tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50395586602146009492024-03-13T09:33:32.155-07:00Cures for Ailing OrganizationsA blog for discussing and overcoming common problems faced by nonprofit organizations.Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-58952668563005216962021-08-10T10:56:00.000-07:002021-08-10T10:56:22.777-07:00Tapping the Power of Commitment<p>I read the book <i>Fostering
Sustainable Behavior</i> by Doug McKenzie-Mohr years ago and it has stuck with
me since. The stories of community activists discovering ways to engage people
are really fascinating. So I recently signed up for <a href="https://cbsm.com/">Dr.
McKenzie-Mohr’s weekly e-newsletter</a>, which he packs with new discoveries
since publishing the book. Today’s newsletter builds on one of my favorite
stories from the book where people agreed to outlandish commitments after
making a much smaller commitment to the same cause.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Below is the text of Dr. McKenzie-Mohr’s e-newsletter from
today – enjoy!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sue</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XX2kyVAvQzY/YRK8u7vZROI/AAAAAAAAA4U/z9v8mnpGtYAM2TdAYscjhmwrCW1RNZx3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1118/Fostering%2BBehavior%2BChange%2BMinute.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="1118" height="85" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XX2kyVAvQzY/YRK8u7vZROI/AAAAAAAAA4U/z9v8mnpGtYAM2TdAYscjhmwrCW1RNZx3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w533-h85/Fostering%2BBehavior%2BChange%2BMinute.png" width="533" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Imagine being asked to place a large, ugly, obtrusive
billboard with the wording "drive carefully" on your front lawn. When
a researcher posing as a volunteer made precisely this request, numerous
residents in a Californian neighborhood flatly declined. That they refused is
hardly surprising, especially since they were shown a picture of the billboard
almost completely obscuring the view of another house. However, what is
surprising is that fully 76% of another group of residents in this study agreed
to have the sign placed on their lawn. Why would over three-fourths of one
group agree, while virtually everyone in the other group sensibly declined? The
answer lies in something that happened to the second group before this outlandish
request was made. The residents who agreed in droves to have this aberration
placed on their lawn were previously asked if they would display in the windows
of their cars or homes a small, three-inch sign that said, "be a safe
driver." This request was so innocuous that virtually everyone agreed to
it. However, agreeing to this trivial request subsequently greatly increased
the likelihood that they would consent to have the billboard placed on their
lawn.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Are these findings a mere anomaly? Apparently not. In
another study, a researcher, identifying himself as a member of a consumer
group, called and asked householders if he could ask them a few questions about
their soap preferences. A few days later, the same researcher called back
asking for a much larger favor, "Could I send five or six people through
your house to obtain an inventory of all the products in the house?" The
caller carefully explained that this "inventory" would require
searching through all of their drawers and closets, etc. Having agreed to the
smaller request only a few days earlier, many householders apparently felt
compelled to agree with this much larger and more invasive request. Indeed,
over 50% agreed, more than twice as many relative to householders who had not
received the prior request.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
These surprising findings have now been replicated in a variety of settings. In
each case, individuals who agreed to a small initial request were far more
likely to agree to a subsequent larger request. For example: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>When asked if they would financially support a
recreational facility for the disabled, 92% donated if they had previously
signed a petition in favor of the facility, compared with 53% for those who had
not been asked to sign the petition. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Residents of Bloomington, Indiana, were called
and asked if they would consider, hypothetically, spending three hours working
as a volunteer collecting money for the American Cancer Society. When these
individuals were called back three days later by a different individual, they
were far more likely to volunteer than another group of residents who had not
been asked the initial question (31% versus 4%, respectively). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A sample of registered voters was approached one
day before a U.S. presidential election and asked, "Do you expect you will
vote or not?" All agreed that they would vote. Compared to voters who were
not asked this simple question, their likelihood of voting increased by 41%. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Ending a blood-drive telephone call with the
query, "We'll count on seeing you then, OK?" increased the likelihood
of individuals showing up from 62% to 81%. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Individuals who were asked to wear a lapel pin
publicizing the Canadian Cancer Society were nearly twice as likely to donate
than those who were not asked to wear the pin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>When residents of a college community were asked
to sign promise cards to use crosswalks and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
when driving, crosswalk usage increased by 10%, and yielding to pedestrians in
crosswalks increased by 21%.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Understanding Commitment</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why does agreeing to a small request lead people to agree
subsequently to a much larger one? When individuals agree to a small request,
it often alters the way they perceive themselves. When they sign a petition
favoring the building of a new facility for the disabled, the act of signing
subtly changes their attitudes on the topic. Through a process that Darryl Bem
refers to as self-perception, they come to view themselves as the type of
person who supports initiatives for the disabled. When asked later to comply
with the more significant request, donating, there is strong internal pressure
to behave "consistently." Similarly, saying that you
"think" you would volunteer for the Cancer Society, vote in an
election, give blood or wear a lapel pin, alters your attitudes and increases
the likelihood that you will later act in a way that is consistent with your
new beliefs.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Consistency is an important character trait. Those who
behave inconsistently are often perceived as untrustworthy and unreliable. In
contrast, individuals whose deeds match their words are viewed as being honest
and having integrity. The need for all of us to behave consistently is
underscored by an intriguing study on a New York City beach at a time in which
smoking (and radios) were still common. In this study, a researcher posing as a
sunbather put a blanket down some five feet from a randomly selected sunbather.
He then proceeded to relax on the blanket for a few minutes while listening to
his radio. When he got up, he said to the person beside him, "Excuse me, I'm
here alone and have no matches ... do you have a light?" He then went for
a walk on the beach, leaving the blanket and radio behind. Shortly afterward,
another researcher, posing as a thief, stole the radio and fled down the beach.
