The Wilson Nonprofit Report for February 26

Interested in a Voice of the Constituent Program? First build executive support. Those who have gone through the process all say it is critical.  It is also consistent with research showing that executive support builds a foundation for VoC success. More …

If it’s good enough for Bob: Tom Peters is one of my favorite authors and speakers. If you ever have the opportunity, go see him. He has a friend, Bob Stone. Great quote from Bob: "Some people look for things that went wrong and try to fix them. I look for things that went right, and try to build off them." Tom’s point in this article is that there is great peril to a "systems first" approach to Big Change, arguing that systems are of the utmost importance, but mostly fail, or fail to reach their full potential by a country mile, because the organization's "culture" does not support them. You can also download for free his research on this.  More …

How reliable is your constituent data? Customer data that's streaming in from numerous sources - social, mobile, email, chat, CRM, recorded contact center interactions, etc. - are providing nonprofits with a wealth of information about their constituents that can be used to fine-tune their experiences and develop highly-personalized offers and messaging. Yet despite all the buzz about the promise that Big Data holds, organizational leaders and front-line employees continue to be hindered by dirty constituent data that can hamper decision-making and potentially damage relationships. More …

Do consumers love to hate nonprofits? We all have this suspicion, as nonprofits, that we can be difficult to work with. We know it’s true. This is a thought provoking article and why that is true. A true 12 step program starts with “Hi, I’m Michael and I work for a nonprofit. J  More …

Have you discovered Lollly Dascal? Lolly has an excellent blog. Some consultants parachute into an organization, like special forces, and take command of the situation. Lolly understands that in order to achieve lasting results, people must buy in to a vision, acquire the knowledge and skills to succeed, and be empowered to make the required changes. She understands that knowledge transfer from a consultant requires a careful balance between theory, real-world experience, and practical advice. Furthermore, leaders achieve greatness by cultivating trust and earning respect. These principles form the foundation of Lead from Within.

Her latest blog is on Leading Change Change is constant. But change is difficult. So what happens when an organizational change is handed down from the top and the people of the organization are not involved? Do you have a group of people who are accepting…or angry? Do you have a group of people who are focused…or frustrated? Do you have a group of people who are committed…or complaining? More …