A colleague who is himself a nonprofit executive sent these to me and a few others. They are phrases that will supposedly be banned at an upcoming conference for nonprofits. They should be banned, period.
Although the list is humorous I can attest to the wisdom of the advice; I have served as an executive and BoD member of several nonprofits and currently am the CEO of one and BoD member of one other.
I might quibble a bit with #7 - just don't spend very much.
Here goes:
- Have a Strategic Planning Retreat (why waste a good weekend?
- Recruit More Board Members (why add to the crazy-making?)
- Hire Someone to Train Your Directors (why am I training my bosses?)
- Get Board Members Who Fundraise (it's never worked...it never will)
- Spend Money on a Feasibility Study (don't let the consultants fool you)
- Get Funds By Writing Grants (foundations give less than everyone else)
- Invest in Facebook & Twitter (social media is an empty hole)
- Get Donor Management Software (if you do, keep it under $500 dollars)
Two were left out:
9. Short Agenda = Short Meeting (uh-huh)
10. Invite a Thought Leader to Your BoD Meeting
Needless to say, this was distributed by a consultant who is described as a "thought leader". Surprise!
With some modifications these could be applied to faculty meetings.
Enjoy!
“Always drink upstream from the herd.” - Will Rogers
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