Can you handle this?

Reading Time - Estimated Under A Minute

Smile Factor - Weight-Lifting Is No Laughing Matter

Biz Take Away - Strengthening Your Business

The sound of runners on their perpetual treadmill journey served as a rhythmic background to the sporadic and varied grunts of the heavy lifters, punctuated by the sounds of weights crashing to the gym floor.  Standing in a sea of iron, feeling grossly misplaced with my small feminine frame and slight arms, I proceeded to find the lightest weights available.  Staring intently at my own reflection, seriously focused, I took a deep breath and curled the 17.5 lb weight in my shaky right arm. I worked through the set slowly. One up and breathe, two up and breathe, three up and. . . suddenly my focus was totally off.  

The reason for this abrupt distraction was frankly the size of the bicep of the guy next to me. Bigger than my thigh, curling 110 lb. weight with barely a sound, he proceeded through a set of 10 reps with ease.  The only thing that snapped me back was the shaking of my own arm which was straining to hold up the 17.5 lb weight midway through a curl. 

As I finished my set, feeling somewhat awkward and frail, I glanced one more time at my bulky neighbor who had not even broken a sweat. Maybe it was my imagination, but I saw a flicker of amusement  as his eyes meet mine or perhaps it was a look of amazement at my boldness for inserting my small self alongside the big boys.  

Losing my motivation, in light of the reality that I did not technically belong, I quickly finished my set and  moved on to a side of the gym with less iron and a safer, more comparable demographic.

However, just a couple days later I got up the nerve and went back for more.

Why? You may ask. Was it some strange desire to subject myself to more early morning gym humiliation? Or perhaps it was to check out the very tanned guy with the big biceps?

Nope.

It was because I realized that true growth means moving out of the safety of what I know.  Staying on the safe side of the gym where the dumbbells never read more than 15lbs. was never going to help me grow.  I realized I had to move to the other side to be motivated to reach to a greater level of my own strength – however awkward it might be at times.  

The world of “big biceps” is intimidating, but it is about finding your own strength and building on that.  Listen, I am not delusional about my body. I am extremely certain that I will never be able to handle a bicep curl with a 110 lb. weight. What I am sure of, is that with time and training I can and will achieve my personal best.

Often in business we are afraid to go for that new big account or take on a project that seems to only be reserved for the “big biceps” club. If we want to grow, we have to put ourselves out there and try. While we may not win that big account right away, the exercise of going after the project and perfecting the proposal – for example – will build up the confidence (muscle) and understanding (form) needed to perhaps win the big account the next time.  It is through the act of preparation and the commitment to training that true growth will come.

Now be smart in your quest for building your business strength. Use your instinct. Build up gradually; strengthening at each phase. Manage wisely. Don’t take on a project (weight) that is way out of your league. Do take on a project (weight) that is the next step up in your growth.

So you want to play with the big boys? Who doesn’t? Just remember, staying in the safe zone will never get you there. You’ve got to get up the nerve and put yourself out there. You have to be willing to find your personal best, your strongest area and then perfect it. 

Penned by Liz

Pray for Rain

Reading Time - Estimated Under A Minute
Smile Factor - Guaranteed
Biz Take Away - Taking Chances

If it is raining today, I want you to know it is my fault. It is totally, and completely, all me. The clouds you see in the sky and the sprinkle of water you feel falling on your face and shoulders are because of me. I didn’t intend to ruin your morning. I sure did not mean to ruin your hair and am definitely sorry about your once-fabulous shoes.  

I can imagine that you don’t want to hear this, but if you will allow me to explain, perhaps you will be less irritated with the condition of the weather (and with me). If you understand the “why,” you may actually sympathize with me and even embrace your frizzing hair just for the moment.

This is about me and Mother Nature (will just refer to her as “Mother”). You see I had two clients schedule outdoor events this week – one day apart; in a park and at a roof-top pool. With neither offering options for indoor shelter, of course we had expectations that we might be at the mercy of Mother and be pushed to reconsider our plans. But knowing is really only half the battle – making the difficult “weather call” is always the scary second half. 

So yesterday, with gloomy weather reports and anxious clients surrounding me – there I sat, feeling a bit “damp,” as both teams expressly wanted my final say on whether to weather (yes - I did just put those two words next to each other) the incoming storm or reschedule their events. 

There I sat at my desk with the weight of the decision(s) on me. Sure – there are reliable weather forecast outlets and I was consulting all of them. Yet experience tells me that Mother can change her mind. She can be fickle like that. Aren’t all Mothers? The reports could be wrong and the sun could definitely defy all predictions of rain. 

