Monthly Archives

August 2013

Saw Sharpening

Nonprofits and Steven Covey’s Seven Habits

By | Nonprofit Management, Nonprofit Resources

The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_PeopleIn the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey codified a set of behaviors that can be applied to both personal conduct and organizational behavior.

The seventh habit he identified, Sharpen the Saw, seems to be one of the most obvious and least practiced.  Sharpen the Saw comes out of a story of a frustrated lumberjack who is working tirelessly to cut down a tree, and says he doesn’t have time to stop and sharpen his saw, when it would actually help him to cut the tree far more efficiently and save him time in the long run. Sharpen the Saw is about thinking beyond short-term needs and determining ways to build capacity.

Read More

Hierarchy-Nonprofit-CRM-Usage-infographic

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) Evolves in Nonprofits

By | CRM & Salesforce

Hierarchy-Nonprofit-CRM-Usage-infographic-Hor-2

There is an observable, positive shift in how progressive nonprofit organizations are thinking about their constituent data.

The triangle in the graphic above illustrates a hierarchy in this thinking.  Traditionally, nonprofits have been quick to embrace databases for their Development Office.  Sometimes Grantor, Volunteer or other constituent data has been integrated with the donor database, but it’s usually been a kludgy process.

Read More