Sadly, and all too commonly, many associations appear to suffer from the equivalent of attention deficit disorder. If you know someone with ADD, you know what happens when s/he exerts energy in the absence of focus, goals and vision. Many associations are like this as well. They suffer from Organizational-ADD. It all starts with the executive brain—the association’s leadership. This includes volunteer leaders—advisors, board, committee chairs, committee members—and staff. What is required … [Read more...]
Avoiding Personal Agendas and Pay-to-Play In The Speaker Review Process
We’ve seen it happen in almost every organization where we assessed their speaker review process. Someone on the conference committee blackballs a great presentation or speaker. Or someone approves a presentation proposal and speaker that has had poor scores in the past. Why does this happen? Conference committee members put personal agendas and friendships above what is in the best interest of the paying attendee. The Primary Focus When Reviewing Presentation Proposals Staff and … [Read more...]
You Don’t Know Jack About Working With Volunteers
(Here are some of my notes from Cynthia D'Amour's Lazy Leader Road Show "Creating A Surplus Of Volunteers" which recently stopped in Dallas.) Martyr leader volunteers! Our organizations are rife with them. They are the survival strategy for many nonprofits. Yet, focusing on them can actually kill an organization. The Awful Truth About Our Current Volunteer Strategies We reward volunteers who are over-achievers. The ones that throw their entire lives out of balance each year in the name of … [Read more...]
10 Ways To Ensure Your Nonprofit Volunteers Fail
As a former nonprofit employee and a volunteer leader, I've made many mistakes when it comes to volunteers. Here are a few I've learned the hard way, either through my own leadership missteps or from serving as a volunteer board member, committee chair or volunteer at large. 1. Don't think about each volunteer individually. Don't carefully consider each volunteer's strengths, talents and weaknesses. Don't ruminate about finding the right fit for them. Successful volunteers need room and time … [Read more...]