Under these circumstances, the thief was pursued 4 times out of 20 stagings.
However, the results were dramatically different when the researcher made a
modest request prior to taking the walk. When he asked the person beside him to
"watch his things," in 19 out of the 20 stagings the individual leapt
up to pursue the thief. When they caught him some restrained him, others
grabbed the radio back, while yet others demanded an explanation. Almost all
acted consistently with what they had said they would do.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The need to behave consistently is further supported by
findings that a substantial amount of time can pass between the first and
second requests and that a different individual can make the second request.
That considerable time can pass between the two requests provides further
evidence that complying with the initial request alters how we see ourselves in
an enduring way. Furthermore, we will comply with a second request initiated by
a new person, indicating that these changes are not transitory; otherwise, we
would only feel bound to comply if the second request were made by the
individual who had made the initial request.</p>Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-53909184386453483582021-07-15T12:30:00.000-07:002021-07-15T12:30:11.982-07:00Bosnian Project Exceeds Expectations<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8LE31s7vRfE/YPCMNGzhW1I/AAAAAAAAA34/6xUIor6rj3QwccUL88I2ShLzeuMeJGvXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8LE31s7vRfE/YPCMNGzhW1I/AAAAAAAAA34/6xUIor6rj3QwccUL88I2ShLzeuMeJGvXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ve recently returned from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)
where I was honored to work with some of the brightest and most effective
community activists I’ve known. If you’ve read our previous newsletters or seen
our <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/help-bosnian-campaigns-succeed">GoFundMe
page</a></span> for the project, you’ll know that such success was not certain.
The activists are the ones who are making the admirable changes for their
communities. Our wonderful donors are the ones who made it all possible. Thanks
to all of you!<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I traveled around BiH with my colleagues from Center for
Environment (CfE), I was stunned by how far ahead all the campaign leaders
were. I had asked each to meet with their officials prior to our visit to find
out their reaction to the requested community change. Not only had they met
with their officials, officials in most of the cities were already helping move
the campaigns forward. Some even joined us on our visits… <a href="https://www.onestreet.org/newsletters/264-summer-2021-e-newsletter">Read
the rest and find a link to the photo journal from the trip here</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-17194375154299269042020-12-18T13:54:00.000-07:002020-12-18T13:54:56.210-07:00Bosnian Project Helping Nonprofits Needs Help<p>For the past four years, I have had the honor of working
with activists in this war-battered country. Along with my colleagues at the
Center for Environment (CfE), our partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), we
have guided activists from all over BiH to improve their communities through
bicycling and environmental campaigns. Each campaign helps build their
organization and prepare for the next.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/help-bosnian-campaigns-succeed " imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="547" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5DumRoWX6_s/X90Wc_yIjVI/AAAAAAAAA0k/Vv_s6CtvA3E5cC1ycTrTTjDfKo5e7rGDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/GoFundMe%2BBiH%2Bfor%2Bhome%2Bpage.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now the project needs many people to step up and help. Our funder
for the project could only provide half of the funds we need for the next phase
of the project. So we launched a <a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/help-bosnian-campaigns-succeed">GoFundMe
Charity fundraiser</a> to fill the gap – please donate and share the link.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The war ended 25 years ago and in its shadow, corruption,
despair and poverty have thrived. People are still leaving, but not these
activists. They are fighting back by causing positive change. These are the
toughest and most committed activists I have ever worked with. Let’s show them
we appreciate their commitment to creating a country they are proud of, where all
Bosnians can choose to bicycle, where they would like to live and raise their
families.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>We need your help to
make this happen</b>. Even small donations add up toward our goal. Your
donations are tax-deductible.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please also invite others to donate by sharing and forwarding
the GoFundMe Charity page. Thank you!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sue</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-18906472627060194672018-04-01T14:45:00.000-07:002018-04-01T14:45:01.123-07:00Social Change through Bicycles and Healthy Organizations<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/one-street-press" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUoQE9sCFHs/Wa9482n0c4I/AAAAAAAAApw/icpA-38QKRMEgl3DW-aBcyjc5UfoiX1QgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Bike%2BHunt%2Bcover_frontonly_lowres.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The publication of <a href="https://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/one-street-press">my memoir, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bike Hunt</i></a>, gave me the opportunity
to present at various venues and through various media about the power of
bicycles for improving our world. Even though, or perhaps because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bike Hunt</i> covers my struggle toward that
goal, the book offers the perfect backdrop for intense discussions on this
topic. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bicycle is the greatest machine ever invented because it
provides so much for so little. With simple pedal strokes it will transport a
person six times faster than walking and can carry hundreds of pounds. It is
easy to make and available in all parts of the world. When people choose to
travel by bike, they not only improve their own physical health, but the health
of their communities by reducing emissions and noise. And yet, in most
countries, bicycles are only used for fewer than ten percent of trips.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Central to my presentation are the many disturbing barriers to
bicycles being used as a tool for social change. Since the 1950s, the U.S. bicycle
industry has presented bicycles as toys. On top of that, their push to sell <a href="https://www.onestreet.org/resources-for-increasing-bicycling/136-bicycle-helmets">bicycle
helmets has stigmatized bicycling</a> as far more dangerous than it actually
is. Though car occupants suffer 25 times more head injuries than cyclists, the
car industry would never dream of promoting helmets for their customers. Then
there is Hollywood with its portrayal of cyclists as dorks. So it’s no wonder
bicycles are forgotten by social movements (<a href="http://www.blogdefyingpovertywithbicycles.org/2018/01/human-progress-is-neither-automatic-nor.html">see
my last post on Civil Rights</a>) and even the environmental movement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other barrier is one that is faced by all nonprofits –
group dysfunction. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bike Hunt</i>, I
delve into many of the causes of this, including power grabs and infighting.
