Solutions For Good

There is not a way around it -- events are a TON of work. So make sure it is worth the effort you and your team put into it and get these attendees engaged! Let’s jump ahead into the future. Everybody’s gone, your feet hurt, the staff is celebrating.  All went spect acularly well and you had a great turnout. But will you ever see those people again? Talk to them again? Will they volunteer? Donate? Often we put a great deal of time into the event without a plan for keeping our attendees engaged. Let's change that! Remember, engagement happens before, during and after the event. Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze! TIPS to Engage Attendees: Plan for post event follow-up before the event. This should be on your task list and timeline for the event.  And do as much prep prior as you can -- write emails, record videos, put together mailing lists, etc. Communicate immediately after the event (within 24 hours ideally) to attendees. Reach them whi...

In honor of Valentine's Day, let's talk LOVE .   The LOVE for meetings.  I'd say this is not usually the case. The look, walk and talk of someone, or even a whole team, dreading a meeting, is something we have all seen before, maybe even often.  But it does not have to be this way. Let's work on learning to LOVE meetings because we make them lovable and productive! Here are a few things that I have learned which help make meetings more effective and productive:  1. Start the meeting on time .  This sets the tone for professionalism and keeping on task. And it shows respect for one another's time. 2 . Only invite people to the meeting that need to be there. If Stacey just needs to know one thing or you just want to keep her in the loop, she doesn't need to be there for the full hour.  Let her know you are respecting her time and will fill her in on the pieces relevant to her work. 3. Opt for shorter meetings.  There is this...

Happy 2017!   “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” ~Muhamad Ali Being  more organized is one of the most common New Year’ resolutions. Is it on your list? Better organization refers to a desire for this at home, as well as at work.  Let’s talk work life. How can we be more organized in our own spaces to increase our productivity and decrease stress? There are several helpful articles below that may be beneficial to you and your team. Debi Clark, of Go To Girl Organizing Solutions , a local Baltimore business, says: " Sometimes we feel guilty organizing our offices because that’s time we could be spending on 'actual work', right?  Investing the time to organize your office will pay you back many times over in increased productivity and decreased stress levels."   "Everything has a place and there is a place for everything.  An organized office does not have to look like a Martha Stewart photo shoot. Being able to put your hands ...

It is hard to even think about! What is the condition of your organization's database?  We have  one,  we need one, but they sure can easily get unwieldy.  Gail Robinson of Generosity Data Solutions, a local company, offers these tips to keep your database maintained.  Her contact information is below if you want to know more about how Generosity can help your organization. Your Personal Database Checklist We don’t have to tell you how important it is to make sure your database is up and working properly. But we also know that keeping up with your database maintenance needs can seem overwhelming. That’s why we created a checklist that will help you to stay organized when it comes to monitoring the most important part of your business. Do you have a dedicated person in charge of your database?  When it comes to running a database, you need someone who can constantly monitor it. Make sure that person is available enough to ensure that...

Your vacation, so relaxing, or at least supposed to be! This is important and timely, since we are getting into vacation season, so I am sharing this again in 2016 with some updates. People are STRESSED!  In many cases folks are not truly relaxing when they are on vacation. Technology is lovely but does not help us relax when we see email, Google Drive and  Linked In notifications on our phone constantly.  And when you are doing the job of two people, there is never a good time to be away!  But alas, we are human and to rejuvenate, enjoy life, and to come back fresh, creative  and energetic, we need a break.   The two articles below have some great pointers.  Below the articles are a few favorite ideas gleaned from these. Take a minute to reflect on what you can do to improve your vacation this year and maybe take a few hints to share with your team. Articles 8 Things You Should Do Before a Vacation to Avoid Feeling Stressed ...

What I love about consulting is getting to interact with so many organizations.  I get to see such dedicated people in action and support important work. The one constant theme is that everyone is at capacity or feeling pushed beyond.  People are working very hard, in multiple roles and for extra hours to get the job done.  This is the case at all levels in the organization. We know it is more cost effective (for mission and dollars) to keep a good employee than have to replace her/him. So, we want our hard-working staff to know they are valued by us (supervisors) and by their peers so they continue to stay motivated to work with us. How do you recognize your staff?   Consider carving out some time to think about how you show appreciation to your team and consider where you can improve.  A good way to think of it is 3 levels: day to day, informal and formal recognition.   One article I read is titled, "Recognition is like exercise... the m...