NEW
Series: |
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A Letter
from Palestine |
You think running your organization
is tough?
- Imagine doing that work in a place
where merely cashing a check is a weeks-long ordeal.
- Imagine failing to have a quorum for
meetings, because board members cant get past military
checkpoints.
- Imagine talking with board members on
the phone, hearing gunfire in the background
Recently transplanted to Palestine
from Massachusetts, Nora Lester Murad is co-founder of Dalia Association, a
true "community" foundation in every sense of the word. We have been blessed to
have Nora become a guest blogger at Creating the Future, where she will share
the day-to-day of running a small, community-based organization in
Palestine.
You will not want to miss Noras
ongoing story. CLICK
HERE
Product Update:
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Is Your
Organization More Like the Red Cross Than You Think? |
We updated our
case study report - If I Were a Consultant to the American Red Cross (or
Your Organization!): Simple Things Your Organization Can Learn from the Red
Crosss Mistakes
Why? Because
there is so much your organization can learn from what the Red Cross seems
unable to learn! And because what is plaguing the Red Cross is also plaguing
small, local organizations!
The problems at
the Red Cross are NOT about blood or disasters. They are NOT about being huge
and very public. They are the same problems your organization probably
has.
This tiny guide
will help you identify what's really stopping your organization. And it will
show you how to take the first steps to get past those obstacles, once and for
all!
Learn about the
case study here:
Case
Study
Read the
introduction here:
Introduction
Holiday Gift Trifecta! 25% Off
EVERYTHING! |
As a special bonus for the holidays,
we are offering 25% off the total purchase when you buy any 3 items at our
bookstore! Yes, 25% everything weve got!*
And then, to make it truly a gift, we
will toss in a gift of our own - a surprise for the holidays!
To order our Holiday Trifecta, just
call our office and speak with Erin, the Help 4 NonProfits Queen of
Customer Joy. (Really, the sign on her office says Office of
Customer Joy.)
To see whats in the bookstore:
Look
Here
To order: Call 1-888-787-4433 x.205
and talk with Erin! This offer is good through the
end of the day on 12/31/07.
* This offer only
applies to items we have in stock. It does not apply to books our site links to
from Amazon.com. Erin will be happy to clarify those few items for
you!
Best of the Blog: Community Engagement -
Gardening in the Front Yard |
Last month we offered a prize to the
best entry for favorite post at the Blog. We got some great
suggestions.
Our winner was this one: Blog
Post:
Community Engagement - Gardening in the Front Yard
Submitted By: Jeane Vogel -
professional photographer and occasional fundraising
consultant.
Jeanes note: This is the
best writing youve done in a long time (and thats saying something!). It is
dramatic proof that husbands and dogs and board presidents will come and go -
but when the mission is always out in front, the bountiful harvest is sure to
follow.
Prize
Patrol: Got a favorite post at Hildys blog? Let us know which is
your fave, and WHY. (Please dont forget to tell us WHY!) The best entry
will win a signed copy of one of Hildys books as a thank you!CONTACT
US
Use it Today: Pro Bono Professionals as
Board Members |
Boards often recruit professionals
who can donate their services - an attorney, an accountant, a marketing person,
etc. This months tip shows why this is a BAD idea. And it shows a better
way to get the help you need! Learn
more
Community-Driven Brain Teaser: Growing Philanthropy
|
As you start aiming your work at
creating the future of your community, new ways of seeing often catch you by
surprise. So here is this month's Brain Teaser:
How
can we grow the next generation of philanthropists? ANSWERS
HERE
Attention AFP Members! Philanthropy Day 2008
|
Hildy had such a blast keynoting
Philanthropy Day in Reno, Nevada this year. They sold more seats this year than
ever before!
If you are interested in having Hildy
keynote 2008 Philanthropy Day in your community, let us know!
Contact
Us
Where Have We Been? The California Fires
|
The gods of irony were watching over
us this fall, as we drove up and down the state of California, providing a
series of workshops for the California Fire Safe Council. The workshops were
all about Governing for What Matters, teaching boards how to hold themselves
accountable for creating the most possible impact in their
communities.
Just a few days into the series, the
Santa Ana Winds kicked fire into the region, with hundreds of thousands of
people evacuating. Never has our work had such direct meaning to us as it did
during the blazing weeks of these workshops. READ THE
STORY
Cool Distractions A Very Cool Bank
Ad! |
This video had everyone in our office
saying, Whoa! Did you see that?! Akbank is Turkeys largest
private sector bank, and we have to say, banking never looked this
creative!
See it
here
Dont miss the comments
underneath the video as well - some of the people in the video talk about how
they did the shoot.
You may also be curious to see the
extent to which Akbank is involved in the arts in Turkey - that is
here: Learn More
Here
Forward This Newsletter
|
If you find our newsletter useful,
forward it to a friend Click Here to
Forward
Because board
members so rarely receive information on how to do their job better, here are a
few ways to help them:
Forward
this newsletter to individual board members or to your board's listserv
Sign up
your whole board
Sign Up
Now
What They're Saying |
We couldn't decide on our favorite
comments for this month, so we have chosen two to share. We don't normally make
these anonymous, but after you read these two, you will understand why!
"We are an old but continually
floundering organization. Your article is going to be this board's first step
in the right direction in a long time."
Anonymous
"I'm sending this to the executive
board while I still have my sanity. Thanks so much for a very helpful and
insightful article."
Anonymous
Tell Us What You
Think! |
As we continue to develop the
Community-Driven Institute, helping you create the future of your community, we
hope you will let us know what you think. What would be helpful to have on our
website, or to include in our newsletter? How have you used the products and
programs we already have in place, and how have they worked for you? We
appreciate the feedback, because our goal is to help you change the world (or
just your piece of it). Let us
know!
Thank
you, as always, for the work you do to make your communities better places to
live. We wish for you all the possibilities life
holds.
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