Tips and tools for nonprofits

On of my all-time favorite management gurus is W. Edwards Deming. In my opinion, Deming along with Peter Drucker were the most important management minds of the 20th century. Here, on a cold, rain sunday night is a wonderful taste of his wisdom:

The prevailing system of management has destroyed our people. People are born with intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, dignity, curiosity to learn, joy in learning. The forces of destruction begin with toddlers–a prize for the best Halloween costume, grades in school, gold stars–and on up through the university. On the job, people, teams, divisions are ranked–reward for the one at the top, punishment for the one at the bottom.

I recently discovered the audio book, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. A long-standing academic tradition, the “last lecture” is premised on what a professor might say to a class as a final “words of wisdom.” Dr. Pausch, terminally ill from pancreatic cancer, actually delivered a last lecture at Carnegie Mellon on September 18, 2007 where has was a professor of computer science. The audio book was terrific and I am enjoying a second listen. The YouTube link to the video can be found here.

With wonderful candor, and humility, Dr. Pausch shares great wisdom and practical advice on living a life worthy of itself. Framed as a future gift to his three children, The Last Lecture, is a gift to all of us. Let me share a scintilla of his wisdom on how to make an apology.

The art of apologizing and meaning it has all but been lost in a time of spin, market messaging, and legal language. The ability to apologize — to deescalate and step away from the Sirens’ call of “being right” — is so very important. Yet, what often results are half-hearted and thinly veiled attempts to manipulate and wallow in the luxury of being right.

But what if apologizing is acknowledging that life is just complicated and two people, or two litigants, or two warring nations just see the circumstance from very different vantage points?

It seems like we have a choice — we can be right (always attractive to us humans), or we can be effective. Maybe, just maybe, apologizing is a commitment to ourselves to become complete, to let go, to move on. Could it be that apologizing is an act of self-creation and healing for ourselves?

Dr. Pausch talks of the two ways that we so often “apologize.”

1. “I’m sorry you feel hurt by what I’ve done.” Get real, that isn’t apologizing; it’s a toxic spin to make ourselves right.
2. “I apologize for what I did, but you also need to apologize for what you’ve done to me.” No cigar here either. This is asking for an apology, not giving one.

Both of the above are life sucks, and will just piss people off. Then damn, we get to be right again.

Randy recommends a much more effective, three-step process to effective apologizing:

1. “What I did was wrong”
2. “I feel badly that I hurt you.”
3. “How do I make this better?”

Talk about words creating healing. And yes, some people might attempt to take advantage of you when you ask how you can make it better. But Randy found that people will generally appreciate that you made a good effort. He found that they may tell you how to make improve the situation in some overall, easy way. And often, they’ll work hard to make thing better themselves.

Randy’s parting words are to “be patient for others to come around, because they just might.” But either way, we are complete; we can move on. I know for myself I am reminded of the old saw, “too long dumb, too short smart.”

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too, all sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen events, meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would have come their way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now!” 

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 19th century German writer and scientist

A March 11, 2008 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that the American Association of Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association has written a joint letter asking Congress to reverse the Department of Education’s decision to end a program that has allowed new physician graduates to lower student loans and defer interest on their student-loan payments.

The article states that “in 2007 the average medical student graduated with $140,000 in debt, and the average first-year resident earned less than $45,000, according to the letter. Eliminating the provision, the letter warns, could discourage students from pursuing less-lucrative careers in medical education, research, public health, or primary medicine.”

Give me a break. I borrowed $100,000 to earn a doctorate in healthcare administration (DBA-Healthcare) last September at the age of 57. I teach at a small college in Northern Virginia, with four international campuses, where I earn $50,000 in base salary. I’d like to believe that what I am doing is working with the future healthcare leaders in the U.S. and around the world.

And I am not alone. There are many occupations where students have assumed substantial debt to earn terminal degrees. I personally cannot support carte blanche treatment of physicians who have been and continue to be bulwarks against universal healthcare in the U.S. What an initiative like this does is continue the stereotype that physicians are somehow medieval lords deserving of subservience and special treatment.

Let’s get behind a federal student loan repayment initiative where payment extensions or loan forgiveness would be indexed to a service contract with America. Make loan repayment a function of the degree to which the student debtor is making a social contribution. For doctors, require free clinic work and uncompensated care, for teachers incentivize teaching in low to moderate-income communities, and for graduate MBAs link repayment to helping community-based nonprofits succeed.