I felt like I was on a game show and as the clock ticked, I was under pressure to hit the red button of decision. So I did at the very last minute I possible . . . and boldly called it ALL off. Then . . . I prayed. Yes, I prayed. I prayed for rain. I called friends and I asked them to pray for rain. I called my (own) mother and asked her to pray for rain. 

Oh and I didn’t just pray for rain, but for the down pour – the “we cancelled this event for a good reason” down pour rain. 

So now maybe you understand that this rain is not only going to save my business reputation, but (most importantly of course) it will make my clients feel good about their decision. Isn’t it always about leading your clients to a decision that makes them feel confident? Making them feel that they are clever? So whether it makes you sweat or makes your hair wet (or even ruins your shoes), you sometimes need to take the plunge and guide your clients into making their best decisions. And wherever there is doubt or the threat of it being the wrong decision . . . pray for rain.

Penned by Liz Glover Wilson

Creative Inspiration For The Workplace

Reading Time - Estimated Under A Minute
Smile Factor - Guaranteed
Biz Take Away - Creativity in Business

I saw Elvis last week in New York City. While admittedly I had my doubts due to his height and Latin flavored skin-tone, it was his presence that was undeniable. He stood in a doorway, gently leaning on the door post puffing on an early morning cigarette. His eyes set off in the distance; a steady gaze at the traffic or perhaps somewhere else. Nonetheless, I felt inspired with such an encounter as I jumped on my uptown bus.

A hot cup of coffee in my hands, my thoughts were still on Elvis and his impeccable hair, when a child-like squeal got my attention. Across from me sat a little girl with strawberry blonde hair. She sat in sideways on her dad’s lap with her feet swinging rhythmically as she excitedly told him a story. Her profile shadowed by such a big bunch of curls, I could not see her facial expressions but only hear her small voice. Her father listened and laughed in delight; playing with the tips of her hair. At the next stop, her father gently interrupted her to remind her that it was their turn to get off. She bounced off his lap and looked right at me; a small pale angelic face with big brown eyes and light pink lips, smiled shyly and ran off.

Later that morning I sat in a meeting with a non-profit client still drinking my - now room temperature - cup of coffee. There was a real issue regarding a project and everyone was at a complete standstill. Suddenly, I felt a surge of fresh ideas and ultimately was able to lead the team to a swift and successful conclusion. I sat back satisfied. I smiled to myself and quietly thanked Elvis and the little redhead for their creative inspiration.

It is not that they did anything in particular to influence my recommendation to my client, but more their very presence in my day had allowed me to start my morning with openness to the true diversity in our city; the texture of the many lives that comprise this metropolis. It is from that diversity that so much creativity can be drawn.

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” — Edward de Bono


Each day, all around us is creative inspiration for us to draw upon. This city is full of rich colors, unique architecture, cultural diversity, art, and amazing sunsets (and fierce rainstorms). Creative inspiration is all around you. It is up to you to grasp it and let it take you to a new place in your workspace, to bring you to a fresh concept and new perspective. It is up to you.

Take tips from an artist. . .
• Trust your personal creative inspirations. You never know how they will impact your day.
• Take a risk, take a plunge. Don’t be afraid to be wrong.
• Be true to your authentic creativity. Each of us is unique in how we see the world.
• Contribute your creativity to your professional field. Contribute in an authentic way.

As a previously trained artist making the transition into the corporate world, I found it hard to understand how I was to take creativity into the new phase of my life. Wasn’t my day to day work going to be more technical; a set of rules and procedures to be followed? Trading in paintbrush and studio for a pen in the board room seemed like the final departure from the creative into the “structured” world.

However, after nearly 16 years as a professional I can say that I rely on creative inspirations around me for all I do and to help find new solutions for my clients; it has been the energy for my business for many years.

From the desk of Liz Glover Wilson, CMP, CSEP

I Am No Billionaire!

Reading Time - Estimated A Minute
Smile Factor - This is Serious Business
Philanthropic Focus - A Little Can Go A Long Way 

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, along with 38 other billionaires have made a moral commitment to donate half of their wealth to *charity. Excellent! Charitable organizations will be saved. Problem solved . . . Wait! The problem is not solved? There is more to do? Do we need more billionaires to step up? Yes! Okay, great plan. Let’s start making those calls. 

While calls are being made to the other 380 billionaires in the United States (See Forbes 400), I am thinking it is time for the rest of us to reconsider our role in supporting the charitable organizations that provide worthy programs so that we can ensure that those in our communities continue to have access to important and essential programs.

