When The Chronicle of Philanthropy published Michelle Glenow’s article, “Planning and Practice Make Charities More Nimble During Disasters” last Sunday, editors could not have predicted that the very next day would be forever remembered as the day that tornadoes tore through the Midwest, with one EF5 tornado leaving a 17-mile path of destruction in Moore and Oklahoma City, OK. While the immediate focus is, of course, on search and rescue, recovery, and eventual rebuilding, this should, eventually, serve as another wake up call to consider how we as organizational leaders can best prepare for disasters within our organizations. At JFFixler Group, we have blogged in the past about the importance of grassroots efforts and communications after disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and about how organizations can collaborate in responding to disasters such as floods and tornadoes, but this about how organizations can create a preparedness plan in advance of emergencies so that we can be nimble and responsive when disasters strike.
InnoVate Blog
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Wed, 2013-05-01 16:27.
Leadership development is not limited to just the volunteers whom we engage. As professionals, it’s important to take time to develop ourselves as leaders and professionals. Attending conferences, networking with colleagues in your local area as well as nationally, and keeping up with research and new trends through blogs and journals are all critically important ways to stay current on the latest developments in the field and to learn from a “community of practice.” Taking the time to reflect on your own professional goals, strengths, and opportunities for skills development is an important step when prioritizing how to move forward in your own professional development plans, especially in times when travel budgets are tight.
Read more
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Mon, 2013-04-01 13:44.
Volunteers are critical to congregational life: from helping plan and facilitate events and services, to leading committees and teams, to coming together as a community to help others in need. JFFixler Group is pleased to have recently updated our four-part series, The Engaged Congregation Guides, designed to provide synagogues with a step-by-step process of creating and maintaining a culture of volunteer engagement.
Read more
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Wed, 2013-02-20 13:03.
There are all kinds of great meetings—you know, “meeting new people” and “meeting goals” —but traditional meetings have a bad rap these days. Likely because meetings so often are ineffective or inefficient. Today’s volunteers have little patience for meetings that are poorly run. The irony is that, while today’s volunteers are not interested in wasting time in meetings, they are seeking ways to connect with and be part of high-functioning teams. Teams, of course, generally require meetings of some sort. So, the challenge for organizations is to nurture a productive, effective team culture through well-run meetings that engage rather than enrage volunteers.
Read more
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Thu, 2013-01-31 19:26.
According to the recently released report Volunteering In America, parents of children living at home, the state of Utah, the city of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Boomers and Generation X lead the way when it comes to volunteering. Each year, the Corporation for National and Community Service publishes a report on volunteering across the nation. Just a few weeks ago, the Volunteering in America report on 2011 was released and includes copious information about how Americans are stepping up to make a difference in their neighborhoods, communities, and the world through personal service – and doing so at record rates.
Read more
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Tue, 2012-12-18 09:41.
How does your organization evaluate programs or measure results? A new study released by Innovation Network, Inc. sheds light on how nonprofits across the country “measure up” in terms of evaluation. More than likely, your organization is among the 90% of organizations that do conduct some sort of evaluation—whether by developing a logic model or other evaluation plan before the program (as do 65-76% of organizations), collecting data during the program (as do 60% of organizations), or analyzing the data after the program (as do 63% of nonprofits). If you do not conduct evaluation, then you are not alone. Whether you are in the 90% of nonprofits that do evaluate or the 10% that don’t, it’s important to understand how to make the most out of evaluation, including how to overcome the perceived barriers to conducting valuable evaluation.
Read more
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Mon, 2012-11-05 10:22.
No matter where we live or whether we have friends and family on the East Coast, we are all touched by the devastation and widespread impact of Superstorm Sandy. I live and work in Colorado, yet I have unexpectedly taken on the role of communications hub for my East Coast relatives, many of whom live in the hardest hit counties in New Jersey and Long Island and still have no power. While intermittent cell service prevented them from reaching each other, they have been able to get messages to me through phone or Facebook.
Read more
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Tue, 2012-09-25 00:16.