Unfortunately, because our bicycle movement is so fragile and undermined by our
bike industry and other stigmas, bicycle nonprofits cannot withstand the forces
of group dysfunction like nonprofits in other movements.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I show in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bike Hunt</i>
and my presentations how to overcome these barriers first by recognizing them
then stopping them at the slightest hint. If you have run into these sorts of
struggles or more, please read the book and visit <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">www.OneStreet.org</a> to tap into the resources
there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-86558965188424327722018-01-15T14:10:00.000-07:002018-01-15T21:06:26.869-07:00Human Progress Is Neither Automatic nor Inevitable, MLK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AoscfOcnzxw/Wl0YEzGCKsI/AAAAAAAAArY/bgL_PcdmZ9s1xo3f1AEQlBhGsFhQpiJWwCLcBGAs/s1600/Martin%2BLuther%2BKing%252C%2BJr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="448" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AoscfOcnzxw/Wl0YEzGCKsI/AAAAAAAAArY/bgL_PcdmZ9s1xo3f1AEQlBhGsFhQpiJWwCLcBGAs/s320/Martin%2BLuther%2BKing%252C%2BJr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, my favorite holiday
because the man it honors would expect us to work for good on his day rather
than take an actual holiday. I like to start this day by flipping through a
huge volume of his writings, stopping to read random passages. I did that this
morning and found some good ones, but there is one simple quote of his that I
have fixated on this year: “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My fixation on this MLK quote actually began months ago. In
my job at <a href="https://www.onestreet.org/">One Street</a>, I answer calls
for assistance from leaders of bicycle advocacy organizations all over the
world. Since last fall, I have had the great pleasure of working with several
extraordinary nonprofit leaders in some of the most battered areas of our world
including Bosnia, Puerto Rico, and DR Congo. In spite of great odds against
them, whether a recent war or hurricane, or marauding armed gangs, these
nonprofits have become beacons of hope in their communities. But just like
them, I have had to recognize the infection of human malice that has crippled
and even destroyed other nonprofits that have contacted me for help. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Martin’s quote is imbedded in his book from 1958, <i>Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story</i>,
where he describes the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement up to that
point, but shows that much more must be done. I think that he was rightfully
afraid that their successes would cause complacency. But even more than that, I
believe that Martin had seen both the extraordinary potential of humans to overcome
malice as well as the insidiousness of that malice. He knew all too well that
backing off even slightly would allow of flood of brutality back in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over my more than forty years of working with nonprofits, I,
like Martin, have come to realize that our species will not reach a point where
we care for each other and halt brutality without a great effort. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I discussed this with a friend of mine recently and, instead
of simply agreeing, she described a scene where a child is building a tower
with building blocks. He places each block with care choosing his next to
ensure his tower will reach the greatest height. Then another child enters the
room and kicks the tower over. I tried to butt in here to bemoan the human tendency
to destroy things built for good, but she corrected me. The second child did
not kick the tower over in order to destroy it or even to harm the first child.
He did so simply because he could, because it was easy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Working to improve our world and help others is difficult.
Harming it and others is easy. We must keep Martin’s quote in mind as we commit
to this difficult task and always remember that human progress will never be
automatic nor inevitable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-23965927056280884422017-11-29T14:31:00.000-07:002017-11-29T14:31:50.377-07:00Bike Hunt Stories Show the Power of Bicycles and the Struggles of Nonprofits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/one-street-press" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUoQE9sCFHs/Wa9482n0c4I/AAAAAAAAApw/icpA-38QKRMEgl3DW-aBcyjc5UfoiX1QgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Bike%2BHunt%2Bcover_frontonly_lowres.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the past few months, I’ve been posting excerpts from my
recently published memoir, <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/one-street-press"><i>Bike Hunt</i></a>, to our <a href="http://www.blogdefyingpovertywithbicycles.org/">Defying Poverty with
Bicycles</a> blog because each story shows how this simple machine can change a
person’s life. From the bright-pink girl’s BMX bike in Miami that I named
Peaches to Silver in San Antonio, these bike hunt stories capture the power of
bicycles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All have the label “Bike Hunt” so you can easily find them. <a href="http://www.blogdefyingpovertywithbicycles.org/search/label/Bike%20Hunt">Click
here</a> to find all nine tagged posts. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But <i>Bike Hunt</i> is
about more than giving away bikes. It is based on the disturbing time I spent
as director of a national nonprofit where bad group behavior took hold of
people I knew to be caring, passionate bike advocates. I capture my experience
at that nonprofit along with my encounters with other nonprofit leaders facing similar
distress. I wrap up the book with my analysis of what happened, having had ten
years to recover, learn, discuss, and think it through.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I often hear from readers that they loved the bike hunt
stories throughout the book, like the ones I shared on the other blog. Readers of
this blog, however, will find solace in the deeper story about nonprofits and
their common struggles. You can buy <i>Bike
Hunt </i>through any online book vendor worldwide (Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
etc.) or order it through your local book store. We also have copies for sale
at <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">www.OneStreet.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Bike Hunt</i> would
make a perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves bikes and is passionate
about changing our world for the better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-18617137479322650112017-09-05T21:29:00.000-07:002017-10-02T13:35:09.298-07:00Bicycle Memoir Reveals Disturbing Group Behavior<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUoQE9sCFHs/Wa9482n0c4I/AAAAAAAAAps/v2xu1PDESFUDSvQcN2bWPa9Bt-BhZ_w6gCLcBGAs/s1600/Bike%2BHunt%2Bcover_frontonly_lowres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUoQE9sCFHs/Wa9482n0c4I/AAAAAAAAAps/v2xu1PDESFUDSvQcN2bWPa9Bt-BhZ_w6gCLcBGAs/s320/Bike%2BHunt%2Bcover_frontonly_lowres.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">A new memoir, called <i>Bike Hunt</i>, uncovers disturbing patterns
in bicycle advocacy and other nonprofits. In the early 2000s, Sue Knaup
believed she had landed her dream job as director of the Thunderhead Alliance,
a national bicycle nonprofit. Though she had escaped abuse as a child, her
ambition obscured her descent into workplace abuse. Over the ensuing five
years, she discovered she was not the only nonprofit leader struggling against
bizarre manipulations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Ten years after her board
fired her without cause, Ms. Knaup has published her memoir capturing not only
the disturbing group behavior she encountered, but her own role in allowing the
abuse. Her first years at Thunderhead are thrilling as she compares her
successes to her previous jobs in nonprofits. All the while, a system of
manipulation is laid out by one particular board member as he slowly gains
support from others within Thunderhead as well as the bicycle industry. Meanwhile,
she watches in dismay as bicycle nonprofits across the United States are crippled
by similar group behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">As she fights for her job, Ms.
