Archive for May, 2011

How Effective are your Call to Action Messages?

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Robin Noah

In response to a recent article one of the readers asked “…how can I get a better response to my call to action message?”  I found this interesting since I had not mentioned the value of the CTA and how to measure its use in the previous blog. It also brings up the success of any communication and its purpose for being delivered.

A call to action message:             

  • Should clearly state what the audience is getting for their efforts.
  • Should use  active words in the phrasing of the message in a distinct and literal way

To motivate people to act, to donate, to volunteer, etc., the message has to have relevance to the act you are looking to cause.  Best way to determine if your message has connected with your audience is to measure the responses.

 You need to determine the most efficient way to measure the results.  To start off measure the number of responses and how many of those responses acted as requested.  For example on a call to donate did 10 people respond and only 5 donate?  Was this a good number or not? What was your goal?

A quick way is to call all the responders and ask for their reactions to the message.  Before you do that, develop a list of questions to ask.  This way you will have consistency and continuity

There are a variety of tools to develop a measurement that will deliver the most significant report/metrics for your organization. Map it out – before you start the project make sure that you know what you’re going to measure and that you have a process for tracking and measuring.

.Also consider the frequency of the message.  Sometimes it takes a few passes to make a connection. The sheer number of communications channels now available to nonprofits for communicating with their audiences requires planning and strategies to reach goals.

In the final analysis the key for successful messages is to a) know and understand your   audiences, and b) know and understand what’s important to them.

Author: Robin Noah, Executive Coaches of Orange County, www.ECofOC.org

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in -By Author, Fundraising, Leadership, Managing Volunteers, Robin Noah | Comments Off

EC of OC Now Serving 100 Nonprofit Managers

Friday, May 20th, 2011

ECofOC's Coaches Celebrating Our 100 Clients

In April 2011, four additional nonprofit managers applied for and began working with their no-cost executive coach. Sixty-one nonprofit managers are now having regular meetings with their ECofOC executive coach. In addition, thirty-nine nonprofit Executive Directors are meeting monthly in three peer-to-peer learning Forums facilitated by ECofOC’s coaches.

At the ECofOC monthly coaches meeting on May 9, we celebrated this milestone with a chocolate cupcakes inscribed with a “100”. In the celebration photo above, from left to right, are coaches:

Dan Charobee, Moty Koppes, Bob Lichtsinn, Bob Cryer, Harry Greenberg, Judy Combs, John Pricz, Robin Noah, Adrianne DuMond, Jerry Margolin, John Benner and Pat Kelly.

 The ECofOC coaches that were not able to get into this photo are:

George Blanc, Lois Carson, Kay Childs, Jim Evans, Howard Hawkins, Joel Mascitelli, Tara Norton, Chuck Reich, Martha Ryan, John Seelinger, Chistine Steele and Larry Tucker.

If you or any of your nonprofit management colleagues think you might like to have an Executive Coach, please visit our website www.ECofOC.org to learn more about us and our no-cost coaching program, and if interested, complete the application.

If you are a nonprofit Executive Director and think you might like to join one of our peer-to-peer learning Forums, please let us know of your interest by sending a message to us at admin@ECofOC.org and we will E-mail you an information and application packet.  

Author: Bob Cryer, Executive Coaches of Orange County, www.ECofOC.org

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in -By Author, Bob Cryer, Success Stories | Comments Off

Can We Afford to Update our IT Systems and Programs?

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Larry Tucker

Updating your IT infrastructure can really add to the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization, but the cost of just an initial assessment could be prohibitive. You might think that revamping or replacing an entire system might be out of the question.

If you find yourself in such a bind, I have two suggestions for you.

First, local colleges and universities are loaded with IT savvy students willing to lend their expertise. They participate in consulting clubs and donate their time to local for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations to gain some experience and add to their resumes. This is often a great place to start looking for help.   

Second, I just finished reading an Orange County Business Journal article by Shelly Hoss, the President of the Orange County Community Foundation, where she reminds nonprofits of the great work of Groundwork Group, a nonprofit organization that offers affordable IT consulting to nonprofits. This organization is itself a nonprofit and it focuses exclusively on nonprofits.

