There are two quotes by Bill Gates that relate to your participation in the CFC:
1. “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”
2. “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
With that as a framework, I ask these two questions:
* What do you and your organization plan to accomplish by 2022?
* As a leader, what steps are you taking to empower others (and yourself)?
CFC NON-PROFIT PHASES & TIMEFRAMES
Phase I (March — July)
CFC Non-profit Planning, Organizing, Recruitment
Phase II (April — September)
CFC Non-profit Campaign Logistics and Training Period
Phase III (June — October)
CFC Non-profit Campaign Outreach Campaign
Phase IV (July — December)
CFC Non-profit Campaign Activities Period
Phase V (Late Fall — Early Winter)
CFC Non-profit Campaign Review and Lessons Learned
CFC Application Process:
• For National & International Non-profits, applications are due to OPM in January.
• Deadlines for Local non-profits vary by regional CFC, and in general in range from
January to March.
As your 2012 CFC campaign comes to a close, take the time to get the full value from your staff’s participation in the campaign by holding an informal “Campaign review and lessons learned” session. You won’t know the financial results until the spring but the point of this exercise is what was learned by as your staff was out in the community and talking to potential CFC donors.
If you did participate in charity fairs, did things go smoothly, what did you see that other non-profits used at charity fairs that might be of benefit to your organization? There are no standard answers to these questions, and they will vary according to both organization and region. If, for example, you are in an urban region and are using mass transit to get to most charity fairs, a display board that folds up to briefcase size is really pretty handy … maybe, necessary
Learning Organizations and Leadership Development
What are the leadership development goals you have for you, your staff, and your organization? Is yours a “learning organization” to use Peter Senge’s term from the book, The Fifth Discipline. According to Senge, a learning organization is where there is “a group of people working together collectively to enhance their capacities to create results they really care about.”
A learning organization is characterized as having these five disciplines as listed in Wikipedia:
1. Systems thinking: Organizations are systems of interrelationships. To
become more successful we need to analyze these relationships and find and
eliminate from them the obstacles to learning.
2. Personal mastery: An individual holds great importance in a learning
organization. Personal development holds as much importance as
commitment to and working for the organization. Employees need to grow
and work on their own goals.
3. Mental Models: These are the company culture and the diverse theories and
mindsets that serve as a framework for the functioning of the organization.
Learning organizations look for how these affect organizational development.
4. Shared Vision: A learning organization’s employees all share a common
vision. Personal goals must be in sync with the goals and vision of the
organization.
5. Team Learning: The importance of dialogue and group discussion. For a
team to learn, they must be in sync and reach agreement.
This is, obviously, an excellent description of what the ideal non-profit would have as its organizational culture. It’s not easy to create, and takes commitment by executive leadership and staff; and, in order for it to work, employees must be empowered.
It does not work if the senior leadership pays lip service to the concepts, but does not actually encourage and provide opportunities for the staff to grow.
Organization Goals and Personal Mastery Goals:
What is your organization planning to accomplish in 2013?
What are the personal mastery goals of your staff, including public speaking, project management, special event planning, and writing goals to mention just a few possibilities. As you develop your 2013 operational and communications plan, who on your staff can take on at the least the first effort as a personal mastery goal?
As you work on these plans, the important part about the CFC is to incorporate the CFC items into your overall activities, so if you produce an annual report, include a paragraph or two about the CFC in your section about donors and fundraising. If you have volunteers and have an recognition event where they are recognized, thank the CFC volunteers as well.
Ask the staff what their ideas are about the CFC and other fundraising efforts, and make sure you listen to what they say.
We’ll talk about more ways to make your participation in the CFC to become an important part of your revenue stream for unrestricted dollars in future posts; but, for this “New Year’s post, I wanted to emphasize the importance of having goals for your non-profit for 2013.
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach, served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions, contact … Bill Huddleston
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Click this link to find descriptions of all the titles in The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
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Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts.