How can we add social media to our plates when we have so much to do? This is a common statement from nonprofit employees. They don’t want another task. They already have too much to do. So how can they simplify their work? The answer is simple: You have too much to do because you … [Read more…]
Who has the final decision making power to hire a professional speaker for an organization? The answer may surprise you. And it may cause you to drop your jaw, raise your eyebrows and shout, “Huh?” Recently, Velvet Chainsaw partnered with Tagoras, Inc., a leading continuing education company, to survey conference professionals about their use of … [Read more…]
It takes courage to move out of the comfort zone! So many nonprofit associations and their boards have adopted a risk averse environment. They see little incentive to change or experiment. In the coming three to ten years, those organizations that stay the course will not succeed. Those that refuse to think differently, quickly and … [Read more…]
These top ten strategic technology trends will affect your organization in 2012. Will you be prepared to take advantage of them? Gartner’s analysts presented these trends at the October 2011 Symposium/ITxpo. They suggest that organization leaders should consider this list now in their strategic planning process. Defining Strategic Technology What is strategic technology? According to … [Read more…]
These Gartner predictions highlight the trends and disruptive events that will reshape the nature of business for the next four years. They focus on changes in the role that technology plays in business performance, our personal and professional lives, and in the global economy. Gartner evaluated more than 100 predictions based on audience appeal, impact … [Read more…]
Two things I know for certain. Change is the constant today and continues to accelerate. Our nonprofit associations are dynamic, complex systems embedded within an even more dynamic, complex übersystem: human society. Six Changing Association Contexts Technological innovations have radically changed our übersystem, human society, in at least six ways. (Wiley, 2006). Society continues to … [Read more…]
Are we witnessing a digital revolution? Or digital evolution? Can we simply adapt and apply old skills to new contexts? Or do we need to learn new ways of thinking, doing and being? One thing is certain. Our nonprofit institutions are dynamic, complex systems embedded within an even more dynamic, complex übersystem: human society. The … [Read more…]
To paraphrase cognitive scientist and author Cathy Davidson: Our nonprofit institutions, for the most part trade and professional associations as well as professional societies, are acting as if the world has not suddenly, irrevocably, cataclysmically, epistemically changed. Learning Is Changing Learning is changing. Anyone. Any time. Anywhere. By the end of 2011, 2 billion people … [Read more…]
Many organizations continue to view the future as a linear progression from the past. Their leadership thinks they can predict what happens next. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Myth Of Organizational Linear Progression Authors Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd discuss why this belief is fiction in their book The 2020 Workplace: … [Read more…]
Who’s competing for your member’s professional development share of wallet and time? Where is community forming around industry issues? Who are the thought leaders and influencers in your industry? Are they friend or foe? These are the questions that keep me up at night. The rise of content marketing and the ease of forming online … [Read more…]