From “Us & Them” to “We”: What volunteer engagement can learn from emerging trends in marketingBy Beth SteinhornLike most of us, I had a long summer reading list – and now that the leaves are changing, it’s a good time to reflect on one of the books that got me thinking about volunteer engagement in new ways, namely a book called We: The Ideal Customer Relationship by Steve Yastrow. While the book’s focus is marketing and sales, it has many implications for volunteer engagement.Consider Yastrow’s premise: businesses have more success if they intentionally develop “We” relationships with their customers than if they develop “Us & Them” relationships. In traditional “Us & Them” relationships, the interactions between business and customer are all about transactions, whether payment for a good or service or an inquiry and an answer. By contrast, a “We” relationship is defined by a more collaborative partnership. As Yastrow describes, “[The We] customer sees your company as unique and, therefore, not interchangeable with the competition.... You go beyond using each other to accomplish things and actually see your relationship as one in which you do things together.”It’s hard not to see how this model applies to volunteer engagement.
Read more
Submitted by Jill Friedman Fixler on Tue, 2012-07-10 10:58.
The Millennial Impact Report 2012, published last week, is opening people’s eyes and spurring lots of conversations in our fields. The report opens with the advice, “stop trying to figure out Millennials and just include them.” This and other information in the report provide food for thought our practice and our clients. The authors proclaim that it is time to authentically engage Millennials in the work of service and giving and go on describe Millennials as wanting to give and serve—“They want involvements that engage their minds as well as their hands. In the end, they want to build authentic, personal relationships with nonprofits.”
Read more
Submitted by Jill Friedman Fixler on Wed, 2012-06-20 19:08.
When I began my career as a volunteer engagement professional (we called it “volunteer manager” back then), I prided myself on being a generalist. I knew a little about a lot of things such as management, human resources, budgeting, program development, and program evaluation. The skill sets I learned in college and in my first jobs served me well for a long time. I could address most issues without assistance and all was right with the world. I felt confident about what I knew and how to use that knowledge in my work.
Read more
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Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Wed, 2013-05-01 16:27.
Leadership development is not limited to just the volunteers whom we engage. As professionals, it’s important to take time to develop ourselves as leaders and professionals. Attending conferences, networking with colleagues in your local area as well as nationally, and keeping up with research and new trends through blogs and journals are all critically important ways to stay current on the latest developments in the field and to learn from a “community of practice.” Taking the time to reflect on your own professional goals, strengths, and opportunities for skills development is an important step when prioritizing how to move forward in your own professional development plans, especially in times when travel budgets are tight.
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Mon, 2013-04-01 13:44.
Volunteers are critical to congregational life: from helping plan and facilitate events and services, to leading committees and teams, to coming together as a community to help others in need. JFFixler Group is pleased to have recently updated our four-part series, The Engaged Congregation Guides, designed to provide synagogues with a step-by-step process of creating and maintaining a culture of volunteer engagement.
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Wed, 2013-02-20 13:03.
There are all kinds of great meetings—you know, “meeting new people” and “meeting goals” —but traditional meetings have a bad rap these days. Likely because meetings so often are ineffective or inefficient. Today’s volunteers have little patience for meetings that are poorly run. The irony is that, while today’s volunteers are not interested in wasting time in meetings, they are seeking ways to connect with and be part of high-functioning teams. Teams, of course, generally require meetings of some sort. So, the challenge for organizations is to nurture a productive, effective team culture through well-run meetings that engage rather than enrage volunteers.
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Thu, 2013-01-31 19:26.
According to the recently released report Volunteering In America, parents of children living at home, the state of Utah, the city of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Boomers and Generation X lead the way when it comes to volunteering. Each year, the Corporation for National and Community Service publishes a report on volunteering across the nation. Just a few weeks ago, the Volunteering in America report on 2011 was released and includes copious information about how Americans are stepping up to make a difference in their neighborhoods, communities, and the world through personal service – and doing so at record rates.
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Tue, 2012-12-18 09:41.
