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 Take time to experience summer's magic
I am amazed by how lush and verdant it is this summer,
no doubt attributable to all that loathsome rain. Try to find
a moment for yourself to enjoy the natural environment
before the heat of the day knocks you back indoors.
For many of us, a long walk clears the mind, allowing space
for new ideas to blossom.
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Board terms 1-3-2
Here's a great idea from our favorite online publication, www.blueavocado.org. A recent article shared an innovative concept for board terms based on the belief that it's often easier to recruit new board members if they don't have to make a long-term commitment right away. With this 1 year, 3 year, 2 year term arrangement, new board members can try it out for a year and then re-commit if it's a good match. The article suggests that "it's easier to thank someone for their time and effort after a year of less-than-stellar participation than it is to try to kick off a board member with a three-year term who wants to stay on, but not actively participate." Conversely, if the work is engaging, challenging, and involving new board members in ways that make them feel vauable and valued, they should be eager to sign up for a second longer term. Let us know what YOU think. Click here.
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You are what you give away
In a previous issue, we brought up the subject of advertising specialty items, those "trinkets" bearing a corporate logo that are designed to serve as marketing tools. We've seen some great examples and some awful ones, and thought it would be fun to hear from our readers about their experiences. One long-time client, Linda Kastning with NEHI, Inc., a nonprofit in northeast Nebraska that helps people with lower incomes purchase their first homes, wrote to describe their highly-appropriate advertising specialty. Linda writes, "Low-budget as we are, we only have one item and we have used it for years. It is a blue (NEHI's color) house-shaped key ring... practical for use in the office as well as a great give-away." We couldn't think of a better match of mission and marketing. Bravo! Click here to share your story. |
Good governance is risk management
According to Sarah Hall Ingram, commissioner of the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, good governance practices are all about risk management. She was quoted in a recent issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, "I won't say that everyone agrees with me, but it's pretty obvious to me that if (a charity) has safeguards, checks and balances (and) sound procedures in place, the likelihood of an organization getting in trouble is reduced." To learn more about how to lower risk through good governance practices, click here and send us your questions. |
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| Bluestem Interactive helps good people grow strong organizations that transform communities. To plant an idea in our garden, visit www.bluesteminteractive.com. For each idea we publish, you will earn one free hour of consulting time. |
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