Quality Service Marketing

Recommended Nonprofit Books For Gift Giving

Need a helpful gift idea for your favorite nonprofit professional or volunteer leader? Consider a book that provides valuable insight and advice on how to maximize a nonprofit’s effectiveness.

Note: I’m a fan of books-as-gifts, especially when paired with chocolate or other sweet treat, specialty coffee or tea. Feed the senses as well as the mind!

In addition to my favorite nonprofit books, I asked the members of my LinkedIn network groups (BoardSource and Independent Consultants to the Nonprofit Sector) to share the books they most recommend for nonprofit managers and leaders. What a response! The impressive list of books covers a range of topics that include leadership, organizational development, fundraising, governance, board development,  relationship building, and advocacy. The books are listed alphabetically by title and without links so as not to favor any particular online book seller. Please look for them via your favorite search engine, online bookstore, or local bookstore.

My Favorite Books for Nonprofits

The Five Life Stages of Nonprofit Organizations: Where You Are, Where You’re Going, and What to Expect When You Get There by Judith Sharken Simon

From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement by Susan J. Ellis

Hesselbein on Leadership by Frances Hesselbein

How to Make Your Board More Dramatically More Effective, Starting Today: A Board Member’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions by Gayle L. Gifford

Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes by Katya Andresen

Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits by Sybil F. Stershic

Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business by Nancy Lublin

Network Recommended Books for Nonprofits

ASKING: A 59 Minute Guide to Everything Board Members, Volunteers, and Staff Must Know to Secure the Gift by Jerold Panas

The Board Member’s Book: Making a Difference in Voluntary Organizations by Brian O’Connell

Breakthrough Thinking for Nonprofit Organizations: Creative Strategies for Extraordinary Results by Bernard Ross and Clare Segal

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up by Paul Schmitz

Exposing the Elephants: Creating Exceptional Nonprofits by Pamela Wilcox

Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development With Nonprofits by Carter McNamara

Forces for Good: Six Practices for High Impact Nonprofits by Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant

The Functions of the Executive by Chester I. Barnard

Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great by Jim Collins

Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards by Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan, and Barbara E. Taylor

The Hour Series of Guides for Nonprofit Management by Nonprofit Management Services, LLC

The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in Time of Fear edited by Paul Rogat Loeb

Leadership is an Art by Max De Pree

Let’s Have Lunch: How to Reach Out and Build More Powerful Relationships by Marshall Howard.

Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries by Peter Sims

Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Manager’s Guide to Getting Results by Alison Green and Jerry Hauser

Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World by Beth Kanter and Katie Delahaye Paine

Mega Gifts by Jerold Panas

The Mission Myth: Building Nonprofit Momentum through Better Business  by Deirdre Maloney

The Non Nonprofit: For-Profit Thinking for Nonprofit Success by Steve Rothschild

Policy vs. Paper Clips: How Using the Corporate Model Makes a Nonprofit Board More Efficient & Effective by Eugene Fram

The Power of a Positive No: Save the Deal, Save the Relationship, and Still Say No by William Ury

Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others by Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas

Race to Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations by Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers

A Voice for Nonprofits by Jeffrey M. Berry with David F. Arons

Let me know if you have a favorite book for nonprofits that’s not listed here. I welcome additional recommendations!

Pocket Guide to Nonprofit Board Effectiveness

The adage, “Good things come in small packages” applies to How to Make Your Board Dramatically More Effective, Starting Today: A Board Member’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions, by Gayle L. Gifford. This 115 page guide is a short and provocative read that should lead to some powerful discussions. It’s also a book that I highly recommend to nonprofit leaders and board members who want to improve their stewardship. Here’s why.

