Much has been made in tech circles of Web 2.0, the acceleration of the web with more input from users. Think Wikipedia, Threadless, YouTube, FlickR, MySpace, or the millions of online product reviews that you can access (and may contribute to) online. So are nonprofits using this giant leap forward?
The answer is yes, at least according to Social Computing Magazine, in an article entitled Non-Profits Now 'Get' Web 2.0 and Social Media, Say Experts
I was really pleased to see this level of information, and it synchs with what I've been seeing in organizations that have younger staff who are pushing more online interaction. It's fast, its reasonably inexpensive, and, best of all.....it works.
And, if you're interested in starting a smaller social networking group around your mission---check out Ning. It's fast, easy and free!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Exec Transition Resource
As everyone knows, exec transition is a big topic as boomers move out the door. Bridgestar's newest Leadership Matters article contains help on an important part of this: setting up and running an effective search committee. Many boards are totally vexed when presented with this problem, so this article is well worth the read.
In a related piece of news, I've just started a hilarious book on boomers versus Gen@ entitled "Boomsday". The first 50 pages that I got through last night were priceless, and I'll get back to you on this more soon.
In a related piece of news, I've just started a hilarious book on boomers versus Gen@ entitled "Boomsday". The first 50 pages that I got through last night were priceless, and I'll get back to you on this more soon.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Cash = Oxygen
The title of this post is very, very familiar to pretty much anyone who has heard me speak on my book titles, Mission-Based Management, Financial Empowerment or Nonprofit Stewardship. Cash is really, really important.
So much so that the July issue of the Mission-Based Management Newsletter is on the subject of Better Cash Planning. Here's an excerpt from the Management Tip....
"Many nonprofit board and staff describe themselves as "non-financial" managers. In other words, they come to the issue of managing their organization's finances second, after coming first to the mission. For staff, they may be trained as social workers, teachers, nurses, or environmental engineers. They worked for their organization and a mission they loved, and then got promoted and were forced to deal with budgets. First they learned about income and expense sheets, the core of a budget. Then, as they moved up the food chain, they had to deal with balance sheets, and the mysteries of accrual accounting. They learned how to read their auditor's reports and understand financial ratios. All well and good.
But in a surprising number of cases, no one ever emphasized the importance of cash. And cash, (people who have heard me speak know what's coming:) cash = oxygen. Without it your organization dies, and very, very quickly. While income and expense statements are important, and balance sheets offer crucial information, without cash, all else is for naught."
Check it out.
So much so that the July issue of the Mission-Based Management Newsletter is on the subject of Better Cash Planning. Here's an excerpt from the Management Tip....
"Many nonprofit board and staff describe themselves as "non-financial" managers. In other words, they come to the issue of managing their organization's finances second, after coming first to the mission. For staff, they may be trained as social workers, teachers, nurses, or environmental engineers. They worked for their organization and a mission they loved, and then got promoted and were forced to deal with budgets. First they learned about income and expense sheets, the core of a budget. Then, as they moved up the food chain, they had to deal with balance sheets, and the mysteries of accrual accounting. They learned how to read their auditor's reports and understand financial ratios. All well and good.
But in a surprising number of cases, no one ever emphasized the importance of cash. And cash, (people who have heard me speak know what's coming:) cash = oxygen. Without it your organization dies, and very, very quickly. While income and expense statements are important, and balance sheets offer crucial information, without cash, all else is for naught."
Check it out.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Help make your case---visibly
Google has announced that it will tutor and help nonprofits use its Google Earth service through what it is calling Google Earth Outreach. The program, complete with tutorials, allows you to use the mapping and satellite imagery to make your mission statement more compelling.
Think: "We need funds for our group homes" with a map that shows your existing facilities and the unmet needs in your community.
Think: "Where can I make a donation to Goodwill when I'm on vacation?" With a map of Goodwill donation boxes by zip code, and a map of how to get there.
Think: "Our mission is to stop deforestation" with close up images from space of what deforested land looks like.
This is a terrific resource, only limited by our imagination. Check it out.
Think: "We need funds for our group homes" with a map that shows your existing facilities and the unmet needs in your community.
Think: "Where can I make a donation to Goodwill when I'm on vacation?" With a map of Goodwill donation boxes by zip code, and a map of how to get there.
Think: "Our mission is to stop deforestation" with close up images from space of what deforested land looks like.
This is a terrific resource, only limited by our imagination. Check it out.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Good for Goodwill
Interesting weekend in Pittsburgh.
I attended my first Goodwill Industries International (GII) Delegate Assembly, and was officially elected to, and sworn in on, the board of directors. Great people doing great mission.
One of the highlights for me was the address to the delegates by GII's CEO, George Kessinger. George challenged every Goodwill to go more and more green, whether it be their vehicles, their buildings, their energy use (and source)...any way that they can model the organization's value of "Stewardship" to include stewardship of the planet.
