May 13, 2010 | Nick Fellers
The Goonies Close
I spent Monday and Tuesday with an organization in Minnesota that’s been trying to get a campaign going for the better part of two years. They’ve engaged volunteers, built committees… done a feasibility study… All the traditional prep stuff but can’t seem to get any momentum.
After visiting with them, I’m convinced they have prospects and a decent case. At this point – two years into project, – everyone is loathe to commit because there is no momentum.
Someone needs to be a leader. Someone (in this case the executive director) needs to stand up and say, “Ms. Prospect, now is the time. We’ve talked about this. It’s our time. I / we are drawing a line in the sand. I’m going to be leading several other conversations just like this and I’m asking you to follow me. We have a choice to make and I need to say – this is our time.”
I call this The Goonies Close.
Sadly, I’ve convinced 4 out of 5 people age 35+ have not seen the Goonies. (How? I don’t know. ) It should be a right of passage for every American. Spielberg + 80’s = ET and Goonies.
I encourage you to watch the Goonies for it’s own sake.
I encourage you to watch this clip, at youtube.com (2mins) for one scene in which the Goonies (the geeks featured in the movie) have a choice to make. Mikey, the lead character, emerges to take a leadership role. The team is on a treasure hunt. They are at a crossroads, they can abandon the hunt – saving their dreams for another day – OR, they can go for it… now… a no-turning-back all-in commitment to the opportunity ahead.
Mikey:
Don’t you realize? The next time you see sky, it’ll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it’ll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what’s right for them. Because it’s their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it’s our time. It’s our time down here. That’s all over the second we ride up Troy’s bucket.
I know my friends in Minnesota aren’t the only ones in need of a leader to step up and say, “It’s our time!”
Note: I tried to embed the youtube clip but can’t – presumably because it’s copyrighted material… fair enough.
Email This Nugget
| Comments 
|
May 5, 2010 | Nick Fellers
Hire people that are passionate about the product
One of my daily reads is feld.com. Brad Feld is an entrepreneur turned tech VC who lives in Boulder. He’s sponsored a bathroom at CU Bolder – now has his name on it. He’s also a source for great reading recommendations and the one that turned me onto the idea to run 50 marathons in 50 states (I now have five under my belt in just over one year).
On Monday Feld posted that he finds successful investments tend to be in entrepreneurs that are completely and totally obsessed with the product. Today, as I give advice for the third time this week about profiling a director of development for a younger organization I think about this idea.
You want someone that is obsessed with the cause. Who will talk to anyone and everyone about the cause. Who doesn’t see this as raising money (loathing) but telling the story over and over and over.
The other bullet points that we tend to share re: profiling the right ‘development person’….
- Not so big on ‘nonprofit fundraising experience’. The industry standard is letters and events. You want a sales person.
- We love people coming from the for-profit world that are aligning a change in career with purpose.
- Ideally someone with business development experience or intangible sales / high-end sales experience.
Though it may seem vague, I would say just focus on getting someone so passionate about the cause, with the right attitude, that can write and is wicked smart (TALENT). There is a reason why Jack Welch just told GE to hire the best and brightest.
Email This Nugget
| Comments |
May 3, 2010 | Tom Suddes
I did a pretty decent Presentation to a very, very experienced development group on Saturday in Tampa, Florida. The NACCDO is an organization of marketing and development officers of the top CANCER CENTERS in the United States. This conference was hosted by Moffitt Cancer Center, a truly World Class Organization.
My topic was ACCELERATING THE ASK. After the introduction (and tripping and falling), I had about 60 minutes. I prepared for three weeks, plus the entire plane ride to Tampa, plus until midnight the night before and at 5:00 a.m. the next morning.
It’s kind of hard to take 50+ years of selling (I remember first ‘sale’ at 10 years old), 37 years of development work, our two-day boot camp/training camp/sales training into 60 minutes. But, I tried anyway.
One of the pretty cool things that came out of this session, at least for me, was getting all of our FRAMEWORKS and DEVICES on the front/back of an 8½ x 11 sheet of paper.
