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community, Community engagement, Diana Schwenk, diversity, donors, gifts, health, Hump Day Chronicles, inspiration, leadership, mission, motivation, non-profit, organizations, passion, Philanthropy, Philosophy, resources, talents, vision, volunteers
The Other Bottom Line is the name of a blog I hope to introduce to you soon. The name is based on the premise that money is not an organization’s only bottom line.
I believe that a healthy organization is a group of individuals that work together toward a common vision. In order for an organization to make a real, sustainable impact, it needs to engage its entire community.
An organization succeeds when impassioned people motivate others to become engaged by inviting them to participate in fulfilling its mission.
The Other Bottom Line will be a resource and a place to discuss non-profit workers, those they serve and the communities who are engaged with them.
Below are the beginnings of the foundational pieces for The Other Bottom Line. Let me know what you think!
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Vision: An engaged community
Mission: building capacity in non-profit organizations by encouraging them to invite like-minded people to become engaged with them.
Philosophy:
When an organization’s community is engaged, heart, soul and mind; the resources to support their mission will follow
When two or more people are passionate about a cause, project, mission, etc., and they work together using and valuing each other’s individual gifts and abilities, you create an engaged community. It makes sense to seek out those with a common heart and vision and employ their gifts toward a common purpose.
There really is no point in chasing after highly skilled people or wealthy donors in the hope that you will be able to convince them your cause is worthy if they don’t share your organization’s passion to fulfill its mission . Why spend your time coercing someone to believe in something that doesn’t interest them?
Rather encourage them to engage in an area that relates to their own passion and move on – after all, philanthropy is bigger than just one cause.
The organization’s mission should apply to everyone; from leadership and front-line workers to volunteers, funders and clients
Most organizations have a mission statement. Often their mission is thought of by staff as applying only to their clients/program users. The mission should apply to everyone.
For example I worked at an organization who looked after homeless people. Their mission statement was to mobilize the church and work with the community to compassionately respond to the needs of the less fortunate.
This mission was relevant for everyone from the board of directors and staff to the clients, volunteers and supporters. All were called upon to empower others to fulfill the organization’s mission.
Achieving sustainability through diversity of talents and funding sources
If every person has the same perspective most of the people are not necessary. It is an amazing thing to behold an organization that employs and values gifts and abilities at all levels from a diverse community made up of people with varying backgrounds and experiences.
Adopt the tested and best practices of others – there’s no need to re-invent the wheel
Non-profits need to, and often do, share with and learn from other organizations. If an organization does something well; it should share it with others. This benefits the greater community.
Keeping it to themselves does not give them an advantage. Being generous with information is its own reward.
And when an organization is diving into new waters, they would do well to talk to those who have been there before while also getting feedback from their engaged community.
It’s not about the organization; it’s about their community
What a shame it is when an organization focusses on its own needs over the needs and desires of its engaged community. ESGEE Musings illustrates this well in this post that compares the customer service provided by two different airlines.
Too often organizations deem the latest technology or internal processes as more important than the experiences of those who want to be engaged with them.
This can result in their supporting community being unsure of how they can contribute and wondering if they bring any value at all to the organization. If organizations do not endeavor to understand the heart’s desire of their community or honour their contributions, someone who does will scoop them away.
It’s not about the organization. It’s about the community and facilitating a way for people who care, to engage with the organization without overwhelming them with difficult systems.
~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
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russtowne said:
YES!! Go for it with all you’ve got, my friend! The world needs more of this.
Russ
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dianasschwenk said:
This is me GOING ——> Thanks Russ!
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Jean said:
LIke all organizations made of people, flawed like us all: “Keeping it to themselves does not give them an advantage. Being generous with information is its own reward.” This is important thought. I dislike a lot when the energy of non-profits is wasted on protectionism and competition. And away from their clients.
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dianasschwenk said:
this is true of for profits as well when the customer suffers, don’t you think?
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mrs fringe said:
Love this, what a fabulous prospect/project!
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dianasschwenk said:
Thank you my dear mrs fringe! It comes with this mixture of fear and excitement – if that makes any sense at all…
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mrs fringe said:
It does make sense to me, it’s a leap of faith, even with planning, and using all of your business sense ❤
But the alternative is doing nothing.
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dianasschwenk said:
so true!
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Healthy A-Z said:
Love your view here! Looking forward to more of The Other Bottom Line.
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dianasschwenk said:
(smiling) Thanks so much!
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elizabeth2560 said:
Hello. I think this is a fantastic idea. I have quite a few years of experience in both business and non-profit organizations. I understand both the similarities and the differences. My non-profit experience has mainly been in environment groups. If you apply the four key business areas to non-profits ie: Operations (what they do), Resources (People, Financial, Plant & Equipment), Management and administration; I have found that it is administration that often can be weak in non-profit groups. There are plenty of people out there who have the passion, drive and belief in a cause to get involved in campaigns, to manage a strategic path forward, and to fund-raise. However, getting the book-work done, writing letters, paying bills, and keeping minutes – these tasks can be mundane and boring. I think it is because these tasks seem apart from the cause, they are not dealing with the passionate side of what the organization is all about. However, they are vitally important if the organization is to remain afloat and keep its appeal to the wider community. It is one area that may require out-sourcing or advertised recruitment (albeit that the vision of the organization still needs respecting).
The plus side is that, if found, a great administrator will tackle those ‘difficult’ systems with ease.
