, there is a striking visual similarity.

Yesterday, after my pastry guffaw I indulged in a delicious orb shaped, sprinkled colored pastry, delighting in every ounce of it's sugary, buttery goodness.

For those of you who know me peripherally you might gasp reading this because you are accustomed to my dinner spreads including local meats, whole grains and tasty leafy greens. For those of you who have known me a longer thank you for supporting the duality or hypocrisy of my sporadic, somewhat manic passion for doughnut holes, fried pickles and mini snickers.



Rolfing.
Obviously follows the rant on cake balls. My body needed a tune up. I have deep gratitude for the long hours it puts in running my business, followed by the pounding, spinning, Utkatasana - ing and throwing to tiny holds marathon it endures while I find balance between work and life. Thank you Kate McPhee for the tune up. If you live near the Mt. Washington Valley you need to check this women out.


Opportunistic Climbing
Love to my husband who took a day off mid-week to chase the last days of rock climbing season with me at Shagg Crag. To ice the cake - AT&T has cell coverage there so I was able to take took work calls between burns. Those are the best days of self-employment EVER.


Finally - The Best Compliment Ever
Just a little plug for a dear friend who I don't see often enough. She left be the best message of all time...

"Sasha, hearing from you is like an ice cream sundae with sprinkles and WAIT NO...you are better then that. Hearing from you is like....it's like...I KNOW.
Hearing from you is as good as bacon."

Happy November and Here's to Bacon.

Reviving the Exectuive Director Evaluation

In a few hours I will sit down to provide a new Executive Director (hired spring 2011) a performance review. I am a board member of the nonprofit run by this director. As part of my organizational service and because I believe in taking time for reflection, I will be in that room.

This week I don't have the time for this meeting. My plate is full of work from paying clients and personal commitments long overdue but I will be there. I was quite surprised at the lack of board participation when this topic came up on an agenda a few months ago.

Several follow up emails from the board president to collect feedback went virtually unanswered.

According to The Compass Points Daring to Lead Study, only 45% of nonprofit CEO's receive a performance review. A recent Board Source article sites a destructive paradigm that develops as a result, "Resentment comes from the executives, who are too often either resentful of the review process or even more likely and paradoxically, disgusted with the board for not conducting one."

Before writing off the review of an organization's Executive Director as another task on a long to do list consider the opportunity it presents for the entire organizations and your senior leadership. This review offers the strengthen the working relationship between the ED and board, build confidence in the organization, identify and address challenges in the overall program and praise your leadership team on jobs well done. In the day to day management of a nonprofit the opportunities to get a balcony perspective on things are rare and yet those are the opportunities for rich dialog and growth.

My challenge to board leaders is this: make the commitment to an annual review of your organization's Executive Director, breathe life into the process and look for the rewards it offers the organization.

Tips for Breathing New Life Into Executive Director Review Process

• Provide board members with a framework for feedback. For example, ask each member to provide three comments on the director's performance in the following areas of organizational competency - Leadership, Management, Planning and Assessment, Budgeting and finance, Fundraising, Marketing and Public Relations, Professional conduct

• Start the process with a written self-assessment from the Executive Director about their performance over the last year.

• Busy board? What about the board president sending a survey with an embedded rating system for each question. Survey Monkey is a terrific tool and offers a free version.

Remember to finish the review looking forward. This review isn't an isolated activity, it's part of a process. Come to the meeting with two to three performance objectives for the coming year, this builds the foundation for the conversation next year.

Learning to Learn

When I bought my first road bike, I remember staring in awe and terror at the clippless pedals before I had even handed over payment. I learned to ride a bike more then a decade before but the notion of clipping my feet to my bike while riding seemed impossibly foreign.

My first day on the bike I rode a total of ZERO miles, instead I asked my husband to patiently stand in the driveway, holding the bike steady as I practiced clipping in and out. Day two, I took the bike to a school yard and practiced on the grass before I hit road. Once on the road every intersection had me panicked, an opportunity to full system failure.

The first summer I owed the bike I road the 150 mile, two challenge - MS Bike to the Breakwater. I entered the race fully confident in my skills handling the bike and going the distance, I was on my game. The first day I rode conservatively but intentionally, fueling up at each available support station and finished the day feeling great. Day two I woke up feeling better then I could have imagined. I jumped on my bike and rode with confidence, charging town lines (a little sprint game I play with my husband) and smiling brightly as we past family and friends at the day's half way point. The final support station is 14 miles from the finish line, we pulled in to grab a quick snack before the final push, I was beaming. Still in conversation with one of the volunteers I went to get back on my bike - I clicked my right foot in at the bottom of the peddle stroke, stood up and fell over. Yup just like that - WACK - I was on the ground.