Here is the pdf. You can even blow it up as a POSTER (which I did for the group on Saturday).
It is, literally, pretty much everything I know about THE ASK. I hope it helps.
*Still some slots left at our only 2010 SALES TRAINING CAMP... on 22 & 23 June at our Ohio Campus and Farm (Eagle Creek). Call/email Kerry (614-554-7525/ kerry@forimpact.org if you need more info.
Email This Nugget
| 3 Comments |
May 3, 2010 | Tom Suddes
“I never give presentations.”
“I do tell stories.”
“STORY after STORY after (linked) to STORY.”
I’m definitely a Tom Peters ‘groupie’. I picked up his latest book, The Little BIG Things, in the Tampa airport.
As always, his 163 nuggets are thoughtful and provocative.
I opened the book up to #25 You Are Your Story!
“He/she who has the best/most compelling/most resonate STORY wins:
In life! In business! In front of the jury! In front of the congregation!”
I would simply add: IN FRONT OF THE PROSPECT!
SHARE THE STORY –> PRESENT THE OPPORTUNITY.
As TJP says: “HE/SHE WHO HAS THE BEST STORY WINS!”
Email This Nugget
| Comments |
April 24, 2010 | Tom Suddes
If the Job Could Talk… What Would It Say?
A good friend of mine, Bryan D., does a lot of work with companies helping them with their TALENT.
One of the things he talks about when he’s trying to help a company to create a PROFILE for a particular job opening is asking the question:
“If the JOB could TALK… what would it say?”
What attributes, behaviors, skills, attitude would the ‘job’ say was needed?
Email This Nugget
| One Comment |
April 23, 2010 | Tom Suddes
Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know
David Bornstein just wrote a new book with Susan Davis called Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know.
I just finished it a couple of days ago and I’ve already sent 25 copies to the Unreasonable Institute and ten copies to Sparkseed (two awesome groups that are helping young social entrepreneurs from around the world).
I’m not going to attempt to do any kind of summary of the book. I would recommend, encourage and urge anybody in our For Impact world to order this book and read it immediately.
Nick, Kerry and I are always encouraging everyone we’re with to THINK LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR. (Entrepreneur’s Mantra: THINK BIG. BUILD SIMPLE. ACT NOW.)
This book gives you some great ways to understand and apply the whole idea of entrepreneurship/social entrepreneurship.
DISCLAIMER: Urging you to buy this book is somewhat self-serving. It’s all about IMPACT! “Social impact!” “Impact investors.” “Impact investing.” “High impact”, etc.
Plus, on the first page (Note On Terms), before the introduction and in the very first line:
“No field of work should be defined in the negative.”
WOW! As you all know, this has been driving us for the last ten years.
Impact Drives Income. Stop defining yourself in the negative.
***If you’re a young social entrepreneur… looking to change the world… just drop me an email and I’ll have David’s and Susan’s book shipped to you from Amazon.
Email This Nugget
| 6 Comments |
April 22, 2010 | Tom Suddes
While I was trying to finish up the For Impact Manifesto today and reading through a ton of old notes, I came across this great line from a smart community leader that I respect a lot.
“We need to move from a WHO mentality to a WHY mentality.”
When he talked about the WHO, he was talking about legendary, old-time community leaders who are basically able to pick up the phone and call in chits and funding support. Obviously, they’re all gone and that’s not working.
He made the point that in this FOR IMPACT MODEL, it’s way more important to talk about the WHY… the message, the purpose, the reason for their existence.
Are you in a WHY model or a WHO model?
Email This Nugget
| Comments |
April 21, 2010 | Tom Suddes
SWITCH: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.
As you probably know, I’ve been trying to write my own book on CHANGE (Change [the] Rules). I’m almost done.
Read most of a phenomenal book by Chip and Dan Heath called Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.
I’m not even going to try to summarize the book or share all the wonderful nuggets. (Like ‘TBU’ [True But Useless] which they use when talking about analysis and facts, etc.)
What I would like to do is to share their FRAMEWORK (which, of course, I love because we use so many frameworks).