Knaup’s “Bike Hunts,” searching for then giving away used bikes, become her
lifeline back to her former, courageous self and the world. Recollections of
her daring as a San Francisco bike messenger, river guide, and hitchhiker
remind her of a time when no one could bully her. Her previous experience in
the animal rights, environmental, and special populations movements help her
decipher how her time at Thunderhead went so terribly wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The day after she surrenders
the fight, Ms. Knaup founds One Street, an international nonprofit serving
bicycle organizations with kindness and respect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Bike Hunt</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> is a tragic love story of an enchantment with and
sacrifice for a magical machine. In the end, it is a story of hope and
resilience for anyone who has ever let themselves slip away into ambition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">“Sue
Knaup’s <i>Bike Hunt</i> is at once a
compelling memoir, a narrative of discovery and political activism as well as a
look at bicycles as you haven’t seen them before,” said Thomas Cobb author of <i>Darkness the Color of Snow</i> and <i>Crazy Heart.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">“</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Knaup’s
story is deeply moving—sad and funny and full of moments of insight. She has
the rare talent to see with clarity where meanness or dishonesty have
prevailed, and her adventures are a thrilling read,” said Elaine Greensmith
Jordan author of <i>Mrs. Ogg Played the Harp. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Buy your copy of <i>Bike Hunt</i> through booksellers worldwide
or at </span><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">www.OneStreet.org</span></a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">. All proceeds support One Street’s service to bicycle
nonprofits around the world.</span></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-40742792116137036132017-08-27T12:41:00.000-07:002017-08-27T12:51:58.641-07:00Could Christiania Be a Kind Communities Model?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bn7kBDaAcFE/WaMfcuolDOI/AAAAAAAAAo8/FZcJfZ5kcZET2nPuDVFr0aQUZ9OWUc1JwCLcBGAs/s1600/Christiania%2Bbike%2Bshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bn7kBDaAcFE/WaMfcuolDOI/AAAAAAAAAo8/FZcJfZ5kcZET2nPuDVFr0aQUZ9OWUc1JwCLcBGAs/s320/Christiania%2Bbike%2Bshop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Following the Velo-city conference in mid-June, I traveled to Denmark to visit a few communities with potential for becoming models for One Street's <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/60-services-a-programs-/241-kind-communities-program" target="_blank">Kind Communities program</a>. Surprisingly, the one community I thought would not make the cut was the only one that did – Christiania.<br />
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For those not familiar with Christiania, it is an autonomous community started in the 1970s when random squatters jumped the fence of an abandoned military base in downtown Copenhagen. Since then, people who chose to live there have cooperated so that their current population of 850 can live amiably together.<br />
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Unfortunately, this includes drug dealers. During my visit and wonderful discussions with long-time residents, including one of the original founders of the bike shop, I learned why this problem is so entrenched. The original squatters were adamant about keeping this taken land separate from Danish and even European laws including allowing the sale and use of drugs, now restricted to hash and pot. Since then, residents have realized this was a mistake as they endure the violence and degradation around the drug dealing area they call Pusher Street right at the main entry.<br />
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Even after purchasing the land from the city in 2012 and thus legitimizing the community, city officials have allowed the drug trade to continue there in order to keep it contained and away from other neighborhoods. When I heard this, all I could think was that Christiania is being used by the city, not respected as a true neighborhood where such a problem would garner serious assistance toward a solution.<br />
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Even so, the residents and leaders of Christiania continue their efforts to abolish the drug dealers who have stained their reputation. Their concerted effort, including working with the drug dealers themselves, actually added to my realization that this community could indeed become a model for Kind Communities.<br />
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What do you think? Have you had experience with Christiania? Do you think it could make the cut? Please read more about our Kind Communities program at www.OneStreet.org then email your thoughts to sue{at}onestreet.org.<br />
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SueSue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-90065194638688383262017-05-04T12:17:00.000-07:002017-05-04T12:17:31.200-07:00First Kind Communities Models<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl2t7PaSteI/WQt96z3KO6I/AAAAAAAAAm0/2M34d_lzy5YmVCIuSPazDDUU5LKSDdeNgCLcB/s1600/Okinawan-people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl2t7PaSteI/WQt96z3KO6I/AAAAAAAAAm0/2M34d_lzy5YmVCIuSPazDDUU5LKSDdeNgCLcB/s320/Okinawan-people.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When we launched our <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/60-services-a-programs-/241-kind-communities-program">Kind
Communities program</a> at the start of this year, we knew it would be a long
haul. Researching and capturing elements that lead to kindness in communities
could be a rather nebulous target to reach for. With the status quo to displace
people in favor of profitable projects and to level old neighborhoods to build
speedways, talking about kind places was sure to bring only blank stares.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wrong! I have been thrilled by the response. Nearly everyone
I have spoken to about Kind Communities gets it. They have either lived in such
a place and miss it terribly or they have been angered by the lack of kindness
in their own communities and have envisioned similar changes. A common comment
is that few people talk to each other anymore, not even neighbors. Others note
the loneliness of living in isolated places where houses are far apart and
driving is the only way to reach community services.<o:p></o:p></div>
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During my recent trip to Washington, D.C., I met with staff
at the nonprofit development firm Community Preservation and Development
Corporation (CPDC). A few minutes into my introduction to our program, they
jumped in to tell me about the success they’d had at one of their affordable
housing projects—Edgewood Commons. After a horrible murder, CPDC took the
opposite approach from the normal lock down. They engaged the tenants as
experts for solving their community's problems. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Two years later, they have dozens of active tenant groups
teaching classes, starting businesses, and keeping their community safe. <a href="http://www.cpdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Power-of-Networks-0218.pdf">They
captured their success in this white paper</a> including the steps they took to
engage residents. CPDC is also looking at ways to bring similar processes to their
other developments in the D.C. area, including bicycle initiatives so residents
can obtain their own bicycle as well as career training in bicycle businesses.