Let’s replace the Neanderthal notion that physicians are “entitled” with one where physicians join equally skilled and indebted graduates who direct their time and talent to service to America.

According to an article in the Jan. 14th issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, nonprofit experts often complain that they can’t get members of their boards to effectively raise money.

But the problem is usually more about the nonprofit organization’s leadership than it is about the motivations of its volunteer board members, writes the anonymous author of The Nonprofiteer. “You’re not really authorized to critique the fund-raising incompetence of your doctor and lawyer board members until you can remove an appendix or argue a Supreme Court case without their assistance,” the author writes. “It’s their volunteer gig, but it’s your job, so the responsibility rests with you.

”To get board members to raise more money, the author says development officials and executives need to show them how it’s done — and set reasonable goals. The author urges nonprofit leaders to ask board members to: Look at a list of current donors and identify those they know. After they do that, ask them to come along when you solicit in person.

Come to the next board meeting with the names of at least two people to be added to the list of the potential donors. Help plan a benefit event. What has your organization done to get its board members more involved in its fund-raising efforts? Do most board volunteers have what it takes to solicit donors?

All of us have been the victim of mind-numbing, god-awful presentations. Here are some tips to make your next presentations great:

• Know your subject
• Know the audience
• Know the A/V equipment
• Know the time constraints
• Have a “plan B”‘ be prepared to adjust on the fly
• Have a “hook” to start . . . get their attention (See Knockout Presentations, DiResta (1998))
• Keep it simple
• Engage the audience: use eye contact, questions, etc.
• PowerPoint tips:
  • Use the “Rule of 6″
    • 6 lines per slide
    • 6 words per line
    • No more than 6 slides without a graphic
  • Use minimal animation and effects
  • Rarely use sound effects
  • Use a big font (230 pt.)
  • Graphics and sound effects must be relevant to the topic and not distracting
  • Allow 1 minute per slide; more if you expect a lot of discussion
  • Beware of colors: dark background vs. light; yellow
• Use humor, but be careful!
• Use voice inflection
• Be aware of your gestures
• Know when to use charts
• Know yourself
• When appropriate cover:
  • The purpose
  • Background
  • Relevant issues
  • Recommendations / actions
• Always tell ‘em, tell ‘em, and tell ‘em again

Good luck!

The Minnesota Council on Foundations publishes a “Philanthropy and the Public Trust” series to offer insight into a variety of concerns in the nonprofit sector.

In one of its recent publications, Principles for Grantmakers, the Council issued a list of guidelines for public policy engagement, especially as it applies to grantmakers.

The list of guidelines includes:

• We advocate publicly for issues that relate to our mission and values, or to support such efforts, or advocate for the interests of the charitable sector, within the limits of the law.

• (If we are a public foundation): We are able to participate in activities that private foundations may engage in, but we may also be engaged in proposed legislation or other public policies affecting the communities and constituencies we serve through grantmaking or other programs, within the limits of the law. 

• We convene community leaders, nonprofits, government and other funders doing similar work to learn from each other and identify promising ideas.

• We provide technical assistance to grantees and other nonprofits, taking care to balance potential ethical dilemmas.

• We acknowledge and work with grant applicants to minimize the effects of the imbalance of power in grantee/grantor relationships.

• We seek candid feedback on our organization’s performance from current and former grantees and denied applicants.

• We respond to and act promptly on complaints.

• We use program and grant evaluation information to improve community outcomes.

• We share successes, failures and lessons learned internally and externally, as appropriate.

In regard to cruelties committed in the name of a free society; some are guilty, while all are responsible.

– Abraham Joshua Heschel 

. . . and healthcare reform.  Ramesh Ponnuro of Time magazine has written an easy-to-understand summary of where we are on healthcare and some potential options to cover more of the uninsured.  You can read the article here. 

It’s official: Bush Derangement Syndrome is now a full-blown epidemic. George W. Bush apparently has reduced more of his fellow citizens to frustrated, sputtering rage than any president since opinion polling began, with the possible exception of Richard Nixon.  

Admittedly, anyone who knows me, knows I believe I have rocks in my backyard smarter than this president.  But, in today’s (Nov. 9, 2007) Washington Post, Eugene Robinson reports that George Bush, the dimest of U.S. president’s has the lowest approval rating of any president, and actually scoring even with Richard Nixon upon his impeachment. You can read the full op ed piece here.