*With not just a little bit of fear and trepidation (cause these guys are terrific and smart, Professor of Graduate School of Business at Stanford, Senior Fellow at Duke University Center of Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship…), I’ve taken the liberty of switching SWITCH’s framework to fit our own ALTITUDE FRAMEWORK.
30,000′ THE WHY: MOTIVATE THE ELEPHANT. The ‘WHY’ you should do something. Elephant is first because “People buy (and change) based on emotion and justify with logic!” Zig Ziglar.
14,000′ THE WHAT: DIRECT THE RIDER. Specific direction (the ‘logic’) for the rider (driver) of the elephant.
3′ THE HOW: SHAPE THE PATH. Provide the HOW. The WAY. The TAO.
This is a terrific (and specific) framework to help you CHANGE!
Learn to MOTIVATE THE ELEPHANT… DIRECT THE RIDER… and SHAPE THE PATH!
***I read a lot of stuff. I recommend books, however, only when I think they’re worth your time and energy… and can actually help you immediately. This is one of those books. This is worth the $26.00 if you simply read the first 24 pages (3 Surprises About Change) and the wonderful examples they give!!!
Email This Nugget
| Comments |
April 20, 2010 | Tom Suddes
Quick rant. Been working with a lot of organizations, schools, Y’s, Junior Achievements, etc. Especially schools.
They spend a ton of money on architects and design and building plans. I mean a lot of money.
Then, when it comes time to raise the money:
1. They don’t want to spend any money on support and coaching.
2. They haven’t dealt with the WHY (the new building) and the WHAT (what’s going to happen in the building). Then end up with an ‘unmarketable’ product because they haven’t involved any key leaders. (The building is always perceived to be too much money, wrong location, etc.)
3. They don’t understand why no one supports the project.
Because there’s no BUY-IN!
INVOLVEMENT BEGETS INVESTMENT.
*If it were me, I’d spent way more time, energy and money on LEADERSHIP CONSENSUS BUILDING and PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT/COACHING before I’d sink hundreds of thousands of dollars in ‘DESIGN’.
Email This Nugget
| Comments |
April 15, 2010 | Nick Fellers
Funding Boot Camp: Early Bird Registration Ends Soon
Early bird registration for Funding Boot Camp runs through May 15th (save $50). We’re at 50% capacity now… I’m hoping we sell out before May 15th to get everyone in at a special rate.
Kerry spoke with ‘Caroline from Texas’ yesterday – Class of 2009. Caroline founded the Miracle Foundation. The Foundation uses a child sponsorship model in which you can sponsor a child ($1200) — who then lives in a campus-like family environment. Totally amazing stuff.
After attending Boot Camp, Caroline & co added an additional 160 sponsors using the For Impact approach. That represented about a 40% jump in funding but more importantly it meant Miracle was transforming the lives of an additional 140 children and their sponsors.
So sign up now. Join the Class of 2010. Let’s write about your funding leap as a teaser next year.
And… answering questions from this week:
- Yes. We will have food for vegans. I’m not a vegan but I like light food that keeps me thinking. For everyone else we’ll have ‘real food’ also.
- No. You will not have to go on the ropes courses. We have high ropes courses at Eagle Creek but they’re for other events. However, YES, we could get you up there at the end of day one if the weather cooperates and you want to be daring.
- No. Contrary to the popular belief of those in California – Ohio is not all corn. Would I assume California is nothing but wild fires? We’ve posted pictures of Eagle Creek — completely and totally beautiful place to be in June. I will concede there is no ocean breeze but other than that, just don’t make properties like this one in California.
- Yes. You will have to do one practice visit at boot camp. But Tom and I have to do two or three… and we’re in front of the room being dissected – you’re not. A little trust on this one? Way better to learn here than with your best prospect.
Email This Nugget
| Comments |
-
About For Impact
We help "nonprofits" fund their visions through training, coaching and consulting based on 25+ years of experience and $1Billion+ raised directly and $1Billion via coaching/training. For Impact is also our message, our commitment and a movement.