Three years later, I ride without thinking about my clippless pedals. Clipping in and out are ingrained. I am not longer a new learner.

Getting to this point took trust, practice and time. It took falling over in front of my friends, strangers and at inconvenient times. It took a willingness to be vulnerable, insecure and accept that failure isn't the end of the road.


This American Life Host, Ira Glass produced a wonderful piece about the process of learning, a reflection on his development as a story teller and learning curve with radio.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
http://transom.org/?p=6978





This lesson came up today in a conversation about new learners and social media. It might seem like a strange connection to make but all of the same emotional components I experienced on my bike, follow us in our personal and professional pursuits. We can choose to name them, bring attention to them, laugh about them and work through them or we can choose to ignore them and allow them to stop us from learning. I will continue to opt for the former and work to help my clients do the same, even if it means falling flat on my butt sometimes.

The Five P's.

This week has been looming in my icalendar for some time - new client meetings, lots of drive, a weekend of event planning. Before the calendar rolled into October I was prepared for this one to be a beast.

When I see these weeks coming I take extra time to get as much done in advance as I can. This may sound crazy but that includes proactively cleaning the house, freezing dinners and scheduling in blocks of time to exercise. After many of these weeks managed by gross consumption of Red Bull, whatever food happened to be in the office and intermittent bouts of sobbing a bathroom, I've learned how to pace myself.

There is however one variable that I can't solve for - other people.

Last night my cell rang, long after any reasonable definition of "business hours", even if we are talking - I'm on the east coast and you are calling from California, forgetting while you are still in the office, I am in my pj's drinking a glass of Pinot.

I let the phone go to voicemail. This is a huge step for me but an essential one for keeping my sanity, preserving sleep and my marriage.

It was dark out as I got ready to leave the house this morning to sneak in a hike, with my friend Wendy, before I dove into work. In the car headed to the trail, I listened to the voicemail.

In short the message was a semi-frantic cry for help from a collaborator who's piece of the puzzle was a mess days before the project deadline. I spilled the story to Wendy sighting the inquires I made over the last few weeks to check on the status of this piece of the project and the obtuse answers I received.

Wendy stopped me mid-sentence and said, "This is your week, poor planning on their part is not an emergency for you." (One of my all time favorite quotes). "And maybe you should share the five P's with them."

I immediately thought back to Kindergarten trying to recall the five P's, all I could come up with was a single P and three R's.

"I give up. What five P's?"

Her husband's five P's (a former Marine so also the US Military's five P's)

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

The situation is not quite right to share this advice with last night's caller but it is certainly worthwhile wisdom for your personal life, professional life and everything in between.

The Five P

Building Strong Boards

Ten Ways to Strengthen Board Performance[1]

1. Use a board profile assessment to strategically recruit board members
2. Form a board governance committee and actively seek new member
3. Develop and implement a meaningful board orientation program
4. Conduct regular trainings and offer board members access to educational opportunities
5. Annually review all governing documents
6. Form a finance committee to provide sound financial oversight
7. Be transparent in all board matters
8. Take responsibility for program outcomes
9. Make an “all hands on deck” commitment to fundraising
10. Implement regular member self-assessment and evaluation

---

[1] Thanks for Leadership North Country Class of 2011 for sharing the first version on this list, it has been adapted slightly by Sasha Eisele & Associates and the source of the original list is unknown.

The Power of Cross-Training

I run because I love the feeling of racing through the woods, bounding over rocks, roots and through the mud. I run because I need that time to clear my head of everything and let all slow creep back in.

Racing for me is just an extension of running, biking and swimming - a reason to focus my training to allow myself the time for exercise induced euphoria - a totally different feeling then what I get from rock climbing or surfing.

This morning I hit the trails before the heat of the day and ran in the woods under the cover of thick leaves, it was perfect. I thought about...

Hill sprints, long endurance runs, race pace runs, flat sprints...
All tools that when packaged to together create a sum great the parts.

This afternoon in my office, I thought about the tools that I use to support my clients and their marketing and development needs. Here is a list of five great tools that will give you a sum greater then their parts - happy training.