Can you imagine how excited I was to connect with them?<o:p></o:p></div>
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After that meeting and follow up calls, I convinced myself that
CPDC is a special case and to lower my expectations again. Then I asked a
Japanese friend who lives here in Prescott, whether he had any connections in
Okinawa. Okinawa had made our list of potential models because citizens control
the economy through local trade and their culture is to take care of each other.
Within a few days, we were sitting down with Mitsuko, a friend of his who is
from Okinawa and now living in Prescott. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I couldn’t take notes fast enough to capture her
explanations on how the Okinawan people developed their kind culture and have
preserved it through too many forced take overs by foreign nations, including
the U.S. until 1972. Now, though Okinawans’ ancestors have closer ties to China
and Indonesia, the ruling government of Okinawa is Japan, and the U.S. still
has tens of thousands of military personnel on bases there. Through all this, including
unimaginable horrors during World War II, they have preserved their culture of
kindness toward everyone. I will meet with Mitsuko again this weekend to
continue our discussion. She’s so excited about our Kind Communities program
that she has offered to help me connect to more models around the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now I can’t help but look at our list of potential models
with a sense of excitement for what I will discover next. Here are the next
likely for my outreach:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Nantes, France</b> –focus on fun, citizen
engagement, and honesty about their past. Video from Velo-city 2015: <a href="https://vimeo.com/97097924">https://vimeo.com/97097924</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Paqueta</b> island in Rio de Janiero. Brazil
– funny video of bicycles and car-free island: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C4lNCLcfa8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C4lNCLcfa8</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Worcester, Vermont</b> – citizen-led, community
lunches every Wednesday, central gathering place, online forum for sharing
things, community pride. 1,000 population. <i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Villages and tribes that are unlikely to
identify themselves as anything special. I’ve got some calls in to our local
tribe here in Prescott.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I also have my eye on communities that seem to be trying to
rebuild into kind communities, either after disasters or simply to recapture a
sense of community they once had. Here are some from that list:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Christchurch, New Zealand</b> - <a href="http://www.regeneratechristchurch.nz/">http://www.regeneratechristchurch.nz/</a>
Earthquakes hit in 2010 and 2011. Started this entity in 2016. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Greensburg, Kansas</b> – called their
rebuilding after the 2011 tornado “green” and focused on energy-efficient
buildings. Now locals are grumbling, but there still seems to have pride in
their effort - <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/04/29/307913565/kansas-town-destroyed-by-tornado-spreads-blame-for-lack-of-growth">http://www.npr.org/2014/04/29/307913565/kansas-town-destroyed-by-tornado-spreads-blame-for-lack-of-growth</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada</b> – efforts at
engaging local artists and business owners: <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/09/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-what-i-regret-about-pouring-350-million-into-las-vegas.html">http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/09/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-what-i-regret-about-pouring-350-million-into-las-vegas.html</a>
oddly begun by the millionaire CEO of Zappos. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Key West, Florida</b> – seems to be a kind
community, residents trying to organize to stop reckless developers and
preserve old community including affordable housing and bicycle access.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re looking for more potential models to add to our list
so we’ll have a broad range to learn from as we compile case studies and
resources to help all of you shift your own communities back toward kindness. Here
is our current list of criteria (sure to be refined as we move forward):</div>
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<ul>
<li>Residents feel secure and affordable housing is not threatened;</li>
<li>Well-used community center including workshops with tools to share and classes led by residents;</li>
<li>Improvements, projects, and activities organized by residents;</li>
<li>Businesses owned and operated by residents (few if any outside chains), most necessities served (grocery, hardware, clothing, staples, etc.), social enterprise?:</li>
<li>No charity services;</li>
<li>Residents care for each other, none marginalized;</li>
<li>Community goals and changes serve as many residents as possible, especially those near the margins, without doing any residents harm;</li>
<li>Streets are all traffic calmed with pedestrians and bicyclists prioritized;</li>
<li>Easy access to affordable transportation, especially bicycles, bikeways, and affordable bicycle repair.</li>
</ul>
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As you can see from our <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/60-services-a-programs-/241-kind-communities-program">Kind
Communities webpage</a>, we believe that such a backdrop of kindness will
enable significant improvements for bicycling, for everyone, no matter their
ability, age, or income level.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you know of a kind community that could be a model for
this program? If so, please offer it in the comments section.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sue</span>Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-39247987559464740192016-12-19T12:33:00.000-07:002017-01-30T13:59:02.263-07:00Learning from Kind Communities, Bicycles as Canaries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ABlkBd28jc/WFg0wlewjbI/AAAAAAAAAjk/Oycdy3J9sRscbL7sVeQkeK-EQ7t--cVdwCLcB/s1600/bicycle-canary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ABlkBd28jc/WFg0wlewjbI/AAAAAAAAAjk/Oycdy3J9sRscbL7sVeQkeK-EQ7t--cVdwCLcB/s320/bicycle-canary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most of us have been enchanted by places that have no outstanding
feature, no grand building or super highway, no monstrous shopping mall or
ballfield to draw inane profits. Instead, we enter such places with ease and relax
even with activity all around. </div>
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Some of the places that come to my mind include particular
neighborhoods within cities; villages in Mexico, Africa, and Thailand, even
