One Step Forward Two Steps Back

When I moved from Portland, Maine to North Conway two dear friends secretly had a betting pool going to see how long I would last. Both were convinced that urbanite in me would beat mountain lover into submission and I would seek refuge in Boston or Manhattan in no time.

One half of the couple gave me three months, the other a generous six. They confessed this plan over dinner about a year after the bet. This June is the fifth anniversary of the move to the mountains.

Not only did I fall in love with the place where we live over the last five years, I also became deeply fascinated by the unique socio-economic issues facing rural communities. To be clear, I am not referring to the Mount Washington Valley (where I live) when I talk about rural communities. Yes, there are places in the valley that are designated by the USDA as rural but the Mount Washington Valley is by all other accounts an anomaly in Northern New Hampshire.

Much of the work I do is focused on Coos County, the northern most county in New Hampshire. Coos has the smallest population and the largest geography of any county in the state. It is also the poorest county and arguably the most beautiful. The source of stories of groundbreaking innovation and heartbreaking economic decline the county is rich in paradox. Play around with google and you will find Coos is home to three of the remaining four Grand Hotels in New Hampshire and hundreds of small businesses fighting to keep their doors open.

I got on the phone at 8am this morning and email shortly there after, focused on the details of a Coos County based community/economic development event I am managing in early May. The event format is a-typical, the report out sessions are creative and encourage participants to stretch, in short I can't wait to bring the attendees together and bring it to life.

Along the way this morning I came across a series of stories about rural Maine which fueled my optimism that innovation, over coming the odds and moving forward toward a bright future is real for rural communities facing economic transition and challenge.

Then a press release from a Berlin, NH based company came across my desk. One of last major manufacturing entities in Berlin, a once thriving manufacturing city in Coos County, was closing the doors on its operations in the city, effective immediately. 46 people lost their jobs in Berlin today. A little hard to stomach when the region is fighting so hard to survive.

So tomorrow I am going to get up, get on the phone, fire up my email and keep working toward the future of the region.

Seeking: One Pair Ruby Slippers.

I am sitting in my office filled with the same feeling I remember from countless Christmas Eve nights in my childhood. For the last three days my morning americano has sat, untouched, on my desk, I have all the energy I can take at the moment.

In two more sleeps or one more days - whichever youthful counting method you prefer, I leave for the Red River Gorge with my good friend Katie. This is the fourth year of this spring pilgrimage, second with Katie.

A few things are true about this trip every year.

1) Climbing in 60 degree sunshine feels like magic after a long winter

2) 17 hour drives are really short on the way there

3) People from New England are always going to give you a weird head tilt and awkward grimace when you say you are going to Kentucky for vacation

I have one more major project to wrap up before I head out, final grant reviews with a fondation client and the I am free. Tonight the anticipation of sunshine, sandstone and Slade are making wish for a pair of ruby slippers.

Taking The Leap

As a child, Leap Day always made we think of two things, my dad's birthday and the Olympics.

Now that the Olympics are ever two years and my dad is perfectly happy to celebrate his birthday sometime in February or March Leap Day isn't really on my radar.

This week, however, I found myself thinking a lot about this one day, it's subtle and tremendously powerful role in our lives. Simply put Leap Day maintains the balance for the calendar year as we know it. Without Leap Day every four years our calendar would begin to slip out of balance and eventually we would find ourselves celebrating Christmas in July.

So once every four years we are given this gift of time to keep things in balance, we are offered the opportunity to take a leap -a careful, calculated leap. At the start of this week I spent my hour and half yoga practice thinking about the leaps in my life, focused on the qualities I had to summon to make them happen.

I landed on three: Courage, faith and the willingness to be uncomfortable.

At the close of practice on Monday our teacher retold the story of Hanuman's Leap, the Monkey God in Hindu mythology which reinforced the power of moving with intention, dedication and courage from where you are toward something you believe in.

Before the last hours of daylight tick away, before the clock ticks away the minutes of February 29th, 2012 and before you find yourself out of borrowed time - name your leap, summon the qualities you need support the action and start the journey.

A Little Over the Winter that Wasn't

I live in the Northeast and learned a long time ago that being grumpy about the weather is an absolute waste of time, wait 24 hours and it will change. Weather in northern New England is also great for many things.

1) Teaching preparedness.

2) Offering ample opportunities to reflect on your love for the first snowfall, a crisp bluebird fall day, a cozy rainy spring afternoon that smells of new growth or an endless summer day long enough to fit in everything you love and still leave time to watch the fireflies come out with a cold beer in hand.

3)Providing enough days perfect for play balanced with enough days to get your work done. Confession...If I lived in Boulder, Co I am not sure I go ever bring myself to go inside and work.

Now that I have affirmed all the great things about living a in northern climate with four distinct seasons - six if you count November Rain and Mud Season, I am giving myself a brief window to say...I am over the winter that wasn't.