Some are free, others have a free trail period and then charge a fee for use.

Go to Meeting - Web conferencing, online demos and work group collaboration

Doodle - Meeting scheduling made easy

Crowdrise - Online fundraising and charity research made fun and easy

GroupSite - Social networking meets group collaboration

Guidestar - Find information on foundations and nonprofits around the country

The Potential of June and Social Media

Even years after the meaning of summer morphed from childhood wanderlust to the realities of adulthood June still holds visceral magic for me. There is something about the potential of summer – everything it could be, the adventures still to come, the uncertainity, the flavors, sites and sounds that mesmerizes.

This June I am developing on online platform where social networking and community collaboration interface for a group of change agents working toward a more prosperous future for their county in rural New Hampshire. The site will be built out from GroupSite and run for a trail 6-month period to test viability.

The energy behind this site is tremendous and tempered by the fact that participants just came off a three day symposium together- high on ideas, social capital building. This project is just like June – filled with potential, possibility and the unknown.

I look forward to challenge of measuring success in this virtual world, supporting individuals who engage social media for the first time, mining the knowledge and experience of early adopters and providing tools to create greater connectivity and opportunity in rural America.

What Donors Can Learn from Central Asia Institute's Recent Challenges

I had worked in nonprofit development for three year and helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, when a perspective donor answered my ask with a request to see a litany of financial documents. At first I was shocked, defensive even, though I had nothing to hide. I covered my surprise quickly and promised to deliver the documents.

Years later that moment stands out above all of the solicitations which were honored in the moment and without question. This donor simply asked what any investor would ask, to ensure his/her funds were being directed to a transparent, accountable and genuine place.

In the face of the accusations against Greg Mortenson and The Central Asia institute, I keep coming back to wrestle with multiple layers of institutional failure leading up to this point.

Jon Krakuer is taking on the credibility of Mortenson's books. I'll be honest, I am not terribly interested in this piece of the story. CIA and Mortenson do great work in education and bridging cultural divides, period. If pieces of the stories are condensed, stretched or omitted so be it.

Fellow nonprofit consultant and friend, Janet Bergman, addressed the organization's clear and blatant disregard for basic best practices, adhered to by organizations large and small across the country, in her recent blog post.

I want to empower and challenge the philanthropic audience, no matter what size gift you are making, ask questions, second but arguably equal to the board of directors, you are the people who keep these organizations alive.

Knowing what to ask for may be half the battle....

The financial statements for every nonprofit organization are public record.
Be skeptical if you ask to see information and are not provided with it.
Here are a list of ways your can sure your charitable gifts are ending up where you expect.

1) Check on the organization's public financial records

GuideStar's Mission: To revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.

2) Request a copy of the current board of directors

Industry standard suggestions a minimum of five board voting board members

3) Ask for additional financial materials

Operating and program budgets, as well as current financial statements will not always be available online but you have a right to ask for them. It is standard practice to include these documents with grants proposals., so it should be no trouble for any organization to provide them to you.

4) Ask for a detailed report on how your gift was spent


5) Use your intuition

If something about the organization strikes you as off, ask about it. Organization's with nothing to hide will have an explanation and might even be happy you asked.

Option two if something seems amiss, call the attorney general's office in the state where the organization operates.
Ask for the office of charitable trusts. You can ask your questions or file a concern with their office.

The Grappone Challenge

A recent funding update from The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits included mention of contest for local non profits. The prize $20,000 to the winning organization.

The contest is simple but the benefits impressed me enough to write about this new approach to corporate philanthropy. Check out the pitch here: http://bit.ly/bundles/jjurczynski/4

I don't know that my client who is registered will win the grand prize but I love the challenge. Grappone Auto Group builds it's reputation as a community oriented brand; nonprofits can engage supporters of all levels to participate and as someone working in the sector I can check out other organizations who might be reputable partners/collaborators in the future.

What other great corporate giving challenges are out there?

"I just want to work for myself" - Why the grass is sometimes greener

Recently a friend wrote me to ask how I make it work, referring to working for myself. He is justifiably frustrated by the dynamics in his work environment and looking for a way out. He is also a talented artist who would love to make a go at turning his part-time painting gigs into a full time venture. I hope he reads this - I think he has the talent and drive to make it happen.
His inquiry got me thinking about the challenges of working for yourself, the realities between the appealing bullet points of self-employment.