Bangkok as a whole, though it is a massive city. I’ve worked on farms in villages
in Sweden and New Zealand where people care for each other, rallying to help
anyone in distress. Nantes, France is another city that makes my list with its playfulness
and caring for its residents. These are wildly different places and yet each
shares one feature – everyone who lives in places like this, kind places,
expects to ride a bicycle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i> I show why organizations, like organisms, need
to be healthy in order to accomplish positive change. This includes a strong purpose
(skeleton), coordinated people helping each other (muscles), sound policies
(nervous system), and steady communications (respiratory and circulatory
systems). Now I wonder, could whole communities also function this way? <o:p></o:p></div>
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In 2017, <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">One Street</a>
will embark on a new program to unlock the secrets of communities that already
enjoy a connected and empowered citizenship. Our mission is based on serving
leaders of bicycle organizations, yet we have found that bicycle facilities and
programs in communities that isolate people—whether by high-speed roads, sprawl
and single-use development, gentrification/displacement, or police harassment—cause
little if any change. Many of these bicycle-only victories are eventually removed
or vanish because they reside where people are not prioritized.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bicycles are to communities what canaries were to miners.
When few people can ride bikes, or only one sort of people rides bikes, it is a
sure sign of disease. In such places, officials base decisions on grand
infrastructure, attracting large businesses, and reactions to complaints,
isolating and marginalizing people as if they are bothersome, inanimate objects.
Streets are widened, housing and public spaces replaced by shopping centers and
car parking lots. The purpose or skeleton of such a community is diseased and
its muscles, the participation of its citizens, have atrophied. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been studying several proactive efforts that touch on
this topic, but don’t hit the mark:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Intentional communities and ecovillages – focus on
kindness and connection within their group, but are usually isolated from
mainstream society.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Service communities – serve marginalized individuals,
but rarely engage them as leaders or integrate their community into mainstream
society.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Placemaking, community development corporations,
and other socially sensitive developments – generally focus on infrastructure
designed by outside “experts” and diminish the expertise of the people they
desire to serve.</span></li>
</ul>
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Even these promising efforts tend to veer away from integration.
Our research into the reasons for this will be important to this new program. We
do know that organizations and communities tend to devolve into places where a
few people dominate, where new ideas are suppressed, where the hard work of
kindness and respect are replaced by sudden pronouncements from those few or their
call for a majority vote. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The goals of our new program will include identifying models
and creating resources to help organization and community leaders gain the
courage to resist this tendency and instead ensure the engagement of everyone (not
serving them, engaging them) to better their community together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our working name for this new program is Kind Communities
because it will examine communities as a whole to find out how some have kept
or shifted their focus to break down barriers that marginalize people. And one
of our best gauges for finding these model places will be that everyone—no
matter their age, ability, or income—expects to ride a bike whenever and
wherever they like.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you know of places like this? Can you offer pertinent
resources, books, websites, or conferences? If so, please offer them in the
comments section. Also, we’d appreciate any suggestions for naming the program.
Kind Communities will work, but we’re looking for suggestions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks in advance!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-71825710720470175552016-09-29T17:28:00.000-07:002016-09-29T17:28:04.089-07:00Annual Planning Prevents Frustration in Nonprofits<div class="MsoNormal">
In my work at One Street as an on-call coach for leaders of nonprofit
bicycle organizations, I often hear frustration from jumping between unrelated
tasks. Each day, these nonprofit leaders find themselves running after new opportunities
and never get the chance to carry anything through. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the morning, they might start on a new grant proposal
that shifts their work into the grantor’s expectations then have to dash across
town to have lunch with a potential partner who wants them to add a children’s
bike safety program to their work. Once they get back to the office, they have
to return calls and emails from enthusiastic people wanting them to improve
particular streets for bicycling or needing their help responding to a car/bike
crash. By the time they leave for the day, they’ve accomplished nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frustrating days like these turning into months, and even
years, become a recipe for burnout and are often the reason that talented
leaders leave their organizations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCT6tA6ekNA/V-2xN6MHPBI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/5N8PNjRljrYYJt5mf79YW1v3230mTDfdACLcB/s1600/meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCT6tA6ekNA/V-2xN6MHPBI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/5N8PNjRljrYYJt5mf79YW1v3230mTDfdACLcB/s320/meeting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whenever I hear stories of frustration like this, my first
question is whether they have an annual plan, also known as a work plan and
budget. Most often, the answer is no. Without an annual plan that clarifies
exactly what the organization needs to accomplish that year, with no more than
three defined categories of programs, leaders and staff will be scattered just
like the scenario about. But with an annual plan, they can filter out
inappropriate grants and guide donors and supporters to help with their current
efforts instead of diverting them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i>, I devote a section to annual planning because
of its high importance. Here’s how I start that section:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
“Planning is the most important
responsibility for you and your fellow leaders because no one else will do it.