How does your organization evaluate programs or measure results? A new study released by Innovation Network, Inc. sheds light on how nonprofits across the country “measure up” in terms of evaluation. More than likely, your organization is among the 90% of organizations that do conduct some sort of evaluation—whether by developing a logic model or other evaluation plan before the program (as do 65-76% of organizations), collecting data during the program (as do 60% of organizations), or analyzing the data after the program (as do 63% of nonprofits). If you do not conduct evaluation, then you are not alone. Whether you are in the 90% of nonprofits that do evaluate or the 10% that don’t, it’s important to understand how to make the most out of evaluation, including how to overcome the perceived barriers to conducting valuable evaluation.
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Mon, 2012-11-05 10:22.
No matter where we live or whether we have friends and family on the East Coast, we are all touched by the devastation and widespread impact of Superstorm Sandy. I live and work in Colorado, yet I have unexpectedly taken on the role of communications hub for my East Coast relatives, many of whom live in the hardest hit counties in New Jersey and Long Island and still have no power. While intermittent cell service prevented them from reaching each other, they have been able to get messages to me through phone or Facebook.
Submitted by Beth Steinhorn on Tue, 2012-09-25 00:16.
From “Us & Them” to “We”: What volunteer engagement can learn from emerging trends in marketingBy Beth SteinhornLike most of us, I had a long summer reading list – and now that the leaves are changing, it’s a good time to reflect on one of the books that got me thinking about volunteer engagement in new ways, namely a book called We: The Ideal Customer Relationship by Steve Yastrow. While the book’s focus is marketing and sales, it has many implications for volunteer engagement.Consider Yastrow’s premise: businesses have more success if they intentionally develop “We” relationships with their customers than if they develop “Us & Them” relationships. In traditional “Us & Them” relationships, the interactions between business and customer are all about transactions, whether payment for a good or service or an inquiry and an answer. By contrast, a “We” relationship is defined by a more collaborative partnership. As Yastrow describes, “[The We] customer sees your company as unique and, therefore, not interchangeable with the competition.... You go beyond using each other to accomplish things and actually see your relationship as one in which you do things together.”It’s hard not to see how this model applies to volunteer engagement.
Submitted by Jill Friedman Fixler on Tue, 2012-07-10 10:58.
The Millennial Impact Report 2012, published last week, is opening people’s eyes and spurring lots of conversations in our fields. The report opens with the advice, “stop trying to figure out Millennials and just include them.” This and other information in the report provide food for thought our practice and our clients. The authors proclaim that it is time to authentically engage Millennials in the work of service and giving and go on describe Millennials as wanting to give and serve—“They want involvements that engage their minds as well as their hands. In the end, they want to build authentic, personal relationships with nonprofits.”
Submitted by Jill Friedman Fixler on Wed, 2012-06-20 19:08.
When I began my career as a volunteer engagement professional (we called it “volunteer manager” back then), I prided myself on being a generalist. I knew a little about a lot of things such as management, human resources, budgeting, program development, and program evaluation. The skill sets I learned in college and in my first jobs served me well for a long time. I could address most issues without assistance and all was right with the world. I felt confident about what I knew and how to use that knowledge in my work.
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Testimonial
“I just wanted to touch base with you and thank you for being such an inspiring advocate for all things nonprofit (not just volunteer management!). I heard you speak in Bath last year at the Mid Maine Volunteer Administrator’s Conference and I’m still drawing on my memories of your talk for inspiration. I read your blog and will be sharing your article Tips for Staying on the Cutting Edge of Civic Engagement at a regional volunteer administrators meeting I’m co-leading. Empowering fellow nonprofit leaders to slow down and stay inspired is always one of my main talking points when I’m speaking at a conference, participating in discussions or going about my own work and I love how well you’ve (once again!) encapsulated this idea”.—Megan Emery, Children's Library Technician, Lewiston Maine Public Library
“It is completely understandable why Jill has become one of the nation's foremost experts in nonprofit organizational development. Jill and her company offer a combination of deep nonprofit experience, an inspiring vision for the sector, and a commitment to continuous improvement in how organizations engage leaders and volunteers. Jill exceeds expectations while making you, the client, feel like you have her undivided attention.” —Phil Nash, Leadership Communications