My work with clients involves engaging them in “discovery”--asking questions that enable them to find workable approaches and ideas. Finding the right questions to ask is often as challenging as coming up with the right answers. The value of Gifford’s book is that she provides a comprehensive set of critical questions that nonprofit boards need to ask themselves. These questions are organized into three areas of board performance that include mission/community impact, stewardship, and board development. Each of the 34 chapters introduces a key question and briefly explains why it needs to be addressed. For example:

• “Does our vision matter?”
• “Do we think and act strategically?”
• “Is our organization worthy of support?”
• “Have we given our CEO the necessary support?”
• “Are we prepared enough to make a difference?”
• “Do we make policy instead of one-time decisions?”

Not all the questions Gifford asks are as challenging to answer as those I’ve shared here, but they are all purposeful in enabling board members to assess their effectiveness in areas that include governance vs. micromanaging, CEO evaluation, staff relations, board recruitment, the board’s role in fundraising, understanding financial information, and productive meetings.

Nonprofit board members will find How to Make Your Board Dramatically More Effective, Starting Today a valuable tool that can be used for new board member orientation, special board retreats, and ongoing board development.

What They're Saying About "Share of Mind, Share of Heart"

I’m thrilled with the positive response to my new book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits. Here are several recent reviews that I’m honored to share.

"With a great passion for (and deep expertise in) nonprofit marketing, Sybil Stershic has written an immensely practical, valuable book. “Share of Mind, Share of Heart” clearly explicates both marketing fundamentals and more sophisticated concepts for nonprofit marketing professionals in plain, easy-to-understand language, with concrete examples.

"Unlike many academic texts on nonprofit marketing, this book is peppered with questions designed to get you thinking tangibly and immediately about how the concepts discussed can be applied directly to the day-to-day business of your organization. I found her insights into internal marketing tools of engagement to be particularly apt and important. Too often in leanly staffed, undercapitalized nonprofits where staff is pressed for time, we overlook this crucial area. Morale and profits suffer as a result, with organizations sometimes seeming disconnected and disengaged from their customers, volunteers, and (in some cases) overall mission.

"'Share of Mind, Share of Heart' is a book that should be on the shelf of every nonprofit marketer, both novices and veterans." - Andrew Edmonson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Houston Ballet

"Like the author, I have served on a variety of non-profit boards and counseled them about marketing. I've found that the whole idea of marketing is intimidating to many non-profits. They often believe marketing is too complicated for them and requires a commitment of resources (both human and monetary) beyond their capability. This insightful book dispels these fears as myths. Marketing is presented here as it truly ought to be: a simple, people-based idea about creating and communicating value. Each chapter provides an understandable exercise that will cause the reader to pause and reflect upon how to bring the marketing concept to life in any non-profit."     - Frank Haas, Dean of Hospitality, Business and Legal Education, Kapiolani Community College

"Every now and then, you find a book that contains more than a powerful message---it houses a poignant experience. Share of Mind, Share of Heart is an experiential wisdom-sharing tome written for organizations that benefit us all. Full of practical how to's and laced in the language and philosophy of non-profits, it will open eyes, enhance skills, and enrich outreach." - Chip R. Bell, noted author and consultant, The Chip Bell Group

I’m also honored to share these more detailed book reviews by Ivana Taylor, Small Business Trends, and Wayne Hurlbert, Blog Business World.

Special thanks to Andrew, Frank, Chip, Ivana, and Wayne for taking the time to review and share their thoughts on my book!

Why We Still Need to Get Together for Work

I consider technology both a blessing and a curse in the workplace. While it enables employees to communicate and collaborate across time and distance, it also makes work more insular as people seem to engage more with smart devices than with co-workers, customers, and channel partners.

So as workplace technology continues to expand, I’ll continue to advocate the power of employee gatherings.  Bringing people together in an effective face-to-face forum can provide a rich and satisfying experience. This was the case for a large company that brought together marketing and sales support staff from its regional offices as part of an “all hands” planning event. The company is in transition as a result of restructuring, and its divisional leader recognized the need to bring staff members together. The event combined training, planning, and team-building activities in an informative and comfortable setting.

Employees appreciated the opportunity to step back from the daily grind and focus on:

• better understanding where they fit within the “big picture” of the company
• expanding their internal resources through networking and relationship-building with co-workers
• enhancing organizational capacity through shared learning and planning.