Winter 2011 - 2012 will be remembered for unseasonably warm temperatures, almost no snowfall and plenty of wet, slushy matter to go around.

With some quality days of ice climbing behind me and a few less days then I'd like on my teles in the books, I am ready to think about trail running, road riding and rock climbing.

On Thursday (February 23rd just for the reminder) temperatures in North Conway hit the 40's and what's more impressive, that didn't really surprise anyone, including me. Embracing the warm temps, I grabbed my sneaks and microspikes and left the office at 3pm for a long run in the sun. It was glorious, I felt like I was floating along, great tunes in my headphones and spring was just around the corner.

Remember what I said about waiting 24 hours.

Friday afternoon the snowflakes began to fall, they continued through the night and six inches or so of Sierra Cement greeted me as I left for yoga on Saturday morning. I smiled through the day, appreciating winter's last hurra and then last night temperatures dipped and winds howled through till morning.

The sun is shining this morning and the winds have died down some but I can't shake the itch for spring. I looked around the house this morning and the feeling seemed mutual. This is the 11th March Guinness has patiently waited for the sun's strength to grow, the snow to melt and the fields to open up so he can once again play ball for hours without his jacket. As the sun came through our glass slider the wind gave one more howl through the trees, Guinness looked up, one eye open as if to acknowledge the longing for spring we both feel.

For now the porch is full of snow, my bike is still on a trainer in the basement and this morning rather then brave the cold I decided to bake a batch of cinnamon, almond, walnut muffins, pour myself another cup of lady gray and read the New Yorker cover to cover while Guinness follows the morning sun from spot to spot through the living room.

Cartesian Merger

This week I helped one of my clients hire their first employee. The women they hired is a perfect match for the organization and I look forward to working with her. During her interview the new hire asked several questions about the work culture within the organization, her questions came out as more of a cautious inquiry - What days and times she need to work? If there were weeks when she worked less then her contract 20 hours was that ok, could she work more hours if needed other weeks?

Much to her surprise and pleasure when she had asked her questions my face lit up, I might even have giggled. I immediately told her to relax. What is important to the culture of this organization and to me is the work gets done with excellence, in a timely manner and that the people doing it love what they do.

I have file folders full of templates for work plans, paper and digital systems for project and time management which provide the architecture for working in a more organic and individualized fashion.

This management style plays to individual strengths - some of us work better in the early morning, some of us (ME!) crash hard at 3pm and need to get out and get some exercise before returning to work, others like to work in the evening, standing up at their desk, working with music or without. Thinking about the merger of work and life rather then the separation of work and life provides flexibility, creates a more productive work environment, encourages creativity and in the end the product, whatever that may be, is better for it.

Dennis Crowley the CEO of Four-Square was interviewed on Marketplace a few days ago and I love what he had to say about going to work, it is a feeling a share and the type of work environment I help my clients create.

Crowley said, "I never think of it as going to work everyday. It's just, hey this is where I go to do the stuff I like to do."

Will You Join Our Board of Directors?

I recently finished a three year term on the board of a local nonprofit. During my tenure the organization hired its first full-time executive director, expanded its program service area and grew the board to include members new members. When it came time to consider another term I made the decision to encourage new leadership and continue my support as a volunteer.

A month after my last board meeting I received a phone call inquiring about my interest in joining another board. The inquiry reminded me of being college, of meeting the trustees of my alma mater, thinking about a board seat more like an Oscar rather than obligation, hopeful that one day the honor would be bestowed on me.

Years later, the inquiry fills my brain with probing questions, allure and prestige are the furthest things from my mind. Being a board member requires a significant commitment of time, often the commitment to make a gift, personally, or find others who will, fiduciary responsibility and the duty of care to the organization's constituents. As a board member you are a critical ambassador of the organization's mission, which means you should make sure it is something you are passionate about. Think about it - if board members of an organization aren't excited, engaged and willing to go the extra mile why would anyone else feel compelled.

Before you hear the words board member and jump to how it will look on your resume or the relationships you might build in that role, spend some time getting acquainted with some standard commitments board members are asked to make and then start asking some hard questions.

Expectations

Ask about them. It is in your best interest and the organization's to be clear about what is expected of board members. This clarity helps you understand your role and promotes a culture of accountability. Most established organizations have this documented in a clear list or narrative about what they expect from all board members. If the organization you are considering doesn't have this information, be concerned.

Board Meetings

Frequency and length of meetings vary tremendously. It is common for organizations to meet quarterly or monthly for a few hours at time but other organizations may operate with a different model. One thing is always true - you are expected to be there. Skipping out on meetings not only makes you look bad but can build resentment among other members and make it difficult to get work done. Most boards schedule meetings well in advance to ensure members can be there. Unclear about the meeting schedule, duration or frequency? - ask before you say yes.