So how do you give back when you are not a billionaire? How do you give back when your business is struggling? How do you give back when you don’t have a job? How can we even think of giving when everything is so on the edge?

“Maybe we have to break everything to make something better out of ourselves.”
-Chuck Palahniuk

Now, I am biased, I admit it. My advice that follows is completely one-sided, as my role as an event consultant for non-profits directly impacts my view. My team and I are in the trenches everyday- on the ground with local non-profit organizations working to raise essential funds for programs that impact the working class- from social issues such as food support to those who need assistance feeding their family, to offer education and mentor programs to high-risk students, medical access when insurance runs out (we all have been affected by this) and the list goes on.

In our field, there are ways in which us “non-billionaires” can contribute to providing essential needs for our communities.  Here are just a few reminders. . .

1)    Volunteer - Don’t forget that man-power is the energy for non-profit organizations.

Are you a business owner? Encourage your staff to volunteer for a local charity once a month. This is easy to organize, offers team-building within your own company, and has a huge impact on the cause you are supporting. We often feel the stress of time and the intense need to work hard to keep our business afloat.

Are you creative? Volunteering doesn’t always entail physical labor. Don’t forget that lending your expertise (and not just a pair of extra hands) can help an organization tremendously. Your brain can be just as valuable.

2)    In-Kind Donations - Don’t forget the value of the donated (whether full or partial) items, product or venue.

Are you in the Events Industry? Remember R.O.I. and all the industry conversations about analyzing your investments and testing the results? Remember when you saw in-kind contributions as a natural part of your business marketing plan? Now, with the financial crisis, you have cut back and cannot see how you can sustain the cost of giving away products?  You cannot see how giving is going to generate the “receiving” you desire.  The world has changed. Just remember by YOU involving YOUR staff resources, YOUR product, YOUR space – the community will react positively about your business and will see you as a contributing player and that is the return on your investment during these tough times.

We have not seen any checks from Gates or Buffet yet, so while we are waiting let’s all do what we can.

Penned by Liz Glover Wilson


*(http://givingpledge.org)

Fundraising Events: A Focus On Human Resources

Reading Time - Estimated A Little Over A Minute

Smile Factor -This Is Serious Business

Biz Take Away - A Focus On Who

Fundraising events not only bring awareness to the community about important social, health, and economic issues, but they also often generate funds to continue carrying out service work. However, in the world of fundraising, events are one of the most time-consuming and laborious ways to raise funds so often organizations hesitate to take the first step.

We know that lack of money, human resources or time are the biggest reasons non profit organizations choose not to host or grow existing events.

In our last blog post, we focused on money often being a prohibitive factor. Equally discouraging can be a lack of resources. Even if you are ready to take the financial risk that is sometimes required, before you put all your effort into a great event, you often need to assess your resources.

Do you have not only what, but who, it takes to pull off a successful event?

The question is how do you determine what support team is needed and furthermore, ensure that they are in place in a timely manner to guarantee fundraising success?

While each organization is different, here are some quick tips on how to strengthen your resource base.

1) One Chief - So you are the Executive Director, Director of Development and Accountant for your non-profit and there is just no way you can be in charge of an event as well. Well here is good news; you want to select one person to actually be chief over all details and then report to you. This will allow you to manage and see big picture, instead of being bogged down by the details. This also will allow you to, most importantly, raise funds.

2) One More - But. . you don’t have anyone on your staff that can do this and plus, they are all way too busy. Thankfully, there are lots of wonderful event coordinators/planners whose profession is to do just what you don’t have the time to do; run around and get all the little details together. We recommend adding one more staffer to the team to be the key coordinator. This will help you and your staff focus on all the donor communications, fund raising and media outreach needed. The return on investment will be evident if roles are clearly defined and all involved are empowered to do their jobs.

3) One Team - You still don’t feel like you have enough support. There is so much to do; calls to donors, acknowledgement letters, outreach for silent auction products, working with speakers, reviewing printed materials and so on. The most financially friendly way to expand your support team is by adding a solid volunteer base to support your paid staffers and coordinators. As much as volunteer management can seem like a lot to take on, remember that volunteers are your connection to your community. Create event specific volunteer positions (i.e., “Event Committee”) that allow local community members to get involved, be given attainable goals and feel fulfilled  . . . and good about your organization. It is sure to be a “win win!“

4) One Day - Give yourself six to ten months to prepare. When the day of your event comes, experience tells us you will be only as good as you have prepared to be. With adequate time for all parties to cross T’s and dot I’s, you should be able to walk into your event feeling confident that you have done all you can to make it a success. That one day event can have a great impact on your organization for a very long time, so make it count.

