What Nonprofits Can Learn from New Orleans

posted by 
Deirdre Maloney,
President of Momentum LLC
and Professor for the University
of San Diego's Master's of
Nonprofit Leadership

Last month I found myself in New Orleans. For about 20 hours.

It was just enough time to roam the infamous French Quarter, kick around Bourbon Street, take a historical walking tour and head out to the next city.

I’d never experienced New Orleans, Louisiana (or NOLA as the locals call it), but I thought I knew it well. After all, every February I got to hear all about Mardi Gras.

I got the full, media-saturated story on Katrina as the events themselves unfolded. I’d even watched Emeril cooking with his special spices plenty of times.

I thought I knew what to expect…
…people who had been down on their luck, who held on tight to everything, were slow to trust.

Turns out, I was wrong. About all of it. In less than one day, I realized that NOLA was filled with not just a unique group of people, but a treasure trove of lessons. I present three of them to you now.

Research Friday: The Trouble with Pay Raises

	Welcome to Research Friday! As part of a continuing weekly series, each Friday we invite a nonprofit scholar or practitioner to highlight a research report or study and discuss how it can inform and improve day-to-day nonprofit practice. We welcome your comments and feedback.
posted by Stephanie La Loggia, M.A. Manager of Knowledge Resources, Research and Academic Affairs, ASU Lodestar Center

The research on how compensation systems affect employee motivation is both fascinating and surprising. The evidence flies in the face of some underlying, pervasive assumptions: namely, that people work primarily for money and that the best incentives to keep people motivated and productive are financial.¹

It turns out that most people do their best work when they are motivated by something other than money. Things like purpose, achievement, recognition, and autonomy—to name a few. In fact, you can often muck it up—de-motivate people!—by directly tying financial incentives to their work. I can’t believe I’m about to back up this claim with a YouTube video, but here it is: Daniel Pink talking about the severe limitations of financial incentives and what really motivates people to do great work.

Research Friday: Corporate Volunteer Programs: Synergy in Business and Nonprofit Actions

posted by
Annette Sutfin,
Kinship Program 
Manager, Southwest
Human Development

Welcome to Research Friday! As part of a continuing weekly series, each Friday we invite a nonprofit scholar or practitioner to highlight a research report or study and discuss how it can inform and improve day-to-day nonprofit practice. We welcome your comments and feedback.

Many volunteer managers cite recruitment as their greatest challenge; however, Brudney and Meijs (2009) contend that “the preoccupation with recruitment distracts attention and resources from the management and retention of volunteers” (p. 568). If their argument holds, of increasing importance is the need for volunteer managers to identify and cultivate volunteer sources that have potential for growth and replenishment. One such source, which is intensely under-cultivated, lies in the for-profit sector: the corporate volunteer.

Orchestrated effectively, a corporate volunteer program has the potential to render benefits not only to the nonprofit, but to the corporation as well. The hours of unpaid labor afforded by such programs is the obvious contribution to the nonprofit organization. Often overlooked, however, are the many benefits that can be provided to the corporation. A Walker research survey confirmed that a company’s perceived community involvement affects consumers’ spending habits, concluding that “47 percent of the consumers surveyed would be more likely to buy from a ‘good’ company, if quality, price and service were equal… 70 percent would not buy from a company that was not socially responsible” (McAlister and Ferrell, 2002, p. 696). A Cone/Roper report supports the Walker conclusions, noting that two-thirds of Americans claim to be more likely to support a company that aligns with a social issue (Phillips Business Information Inc., 2000, p. 1).

Staff and Volunteer Training Tips

posted by 
Kate Elliott,
Training Administrator,
Planned Parenthood Arizona

Providing formal training to staff and volunteers has obvious benefits for an organization, individual staff members and volunteers. For the organization, it is a means of ensuring staff and volunteers are knowledgeable, making them exceptional ambassadors for the organization in and outside of work. In addition, training is an essential part of risk management – failing to properly train individuals, providing services to clients, or even representing the organization to the public can have serious consequences. For staff members and volunteers, training is a means of professional development many are eager to receive. In addition to it being an essential part of effective volunteer management, many volunteers find personal value in the training provided to them by organizations about which they care deeply.

Regardless of whether or not your organization has a formal training program, there are things nonprofit leaders can do to ensure staff and volunteers are appropriately oriented to the organization and able to continue to learn and develop professionally.

Oops! Now What?

posted by
Shawn Rudnick,
Board Member,
YNPN Phoenix

Very recently I made a bit of a mistake and by bit I mean that I made a speaking gaffe in front of a crowd of 100 plus people while representing an organization at arguably their biggest event to date. Luckily it hasn’t appeared to do any real damage, but still is something I need to learn from. This is an event that most young and even experienced professionals have to deal with at some point. So here is what I have picked up from my all too regular experience in this area.

I find that the first step in overcoming a mistake is to own it. My first reaction and the wrong one, was to down play it. While this is natural, it does you no good and makes you appear more unprofessional then the original event. So don’t make excuse or point fingers compounding the mistake. Even if others contributed to the mistake you can’t control their behaviors, you can only affect your own. Most professionals will be willing to give you a second chance, but not if you can’t admit it.

Research Friday: Senior Volunteering: Burden or Benefit?

posted by
Kelly Proulx,
MNpS Student &
Research Technician,
Arizona State University

Welcome to Research Friday! As part of a continuing weekly series, each Friday we invite a nonprofit expert to highlight a research report or study and discuss how it can inform and improve day-to-day nonprofit practice. We welcome your comments and feedback.

Nonprofit organizations are often dependent on volunteers, and among adults 65 and older volunteering rates have increased from 14.3% in 1974 to 23.5% in 2005. Some of this increase can be attributed to earlier retirement, leading senior citizens to be more active.¹ For nonprofits, understanding the dynamics of senior volunteerism can help organizations utilize seniors in a way that furthers their mission while offering a positive volunteering experience.

Several challenges can be unique to senior volunteers. First, some volunteers may have physical limitations such as health, sight, or hearing problems. Some seniors may be unfamiliar with or resistant to newer technology. An additional problem can occur with volunteers who “age in place,” which means they joined the organization at a younger age and have lost some abilities. When the organization feels loyal to the volunteer it can be difficult to confront this issue.² All of these concerns should be taken into account.

To Start or Not to Start?

posted by
Anne Byrne,
Professional-in-Residence,
ASU Lodestar Center

The most frequent question posed on the ASU Lodestar Center's "Ask the Nonprofit Specialists" service is about how to start a nonprofit organization. Recent research by Civic Ventures suggests that there is strong interest and intention among "boomers" (individuals in their 40s, 50s, and 60s) to create jobs for themselves and others as entrepreneurs, making a positive social impact. More than 12 million aspiring entrepreneurs want to be "encore entrepreneurs," by starting a nonprofit or socially oriented business. There is also a growing trend of new nonprofits run by college students. According to Crain's New York Business, "The flood of 'postmillennials' creating their own nonprofits stems from two trends, experts say: a generational desire to do something meaningful and the quest for individualism."

"In a sea of bad economic news, it's heartening that millions of people with experience want to take matters in their own hands and launch their own ventures to meet social needs in their communities," said Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures.

Mark Rosenman, in a blog post titled, "Calling All Boomers: Don't Start More Nonprofits," disagrees with the idea of creating new nonprofits, instead suggesting that "baby boomers shift their social commitment from an ill-advised and self-centered ambition to start a plethora of new enterprises and instead work together, and with others, to build the social, political and economic movement required today."