The event also provided employees an effective forum in which they could get answers to their questions, contribute their ideas and be heard.

Regardless of whether your team’s goal is learning, planning or problem-solving, sometimes there is no substitute for getting off the cloud and bringing people together, face-to-face.

“One of the single most effective ways to enhance your creativity is to regularly break the cycle of isolation and interact, talk, and share your work.”
- David Burkus, Why Sharing Your Work, Setbacks & Struggles Breaks Creative Blocks.

Can You Achieve 100% Employee Engagement?

One of the best descriptions between employees who are engaged and those who are not comes from BlessingWhite:

" ... engaged employees stay for what they give (they like their work) [whereas] disengaged employees stay for what they get (favorable job conditions, growth opportunities, job security)."

Given the choice, most companies would prefer their workforce be comprised of fully engaged employees. But is total engagement attainable or even realistic? According to employee engagement author and consultant Leigh Branham, not all employees choose to be engaged:

“Most employees want to be engaged [while] other employees simply don’t view being engaged as a desirable, or even possible, personal goal. They see work as a necessary activity, but not as a source of fulfillment. Many have a strong work ethic, but are uninspired by their managers or their daily work environment, so they withhold much of their energy and effort.” 

Just because every employee isn’t interested in being engaged doesn’t mean management should give up on it or work harder to force it on employees. Neither scenario creates a positive work environment.

While 100% employee engagement may not be realistic, smart companies focus on what they can do to maximize engagement in their organizations – including hiring right from the outset, recognizing and reinforcing a positive work culture that values people (employees, customers, business partners, etc. ) as well as profit, and keeping it simple. 

 

 

Image credit: http://terrynwilliams.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/employee_engagement.gif

Nonprofit Engagement Dilemma: A Caring, Yet Complacent Board

A  friend of mine works as a marketing director for a nonprofit with a stagnant board of directors. The by-laws stipulate board membership be drawn from the regional service-based organization that founded the nonprofit more than fifty years ago. As a result, the governance structure has evolved into an insular board with life-time terms. The good news is board members take pride in their involvement with the nonprofit based on its mission, and they have a strong passion for the founding organization. The board is also fortunate in that the nonprofit is well run by a dedicated professional staff.

The bad news is staff members have to work around a board that has become complacent. As long as the nonprofit is thriving, the board is comfortable with its oversight. Board leadership is not interested in how it can improve its governance and support. So the executive team leads the organization by focusing on the mission as it tolerates a board that has “a golden operation in their hands and do not understand what to do with it.”

As mentioned earlier, this nonprofit is doing well except for the executive team’s frustration. Passion for and commitment to the mission sustains these staff members … for now. 

Effective board member engagement is more than just showing up at board meetings and talking up the nonprofit. It also involves a commitment to improving its governance and collaborative relationship with staff. As well run as my friend’s nonprofit is, it could be so much more with a fully engaged and mutually respectful staff-board partnership. 

It's Here! Help for Engaging Nonprofits' Most Powerful Assets

I’m thrilled to announce the release of my new book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits. Response to the book’s pre-publicity has been very positive, and I have several interviews and speaking requests already lined up, with more in the works. This summer will be a busy one!

An inspired journey …

My book was inspired by many dedicated nonprofit professionals and volunteers, including my colleagues, clients, and participants in my nonprofit workshops. I appreciate their willingness to share their expertise and experience with me as I worked on the book. Individually and collectively, they confirmed nonprofit engagement as an important area of interest that draws more intention than actual action. The reasons for this range from benign neglect (e.g., nonprofit managers who are stretched thin and don’t have the time to proactively engage staff and volunteers) to an organizational culture where passion-for-the-mission is deemed sufficient (i.e., once engaged = always engaged … an erroneous presumption).