Are administrative processes carving out too much of the time your nonprofit should be spending on improving your community? Take some time to assess, with some outside help, the likelihood that you can create efficiencies in the way you manage your organization.   

Author: Larry Tucker, Executive Coaches of Orange County, www.ECofOC.org       

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in -By Author, Business Models, Financial Management, Larry Tucker, Leadership | 2 Comments »

Tackling Disagreements on a Decision

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Adrianne DuMond

In my last post I talked about the importance of building consensus in Board meetings. The article spoke to the kinds of information a Board needs in order to make a consensus happen.

This article will speak to the difficult process of handling a disagreement about a decision, when it happens. This can be a painful time for all concerned. But let’s not forget that reasonable people can disagree. In fact, Board members participating well in the responsible role they play can be valuable assets if they voice a different viewpoint.

So let’s look at some ways that can be productive.

1) A spokesperson for the different view should make it clear what the different position is. He/she should speak of the specifics and data to support the viewpoint. It can be done in the meeting or by letter to the Board chairman.

  1.  It might be wise to ask an expert in the area of disagreement, if the spokesperson is not comfortable or able to put the information forward successfully. The expert can be presented at the meeting and/or provide supporting documentation.

2)     The Board chairman has the responsibility to see that an open discussion occurs so that all Board members understand the various viewpoints and reasons for the disagreement.

3)     It is important to have the record of the discussion in the minutes. At a later time, when questions are possibly raised as to the origins and process whereby the decision was made, the minutes help clarify and support the reasons behind the decision. This is very important if there are any legal or financial outcomes from the decision.

4)     Once the decision is made, it is ethical to support the decision and not voice opposition to the decision publicly.  Hopefully by this time, the decision is more acceptable with those who challenged it, and they can live with the decision.

5)     If, after Board members have openheartedly agreed and disagreed, but still went with the decision, it is time to decide if you can live with the decision. You may consider resigning from the Board. It is appropriate to write a letter of resignation and send it to the chairman. You have fulfilled your responsibility to engage, inform, and influence how the business is run. Move on and don’t bad mouth the organization. You are on record as to your reasons and that is sufficient.

Author: Adrianne DuMond, Executive Coaches of Orange County, www.ECofOC.org

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in -By Author, Adrianne DuMond, Nonprofit Boards | Comments Off

Are you in compliance with labor and wage laws?

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Robin Noah

Recently the California Chamber of Commerce noted in an article (Jan 27. 2011) that The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently hired hundreds of new employees, including a significant number of enforcement agents. The DOL also is promoting the “We Can Help Campaign,” which encourages employees to “audit” their employers and report violations of wage-hour laws.

This prompts me to encourage employers to review all issues that relate to employee wages and hours practices and policies to ensure that they are complying with labor laws.  In my coaching work with nonprofits and for profit businesses I see very little differences when it comes to human resources matters.  I impress on my clients that: “I did not know” Is not an acceptable answer when you are facing a judge in a labor law case.

While there are many areas of concern the 3 areas where I frequently see problems are:

  • Classifying employees as exempt,
  • Classifying employees as independent contractors
  • Making up time in lieu of overtime pay.

Wage and hour issues are always of interest to the DOL because compensation errors affect employees negatively and can cause lost tax revenues.  Incorrect employee classifications and incorrect calculation of overtime pay can present very costly penalties.

California law requires all non-exempt employees be paid overtime after eight hours per day OR 40 hours per week. Many employers think that there is only a 40 hour rule. I suggest that you update your knowledge on the following web sites: www.Dol.gov and www.dir.ca.gov/NoticeAboutOvertimePay.htm.  Actually you can do a search using the words overtime pay rules in California..

Take time to address these issues and satisfy yourself that indeed you are in compliance and that you have documentation that supports your practices.

 It is in your best interest to perform an internal audit.  There are many companies that specialize in human resource services.  If you outsource your payroll function your provider may offer an audit service.  If you use an attorney be sure the attorney is an HR specialist.

Author: Robin Noah, Executive Coaches of Orange County, www.ECofOC.org
  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in -By Author, Government Regulations, Managing Employees, Robin Noah | 1 Comment »