OK, so why haven't I heard this more from other national nonprofits? I'm sure I've missed some, but you don't see this as a headline in the Chronicle of Philanthropy (who are pretty good at catching and reporting on trends in our sector).
So, here's the challenge. What is your nonprofit doing to be more green, to have its staff and board be more green in their homes and businesses? A good stewardship challenge.
Good for you, George, good for Goodwill, and good for all of us
I attended my first Goodwill Industries International (GII) Delegate Assembly, and was officially elected to, and sworn in on, the board of directors. Great people doing great mission.
One of the highlights for me was the address to the delegates by GII's CEO, George Kessinger. George challenged every Goodwill to go more and more green, whether it be their vehicles, their buildings, their energy use (and source)...any way that they can model the organization's value of "Stewardship" to include stewardship of the planet.
OK, so why haven't I heard this more from other national nonprofits? I'm sure I've missed some, but you don't see this as a headline in the Chronicle of Philanthropy (who are pretty good at catching and reporting on trends in our sector).
So, here's the challenge. What is your nonprofit doing to be more green, to have its staff and board be more green in their homes and businesses? A good stewardship challenge.
Good for you, George, good for Goodwill, and good for all of us
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wrapping things up, opening new packages
Been a while since I posted, mostly due to getting our house ready to put on the market (which happened yesterday), doing a bunch of summer travel planning and a couple of larger consulting contracts. I've also been setting up stuff at our new home in Virginia, doing things like starting cable and phone service, getting our move date set, etc. Wrapping up 30 years in Springfield feels a bit odd.
Today I leave for Pittsburgh and the beginning of a volunteer experience I've been looking forward to. I've been asked to join the board of directors of Goodwill Industries International, and, if all goes to plan, will be elected by their delegate assembly on Sunday. I've worked with many Goodwills over the years, and have always been impressed by their staff and board commitment to their mission. I'm looking forward to renewing old acquaintances, to meeting new and interesting people and , hopefully, to helping the cause.
I feel like I'm opening a present.....
Today I leave for Pittsburgh and the beginning of a volunteer experience I've been looking forward to. I've been asked to join the board of directors of Goodwill Industries International, and, if all goes to plan, will be elected by their delegate assembly on Sunday. I've worked with many Goodwills over the years, and have always been impressed by their staff and board commitment to their mission. I'm looking forward to renewing old acquaintances, to meeting new and interesting people and , hopefully, to helping the cause.
I feel like I'm opening a present.....
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Sad, but true
All of us with email accounts get a certain amount of spam, no matter how good our ISP's or organization's filters are. Some of it is just stupid, some of it is just....inappropriate. And, all of us know that there are lots of places online that minors should not tread.
So what do you do about content filtering if your nonprofit allows net access as part of its work? How can you keep minors (and others who might be offended) from coming eyes to screen with stuff they don't want to (or need to) see?
Techsoup to the rescue, yet again. In a two part series on Content Filtering, they lay out the issue and talk about the best fixes. Check out part one and part two, which is a FAQ.
Also, pay attention to your domain name registration. If it expires, even for 24 hours, it can be scooped up by a porn site and then imagine what your donors will think of you....I've heard this scenario three times in the past year, so double check the expiration date, and even pay the registration fee early--and for the longest period you can buy.
So what do you do about content filtering if your nonprofit allows net access as part of its work? How can you keep minors (and others who might be offended) from coming eyes to screen with stuff they don't want to (or need to) see?
Techsoup to the rescue, yet again. In a two part series on Content Filtering, they lay out the issue and talk about the best fixes. Check out part one and part two, which is a FAQ.
Also, pay attention to your domain name registration. If it expires, even for 24 hours, it can be scooped up by a porn site and then imagine what your donors will think of you....I've heard this scenario three times in the past year, so double check the expiration date, and even pay the registration fee early--and for the longest period you can buy.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Bright eyes - Urbana edition
Busy week. Chris officially retired and cleaned out her classroom, then she and I dove into preparing for a big garage sale, and worked on getting our house ready to put on the market next week. Lots, and lots, and lots of work. But I', beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it looks a lot like a sunset on Smith Mountain Lake (where we're moving in August).
But Friday night, we got a delightful break. I had been invited to speak at the welcome dinner of the University of Illinois's Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute, I suspect because they are using my book of the same name as their core text. The SESI students were a mixed group, some undergraduate, some local nonprofit staff.
Chris and I had dinner with three delightful undergraduate students before my talk. The audience was very attentive, and wonderfully responsive. Regular readers know my love of"bright eyes", and they were there in abundance. Thanks to all in attendance.
What intrigued me, and the reason for this post, was the differentiation generationally between the responses I got for two of my "stock" stories. I am so used to speaking to adult audiences, or grad students, that I tend to overlook the experience differences when I get the chance (too rarely) to interact with undergrads.