So here is what I have to say to anyone considering a shift to self employment...

Don't be so quick to only see green grass on the self-employed side of the fence. I love working for myself, it works for me, it supports the lifestyle I am excited about but here are drawbacks to consider and honest realities of dark side of self-employment...

-Success will require you to be the hardest boss you have ever worked for.

-Higher taxes.

-Wrestle with the fact you will never afford the kind of health insurance you had when you worked for a company...you will settle for basic coverage you pay too much for and family plans - forget about it

-No paid holidays, sick days or vacation. You take time off ...you don't make money.

-When you screw up there is no one to blame but yourself

-No IRA contributions

-Be prepared to work 2 + years before really making any money

-Realize that your business is YOU so it doesn't really ever get turned off (ie: trip to Peru...computer comes, emails are answered and that's vacation)

-When work is insane you don't get to run, play, visit with your spouse until the work is done

-If you don't have a spouse who is bought into the entirety of the plan above you will also contend with that

-Plan to spend less then you ever thought you would - dinners out, buying the smaller house, not buying a new car, holding off on major purchases until your business is stable.

The upside....

If you can handle the discipline required
If you can figure out the expenses of running a business
If you want flexibility
(read periods of intense work and then down time)
If the idea of kicking your own ass beats someone kicking it for you

.....you can do it.


It will be hard. You will get frustrated. There will be times you have no clue where the money is going to come from. You will have months where a day off means you don't have meetings but your read email before going for a run, answer a call while on it and check email again before bed.

If all of that is still agreeable. Find what you you love and go for it. If being my own boss has taught me anything it is that you don't have sit in a job you hate.

Twelve Rules to Live By In the Land of Donor Appreciation

Penelope Burk's book, Donor Centered Fundraising is the first book I purchased that I considered professional development reading. It has since become my bible. I loan my copy out regularly and encourage others to look beyond the sticker shock, what you learn will be worth it's weight in gold. I am thinking about donor appreciation and cultivation today so I felt it was good time to share these rules Burke suggests.

Twelve Rules to Live By In the Land of Donor Appreciation

-Penelope Burk

1) Statistics

a. Do your own research specific to your organization, do rely on industry standards. Figure out who your donors are, how much the give, how often and how you can cultivate them. Then implement your plan.

2) Categorizing Donors By Gift Size

a. Is shooting your organization in the foot. This is a reward and punishment system that is insulting to donors and doesn’t allow npo’s to grow the size of the gifts people are making.

i. Ex: if you only have to give $1000 to be in the CIYC, why would anyone feel compelled to give $5000.

ii. ?How do you get the information that compels your $25.00 donor to become a $100 donor out do them.

3) Urgent Appeals

a. Remember your emergency is not your donors emergency.

4) Failure to Plan

a. Don’t expect donors to fund on faith. You need a well organized, succinct plan that shows donor where their money is making a difference.

5) Failure to Test

a. Test all fundraising ideas before counting on them entirely.

i. Ex: NPO has a budget deficit, at a board meeting an innovative idea for a new fundraising event is suggested, projects are made about its potential net income and before the board meeting is adjourned the event date is set.

6) Being Unrealistic About Time

a. There is no such thing as short term fundraising. Pressure is often put on fundraisers to close deals within unrealistic timeframes. This failure to take into account the cultivation process with your donors almost always means the organization looses out in one way or another. Many failures that happen today have roots in things that were/weren’t done 2-3 years ago.

7) Solicitation/Attrition

a. Don’t fall into this cycle: Direct mail campaign happens, response isn’t what you anticipated, decision is made to send another mailing to increase revenue, this causes donor burn out (attrition), so prospecting for donors increases, no time to follow up and thank current donors, leads to more attrition, leads to more solicitation.

i. GET OFF THE TREADMILL. Spend time with your current donors.

8) Relying on Fundraising as Marketing

a. The organization should have separate budgets for fundraising marketing and general marketing. General marketing is for awareness building and fundraising marketing is to generate income.

9) Fundraising Expenses

a. You need to be willing to spend money to make money. If you aren’t you kill the ‘donor-centric’ fundraising model before it can work for you.

10) “Donors should be neither seen nor heard”

a. Donors feel privileged to give and don’t want anything in return. Don’t confuse no vested interest and no interest. There is incredible competition for donors and volunteers, an organizations meaningful communication is what will set them apart.

