Helping Organizations Thrive
June 2015 Edition

Welcome to my June 2015 email newsletter.

The mission of Jonathan Poisner Strategic Consulting is to make the world a better place by helping mission-driven organizations thrive. I do that by assisting my clients with strategic planning, campaign planning, coalition building, fundraising, communications, and other organizational development challenges.

To keep people informed about my work, I set up this monthly (mostly) e-newsletter. If you want to unsubscribe, just look for the link at the bottom. My most recent edition can be read in my archive.

For a complete lists of the consulting services I offer, check out my website.

What Works

Most editions of this newsletter contain a section I call "What Works."

This edition contains one of my occasional Tip Sheets. Tip Sheets are quick primers on specific topics that have come up repeatedly when working with clients.

This Tip Sheet is on productive board meetings.

Board meetings are a conundrum.

They create stress for the staff. They can be critically important. Yet, they are often boring and unproductive.

This Tip Sheet provides 17 nuggets of advice on how to plan for and conduct an effective board meeting.

Read the Productive Board MeetingsTip Sheet.

Download the Productive Board Meetings Tip Sheet as a PDF.

Recent Success Stories and New Clients

On July 15th at noon, I'll be leading a workshop at the Hatch in Portland on building a fundraising board.

I am wrapping up an initial phase of working with Xerces Society to strengthen its board recruitment and governance.

I recently concluded my role helping generate a community engagement plan for BARK.

In early June, I facilitated a strategic planning retreat for the Vancouver Waterrsheds Alliance. We're now working to turn the retreat decisions into a strategic plan and first year work plan.

I am in the initial stages of working on a long-term project with the National Wildlife Refuge Association to provide fundraising training and coaching for its member organizations, which support National Wildlife Refuges. Currently, we're working to develop a self-assessment that Friends groups can take in order to identify the highest needs for additional training and systems. Later this year, I'll be leading a series of wokshops around the country.

I just launched a three month long development consulting engagement with the Central Oregon Environmental Center. We're currently in an Assessment Phase.

On July 1st, I'll be facilitating a planning retreat for the Vision Action Network.

Check out my website for a complete list of all my clients.

Recent Blog Entries

Note: I am actively looking for Guest Blog submissions. If you have some thoughts to share on any aspect of organizational development, shoot me an email and we can discuss length, timing, etc.

Your Organization is an Intermediary

Questions (from Joan Garry) to ask candidates for your fundraising job

Donor Meeting Locations

Science Fiction and my Call to Service

The Power of Asking Good Questions

The BIggest Barrier to Effective Major Donor Fundraising

Guest Blog: How to Become a Thought Leader

Guest Blog: How to Refresh your Brand

No Magic Words, but Themes Matter

A Goal is not an Activity

To Follow your Dreams, Learn to Say No

Looking for one of my past blog entries on a particular topic? I have now categorized my past blog entries. Just go to my website and hover over the "blog" link on the navigation bar and you can see the topics and choose from among them.

Contact Information
Jonathan Poisner Strategic Consulting
jonathan@poisner.com
phone: 503-490-1234
http://www.poisner.com