TIP: Events evolve. . so don’t expect perfection, but instead embrace the journey, learn from experiences, surround yourself with professionals, get advice and keep moving forward.

Liz Glover Wilson, CMP, CSEP
Elizabeth Rose Consulting
www.elizabethroseconsulting.com

Fundraising Events: A Focus On Money

Reading Time - Estimated A Little Over A Minute

Smile Factor -This Is Serious Business

Biz Take Away - Exploring the Options

Many non-profit organizations love events and so do I! 

Fundraising events bring awareness to your cause; attracting new donors, volunteers and press coverage. The end goal is to build a stronger pool of contributors and ultimately secure more funds to keep your programs active within your community.

Lack of money, resources or time are the biggest reasons non profit organizations choose not to host an event.

Let’s first focus on money. How many times have you heard, “We don’t have the money to host an event!”?

While some start-up money is needed for most events to cover the costs of deposits, support services and other misc. items, a well-planned fundraising event should be self-sustaining; paying for itself in full through all revenue collected. Really? Yes!

So how do you determine how much you need to a) pay for your event and b) meet fundraising (net) goals?

Here is a brief overview of the steps that will help you gain a clear picture. For a new event, this due diligence period can take 30 to 60 days.

1) Set your fundraising goal. Tip: When first starting out, keep your fundraising goal reasonable and focused. Identify what you are raising funds for. This will help you get the maximum level of "buy-in" from the most amount of supporters. Remember that people want to be part of something that makes them feel important.

2) Choose the type of event you would like to hold. Should it be a gala, auction, golf tournament, gallery showing, walk-a-thon or a night of entertainment? Tip: Choose what you feel best reflects your organization and will best attract constituents. Also, consider whether the type of event you choose has potential to bring in the revenue you are looking to generate. For example, you would not want to host a car wash if you wanted to net $50,000.

3) Draft a budget. First write out all the expenses associated with your ideal event. You can find samples of comprehensive budgets templates on-line. We know budget building is not always a barrel of laughs, but we encourage you to put together a very detailed budget and consider ALL areas of cost. This will help you avoid many of those surprise expenses that sometime come up later. This portion of planning will take the longest, as we advise you get actual proposals from venues and vendors to get a true sense of cost.  

I also recommend putting out feelers in the community for possible in-kind donations to get a sense of what type of community partners may be interested. While the ideal for all non-profit organizations is to have everything donated, it is important in this phase to put in writing the true cost of all line items to help you understand the value of your project. Tip: Know what the IRS expects for reporting your special event. Click here for a great blog entry on this from Non Profit After Hours. <http://nonprofitafterhours.blogspot.com/2010/05/special-events-reporting.html>

4) Identify and solidify revenue sources. Tickets, tables, raffles, journal advertisements, sponsorship packages and more; determine what your revenue sources will be. Create several options/levels of involvement in order to include a broader scope of participants at different economic status. Tip: Create a projection chart that allows you to review different configurations of sales that will help you meet your goal. Review this with board members, committee and existing donors to test the strength of your ticket levels. Make sure it is not prohibitive to local participation. Be sure to have something for individuals (possibly also young professionals), local business, corporations and other organizations.

5) Three tier final review. You have just reviewed your revenue strength, now I highly recommend this last (important) step. . .GO BACK to your budget with a magnifying glass and tighten it up. When reviewing your budget again, there are three categories expenses fall into;

           

1) YOU MUST HAVE - You must have a venue. You must have food. You must have a bathroom facility. You must have invitations. You must have a microphone and speaker system. You get the point. These are items that are critical to the functionality of your event.

Tip: Look for new venues or venues that are heavily marketing themselves and create a cross-marketing benefits package. This will reduce your cost and increase       their local visibility.

2) YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE - You would like to have centerpieces. You would like to have a video. You would like to have an upgraded stage lighting package. You would like a full-color program. These are the items that will give your event a more professional touch.

Tip: Create sponsorship packages for local business to participate in supplying these items.

3) YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT - You can live without your event volunteers having matching t-shirts. You can live without personalized menu’s. You can live without plasma screens. These are the extra special touches that are the first to go when reviewing and tightening up your budget.

Tip: If revenue is exceeding expectations, you can always add back the extra special touches. However, we advise that you only do if it is crucial. You want to have a professional and inspirational event, but you also do not want to look like your spending your donors money on too many “bells and whistles.”

Remember - Balance is everything.  

Liz Glover Wilson, CMP, CSEP
Elizabeth Rose Consulting
www.elizabethroseconsulting.com