Easy to Start, Hard to Stop

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200 words, celebrate, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, entrepreneur, Fundraising, generosity, hard work, learning, listen, mission, Purpose, sacrifice, share knowledge, tenacity, The Other Bottom Line, vision

To succeed, you need to be easy to start and hard to stop. ~ unattributed

It’s been one year since I started The Other Bottom Line. And in that time, I’ve:

• provided one organization with their fund development history and 3-5 year strategy.
• worked with another organization as a bum-in-a-seat employee.
• facilitated the process to find a sponsor for, and drafted a gift agreement for another.
• helped another consulting company conduct searches for two non-profits.

The in-between times haven’t always been easy. I’ve had my hopes dashed a few times. I’ve spent some time playing the ‘Hurry Up and Wait’ game. I’ve been disheartened.

When I have wanted to give up, I kept going by:

• Documenting processes and accomplishments; referring to them often.
• Doing the things I vehemently didn’t want to do; moving them to the top of the list.
• Sacrificing the fluffy things. You’d be amazed how much you don’t really need.
• Being generous. Sharing knowledge and expertise.
• Celebrating the wins. Learning from the losses, then moving past them.
• Being open. Asking questions. Listening to others who have been there. 

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

How do you ensure that you’re easy to start and hard to stop?

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Selling Myself Blah Blah Blah

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business, Calgary, community, connecting, Diana Schwenk, ethics, generosity, Hump Day Chronicles, integrity, marketing, mission, passion, Purpose, Self-Promotion, Selling yourself, The Other Bottom Line, vision

As most of you know, I’ve hung out my own shingle, so to speak, with the intention of offering counsel to small non-profit organizations who may, or may not have staff who look after fund development and communications.

Now I find myself in a place where I need to develop some kind of brochure that I can use to market my little company. It’s easy to talk about the services and packages I offer. But to be honest, when it comes to selling myself, I have written and scrapped countless attempts! It all sounds like blah blah blah with a touch of I’m-so-special-and-here-are-my-outstanding-credentials-aren’t-you-impressed-with-me-ness. Yuck! I choke on the words. My inner Bull Shit meter registers off the scale! It doesn’t feel like me.

I know who I am. I know what I believe. I know who my target audience is. I understand ethical fundraising. I know the rights of donors. I know that engaging the community in dialogue instead of monologue is important and more effective. I know stories connect us. I know what works. I know what doesn’t work. I’ve been doing this in one way or another for 20+ years. I know my stuff – bottom line!

As luck would have it, someone recently gave me a copy of The Generosity Network – new transformational tools for successful fund-raising. Inspired by its approach to story-telling (which resonates so well with me), I think I’ve found a way to impart who I am and what I do by painting a picture with words in a way that feels sincere.

We’ll see how it goes. I’ve written a first draft and given some thought to how it will look. I’ll come back to it in a few days.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

How do you sell yourself?

Spring is in the air!

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believe, Calgary, Diana Schwenk, dreams, generosity, health, joy, kindness, life, living in the moment, mission, passion, Purpose, Spring, The Other Bottom Line, vision

I love easy surveys!

We’re finally getting spring in these parts and I can feel the vitamin D from the sun lifting my countenance.

Yesterday our temperatures hit 19c (67f) and I spent as much time outside as I possibly could. It was nice to see people sitting on outdoor patios and enjoying the sunshine.

17th Avenue comes alive when the weather is warm.

In other news, my business cards were delivered the other day and I’m currently working on content for a brochure for The Other Bottom Line.

I read somewhere recently, that if you have a good idea, people naturally come alongside and begin to help you.

And this has been happening big time. A good friend gave me a new computer and multi-function printer. A previous colleague and friend has edited some materials for me and another past colleague provided me with templates for invoices and contracts, sparing me the trouble of re-inventing the wheel!

I AM SO GRATEFUL!!

I now have two paying clients, with a possible third next month, and one client that I am providing services for as a volunteer.

So things are looking up work-wise, weather-wise and otherwise!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

I’m Not Just Twiddling My Thumbs You Know

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community, Diana Schwenk, dream, friends, Hump Day Chronicles, mission, Relationships, The Other Bottom Line, vision

I think it’s about time I update you on where I’m at with The Other Bottom Line.

A few months ago, it occurred to me that if I truly believe in engaging community I should get some people involved with the process. This has been an amazing experience for me and before I go much further I want to thank a few folks who have given me their feedback and have enthusiastically shared their ideas.

A big, heartfelt thank you to Pat, Jenalene, Del, Ian, Louise, Scott, Jody, Kathleen, Janet and all of you on WordPress who share your experiences and processes as you move toward your goals. Your participation has contributed to many of the steps and ideas below.