11) The Fundraising System

a. Be willing to break out of the current system. If you aren’t seeing results, if your solicitation strategies aren’t donor-centric don’t tinker with the old system, take it apart and build a new one.

12) Feeling Charities are Beyond Reproach

a. In 2000 83% of Americans gave to charity. As NPO’s we need to be more in tune and better prepared to change the way we do business to meet the needs of the people who keep us in business.

External Hardrives and Fundraising Etiquette

About 20% of my professional time is devoted to prospecting. When I am not working billable hours, engaging in professional development or straightening out administrative details in the office, I am researching ways to develop and improve my business model.

This evening is dedicated to organizing files with samples of projects from each of my areas of experience so I have them on hand when new clients ask for them. I was only going to pull together a few recent samples. Like all good intentions when you are a little OCD, once I started culling the archives I couldn't stop, I search new laptop, my old laptop and then I hit the mothership.

If our house was on fire I'd save my husband, the dog and the mothership. I realized a few things going through files dating back to 2005.

1) I love what I do for work and always have. The warmth I felt reminiscing about past projects is indescribable.

2) I am fairly certain I was born taking visionary ideas and breakdown them down into excel spreadsheet and actionable lists.

In all of these files I came across several transition documents created when I left my job in Portland and moved to New Hampshire. During this transition I remember the new hire joking with me, begging me to write a book about fundraising etiquette.

The truth is...when I learned about fundraising etiquette I didn't know that is what I was learning. Why? The expert who taught me lived his values, they were more then just work.
I haven't written a book in case you are wondering, maybe one day. Until then here are some things I learned along the way because a brilliant, charismatic visionary who hated organizing information into excel sheets took a chance on young women who loved taking his scraps of paper and scribbled on napkins and turning them into databases.

Appreciation doesn’t mean spending a lot of money.

Organizational culture is what people connect to, from children to the oldest donors they love what the organization is about. So my philosophy is do something to thank people that which fits the your organization's culture. Do not that try to match the dollar amount they have given.

Ex: Flowers are great, but they are dead and most often they are exotic, so they have traveled a great distance to get here at the expense of the environment and the consumer. Send bulbs or a small plant, something that will grow and continue to remind the recipient of their relationship with the organizaiton.

Ex: A major donors makes a significant gift to the organization and you want to take them out to dinner to thank them. You don’t need to take them to Fore Street, all of our major donors can take themselves to Fore Street, they didn’t donate $ to see it blow on dinner and wine. Take them somewhere unusual, offer them a dinning experience they might not have thought of….have you ever eaten sushi? African food?

When to Pay.

One of my favorite questions, here goes my formal/informal strategy.

If you are asking a volunteer, donor, committee member etc to the meeting because they are being groomed to donate, $, time or services. Always offer to pay.

If the meeting is with someone, board member, long time volunteer who you are meeting with regularly.

• Offer to pay the first time and anytime after if the meeting is about asking them to increase their efforts or up there commitment.

• Otherwise my thought is the organization pays the first time and then either split or take them up on their off to pay once or twice.

You are invited to a meeting with a constituent (s). Bring $, it is better to be safe then sorry.

• If you are in a one on one meeting, offer to cover yourself.
• If they pay and you want to contribute
• Offer to cover the ti

In a group situation, bring cash. Offer to cover yourself. There is no reason why you should pick up the whole bill if you didn’t call the meeting.

I always try to keep a mental log of people who I meet with regularly and work on an equitable ratio of organization buys/they buy. I also try to schedule these meetings at off times after the first few, no one needs to be spending a ton of eating out. If you have had a dinner or lunch meeting, how about breakfast or meeting for tea/coffee or a drink.

Alcohol at Events and Consumption

The saying goes everything in moderation, though I have a personal rule never to drink a large events where I am in charge.

When I plan a gathering of adults I generally ensure there is wine (typically not beer b/c it is messy, smelly and makes a lot of trash). My feeling is people are gathering after work after a long day and really appreciate the chance to unwind. Again in moderation, do the math on the number of people coming to the gathering, make sure you have enough for a glass or two a person and nothing more.

Same holds true when holding a gathering at a bar or restaurant, the organization should consider covering glass of wine for everyone….then you are on your own.

If you are having gathering with underage folks, even staff, do yourself and the organization a favor no drinking.

