Category Archives: WEB 2.0

Blogging…

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I often wonder what’s going on out there in cyber space. I have been posting off and on to my blog for over four years – some months very consistently and sometimes very seldom… but I do check the web traffic to the site and have found it’s not too bad considering its just little old me in my corner of the world speaking to an audience I have no direct connection with. I write stuff that I feel is important and post it on the site when I get a chance or the mood moves me – like tonight.

That’s it… No fan fair. No full court press. No mention on the Drudgereport or other highly visible websites. No, this site, www.oculusdirect.com/blog  goes fairly unnoticed in the grand scheme of things. But I do get traffic that I find fascinating. Based on the analytical reports I review, people search certain terms such as “development audit” or “challenges nonprofits face” and they end up finding this blog. They might be from the US or they could be from Russia or England or parts of Africa – but they find me and hopefully get some benefit from what I have written.

And that’s the point of this post – I write this blog because I want to impart something that I feel is important to others out there that may need a little support or perhaps an insight that will help them do their job just a little better.

But the crazy thing for me is that very few people leave feedback… so, I ask myself – why is that?? I really don’t know. But what I do know is people do visit the site and spend time poking around. I assume they learned something and perhaps received a great benefit from something they read before they leave the site. And I feel grateful if someone out there received the slightest tidbit of information that will help them be more effective in their work as they face challenges in their nonprofit job.

But I do wonder why people don’t post a comment –but then again I think back on my web searches seeking information or support and realize I visit site after site and take what I want (information) and never leave a note of thanks or even an ounce of positive feedback – basically I am a taker of information when I visit other websites…

This led me to the realization that a blog has to be maintained and published for the benefit of others. Period. Otherwise what’s the point? It’s not about us – it’s about others. And that’s the beauty of it. Giving something back even if you don’t know who benefited from your information or knowing you may never receive a thank you.

Wow, that’s really cool when you think about it… you can potentially be making a profound impact on someone you don’t know and in all likelihood will never know. That is the power of the internet for sure – but especially blogs like this one.

So happy blogging and surfing for information – and if you can find it inside yourself please leave a note of gratitude for those of us out there sharing what we think is relevant information!!

Keeping the energy alive…

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How can you energize your organization? By nurturing a sense of vibrancy and youthful energy – that’s how.  There’s nothing more energizing then working at an organization that is just a little different than the rest. Think APPLE – they have this art down to a science – vibrancy, youthfulness, coolness, energy, a sense of being part of something bigger, innovation, and of course success.

What is the catalyst for building this winning culture?

Well, it was the two yutes as Vinny Gambini said in the movie My Cousin Vinny. Okay, where is that coming from you’re asking yourself. Well keep reading because it will make sense in just a moment, hopefully – but I couldn’t resist quoting another movie. My family likes movies, especially ones we can quote and re-quote over and over again at nauseam.  My Cousin Vinny is one of those movies. If you haven’t watched it, it is definitely worth the rental fee.

In any event, the point I want to make is that to become a successful nonprofit this day and age youthful energy must be accepted and welcomed from the top down – including all the wacky ideas (which really aren’t always wacky, it’s just that we are too old to understand them), like the podcast this and text me that ideas that seem to just overflow from anyone under the age of thirty. The crazy part is that the younger generation has an ability to see things with fresh eyes and apply fast-paced technology and the changing cultural nuances to just about anything – like a nonprofit and fundraising.

How do I know this? Well, I have kids number one; plus I have always made it part of my management style to hire young people that are smart and have energy and can bring new perspectives to old challenges.  It’s my way of staying youthful – but also my way of staying one step ahead. Yes, we need to surround ourselves with seasoned pros that have an advanced set of skills and experience to get the job done. But at the same time we need to balance this with youthful energy, optimism, and entrepreneurship. Like the ying and the yang – we need both to succeed.

To get an idea of the insights a twenty-something, nonprofit professional can bring to your organization you should read a new series of articles that will be appearing at the Fundraising Success Magazine website: http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=95813&var=story&publication=FundRaising%20Success&publicationDate=4/16/08&slug=Giving2.0_04%2F16%2F08_Feature+2&category=None&section=Unknown&swd=christina%20johns 

This new column on WEB 2.0 is being written by Christina Johns, a relative newcomer to the nonprofit field, who has loads of great ideas that are sure to help us reach the elusive younger audience.

I work closely with two such young people (the two yutes mentioned earlier) – their energy and dedication to excellence is phenomenal; their ability to look at a challenge and bring a new way of thinking is amazing; and their ability to bring a certain sense of naiveté coupled with a dose of “I am going to take on the world and do this nonprofit thing better than you ever did” is down-right invigorating. So much so that it can be off-putting to many seasoned professionals (read – older and stodgy).

Bottom-line: make sure you hire young, intelligent, optimistic, dedicated, innovative men and women that have a strong character but are grounded in life and its true meaning.