Everyone must agree that summer time is simply not the time to write blogs... I keep trying ... but there is so much to DO away from the computer. I do feel some sense of obligation to entertain you. Entertain yourself! Go volunteer or write a brilliant dissertation on strategic management of small non profits. See ya in the Fall
Just awhile ago I gave a small donation to an organization I had heard about from a friend - I was keen on what they were about and thought I would give a few bucks to support their cause. It is now 3 months later and I have yet to hear anything at all from them - I looked - they cashed my cheque... so my money is helping them in their mission to accomplish good work in the world. Which is FABULOUS - that is what I gave them money for.
But... ummm... did your mom not teach you to send thank you cards? Or ... hey - more important to their administration - a tax reciept.
So just a fundraising note - send thanks for all your donations - especially from first time givers. It is a bit of a burden, after all someone needs to type it, maybe mail merge it on the computer or hand write it, and the org needs to pay for postage ... but its worth it. I might give money to that organization again because I like what they do - but I will wait for a bit - and if they send me an ask for money BEFORE I get a thank you note ..ohhhh, hard call.
So - if you run a non profit that isn't sending thank yous - who knows who you are offending? I mean - hey I have no money, but what if I did?
And yes, to stop the arugment right now - I believe it is important to acknowledge donors - even if it does cost a bit of time.
Governance
Some of the pillars - the foundations - the most important peices to have a successful board.
* Have a mentorship for new board members with someone who has been around on the board for awhile
* Have a host of board governance education peices in hand so new members understand that being a director is a continual learning process - not just about the particulars of the organization but on the literature out there to make the board stronger as a whole
* A job discription - if you can't put a board job discription together then you are asking someone to come into a position that YOU aren't even sure about - help create structure for the director to be as strong as they can be in.
* Recruit from outside your organization's sphere of influence - this will encourage the board to get out of group think and make decisions based that reflect the whole community.
* Consider what your organization needs - a political savvy business person? Someone with specific knowledge in fundraising? In law? Someone with great connections to a particular community within the community? and then hire to these ends.
I was just at a presentation given by the Manager of Corporate Citizenship for 1st Calgary Savings - wow! What an inspiring presentation - She brought up a program that we all (in Calgary and area) need to know about. Through applying and getting through a review committee the 1st Calgary Savings is granting capacity building money up to $2500
https://www.1stcalgary.com/SharedContent/documents/learnopp_app.pdf - check it out.
Also a super cool event that Calgary 1st is working on with an organization from Toronto called Frameworks
The event is at Victoria's in Calgary I think on June 21, and is to support local and emerging artists. They did a call for art and got 75 artists with 5 peices each apply - they have narrowed the pool to 25 artists and 25 peices. THEN - they bought the art from the artists. It will be auctioned at the event at Victoria's - but auctioned for volunteer time instead of money!! They have invited 25 (I think) non profits to have booths at the event expaining what they needed volunteer hours for and people will bid on the art to volunteer for those organizations ~!!! WOW I love it!
When I find the link I will pass it on - It is 20 bucks to get in the door. I hope I see you there!
I spent the morning thinking about merging non profits - when the right time is, how to best facilitate the processes and who should think about doing it. Here are some notes from this morning and 'Non Profit Mergers: Is Your Organization Ready for the Road?' by David La Piana.
My biggest rant on making a decision to merge and following through on processes comes down to one thing. Merging is all about sharing all of the info about your organization. Have some skeletons in the closet? Be ready to defend them, be ready to address them, be ready to be asked about them. Both organizations need to pay CLOSE attention to due dilligence issues; financial especially. In the sector we keep hearing one thing. be transparent - it is key to understand that transparency of the good the bad and the uglies are all important during merge converstations.
La Piana wants organizations to ask some key questions:
* Why does your organization want to merge? Finances? Better access to resources? Ability to serve the community better?
* Can your organization write out some clear outcomes that create some direction as the organization moves through the merging process? If you write them down in the beginning it will be easier to evaluate the process at the end.
* Can your organization speak with one voice about the merge - if there are problems internally within the org., can these problems be resolved? Talked about honestly? The board and the staff should come to the table with a solid front - even if there is disagreement, those disagreements need to be addressed and possibly put aside before the two organizations sit at the table.
* Are the organization's missions strategically aligned?
My thoughts on the issue from both what I have read and what I have experienced (having gone through a failed merger) is that one of the most KEY components is to have an outside facilitator that can objectively oversee the process and work to ensure that neither organization feels like it is being hostilely taken over or victimized. When organizations merge - there can be a precieved or real power imbalance. A mediator/facilitator can deal directly with these issues from the word go to make an already bumpy process just a little bit smoother.
Remember - the point of merging is to serve your clients/stakeholders more efficiently or effectively - not to keep your organization's brand, name or ego intact. It is a hard job to take ego out of the equation. Questions that need to be addressed are HR issues, who will be the new Executive Director, should you hire from outside both organizations for a new ED?
Do you need to merge? Or would it be more appropriate to shut the organization down and give your client files and most experienced staff to the other organization?
Big questions. The point here is that in order to set up for a merge process, there is alot of work and honest communication that needs to be done on the front end - what is the relationship between your staff and senior management? How cohesive can the organization be in standing together during a merge? WHY is a merge a positive step? What are the intended desired outcomes? Often a honest conversation within the organization’s staff and board will clarify underlying issue to help the organization to move forward.
I will be posting merge/acquisition articles for anyone's interest
Have a lovely day!