I’ve had a series of meetings over the last while with people to gather feedback and draw on their expertise to package The Other Bottom Line. The following items have been, or are in the process of being developed.

• Identity of The Other Bottom Line (brand, aesthetics, aura, design)
• the types of materials that need to be developed (presentation, leave behind, business cards)
• content (words) to describe The Other Bottom Line, who I am (credentials, philosophy, methodology)
• endorsements
• identifying the target audience

Also, I got an email from a friend with the following ideas and offering to help:

• consider writing blog content for companies and perhaps running their facebook and twitter marketing campaigns to supplement my income while I build The Other Bottom Line.
• Get my own domain name
• Make a short video that talks about services. Post the video to my site and YouTube.
• find a potential client that will let me use their space to provide a free seminar/lecture for them in exchange for allowing me to invite others.

All fantastic ideas that now occupy my Ideas parking lot!

In October, I was invited to a meeting with a couple of consultants to discuss whether or not we wanted to respond to an RFP to help an organization on a development project. We have moved forward with a proposal, confidant that we can provide them with the deliverables they seek. We should be hearing back soon.

Whether we get the contract or not, I’ve learned so much through this process as well. For example, I now have a catalogue of the types of services I offer and estimated costs and timetables.

The Other Bottom Line website was launched on September 9, 2013 and since October 1, I’ve written a post every Tuesday on topics like: engaging the community, communications, philanthropic culture, etc.

Click on the above image to visit The Other Bottom Line

In an effort to increase traffic to The Other Bottom Line, I recently started following and interacting with other non-profit, Leadership and Entrepreneurial blogs. I am also employing social media to drive traffic to the site.

On November 5th Jody Spencer, the Founder of Because Edmonton Cares graciously wrote The Other Bottom Line’s first guest post. I hope to convince many others to write guest posts and added a page called Share Your Story  for those who would like to do so.

On November 12, a CEO from the UK reblogged one of my posts. It totally made my day!

My next steps include developing materials for The Other Bottom Line and testing the brand with trusted professionals.

In conclusion I am having so much fun working on something that I care so much about. It remains my hope that sharing my process will encourage and benefit others who are following their dreams. Well, what do you think?  Your feedback and ideas are valued and appreciated!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Process related posts

The Other Bottom Line – August 7

If Momma’s Not Happy – July 31

Dreams, Dragging My Butt – July 24

Introducing The Other Bottom Line – Finally!

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believe, building community, Calgary, community, courage, Diana Schwenk, dreams, integrity, leadership, mission, non-profit, Relationships, The Other Bottom Line, vision

Born from an idea; a belief that an organization’s mission is most successfully carried out by engaging a healthy and vibrant community, The Other Bottom Line is finally launched!

IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!

It is an exciting new chapter. It is the beginning of a journey in the direction my heart longs to go.

It’s about inspiring others to use their gifts and skills to make a positive impact in their calling.

It’s about acting from a place of passion while inviting meaning and purpose to one’s own life.

It’s about working together with driven, like-minded people, cherishing and employing all the gifts around the table toward one common purpose.

It’s about facilitating conversation. It’s about authentic and meaningful relationships. And yes – it is also about offering my services on a project-by-project basis to local organizations in the form of term contracts and consulting.

It’s an exciting new chapter and it’s scary as hell!

I’m filled with excitement and fear – what a rush!

I know I’m taking a risk.

My brain says just go get a normal job and behave like a grown-up.

My heart urges me to press on because I believe with all my heart that I can make a difference by contributing my experience, expertise, skills and gifts toward something I am passionate about; engaging community.

I’m excited to see how The Other Bottom Line will grow and evolve

I was nervous to launch. I went back and forth with content ideas – to the point of madness. In the end, I chose to simplify The Other Bottom Line site with a  preference of letting it grow organically with input from others as they join the discussion. It goes without saying that your input and ideas are warmly welcomed today and in the coming weeks and months.

In time, I hope to feature guest bloggers, create capacity for, and empower organizations to confidently engage their communities, and empower individual community members to use their gifts. Who knows where else this could lead!

(OK Deep breath)

I am deeply grateful for all the encouragement I have received from you, my on-line community. I have been inspired every time one of you has taken a step in faith toward your own dreams. So it is with a mixture of joy and nervousness that I share The Other Bottom Line first with this community of bloggers and dear friends who have both willingly and unknowingly conspired to bring me to this point.

You enrich and bless my life more than words can say. For this I thank you.

So without further ado, let me present to you The Other Bottom Line. Please click on the image below.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” ~ Walt Disney