Special Event Detox

This year for the first time in my career I contracted to manage an event for a business. The vision for the event emphasized community, creating opportunity for peak participant experiences and there was even auction beneficiary built into the weekend festivities.

I saw the opportunity to cross train my professional skills; build relationships and explore parallel professional possibilities should I decided to jump ship from the public and nonprofit sectors.

Logistics are logistics so I entered the planning undaunted by this piece.

Securing sponsors proved less challenging then I imagine. The demands of marketing purse string holders are reasonable and formulaic. Consider and generate information on the following and you will likely get support - prove your target demographic and their products are the same; address how participants will interact with their brand and finally bring creativity to the table and share opportunities unique to your event which will show case the sponsor.

This year this event earned more in sponsorship then prior years. Numbers of day participants grew thanks to targeted sign up discounts and social media engagement. Evening activities were well publicized and their numbers soared too.

So why in the wake of this success do I feel disenchanted and uneasy?

Driving to meet another client this morning I imagined myself the subject of a New Yorker cartoon. In the image, two doctors were wringing me out like a bloated washcloth. The spray from their efforts included beer koozies, window decals, keg cups and sundry other plastic give aways (read the made in china, fun for a night toys which fill rural landfills).

Starting to see the challenge?

Don't get me wrong the event was also a blast, the sponsors a delight and the clients talked all weekend about the impact of their experience. Still I can't shake the feeling this way of building community may not be for me.

Time to survey folks and record debriefs, maybe in the feedback I'll find a diamond that sways my vote the other way. For now I am pleased about the success and looking forward to spending the next few weeks working on a groupsite to facilitate social capital building in a rural community and facilitating the mapping of fundraising initiatives to support a community building program for youth facing the loss of a parent to cancer.

Namaste to the Interns

It's time to set the record straight about interns. I can't vouch for every intern. I can tell you in the eight years since I started my professional career I can count more outstanding interns then years of work experience on my resume.

If this were facebook I would @ tag each of them at this point in the post. It isn't and there is no need to perpetuate that facebook mania of "friending" everyone you have every heard mentioned.

The point I want to make is about the quality of work done by these young people, their tenacity and accountability, all in the name of tasting a profession of interest.

Two interns I worked with most recently created the event, Caution: Gingerbread Construction from scratch to raise money for On Belay.

Right now I am working with a women who is professionally accomplished and eager to pursue a career as a professional climbing guide. She is kicking butt and taking names to put on an ice climbing festival for over 200 people.

These women impacted their internships in profound ways at no direct cost to the organization's hosting them and in exchange they gained meaningful professional experience.

This is what internships are meant to be.

In the interest of "the feedback sandwich", I put the best stories first.

I have also been witness to interns who are brought into organizations with the promise of a quality educational experience, read internship and what they got was all together different.

Upon arrival the fresh intern is ask to perform all sorts of tasks which have nothing to do with their internships. The intern becomes the catch all for the crap other people don't have time or interest in doing. This is not an internship.

To illustrate my point I'll share a moment of my professional career that I am not proud, don't worry it ends well.

It was the summer of 2007, the week before I put on a Kayak Regatta for 35 donors to a small nonprofit. This Regatta was a-typical. Think traveling drummers, massage therapists, lobster bakes and island with no running water or electricity.
Logistically intense? Yeah you could say that.

I was at least a few Americano's into my day. My summer intern
(who later played violin at my wedding processional) and our organization's second summer intern popped their heads into my office to ask if they could help.

My brain was working overtime...donations logged, special dietary needs to report, where are those face paints...all swirling the moment the girls offered to help.

"Uhhhh. Ummm. Just take my dog for a walk ok!" And I shut my office door.


Click for unbearably cute dog photo


A few moments later there was a knock on my door, it was my intern.

"Can we talk?" she said.

I could tell from the look on her face I was out of line. She walked in and I asked her directly,

"OK, how bad was that? Honestly."

She smiled sweetly, paused.

"You know Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada...

"THAT BAD!" I exclaimed and started laughing, so did she.

"Yup." She said between giggles "And, just so you know Catherine is afraid of dogs."

I pulled $20 from my wallet, apologized for being a jerk and sent the girls to grab themselves a coffee and something sweet while I collected myself and thought of an appropriate way for them to support the event planning efforts.