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dianasschwenk said:
Elizabeth, what a delightful surprise to hear about your experiences – I love it! My experience in the non profit world shows a great struggle with fundraising, communications and engaging the community; public relations in general. Each organization is unique and depending on their mission may struggle in different areas; just as, I suppose, a for profit org, may also struggle…
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elizabeth2560 said:
That is so true.
Looking forward to your new blog and how that will all work out. You have put a lot of thinking and planning into it and must be getting excited. Good luck. 🙂
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dianasschwenk said:
Thanks Elizabeth ❤
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artsifrtsy said:
I work for a for-profit company that has crafted it’s mission so that everyone from design, to production, to sales is a part of the total mission. Giving someone a higher purpose gives meaning to the times that are hard, or boring, or busy – I think it’s essential in any organization. Looking forward to seeing more.
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dianasschwenk said:
I hope you don’t mind me asking, which organization do you work for? I’m loving that you work for a non-profit, they’re lucky to have you!
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artsifrtsy said:
I work for a for-profit company called Kerusso – very mission minded. I have worked for similar companies in the past, but finding the balance between business and ministry was always a challenge. I like the mission focus, but appreciate the business accountability.
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dianasschwenk said:
That’s awesome! I had to google it of course http://www.kerusso.com/ and am blown away by what a perfect fit it is for you. I’m assuming you design the products?
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artsifrtsy said:
Yeah, I manage the creative team. I love it. Having a clear mission focuses what we do. One of our customers transitioned from a publicly traded company to one that devotes all of its profits to serve widows and orphans. They still are as competitive as ever, but now every business decision can change lives.
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dianasschwenk said:
Are they a social enterprise? Are you? Or both non profit but not charitable?
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artsifrtsy said:
We are a for profit business, but we do a lot of charitable giving and fundraising when we can find the right partnerships. The client is a retail chain, Family Christian Stores. They are not a charity or technically a non-profit. They just put all of their profits into a charity that specifically helps widows and orphans.
I got to work on a project that helped to raise about 360K for Compassion International. It was so rewarding to see something you worked on actually change lives. It’s rare in a for profit business.
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dianasschwenk said:
Wow! That is inspiring and generous! I love when people are called to action motivated by love. ❤
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Jennifer's Journal said:
The Other Bottom Line. Love the name, Diana! Wishing you every success in your new project. 🙂
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dianasschwenk said:
Thank you Jennifer – I like the name too. ❤
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Kristi said:
I think your point about mission is very powerful, it should be relevant for everyone. Also, I think where many organization fail is to know why they’re doing what they state in vision and statement. Another place many fall, is communicating and making the mission clear enough to every one. Another crucial part is getting everyone on board, probably easier in non-profit. I just love Simon Sinek’s approach to building organizations:
People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And if you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe…But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by “why” I don’t mean “to make a profit.” That’s a result. It’s always a result. By “why,” I mean: What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? Well, as a result, the way we think, the way we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in. It’s obvious. We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations – regardless of their size, regardless of their industry – all think, act and communicate from the inside out…I always say that, you know, if you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money, but if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.”
Isn’t his view on organizations and leadership amazing?
Btw, can’t wait to see The other bottom line. Keep up the great work D! 🙂
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dianasschwenk said:
Yes, it is amazing and resonates well with my spirit. I love the way you look at things Kristi. Thank you for your insightful and thoughtful comment and insight.
xo
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Beth Melham said:
Excellent. Needed. Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2013 12:47:39 +0000 To: lizbett1@hotmail.com
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dianasschwenk said:
Thanks for dropping in Beth. Glad you liked my post. 🙂
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Shakti Ghosal said:
Great post and thanks for referencing my blog.
Shakti
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dianasschwenk said:
Thanks Shakti and my pleasure!
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this is lemonade said:
Exciting stuff Diana! Very well said! It’s great how the internet enables like-minded people to share ideas across the world. Looking forward to seeing how your idea develops – I get the feeling it won’t involve standing still the whole time 🙂
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dianasschwenk said:
Thank you my Dear! I’m getting excited too and hoping you’re right about it not involving standing still the whole time!
xo
Diana
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Ian Munro said:
Hi Diana. I love the initiative. The blog will be a wonderful place to share ideas about how to go about engaging the authentic passions of people. A couple of things came to mind for me when I read this.
First, while all of what you say is applicable to not for profit, I think much of it can also be applicable to all organizations. The driving model for my thoughts on essential leadership addresses this in some way … here is a link to that model on my site: http://leadingessentially.com/essential-leadership-2/essential-leadership-4/. The upper levels of that model focus on engaging individuals passions and building the organization on that.
Second, is there the possibility of building a community who help build non-profits? Can you build a community web site where ideas for organizations can be posted and those with a passion for helping can sign up? For example, if I have essential skills as a facilitator and strategic planner, I could offer my services to those start up organizations that I have an affinity for.
Keep it up! The world needs more Diana’s!
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dianasschwenk said:
I love the chart you created for possibilities and the limitations that can affect the possibilities! I really, really, really like your idea of building a community of gifted people who can benefit non profits who match their passions. You’ve given me quite a bit to think about.
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Cristl said:
wise words.
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dianasschwenk said:
Thanks Cristl! I hope all is well with you.
xo
Diana
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bulldog said:
I can’t wait to see this other page/ post/ blog….
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dianasschwenk said:
(smiling) Thanks Bulldog!
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