Without a plan, you will waste enormous amounts of time and money dabbling in
random activities and will likely lose many potential leaders and helpers along
the way. No one stays around long without an effective plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
There are two types of planning
you as leaders have to engage in: long-term planning and annual planning.
Briefly, long-term planning creates a clear picture well into the future,
including what your community will look like after your work is done. Your
mission statement drives all of it. You will read more about long-term planning
later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Annual planning, as the name
implies, takes place every year and maps out specific activities toward your
long-term goals. Near the end of each year at a special meeting, at least half
a day long, you and your fellow leaders will examine your expectations for the past
year compared to what actually happened. Using this reality check, you will
work together to develop your work plan and budget for the coming year.
Reference your long-term plan to ensure that the details you outline for the
year will follow the shortest and most effective path toward your mission and general
goals…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">This is the time of year to begin scheduling
your annual planning meeting. Contact all of your board members and your
management-level staff to find out when they can set aside a full day in
November or early December. Don’t wait, because if you can’t find a day within
that timeframe that works for everyone, you’ll hit the holidays and miss your
chance to finish your plan by the end of the year. Once you succeed, you can
keep this system going for all future years to prevent frustration of wasted
time and ensure your organization is causing positive change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sue</span>Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-53933083956502791042016-08-02T17:08:00.000-07:002016-08-02T17:08:41.540-07:00Right Sizing Your Nonprofit<div class="MsoNormal">
In <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i> I emphasize the importance of appropriate size
for any organization working for positive change. Too often, nonprofit leaders
get stuck on a fixed image of their organization that does not match its
strongest structure. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve encountered both extremes. Some leaders of very small
nonprofits believe their organization should be massive with a downtown office,
lots of equipment, and an army of staff. Perhaps they are enamored by another
nonprofit with this sort of structure, but don’t recognize the differences.
Such leaders become obsessed with fundraising and are the most vulnerable to
chasing down and accepting inappropriately earmarked funds. When such funds are
accepted, they can derail the organization into unrelated work or worse, set
them up for years of legal battles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other extreme, are leaders of thriving, medium or large
nonprofits who decide that downsizing or merging with another organization is
the best move. Sometimes this is so. But too often, these sorts of decisions
come from laziness. Such leaders are not good at working in a team or reaching
out for helpers. Others never understood the mission of the organization and
simply can’t articulate it to attract helpers. They believe that every new effort
will mean that they have to do all the work. And so cancelling programs and
events or even transferring resources to another organization seems like their
only choice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s no need for all this strife and wasted energy as long
as you take an honest assessment of your organization’s purpose and match it to
the appropriate structure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If your group came together to accomplish just a few
specific projects in your community, perhaps a community garden and an annual
event for educating the public, there is no reason for staff or an office.
Share the load among your team and keep reaching out into the community for
more helpers to ensure the success of the garden and events.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, if your nonprofit was founded to tackle an entrenched
injustice, perhaps gang dominance or animal cruelty, then know that you and
your team will have to build a strong structure complete with office, staff,
engaging website, and frequent media and communication campaigns in order to
turn your particular societal tide. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the book, I use a star analogy to show what I mean by
appropriate size. New stars are nebulous, just like new organizations, and both
can vanish with the slightest disruption. All nonprofits go through this stage,
but it’s vital to move through it as fast as possible. Knowing how large your
organization needs to be to accomplish its mission will help focus your limited
resources in the right direction. For small community organization, that will
include passing <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/starting-an-organization/64-hiddenstuff/hiddenstuff/110-bylaws">clear,
concise bylaws</a> that spell out your purpose, roles of leaders, and how
leaders are chosen. This will prevent self-interested people from taking over
the organization.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-d-xWsRuBM/V6E1a1nXGNI/AAAAAAAAAgw/3bWKkJ2841473ULUbLzIq7IezIji4AZNwCLcB/s1600/Red-Giant-Star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G-d-xWsRuBM/V6E1a1nXGNI/AAAAAAAAAgw/3bWKkJ2841473ULUbLzIq7IezIji4AZNwCLcB/s320/Red-Giant-Star.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other extreme of the star analogy are the red giants.
