Seth Godin Says...

...That 'average' won't cut it in our post-industrial working world. This is true at many levels. The idea also makes sense if you look at it from a nonprofit point-of-view: If your organization is just average, it's going to get lost in the shuffle in an environment that is becoming increasingly crowded with other groups offering a lot of what looks like the same thing. That's no secret. On the other hand, I can't tell you how many trade and industry associations we work with that are in a mad scramble to help their members recruit and retain skilled workers.

Click to read more ...

How to Find Out What Your Association's Members REALLY Need

I came across this post over on Elizabeth Weaver Engel's blog (which you should follow, if you don't already). In it, she talked about a recent Twitter discussion on capturing and keeping track of what members really need. It's a good question and is one I know many association professionals face, so I have pulled from this post a few examples of how some of our clients have used processes that actively incorporate member feedback into the decision-making process - this is by no means a comprehensive list but hopefully gets the juices flowing.

Click to read more ...

What is Your Nonprofit's Blue Ocean?

Blue Ocean Strategy is a framework that focuses on market differentiation and innovation - two things we don't see enough of in nonprofit circles. Here's the gist of it...

Click to read more ...

Nonprofit Treats (From Last Week): Good Stuff Happening On the Web

Well, It's a new year and most of us are back to the grind. Despite the long and dark winter days many of us are enduring (daylight lasts from 8am - 4:30 where I am right now), I am seeing a lot of inspiration on the web these days. Here are a few goodies from last week. I hope you enjoy!

Click to read more ...

ARC Best OF: Don’t be the Boiled Frog: Complacency No Longer an Option for NFP’s

Did you know that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will try to jump out? But if you put that same frog into a pot of water at room-temperature and heat it up gradually, the frog will let itself be boiled to death? We all know the world is changing. Change is everywhere we look, from our physical environment, to the way we relate and communicate to one another. Many of these changes are paradigm-shifting.

Click to read more ...