You always want more of them. In truth, a person or an organization can’t have too many.
Sometimes you think you found one. Later, you realize your mistake.
What am I talking about?
Great partners.
Trustworthy partners make life easier. Great partners create results that launch you into orbit, exceeding your maximum high jump. Whether you work together for an hour or a lifetime, great things result.
Whether it’s the coronavirus, crickets, or conflict, sometimes the relationships you need to move your relationship forward go offline. What can you do to make the most of the situation?
For other nonprofit challenges:
Read, Help! We’re Caught on a Nonprofit Event Treadmill
Watch, How to Deal with a Conversation Hog
Read, How to Deal with Difficult Nonprofit Partnerships…
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Are you looking for a place to begin? You plan to partner with another nonprofit, government agency, or for-profit company. Here are 25 first mini-projects to do together.
We developed this list to help the nonprofits we work with to expand their resources for mission. These activities can help you to expand your resources and explore potential relationships for fun and profit. You can do one or more of them. They all short-term. They allow you to “see how the …
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At a recent meeting, Kevin Cooper, head of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, did a brilliant job of thanking his sponsor. In his remarks, he acknowledged the sponsor, and also cited how the sponsor exemplified the day’s topic. Similarly, when Lori Ruth, with the Observer Media Group, introduced me at a pro-bono speech in December, she based her comments on my in-depth bio and what she learned from interviewing me.
Both introductions differed significantly from the typical, mind-numbing, “Let’s all …
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Here’s some of what I’ve learned helping my clients with this issue:
1. Notice Now
What you’re doing now? Why do you say yes? Who do you say yes to? How much do you invest? What impact do you notice? What patterns do you see to continue?
- Mini Analysis to Gain Perspective
Divide your giving and nonprofit interactions, from last year, into three buckets:
The Love It Bucket
These gift were emotionally satisfying I love this cause.
The Dues Bucket…
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Quick, name one huge benefit of giving back. Employee engagement. Engaged employees produce more, feel more positive about their work, learn, gain skills, and meet potential customers. If you struggle finding and keeping younger employees, add more community engagement to your work. Studies show that millennials, when choosing between two similar jobs, choose jobs with more giving back. How might you structure your giving back to create meaningful employee engagement? To start, consider these options:
Increase Their Value. Michael
“Ah, mastery… what a profoundly satisfying feeling when one finally gets on top of a new set of skills… and then sees the light under the new door those skills can open, even as another door is
closing.” –Gail Sheehy
You have heard people complain that giving money away is difficult to do right. Despite the title, this short article will not make you a master at giving back. Instead, it gives you three excellent and reusable tools to …
Read MoreFrom the April 
newsletter, The Link (between Non and For-Profits)
Great Potential
Discovering Nonprofits With Whom To Invest
Did you know that nonprofit partners can improve your bottom line? Finding them is akin to a college search. Only now instead of 4,500 choices, you have 1.5 million. Most businesses find it overwhelming. But by subtracting what won’t work with the three questions below, you’ll be ready to focus on a manageable handful.
Question One: Who provides what you value?
You …
Read MoreYou know, at least theoretically, that attending your chamber or other civic meetings is a good idea. You will meet other leaders, potential board members, catch-up with acquaintances, and often learn something from the program. Yet, with the press of other priorities, it’s hard to invest the time and energy in civic groups. How can you participate and maximize your investment in these meetings? Here is a plan that offers you the opportunity to attend, meet new people, and maintain …
Read MoreYour Ingenious Nonprofit
June 2013
Extend a Government-funded Program with Corporate Dollars
What is the key to obtaining corporate support for your work? “It’s all about the leverage,” said Pam Nabors, President of Workforce Central Florida. Ms. Nabors was explaining that her former employer, Capital Workforce Partners in Hartford, used corporate dollars to fund services for more than 500 summer youth. Each youth was supported by a business scholarship of $1,000 to $1,600. In turn, Capital Workforce transformed this investment …
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