I won't argue, there are unflattering, unappealing tasks in every job and they need to get done. My suggestion, lay that out ahead of time and tackle those tasks as a team.

Don't take interns for granted. Love them , appreciate them, treat them well.

To all the under appreciated interns out there, may the light within me honor the light with in you.

Attention Job Seekers.

No not me, I am still content running my business here in New Hampshire.
This is the second time in six months I've worked with an organization as part of a hiring team. In the summer of 2010 I managed the hiring of a part-time program staff person for a small nonprofit. Right now I am in the middle of the search process for an Executive Director, again for a small nonprofit.

When applications arrived this summer for a part-time program coordinator, my expectations were rooted by entry level nature of the position. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the candidates and simultaneously shocked at the number of applications which were assembled carelessly. I wrote off the amazement reminding myself, you are hiring for an entry level position. I won't leave you wondering, we hired an extraordinary young women who has mastered her job and then some in less then six months.

I am back to the hiring game. This time the stakes are higher. I am on a team working to fill the shoes of women who started her work with this institution doing part-time administrative duties and today she is now a power house fundraiser, manager and leader.

This hire is a year in the making. The group brainstormed, planned, convened ad hoc committees and in December the posting went out. Credit where it is due, we received many strong applications. In addition we received others that stopped me in my tracks, several applications arrived screaming for a reminder about simple measures which can make or break an application.

I am not a career coach or a veteran HR professional.

I have a background in visual arts drilled into my brain, an obsession with detail and the ability to find value and intrigue in a-typical candidates, so long as they present themselves well.
Here are a handful of tips I wrote down while reflecting on these two hiring processes, share them, use them personally or to help evaluate your next hire.

1) Don't try to be cute

I love the color pink, dresses and small bossy dogs. I am completely turned off by applications: on colored paper, which included clip art graphics, catchy slogans or cheesy fonts. Even if you are working with small children or animals a hiring committee expects professional applicants, be one.

2) Formatting Nightmares: Don't be one

Imagine twenty plus applications (resumes, cover letters, letters of reference) sitting in your inbox. Now imagine opening the documents to find these documents are a formatting disaster. Regardless of the content these candidates start out at a deficit or don't start the process at all.

What can you do?

Save as a PDF! It's simple and will ensure what you see on the screen is what the hiring team sees.
Use bold, underline or italicized text for emphasis when appropriate and if you use it be consistent.
(Ex: Bold one company you worked for....bold them all)
Only send what your asked for and offer access to further information if requested. A pile of attachments takes time to print and organize, if you weren't asked to provide them you are likely adding more work and frustrating someone.

3) Proof Read

No one is perfect. Second only to my mother, I am pretty sure I am the world's worst speller so I am especially attentive in grant writing, applications and professional writing to triple check for errors. Cook dinner for a trusted friend, babysit for a professor, bake cookies for a co-worker....bottom line make sure your eyes are not the only eyes to fall on these documents.


4) Right Resume, Right Time

This one may cause you to sigh deeply and stop reading...I'm not sure who perpetuated the idea that one resume works for every job but it doesn't in my world. Consider carefully the wording of the job you are applying to, highlight the skills you have that match that job specifically. Edit your resume so it presents the education and experience that will serve you well in the position for which you are applying.

5) Your time and mine

If you are applying for jobs that doesn't just mean sending out applications and going back to business as usual. After your applications go out, be attentive to your email and voice mail messages. If you know you will be away or unavailable, be proactive and include a note in your application with the details on when you will return or how to contact you while you are away. Return calls or emails within 24 hours, great general rule of business and critical in a hiring process.

6) First rule of sales: Know the product

Applying for a new job is about sales. You are selling yourself to a future employers with the promise of being a future sales person for their company or organization. You will find lots of information out there about how to present yourself and significantly less about the impotence of knowing the company or organization you would like to work for.
Do your research - check their website, look at staff profiles, check their social media sites for photos, comments and any other information that can provide insight into the culture, values and vision of the company.


7) Voice on the machine

Like many people many I only have one phone, a cell phone and I hold great disdain for cutesy voicemails messages. I outgrew my taste for entertaining voice mails in highs school. This isn't a judgment just fact, I spent untold hours of my youth recording creative, musical messages on my home answering machine. Be sure your contact information and associated replies are professional.


I'll sign off with a lucky seven. Happy hiring, good luck applying and feel free to add your own best practices in the comments section of this blog.