One of the stories is about poor stewardship in agencies that do the same unsuccessful fundraiser year after year. For people who have heard me speak, this is the "Chicken Dinner" story....and everyone over 30 in the room got it, nodded, or laughed (sometimes with some guilt). The undergrads? They were polite, but you could see them looking at the "old" people wondering what was so funny. No fundraising scars on them....yet.
I thought about that on the way home....and it gave me hope. Many of these young people are going to embark on careers in nonprofits, and perhaps NOT have to learn by experience some of the same mistakes we've made in our generation. Hopefully, the broad array of available educational opportunities in nonprofit management and leadership, that were NOT around when we Boomers came into the field, will help smooth the ride for the next generation.
I know, I know, some stuff you just have to mess up in person to really "get". But if the amount of error is reduced say, 40%? How great would that be?
But Friday night, we got a delightful break. I had been invited to speak at the welcome dinner of the University of Illinois's Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute, I suspect because they are using my book of the same name as their core text. The SESI students were a mixed group, some undergraduate, some local nonprofit staff.
Chris and I had dinner with three delightful undergraduate students before my talk. The audience was very attentive, and wonderfully responsive. Regular readers know my love of"bright eyes", and they were there in abundance. Thanks to all in attendance.
What intrigued me, and the reason for this post, was the differentiation generationally between the responses I got for two of my "stock" stories. I am so used to speaking to adult audiences, or grad students, that I tend to overlook the experience differences when I get the chance (too rarely) to interact with undergrads.
One of the stories is about poor stewardship in agencies that do the same unsuccessful fundraiser year after year. For people who have heard me speak, this is the "Chicken Dinner" story....and everyone over 30 in the room got it, nodded, or laughed (sometimes with some guilt). The undergrads? They were polite, but you could see them looking at the "old" people wondering what was so funny. No fundraising scars on them....yet.
I thought about that on the way home....and it gave me hope. Many of these young people are going to embark on careers in nonprofits, and perhaps NOT have to learn by experience some of the same mistakes we've made in our generation. Hopefully, the broad array of available educational opportunities in nonprofit management and leadership, that were NOT around when we Boomers came into the field, will help smooth the ride for the next generation.
I know, I know, some stuff you just have to mess up in person to really "get". But if the amount of error is reduced say, 40%? How great would that be?
Monday, May 28, 2007
A better year? Maybe, just maybe.
A new "communique" is out from Lester Salamon at The Listening Post at Johns Hopkins. I always look forward to Lester's information and conclusions, and this issue did not disappoint.
Titled "Nonprofit Fiscal Trends and Challenges", the paper discusses the financial highs and lows of nonprofits during 2006. What Lester and his co-author Stephanie Geller found was encouraging, although certainly not the case in all parts of our sector.
Salamon found fewer organizations in severe financial stress, with more moving toward fees and away from dependence on just fundraising. He also notes the increased concern among nonprofit CEO's about board and staff recruitment and retention, as well as executive transition.
Interestingly, accountability and transparency are not the high-profile (and thus high-concern) issues that they were a few years ago. I hope that this does not portend bad things a few years out.
Anyway, a good read. See if you see your nonprofit in Lester's data.
Salamon found fewer organizations in severe financial stress, with more moving toward fees and away from dependence on just fundraising. He also notes the increased concern among nonprofit CEO's about board and staff recruitment and retention, as well as executive transition.
Interestingly, accountability and transparency are not the high-profile (and thus high-concern) issues that they were a few years ago. I hope that this does not portend bad things a few years out.
Anyway, a good read. See if you see your nonprofit in Lester's data.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Let 'em in, and prosper....
The news today that Facebook has thrown its "doors" open to developers reminded me that I've been wanting to post on the subject of social networking, getting outside input into your operations, adding value online etc.
First, social networking. Last week, I did two speeches on generation change in Chicago and Fort Wayne. A number of younger folks came up to me and talked about the barriers to being on boards of directors. I asked them--what would you think about a social network space just for your board? In the group, everyone under 35 said "Yes!", everyone over said "huh?"
Social network sites have great potential for users of your services, for educating people (think parents groups for kids with autism) or a group of staff that work specifically in one area of your organization. While MySpace and Facebook are the big dogs in this area, options like YahooGroups and Ning (my personal favorite) are also out there. They are free, easy (particularly Ning) and are a great option to reach out into your community.
Adding value: Regular readers know my oldest son, Ben, left Microsoft last year to do his own software startup with his longtime best friend. One of the things that they needed, after deciding on a name, business format, etc. was a logo. Both are good artists, but did they do it themselves? No, they wanted lots of ideas. So they parceled the work out to DesignOutpost, one of a number of sites on the web where you can contact graphic designers and collaborate with them on the art you need. Ben got dozens of designs, commented on them, and then the designers came back with changes. Only the "winner" gets paid, but there were no lack of participants in the work. All the conversations are open for everyone to see, all very fast, and resulted in a great product. Think about this kind of collaborative work that the web enables. And, of course, check out DesignOutpost if you need some good graphic design done well, fast and cheap.
Open up to more minds, more ideas, and more collaboration. It's good for everyone.
First, social networking. Last week, I did two speeches on generation change in Chicago and Fort Wayne. A number of younger folks came up to me and talked about the barriers to being on boards of directors. I asked them--what would you think about a social network space just for your board? In the group, everyone under 35 said "Yes!", everyone over said "huh?"
Social network sites have great potential for users of your services, for educating people (think parents groups for kids with autism) or a group of staff that work specifically in one area of your organization. While MySpace and Facebook are the big dogs in this area, options like YahooGroups and Ning (my personal favorite) are also out there. They are free, easy (particularly Ning) and are a great option to reach out into your community.
Adding value: Regular readers know my oldest son, Ben, left Microsoft last year to do his own software startup with his longtime best friend. One of the things that they needed, after deciding on a name, business format, etc. was a logo. Both are good artists, but did they do it themselves? No, they wanted lots of ideas. So they parceled the work out to DesignOutpost, one of a number of sites on the web where you can contact graphic designers and collaborate with them on the art you need. Ben got dozens of designs, commented on them, and then the designers came back with changes. Only the "winner" gets paid, but there were no lack of participants in the work. All the conversations are open for everyone to see, all very fast, and resulted in a great product. Think about this kind of collaborative work that the web enables. And, of course, check out DesignOutpost if you need some good graphic design done well, fast and cheap.
Open up to more minds, more ideas, and more collaboration. It's good for everyone.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Hiring, Hiring, Hiring
A lot of the news this week has been about current and looming worker shortages in industry after industry. I've seen articles stating that, for college grads, it's the best job market in 20 years. I've seen pieces about the shortage of nurses, aerospace engineers, teachers, hospitality managers, nuclear engineers, physical therapists, and on and on.
Of course, this means that we in the nonprofit sector are up against steep and deep pocketed competition for the best young people, because we have our worker shortage, too.
This was a headline that awaited me on Google News this morning(care of St. Louis Today):
"Want To Hire The Best and Brightest Members of GenY?" and it's all about making sure that for-profits emphasize their volunteer opportunities, their social good works, etc.
Hmmm. Seems to me that we can take this set of research findings, and run with them in the non-profit world as well, as we try to entice good people to make their career with us. We already have social value. We already are doing good works. But how many of our organizations encourage our employees to volunteer at OTHER nonprofits? If that's a big lure, we should look at it. Something to think about.
In other "news", I had a great week in Chicago and Fort Wayne speaking first on Wednesday at North Park University's Axelson Center for Nonprofits Annual Symposium, this year on Generation change . Thursday I was in Fort Wayne talking on Nonprofit Stewardship for the Nonprofit Resource Center. Finally, on Friday, I gave the annual Williams Lecture for the Foellinger Foundation on Generation Change. Very nice and responsive audiences in all three locations. Even got some press. Many thanks to everyone at all three organizations who did so much work to make my time in their cities so enjoyable.
And, speaking of employee recruitment needs, my wife Chris's retirement dinner was last night. 33 years in special ed in public schools draws to a close in three weeks.
First, a shout-out to her for a job very, very well done.
Second, some anecdotal data. Chris is part of over 31 teachers retiring this year from our small school district. That's an entire school's worth of experienced educators out the door.
And last year there was about the same number retiring here, and next year it's more...and this is happening in every school district (and every industry) all across the country.
All of which makes me feel we've got to get more kids volunteering and doing summer internships in our organizations in high school and college, to steer them our way early.
Of course, this means that we in the nonprofit sector are up against steep and deep pocketed competition for the best young people, because we have our worker shortage, too.
This was a headline that awaited me on Google News this morning(care of St. Louis Today):
"Want To Hire The Best and Brightest Members of GenY?" and it's all about making sure that for-profits emphasize their volunteer opportunities, their social good works, etc.
Hmmm. Seems to me that we can take this set of research findings, and run with them in the non-profit world as well, as we try to entice good people to make their career with us. We already have social value. We already are doing good works. But how many of our organizations encourage our employees to volunteer at OTHER nonprofits? If that's a big lure, we should look at it. Something to think about.
In other "news", I had a great week in Chicago and Fort Wayne speaking first on Wednesday at North Park University's Axelson Center for Nonprofits Annual Symposium, this year on Generation change . Thursday I was in Fort Wayne talking on Nonprofit Stewardship for the Nonprofit Resource Center. Finally, on Friday, I gave the annual Williams Lecture for the Foellinger Foundation on Generation Change. Very nice and responsive audiences in all three locations. Even got some press. Many thanks to everyone at all three organizations who did so much work to make my time in their cities so enjoyable.
And, speaking of employee recruitment needs, my wife Chris's retirement dinner was last night. 33 years in special ed in public schools draws to a close in three weeks.
First, a shout-out to her for a job very, very well done.
Second, some anecdotal data. Chris is part of over 31 teachers retiring this year from our small school district. That's an entire school's worth of experienced educators out the door.
And last year there was about the same number retiring here, and next year it's more...and this is happening in every school district (and every industry) all across the country.
All of which makes me feel we've got to get more kids volunteering and doing summer internships in our organizations in high school and college, to steer them our way early.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
First Reactions....
With any new book, there's a natural delay between its publication and people wanting me to speak about the topic. For a couple of books, this was as long as 9-12 months-by the time people get the book, read it and are planning their next conference.
This time, I tried to be smarter. Knowing that Generations was coming out in March, in November I emailed about 40 organizations around the country who have sponsored me in the past letting them know about the book, and showing them an outline of the training.
It worked. If you go to my current bookings on my training schedule, you'll see that the topic dominates.
And yesterday I had the fun of presenting the issue before the first big audience in Cincinnati. Barnes Dennig sponsors a Nonprofit Day each May, and I've been privileged to speak at the session three times. Yesterday we had just over 200 people, and the reaction to the topic was really good. Lots of "Thanks, I have a ton of work to do!", or "Wow, I didn't know this issue was this big!"
My favorite was a woman who walked up to me at the break after the session with her eyes wide, and just said "Oh. My. GOD!" and walked away.
In associated news, my newsletter this month is on Generation Change and the People You Serve
So, one down, two more next week!
And, thanks to everyone in Cincinnati. You were terrific.
This time, I tried to be smarter. Knowing that Generations was coming out in March, in November I emailed about 40 organizations around the country who have sponsored me in the past letting them know about the book, and showing them an outline of the training.
It worked. If you go to my current bookings on my training schedule, you'll see that the topic dominates.
And yesterday I had the fun of presenting the issue before the first big audience in Cincinnati. Barnes Dennig sponsors a Nonprofit Day each May, and I've been privileged to speak at the session three times. Yesterday we had just over 200 people, and the reaction to the topic was really good. Lots of "Thanks, I have a ton of work to do!", or "Wow, I didn't know this issue was this big!"
My favorite was a woman who walked up to me at the break after the session with her eyes wide, and just said "Oh. My. GOD!" and walked away.
In associated news, my newsletter this month is on Generation Change and the People You Serve
So, one down, two more next week!
And, thanks to everyone in Cincinnati. You were terrific.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Is total transparency good?
I'm finally catching up on some backed up reading, including a month-old Wired magazine with the titillating cover story "Get Naked!".
No, it's not what you think. The main story and some ancillary ones are about corporations who become totally transparent (naked) in relation to their staff, their board, their customers and their stockholders. Well worth the read. It's issue 15.04.
The stories range from coming out a bit, to total transparency and the resulting benefits. All of this led to some long discussions with people I respect, and some careful thoughts about this concept.
I've long advocated sharing much, much more information internally, including all of your financials with all of your staff (unless you have a union). I've told dozens of clients to share their draft strategic plan with their community. I tell everyone to post a link to their current 990 and most recent audit on the first page of their website.
But share everything? Nah. As a former ED, I can tell you that sharing MOST of my thoughts got me in trouble at times. Imagine this: income is down, you are thinking about a long term restructuring, and you muse about this in your blog. The action is 10-15% likely and perhaps a year away. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERY ONE on the staff will immediately assume that they will lose their job in the next 37 minutes. Same for the people you serve.
Some stuff you just have to keep to yourself.
In one article, a CEO blogged and dissed his peers and some subordinates. Ohhh, bad idea. Have your dissing face to face, and keep the arguments inside the family. And, think of the HR implications!
Bottom line for me: sharing--good. Lots of sharing--better. Financial transparency--essential.
Get naked? Could get ugly. Fast.
No, it's not what you think. The main story and some ancillary ones are about corporations who become totally transparent (naked) in relation to their staff, their board, their customers and their stockholders. Well worth the read. It's issue 15.04.
The stories range from coming out a bit, to total transparency and the resulting benefits. All of this led to some long discussions with people I respect, and some careful thoughts about this concept.
I've long advocated sharing much, much more information internally, including all of your financials with all of your staff (unless you have a union). I've told dozens of clients to share their draft strategic plan with their community. I tell everyone to post a link to their current 990 and most recent audit on the first page of their website.
But share everything? Nah. As a former ED, I can tell you that sharing MOST of my thoughts got me in trouble at times. Imagine this: income is down, you are thinking about a long term restructuring, and you muse about this in your blog. The action is 10-15% likely and perhaps a year away. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERY ONE on the staff will immediately assume that they will lose their job in the next 37 minutes. Same for the people you serve.
Some stuff you just have to keep to yourself.
In one article, a CEO blogged and dissed his peers and some subordinates. Ohhh, bad idea. Have your dissing face to face, and keep the arguments inside the family. And, think of the HR implications!
Bottom line for me: sharing--good. Lots of sharing--better. Financial transparency--essential.
Get naked? Could get ugly. Fast.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
So help me.....
Actually, the proper syntax is probably "So, help me..."
The issue at hand is my podcasts. They aren't selling. I'd like your opinion as to why.
For those who haven't been to the part of me website that deals with podcasts, take a quick look at www.missionbased.com/buypodcasts.htm and you'll see the deal, the range of topics, etc. If you like, you can download the free sample podcast and listen to it.
I developed the podcasts last fall and winter, in response to literally hundreds of requests over the years for tapes and CD's of my lectures. I tested the format and sample podcast with about a dozen nonprofit execs and board members, and asked for feedback (all was very, very good) and suggested pricing...the average was $10 each. I thought that a bit high. As my tech son says, "The diference between free and $1 is huge online, but the difference between $1 and $5 is not much". We started at $7.50 each. And did badly.
I added free powerpoints so that people could look and listen at the same time. I sent out emails to my newsletter list, and included postings on new topics here and in my newsletter.
After the first two months, I cut the price to $4 each and sales rose, for a minute or two. Given the fact that each podcast takes about 6 hours to script, record, mix, create the powerpoint and post on Yahoo, $4 seemed a steal.
Apparently only to me.
Sales were up a bit, but very intermittent.
So, let's look at the numbers for the six months ended April 30:
Free podcasts downloaded: 366
Paid podcasts purchased: 35
Not exactly a revenue stream...more a seepage.
And, during the past two months (March and April) the buypodcasts.htm page has recorded 2700 hits, so the traffic is there...
So here's where you can help. Why are sales so slow? Here are some thoughts that have occurred to me, and I'm sure you'll have better ones:
1. In a $.99 ITunes world, the price should be lower.
2. I'm ahead of the tech curve--most people who are nonprofit managers are over 40--and they don't know from podcasts. (In truth, I did have a couple of people say that (despite the clear disclaimer on the website) that they didn't own an Ipod and thus couldn't listen to them.)
3. My topics aren't the right ones.
4. The podcasts are terrible.
5. Other???????
As I said, please go to www.missionbased.com/buypodcasts.htm and download the free podcast. Take a listen, and tell me what you think, and what you advise. As someone who has spent his life helping nonprofits, this seems like a good match. As a marketing guy, obviously what people seem to need (and ask for) isn't what they want.
Any ideas, suggestions, etc. are really, really welcome.
Thanks!
The issue at hand is my podcasts. They aren't selling. I'd like your opinion as to why.
For those who haven't been to the part of me website that deals with podcasts, take a quick look at www.missionbased.com/buypodcasts.htm and you'll see the deal, the range of topics, etc. If you like, you can download the free sample podcast and listen to it.
I developed the podcasts last fall and winter, in response to literally hundreds of requests over the years for tapes and CD's of my lectures. I tested the format and sample podcast with about a dozen nonprofit execs and board members, and asked for feedback (all was very, very good) and suggested pricing...the average was $10 each. I thought that a bit high. As my tech son says, "The diference between free and $1 is huge online, but the difference between $1 and $5 is not much". We started at $7.50 each. And did badly.
I added free powerpoints so that people could look and listen at the same time. I sent out emails to my newsletter list, and included postings on new topics here and in my newsletter.
After the first two months, I cut the price to $4 each and sales rose, for a minute or two. Given the fact that each podcast takes about 6 hours to script, record, mix, create the powerpoint and post on Yahoo, $4 seemed a steal.
Apparently only to me.
Sales were up a bit, but very intermittent.
So, let's look at the numbers for the six months ended April 30:
Free podcasts downloaded: 366
Paid podcasts purchased: 35
Not exactly a revenue stream...more a seepage.
And, during the past two months (March and April) the buypodcasts.htm page has recorded 2700 hits, so the traffic is there...
So here's where you can help. Why are sales so slow? Here are some thoughts that have occurred to me, and I'm sure you'll have better ones:
1. In a $.99 ITunes world, the price should be lower.
2. I'm ahead of the tech curve--most people who are nonprofit managers are over 40--and they don't know from podcasts. (In truth, I did have a couple of people say that (despite the clear disclaimer on the website) that they didn't own an Ipod and thus couldn't listen to them.)