Their concerns and ideas confirmed my own experience as a nonprofit advisor and volunteer. This insight guided me in writing Share of Mind, Share of Heart as a guide to the foundation and practical tools that will enable nonprofits to better engage the people behind the mission – the employees and volunteers who represent a nonprofit’s brand.

The book is on target
According to the following reviews:

• "Share of Mind, Share of Heart is a great guide to success in nonprofit marketing with a strong reminder about the importance of engaging an often overlooked audience — staff members of the organization." 
       - Celeste Wroblewski, Nonprofit Strategist
• “Uniquely, [this] book shows how paid staff and volunteers are full partners in maintaining the organization’s image and impact in the community. "  
     - Susan J. Ellis, President, Energize, Inc., and Editor-in-Chief, e-Volunteerism
• "Stocked with examples throughout, Share of Mind, Share of Heart … demonstrates how marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department — it's everyone's job."
       -  Ken Bernhardt, Taylor E. Little Jr. Professor of Marketing, Georgia State University
• "Stershic's book is all about getting active in marketing your organization. [It] gives you practical action-oriented tasks that help you focus on getting more than your organization's fair share of the minds and hearts of the people you want to reach."
       - Chris Forbes, co-author of Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits
• "Share of Mind, Share of Heart is a pithy, potent survival guide to making good things happen with marketing. Read it to engage more powerfully within your own organization …" 
       - Katya Andresen, Chief Strategy Officer, Network for Good; author of Robin Hood Marketing

If you know nonprofit leaders who want to strengthen employee, volunteer, and consumer engagement, please let them know that help is available in Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits.

Internal Marketing Spotlight: Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta

While writing my new book on marketing tools of engagement for nonprofits, I had the privilege of interviewing Brenda Fiske, Chief Marketing Officer of the Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta. A “nonsectarian, community-based social services agency,” JF&CS offers a broad range of more than 40 programs serving children and adults with “Tools for Living” that include career services, professional counseling, support for adults with developmental disabilities, career counseling, and dental clinic services. Its mission of providing “health, career and human services to support and enhance the well-being of individuals and families across all ages, faiths, cultures and lifestyles” is carried out by more than 200 professional staff members and 1200+ volunteers.

In my initial interview with Brenda, I learned that JF&CS keeps employees connected by holding all-staff meetings following its monthly board of directors’ meetings. These staff meetings are led by CEO Gary Miller in a “face-forward sharing of information” about board meeting results and updates on grants and upcoming events. He also welcomes new employees, acknowledges any who may be leaving, and takes the time to recognize staff members’ personal milestones, such as weddings, births, graduations, special anniversaries, etc. Most of the 200 staff members attend these meetings; those unable to attend receive meeting minutes to keep them up to date.

In addition to these monthly all-staff meetings, JF&CS periodically hosts “Lunch & Learn” sessions to address employee topics of interest and major issues facing the organization. These sessions enable employees to understand the process, rationale, and implications of major management decisions. Both the monthly all-staff meetings and Lunch & Learns reflect the Jewish Family & Career Services’ commitment to keep its employees connected and engaged.

I asked Brenda to share JF&CS’s approach to nonprofit engagement.

QSM: Your organization identifies “Talent Management” of employees and volunteers as a strategic priority. What does this mean, and how does this translate into employee engagement? In other words, what do you do to walk-the-talk?

Brenda: Talent management in our world means identifying the best person to perform a job, providing the education and support for the individual to succeed, and celebrating the success enthusiastically.  Employees are given the opportunity to learn about all aspects of the organization at our monthly all-staff meeting, where reports are presented on programs and projects. It is important to our culture that we feel a part of the whole since we manage more that 40 diverse programs. 

One of our most meaningful employee engagement tactics was the creation of the Staff Development Committee. It is a collection of staff representing all aspects of the agency that plans activities, lunch and learns, and a massive staff appreciation week each year. When you observe people working together outside of their own department, you have a great opportunity to witness underlying talents that may never be revealed otherwise.

QSM: How does talent management apply to your volunteers?

Brenda: Understanding how volunteers want to spend their time, whether in their area of expertise or not, is critical to giving them a positive experience. Many volunteers choose to do something very different from their professional skills. From a professional staff perspective, we strive to give individuals an opportunity to grow, and we support a family friendly environment as well. In both cases, the term “talent management” represents an authentic approach to honoring the full human being and the contributions they make to our organization.  

One example of volunteer talent management can be easily seen through our “Tools for Leader” class. The six week course immerses about 25 individuals into agency programs by dividing the group into four sections, each building a presentation to give to the group on one area of service.  Everyone has an opportunity to teach and learn together. The graduates are individually interviewed at the end of the course and a volunteer track identified for them based upon their talents and interests.

QSM: These are challenging times for social service agencies that are trying to meet increased community needs with decreased funding. In your experience, what works to minimize burnout among professional staff?

Brenda: I have seen no miracle cure for professional staff burnout, but one thing that absolutely eases the symptoms is to consistently and genuinely appreciate and value their dedication and commitment, and publicly applaud the difference they make in the lives of others. People who work in our nonprofit world are clearly not primarily motivated by money. They continue to be inspired by knowing their work is important.

QSM: Well said, Brenda. Thank you for taking the time to share a little bit of what makes the Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta a special organization.

Dear Mr President: About Employee Engagement ...

I’ve enjoyed being a guest on many radio shows since my first book, Taking Care of the People Who Matter Most: A Guide to Employee-Customer Care, was published. One of the most unexpected and intriguing questions I was asked was on Zane Safrit’s show. In what he called the “Imagination Moment,” Zane asked me to imagine responding to an email from President of the United States that read:   

‘Sybil, our economy reflects our failure to take care of the people that matter the most. I want you to come to the Oval Office and present your three ideas to reverse this trend, nationally.’ 

This was my response:

1. Gather information. First, I suggested business/industry associations and academia partner with each other to collect examples of effective employee- and customer care. They all have members from whom they can gather info on what works and what doesn’t.
2. Make people aware of engagement’s impact and importance. In a collaborative effort, business and academia could then create awareness among their members and the business community about the positive relationship between engagement and the bottom-line.
3. Help people learn and apply engagement skills. Lastly, provide the appropriate education and training organizations need on how to engage their employees and customers.

Although Zane interviewed me in early 2011, the question and my response is just as valid today. (While it may seem simplistic, keep in mind this was a spontaneous response on a live broadcast.)

This post is not intended to incite any finger-pointing in the campaign, but I am curious – in what other ways can engagement help with our economy? What advice would you give the Oval Office?

Volunteers Know What Matters

The recent PR firestorm involving two well-known women’s health organizations (I’m not going to rehash the situation here) reminded me of an experience I had in my early years of nonprofit consulting.

I was asked to facilitate a special meeting between two nonprofits involved in helping people with cancer – one was an established organization, the other was a relatively new start-up. The existing nonprofit felt threatened by the new group. In my meetings with senior staff from the existing nonprofit, some people admitted they wanted the new organization to just "go away" – they were concerned about competing for donor and volunteer support. Fortunately, they accepted the new group’s invitation to sit down together and explore how they could both serve the community.

Can’t we all just get along?

I remember my feelings of trepidation as I prepared for the joint meeting - I was a facilitator, not a peace-keeper! But my fears dissolved after I interviewed a number of volunteers from both organizations. Their message was clear and consistent: “We don’t care who we work for as volunteers, we just want to eradicate cancer! So find a way to work out your differences.“ 

That was the message I shared with the two organizations at the outset of their meeting-of-the-minds. Their volunteers provided the critical reminder that purpose supersedes politics.

Both organizations took the message to heart. I’m happy to report that meeting was held more than 20 years ago, and both organizations continue to co-exist and collaborate in their efforts to serve people with cancer.

Special Note: National Volunteer Week is coming up soon: April 15-21, 2012. Special thanks to all volunteers who help make a difference in our world!