The new year really has me off and running. It started in a brilliant manner with a group of lovely people meditating/ praying for peace. After that, we went through a facilitation to set our goals and expectations for 2017. I love doing this stuff, and was really rocking it until the facilitator asked, "If everything you asked for came to you, would you say Yes?" That stopped me in my tracks. It is clear to me that in some areas I just keep turning down the gifts and opportunities that come to me. What's up with that?!
    That led me to read a fun book by Jen Sincero called " You Are a Bada$$." It's about getting out of your own way so that you can do what you're here to do. It wasn't anything I hadn't read or heard before, but the presentation was fresh and it was full of great quotes. If you're looking for a kick in the pants, this quick read might do it.
     But when I need a kick in the pants I really, really need one. That's why the timing of my friend's new pilot program on Inspired Working and Living is perfect for me. I'm going to spend the next twelve months working and living in better alignment with who I am and what I'm here to do. Liz Garratt is offering this pilot to the first 100 people to take her up on it. I've worked with Liz on different things for over a decade (including my awesome business plan) and I can't wait to see where this journey takes both of us. If you're looking for something fresh but with an awesome accountability component, you might want to check out Liz's invitation at HarmonybyDesign.ca
     I have also enrolled in a class at the Citadel Theatre on writing 10-minute plays. This is a format that I love, and I am excited there are more opportunities for short plays to be performed. The class puts me in the room with talented playwrights and dramaturgs, and almost as important -- it gives me deadlines and deliverables! (There's that accountability loop again!).
     I spent a very fun few days in Winnipeg with the next generation of Canada's dairy farmers. Of course, succession planning for farms has been a "thing" forever, but what is so cool about the dairy industry is that they are also succession planning for leadership of the entire industry, not just their farms. You might be surprised that half of the farmers in my sessions on governance and strategy were women. I love what this says for their industry. And I also love that when working with dairy farmers you get an unlimited supply of chocolate milk!
     I was privileged to be invited to write and present a webinar for a professional organization on governance trends I'm seeing for the coming year. I am working on a companion article for this, so you can expect to see some bits and pieces about that in this e-zine in the coming months. I learned some new skills on preparing webinars, including how to ask for help editing out my swearing when the cat broke in and disrupted my recording process!
     I have been careful to not get into political (and global political) discussions here, but this stuff does keep me up at night. Perhaps it does you as well. One person I follow is Shelley Alcorn CAE, whose blog Association Forecast out of the U.S. is always thought provoking. On January 17/17 she wrote " Associations and the Future of Our Republic." She notes, quite correctly, that non-profits are political (even though we don't like to think of them that way). I would do her a great disservice if I tried to summarize her concerns about non-profits in America right now, but if you are interested and even remotely politically savvy, you might like to read the article  Click Here.
     Rallies, protests, and challenges abound right now and it's difficult to keep our attention on any one thing. But here's a challenge I think I can handle and that could actually make a difference. Did you know that 500 million plastic drinking straws are used every day in the U.S.? Most straws cannot be recycled so they end up in landfills and seas/oceans, yet they are not biodegradable. There is an organization called OneLessStraw that challenges people to stop using straws for 30 days. I'm going to try it. Here's a bit about it.         

/lmwe 

    As a former Executive Director, I would rather lose all the best board members I've ever had due to a term limit than keep one past-the-best-before-date board member who doesn't know when to leave. Harsh? Darn right!
     As someone who writes loads of bylaws, this is an argument I'm accustomed to having (especially with arts organizations). Mercifully, BoardSource recently came up with a list of pros and cons to term limits which may help you, dear readers. There's nothing in there I haven't argued, they just say it all nicer than I do. Here's a summary.

Pros

• Board/organization gets to work with talented people who may only have a few years to devote
• Easier to diversity your board (new ideas/perspectives)
• Avoid stagnation, tiredness, boredom, and loss of commitment
• Avoid the "perpetual concentration of power within a small group of people and the intimidation of new members by this dominant group"
• Built-in continuity and turnover (staggered terms)
• Allow for rotation on committees
• Change/improve group dynamics
• Respectful/efficient mechanism for the exit of passive, ineffective, or troublesome board members
• Enlarge the circle of committed supporters as members rotate off the board
• Board can more easily adjust to organization's changing needs

Cons 

• Potential loss of expertise/insight that has benefitted the board/organization
• Potential loss of organizational memory
• Need for the governance (nominations) committee to spend more time identifying, recruiting, and orienting new board members
• Need to dedicate time to building a cohesive board as directors rotate on and off

     In my view, the pros waaaaaaay outweigh the cons. What do you think?

 

 

/lmwe   

     Michelle Lindstrom's recent article in Avenue Magazine was a great reminder about broadening our thinking when it comes to how we use volunteers in non-profits.
    People do want to be involved in the community and do good, but they aren't necessarily looking for an on-going commitment. That's why many prefer the one-day, event-based activity for their volunteer contribution. But what happens to the non-profits who run programs and services the other 364 days of the year? 
     In recent years a few "matching" bulletin boards and Facebook groups have emerged to help out. Now there is a new website called GozAround, and its job is (also) to help match supply and demand between charities and volunteers.
     An individual creates a profile with preferences, schedule, etc. and then GozAround sends alerts about causes that might interest them. I think this is a good move, especially in connecting with younger volunteers.
     Perhaps this site (or one like it) will nudge someone to become active in your organization because as we all know, the need is still there. It's a cool idea. Why not check it out.
Click Here   

 

     This is from another article discussing the importance of "the tone at the top." Organizational pride tends to come from the bottom up, while organizational arrogance tends to come from the top down. Here is a summary of the differences. 

Pride

• We work for the customer
• We worry about what we can learn from others
• We're open to the outside world
• We're still David
• We spend our time listening to, and hearing, outside views.

Arrogance

• We work for each other
• We worry about what others can learn from us
• We practice secrecy in dealing with the outside world
• We're Goliath, and we need to defend our position
• We spend our time improving what we have and finding flaws in outside views

Here is the entire article by James Heskett (Harvard Business School, Nov 30/16). Click Here      

     In July 2016 Langlois Lawyers LLP posted an article about the confidentiality of board minutes. In Canada (and Quebec) court decisions concluded that board minutes are part of the organization's administrative/operational functioning and as such there is no grounds for a shareholder to compel the Board of Directors to share them. A challenge from the not-for-profit sector reached the same conclusion -- a member cannot compel the board to share minutes of board meetings. That said, a court can compel sections of board meeting minutes to be revealed that have something to do with a matter before the courts.

I found this article heartening. Here it is Click Here   

     Heather Mathews new blog is 5 Things Gratitude Can do For You. It's a great reminder.

1. Increases your self esteem. You are worthy of good things.
2. Improves your relationships. We all like appreciation and acknowledgement.
3. Helps you sleep better. Things can work out well.
4. Makes you more fun. People like positive people.
5. Makes you a better boss, employee, team mate. Acknowledgement boosts morale.

Here's the article Click Here