3. My topics aren't the right ones.
4. The podcasts are terrible.
5. Other???????
As I said, please go to www.missionbased.com/buypodcasts.htm and download the free podcast. Take a listen, and tell me what you think, and what you advise. As someone who has spent his life helping nonprofits, this seems like a good match. As a marketing guy, obviously what people seem to need (and ask for) isn't what they want.
Any ideas, suggestions, etc. are really, really welcome.
Thanks!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Fun, fairness and the future
Whoa--too much fun in Ann Arbor--graduations are great, so much celebration and excitement in the air. The weather cooperated, for the most part, and the speakers were pretty good, too. Superb speech at the University graduation by a selected senior, and all the speeches focused on citizenship, involvement, volunteering and NOT just seeking fame and fortune.
One historical note that I found fascinating was that it was in Ann Arbor, on the steps of the Michigan Union, that presidential candidate John F. Kennedy first tried out the concept of the Peace Corps, and called students to volunteer. Hundreds signed up that very day, and Kennedy knew he had a winning concept.
Volunteering, whether for social justice, to combat global warming, or to alleviate a host of other social ills, is still a high priority on most campuses. I'm always pleased to see the number of students who take alternative spring breaks, or set up new nonprofits to combat issues.
This week has been busy, a quick day trip to Dallas, catching up on a variety of projects, and yesterday, going to a political rally---for better, fairer, more equitable funding of public education here in Illinois. It was a fun, charged up crowd. Our three all went through public schools, and the resources were less than stellar. Hearing some students talk about what they had in their schools (what high school needs TWO Olympic sized pools?) and others talk about what they didn't have was enlightening and frustrating at the same time.
Ahh, fairness. What a concept.
One historical note that I found fascinating was that it was in Ann Arbor, on the steps of the Michigan Union, that presidential candidate John F. Kennedy first tried out the concept of the Peace Corps, and called students to volunteer. Hundreds signed up that very day, and Kennedy knew he had a winning concept.
Volunteering, whether for social justice, to combat global warming, or to alleviate a host of other social ills, is still a high priority on most campuses. I'm always pleased to see the number of students who take alternative spring breaks, or set up new nonprofits to combat issues.
This week has been busy, a quick day trip to Dallas, catching up on a variety of projects, and yesterday, going to a political rally---for better, fairer, more equitable funding of public education here in Illinois. It was a fun, charged up crowd. Our three all went through public schools, and the resources were less than stellar. Hearing some students talk about what they had in their schools (what high school needs TWO Olympic sized pools?) and others talk about what they didn't have was enlightening and frustrating at the same time.
Ahh, fairness. What a concept.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
What to do about Generation Change.....
This month's Tools You Can Use, from Fieldstone Alliance Publishing discusses the actions you can take to deal with Generation Change. It's straight from my new book, but in a nice approachable format.
Tools You Can Use is a newsletter you need to subscribe to: always full of information and ideas. And if you're in the newsletter mood, don't forget mine--the link to it is on the right and it's free.
I'm off to Ann Arbor for Adam's graduation. I'll miss AA, and all the great people there. But, Adam's going to start his graduate work in the fall at Georgia Tech, another terrific university, and I like Atlanta, too!
Tools You Can Use is a newsletter you need to subscribe to: always full of information and ideas. And if you're in the newsletter mood, don't forget mine--the link to it is on the right and it's free.
I'm off to Ann Arbor for Adam's graduation. I'll miss AA, and all the great people there. But, Adam's going to start his graduate work in the fall at Georgia Tech, another terrific university, and I like Atlanta, too!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
A room full of bright eyes...
Yesterday I was in St. Louis doing the second half of a two part gig for the Developmental Training Institute and their work for the Bank of America Neighborhood Leadership Development Program. I got the chance to talk with 78 leaders of some of the best and most innovative nonprofits in the country. What a treat.
We spent much of the afternoon in structured discussions about 5 key questions for organizations to answer as they move their mission forward, and then in the evening had two hours of wonderful and very informal time talking about issues ranging from board engagement to reductions in force to time management. Lots of fun for me and, I hope, of value to the participants. The participants gave me much optimism about our sector.
One of many topics we discussed was nonprofit leadership succession and today's news brought more concern in this area. An article showed up from onPhilantropy about the preliminary results of a study by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network regarding the liklihood of current mid-managers seeing themselves as becoming execs, or even being in the field in 5 years. The answer to both issues? Not likely.
I'm looking forward to the release of the full study....I think.
We spent much of the afternoon in structured discussions about 5 key questions for organizations to answer as they move their mission forward, and then in the evening had two hours of wonderful and very informal time talking about issues ranging from board engagement to reductions in force to time management. Lots of fun for me and, I hope, of value to the participants. The participants gave me much optimism about our sector.
One of many topics we discussed was nonprofit leadership succession and today's news brought more concern in this area. An article showed up from onPhilantropy about the preliminary results of a study by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network regarding the liklihood of current mid-managers seeing themselves as becoming execs, or even being in the field in 5 years. The answer to both issues? Not likely.