Committees

Most organizations have board subcommittees (Ex: Finance, Development, Board Resource) and they expect each board member to serve on one or more. These committees often meet between board meetings and are responsible for tasks related to their area of expertise. How does the effect you? In short this means planning for occasional meetings in addition to board meetings and time to get committee work done. Committee commitments vary depending on the organization and within organizations depending on circumstance (Ex: The finance committee may meet more often that start and end of the fiscal year.) Before joining a board be sure to ask about committee structure, requirements and goals.

The Big "F"

You don't have to love fundraising to be a board member. You do need to understand that you will be asked to support the organization's fundraising efforts in one way or another. Many boards require that every board member make a personal contribution to the organization annually (amounts vary). Fundraising is a broad term, yes it includes asking people for money but it also includes preparing mailings, sending thank you notes, proof reading grants, researching prospects and attending events. Figure out where your comforts lie, consider stretching a bit (remember the organization can't survive without money in the coffers).

Passion for the mission

I am ending the list with this, you might argue that interest in board membership should start with passion. You are right, so I am, here's why. You can appreciate services offered by an organization, believe in their value to your community but you need to be willing to tackle everything I just wrote about and the unexpected things I didn't mention to serve on their board, that requires a commitment that exceeds appreciation, allure and the promise of a nice addition to your resume.

If you would like more specific direction on what questions to ask before agreeing to join a nonprofit board check out this great Board Source article. Serving on a nonprofit board is incredibly rewarding, it can also make you want to pull your hair out. Before you say yes, do your homework, find an organization that needs your skills and one you are passionate about supporting. Your work ahead of time will benefit you and the organization interest in your support.

Cheap Inspiration.

I turn thirty this July. The milestone doesn't phase me much but I am using it as a mid-year marker to get some things done that made there way to the bottom of the list in 2011 in favor of other urgent, necessary items and some spontaneous whims.

A few of the items on my list are investments in professional development. I never have trouble dropping money on these items or carving out time for them. There is always room in my budget for a new workshop and time in my schedule to learn from my peers.

There is a gross inequity in the way I treat the other items on my list, the personal ones and specifically the utterly self-serving and absolutely critical to my well-being ones, they always draw the short straw. But not in 2012. And here's why.

It is January and the ground is brown here in northern New Hampshire so I decided to borrow a bike trainer and get a jump on training to knock one item off the list, the Rev3 Olympic Distance Tri in the summer of 2012. When I picked up the trainer from my friend Sarah we got to talking about the event. I mentioned that I hadn't officially registered yet. No, I wasn't intimidated by the training or the .9 mile swim in the Atlantic. My hold up, spending $115 to compete in something just for the fun of it.

Sarah's smiled and said, "$115 is cheap inspiration, just do it".

She is absolutely right. When I register for a professional development workshop I sign up, carve out the time and go because I paid for it, because I'll learn something, meet a new contact and come back inspired to push myself in the office.

Being outside, pushing my physical and mental limits makes me a better person, feeds my creativity and productivity. And, I don't think I am alone. So as you look forward this year what items on your personal list will prioritize to challenge yourself, to connect a sense of adventure and accomplishment, to spark your creativity? Whatever you choose, make it count, make it epic.

“There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless.”

And there you have it. Game On

You have registered for the 2012 Rev3 Maine

A copy of your receipt has been emailed to you.

Event Confirmation #

60592777-010512171833

Date

Sunday, August 26, 2012 @ 7:00 AM

Address

Old Orchard Beach, ME

Purchase

Alexandra (Sasha) Eisele - Olympic Rev - USAT Member

The Vicarious Line

For the last two years I have run an ice climbing festival in the Mount Washington Valley. It is a bit on an anomaly in my work as a nonprofit consultant. The pay is minimal and pulling off an event of this scale so it feels seamless to participants takes a ton of work.

This year is the 19^th Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest, the first weekend in February hundreds of men and women will make the pilgrimage to The Mount Washington Valley to experience the magic of the place I call home. Some of these pilgrims come to learn to climb ice, some to summit Mount Washington, others, to spend a day mixed climbing with local legends like Mark Synnott and Kevin Mahoney or to test their skill on classic lines like Dracula, Drop Line and Great Madness.

In the background, the Sirens of Ice Fest (the crew of lovely ladies who work on this event) will watch six months of work come together, sleeping a few hours here and there, living on Frontside Grind coffee and the generous Flatbread pizzas our friends drop off at IME.

We won’t climb a single pitch of ice the entire weekend and we will be happy for it. Instead we will make sure waivers are signed, clients get to demo the gear they are excited about, guides are well fed and caffeinated, slideshows run smoothly and the keg is tapped and food is on the table when the gang returns from a day our playing.

When clients and others just out for the day on their own walk through the door of IME smiling from ear to ear, laughing with friends, and recanting epic moments from their day we know our job is done. In that moment it doesn’t matter if they climbed Willy’s Slide, Standard Route or tested their skill on Unemployment Line and it doesn’t matter that we haven’t swung a tool all weekend - their send is ours too.

We exchange high fives, share tips about gear, and provide encouragement to do it all again tomorrow.

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

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[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?