“Data Driven”
If I had a penny for every admonition heard or read to be driven by data, my financial cup would runneth over.
Innovation at the top and the bottom
I have been revisiting recently one of my favorite subjects, innovation. Two abiding challenges stand out for me when it comes to harnessing the power of fresh approaches.
Issue Forth
Do you sometimes read an issue of a favorite publication and find yourself picking up on snippets you see as valuable? And do you forget them just as easily? I do both. Here’s an example and what I have learned to try and tie to use. The case in point is the Fall 2021 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) where I came across four passages that rang a bell for me. They are in...
Simplifying Success
Less is more often the short stick when it comes to aspiration and activity but the trump card when it comes to impact. Studies repeatedly show, for example, that people buy more when they have four choices than when they have 20. If you are selling something — whether carrots or an idea — that’s important.I once worked with a Washington...
Alignment, Plans, and Priorities are Not Results
Alignment, Plans, and Priorities are Not Results After a break for moving from Florida to the Adirondacks for summer and fall, I am back with weekly blogs. My entry this Wednesday muses on how easy it is to ignore results in the language we use to distribute and use charitable giving. Here is the first item in the Donor Bill of Rights published by AFP-the Association of Fundraising...
Ships in the Harbor
I asked participants in my current Results Leaders course to read something — a book snipped, an article, or a quote — and tell me what it meant to them.Jennifer, a supervisor in Manatee County, Fla., picked a quote by William Shedd: “A ship in harbor is safe but that is not what ships are built for.” She said it reminded her to venture forth....
The program vs. the product
Last week, I wrote about how nonprofits seeking contributions might learn from the prospectus format that businesses use to attract financial investment.Here is another comparison that may prove useful to ponder.It’s 2 p.m. on Saturday and a woman stretched to the limit is washing diapers. The machine breaks down. Thankfully, she finds the...
Two Ways to Get Money: The Proposal and the Prospectus
Two Ways to Get Money: The Proposal and the Prospectus I just read a prospectus seeking financial investment in a company. It prompted me to think about the major differences between the two kinds of documents designed to attract money. One is the fund-raising appeal. Nice graphics, attractive colors, and warm personal stories abound. And...
Simplicity in Words
My last post approached simplicity from a perspective of painting. This week, the Wednesday Whimsey looks at another form of brevity—of word counts. It is prompted by a passage that I recall from a New York Times article:The Lord’s Prayer contains 56 words, the 23rd Psalm, 118 words, the Gettysburg Address, 226 words and the Ten Commandments,...