I'm looking forward to the release of the full study....I think.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The interesting time....
I'm certainly a happy camper--and not bored. I have some great gigs going; one on a community-wide generation change assessment, one on how to use corporate structures to employ more people with disabilities (and make their work experience more positive). I have a ton of speaking engagements over the next four weeks, many on generation change as well.
Personally, there's a tidal wave coming at me. In the next five weeks, my middle child graduates (summa cum laude-way to go Adam!) from the aerospace engineering program at the University of Michigan, my youngest child comes home after her freshman year at Boston University, my wife has her retirement party--although her last day of teaching isn't til early June, and rocket boy leaves for his internship at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. And, of course, then all we have to do is sell the house, and move. We've been in this house for 17 years, raised our kids here, really. So there's not only a lot of physical stuff, there's a lot of emotional baggage here as well.
On to nonprofit things: three people in the last 48 hours (who are unaware of my new book, obviously) have said, in talking about nonprofit trends, "Yeah, and I'm worried about all the exec retirements...no one is really thinking about the change of generations...."
Good advice for nonprofit bloggers (a practice I think can really help you connect with your constituency) at Techsoup. Check the link, and then this one for 9 More Lessons....
Techlinks has a nice article about research on the overall cost effect of tech purchases in nonprofits. The research shows that tech can, in fact, save nonprofits money...
Off to Boston for the weekend. Given the forecast for Sunday, I may never return.....
Personally, there's a tidal wave coming at me. In the next five weeks, my middle child graduates (summa cum laude-way to go Adam!) from the aerospace engineering program at the University of Michigan, my youngest child comes home after her freshman year at Boston University, my wife has her retirement party--although her last day of teaching isn't til early June, and rocket boy leaves for his internship at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. And, of course, then all we have to do is sell the house, and move. We've been in this house for 17 years, raised our kids here, really. So there's not only a lot of physical stuff, there's a lot of emotional baggage here as well.
On to nonprofit things: three people in the last 48 hours (who are unaware of my new book, obviously) have said, in talking about nonprofit trends, "Yeah, and I'm worried about all the exec retirements...no one is really thinking about the change of generations...."
Good advice for nonprofit bloggers (a practice I think can really help you connect with your constituency) at Techsoup. Check the link, and then this one for 9 More Lessons....
Techlinks has a nice article about research on the overall cost effect of tech purchases in nonprofits. The research shows that tech can, in fact, save nonprofits money...
Off to Boston for the weekend. Given the forecast for Sunday, I may never return.....
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Back and busy...
After a terrific week in southern Virginia, I'm back, and into the fray for the remainder of April and May. With drives of 790 miles each way, I had time to think about our sector quite a bit.
A couple of news notes:
-Arizona State has gotten a grant to study the different nonprofit educational resources in the US. This is great. Hopefully, we'll finally have a good listing of what is where and for whom.
-I was looking at the options for new banks in Virginia this week, and every one of them has a special checking account option (with no fees) for nonprofits. It's been so long since I've moved accounts that this may not be news to anyone reading this, but I thought it was a good thing--and a long way from the days 20 years ago, when banks really wanted nothing to do with charities..
-I'm pleased (and more than a bit humbled) that I've been given the chance to serve on the board of Goodwill International. I look forward to working with the great people that work there.
This week brings a no-hotel overnight trip to Seattle, a ton of work on a Generations Assessment, and a family trip to Boston.
Gotta go....
A couple of news notes:
-Arizona State has gotten a grant to study the different nonprofit educational resources in the US. This is great. Hopefully, we'll finally have a good listing of what is where and for whom.
-I was looking at the options for new banks in Virginia this week, and every one of them has a special checking account option (with no fees) for nonprofits. It's been so long since I've moved accounts that this may not be news to anyone reading this, but I thought it was a good thing--and a long way from the days 20 years ago, when banks really wanted nothing to do with charities..
-I'm pleased (and more than a bit humbled) that I've been given the chance to serve on the board of Goodwill International. I look forward to working with the great people that work there.
This week brings a no-hotel overnight trip to Seattle, a ton of work on a Generations Assessment, and a family trip to Boston.
Gotta go....
Friday, March 30, 2007
Before I go....
My wife and I are headed east to southern Virginia for a week, working on our house at Smith Mountain Lake, near Roanoke. We move there permanently in August. Thus, not much posting for a week, I suspect.
Before I go, my April newsletter is up, a bit early due to my travels. The subject this month?
New Tech Uses for Nonprofits. Enjoy and I'll see you in a week or so.
Before I go, my April newsletter is up, a bit early due to my travels. The subject this month?
New Tech Uses for Nonprofits. Enjoy and I'll see you in a week or so.
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