The Value Proposition

I heard a statement (third-hand delivery) yesterday that had me chuckling.  It went something like this,  ”We have over 200K followers on Facebook and twitter.  Not a single dollar has been given from this group.”

Do you suppose the person making this statement has missed the point?  Working in a non-profit brings with it some interesting challenges.  Not least of which is the concern about the source of donations.  Unfortunately, this individual, responsible for overall communications, is unable to grasp the value of activity that does not generate directly attributable dollars.   And because of that, is unable to provide a clear vision for how community based activity adds value to the organization outside of the pure dollar effects.

How do you value your social media activity?  Is it an integral part of your communication strategy or is it done because “everyone else is doing it”?

Consider the value proposition of every activity.  Determine how you will ascribe value.  If it doesn’t add value to the organization, don’t do it.

Staff Value

We are used to the old saying, “Our greatest resource is our people.”  You can still see that saying posted on bumper stickers and company tag lines periodically.  I wonder how many organizations actually behave as if that were true?

Common ways to value staff:

• The corner office
• The larger paycheck
• The special bonus check
• More vacation

Or

• More work
• Pat on the back
• New job title
• Change cubicles

Maybe there’s a new way to respect and value your staff.  Have you thought about it?  What ways have you come up with?

What Do You Bring?

An interesting post this morning by Seth Godin on his blog.  You can see it HERE.

When work becomes “just a job” why do you stay?  Security?  Fear?  Lack of motivation?

Maybe it is time to ask yourself, “Why?”  Why am I still here?  Why is this job important?  Why will my coworkers miss me if I leave?  Will my coworkers miss me?

I’ve been on an interesting ride lately and not sure what to make of it.  Working in a non-profit can be both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time.  There’s a “call” to make a difference in the world.  That’s what brought me here.  But what am I bringing to the organization?  And is it valued and needed?  If not, maybe I should take it somewhere else.

It’s more than just doing a good job.  Anyone, with just a little bit of effort, can do that.

What do you bring?

When Too Many Are Involved . . .

Had an interesting experience a few days ago that I thought I would share.  I’m still working through the thought process and haven’t completely decided if I am irritated or just shrugging my shoulders.

We brought in a guy to interview for a development position that we have open.  The position is a bit of a hybrid as it has to work within the development office but also interface with one of the specific ministry areas.  So the interview process is a bit weird to begin with.

The schedule was set for the day with the candidate meeting with different small groups of staff.  Now here is where it got strange.  The first meeting, which I was part of, was set with three of the development team and one person from our HR department.  Doesn’t sound too bad yet.  A couple of opening questions from the HR person.  Not too bad still.  More questions from the HR person.  And more.

And as he kept asking questions, he lead into areas where he really has no expertise and background.  I think overall, the development staff, who will have to work with the candidate, got about three questions in during the hour that we met.

I spoke afterwards with at one of the other development staff in the meeting and he expressed the same frustration.

Some suggestions for interviewing prospective staff:

1. Set up a schedule that make sense, taking into consideration the nature of the position for which the candidate is being interviewed.
2. Compartmentalize.  Allow the working team to meet with the candidate.  If other departmental areas will be meeting with the candidate, do that on their own schedule.
3. Spend adequate time on a debrief afterwards.  Thoroughly discuss strengths and weaknesses that different members of the working team discover.
4. Develop some baseline questions but allow the discussion with the candidate to flow in what I would call “directed natural” conversation.
5. Make sure the staff who are involved in the interview process are appropriate for the level of candidate (i.e.  a receptionist should probably not be involved in the interviewing a vice-president).  That seems like a “duh” statement but you’d be amazed at what some people think is an appropriate 360 interview.

Actually, truth be told, I am a bit annoyed about the process this week.  I realize, in this situation there was much happening behind the scenes that many of us weren’t aware of.  But I hate wasting my time!

The Reality Is . . .

I’ve got to start writing again.  A daily habit.  A competence is built.

I’ve been off here for a long time.  I feel the whithering of the vine.  I think it is time to start observing and interacting in this space once again.  Just maybe there is something useful that will issue forth and be of value to someone.

Rallyfan has returned.