These are stars that have grown so large they hardly give off any light or
energy. Instead, they turn inward and consume themselves forming a hard outer
shell. The relation to oversized nonprofits is very disturbing. Here’s how I
describe it in the book:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
“…There is indeed a desperation
about red giant organizations. They seem to believe that as long as everyone
who works for them is doing something, they’re okay. Yet if you ask people
outside the organization what it has done to benefit its target community, no
one can say. Much like red giant stars, these organizations usually create
hard, exclusive shells that prevent people from getting involved or learning
much about them. Instead, they focus inward using exclusive jargon to create
extravagant materials that justify their existence. And just like red giant
stars, these massive, expanding organizations eventually run out of internal
energy, their hard outer shells collapse and, in their desperation, they grab
at other organizations, stealing credit for the others' work…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The important difference between stars and nonprofits is
that all stars will eventually become red giants, but nonprofits have the
choice not to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The aim for any healthy nonprofit should be the type of star
that is between these two. Much like our own sun, these stars give off the same
amount of energy they produce and with this balance, they can look forward to a
long life of benefiting their target community.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So how can you gauge whether or not your organization has
settled into the appropriate structure? Ask yourselves these questions:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Have you established strong bylaws and are you
following them? If not, you are still in that dangerous nebulous stage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->With a clear picture of the goals needed to
reach your purpose have you and your team mapped out the structures and steps
needed to reach them? If not, do so right away before chasing after any
inappropriate funding.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are any of your leaders fed up with doing too much
work? Then take an honest look at how all of you have been communicating with
your constituents. There is a reason people are not offering to help. Find it
or you will fall into the red giant danger zone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many other signs of inappropriate size. Please
email me at sue{at}onestreet.org if you think I can help or leave your concerns
in the comments section.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also look for the positive signs that you and your team have
hit that right-sized sweet spot. Here’s how I describe it in <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i>:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
“…Health is easy to identify. We
are attracted to it and seek simple ways to achieve it. By now you should have
several healthy organizations in mind; perhaps a charter school, a dog owners’
club, a neighborhood watch group or a gang intervention organization. Their
boards are strong and working as a team with the executive director. Each
executive director is confident and comfortable in his or her position.
Appropriate candidates for the board are regularly invited to take part in
activities and learn about the organization before being invited to serve. The
organization is following a plan that aligns with its mission. Start a list of
your favorite healthy organizations so you can refer to them as you work
through this book and bring your organization back to health. Consider how they
present themselves and attract great people to help their efforts. Reach out to
them and note how they communicate with you. Use them as your models for your
own organization…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you already enjoy this sort of a supportive and
gratifying atmosphere you can rest assured that you and your team are making
the right decisions and ensuring the long term health of your organization. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you have healthy nonprofits in mind that you would like
to share and some details about how you think they reached this point? Please
share them in the comments section.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-76788124605754008472016-07-04T14:46:00.001-07:002016-07-04T14:46:17.371-07:00Fighting Our Dysfunction Default<div class="MsoNormal">
Today is Independence Day here in the United States when we
celebrate our declaration to rule ourselves, which set in motion the building
of our nation. So it seems like an appropriate day to write about the opposite
of successful efforts—the tendency within nonprofits toward dysfunction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nonprofits proliferate because established governments are
so bogged down in corporate dealings, politics, and bureaucracies they cannot
provide basic services. Here in the U.S., our government can’t get past the
insurance industry to provide basic health care. In Africa, foreign aid lures
government leaders into massive projects rather than programs to serve their
people. And most recently, immigrant-hating hecklers seem to have convinced the
UK government to break away from Europe and set the stage for years of
rebuilding for no measurable gain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m somewhat glad that governments tend toward dysfunction
because otherwise they would wield too much power. But this leaves the
responsibility for significant societal benefits squarely in the laps of
nonprofits. Unfortunately, as I show in <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a>,</i> nonprofits are just as inclined toward
dysfunction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhBjAZpc5dk/V3rXykPjszI/AAAAAAAAAfI/5GjzbT_LPrUuIStlJUW8VRdVoNMlasH-ACLcB/s1600/Dysfunction1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhBjAZpc5dk/V3rXykPjszI/AAAAAAAAAfI/5GjzbT_LPrUuIStlJUW8VRdVoNMlasH-ACLcB/s320/Dysfunction1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dysfunction seems to be our default setting. Even in
nonprofits, we set out to achieve critical missions only to spend our time in
meetings and developing projects and programs that change nothing. For instance,
<a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">at One Street</a> I work with many leaders
of bicycle organization who find themselves in ruts of time-sucking programs
such as bike education events or rides that only attract current enthusiasts.
Worse are the programs that <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/resources-for-increasing-bicycling/136-bicycle-helmets">undermine
bicycle advocacy such as pushing bicycle helmets</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most people are not leaders and prefer finite tasks over
developing long-term visions and the disruptive steps necessary to reach them.
Even those with leadership skills find relief in simple tasks like laundry or
chopping vegetables. But if we expect to change the world, we need more than
chopped vegetables. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are some steps you can take toward fighting the
dysfunction default when you realize your nonprofit is spinning in place:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>STEP 1:</b> <b>Check your mission</b>. If it does not
clearly state significant, positive change it could be at the heart of your
problem. Consider a rewrite with the rest of your team to change out passive
wording for eyebrow-raising terms that shock casual observers. <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/management/64-hiddenstuff/hiddenstuff/119-mission--vision--values--goals-sample">Read
more about developing an effective mission and vision here</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But a great mission cannot prevent our dysfunction default.
If your nonprofit is not causing measurable results, something needs to change.
Leaving a dysfunctional nonprofit in place is harmful because it prevents an
effective one from being formed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>STEP 2:</b> <b>Find more leaders</b>. Leaders thrive on
long-term visions. Their pulses race when asked to define goals years in
advance and map out the steps to reach them. They understand the intricate web
of experts, partners, and supporters needed to achieve significant change and easily
prioritize the necessary tasks for staff and volunteers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But talented leaders are deflected away from dysfunctional
organizations. They’ve been burned too often in leadership roles where others
prefer their rut, where current leaders take pride in the wasteful programs
they developed. Friends defend useless efforts by people who should never have
been given responsibility. Even hecklers are defended. And when new leaders who
bruise those egos finally give up and leave, the remaining leaders snap
everything back to their former ineffective ways.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bAVJav8C_Kg/V3rYGjjfujI/AAAAAAAAAfM/0siIj_C_LLs0Y5oFet5zgI4RfniGn9pBwCLcB/s1600/Wildebeests-alligator.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bAVJav8C_Kg/V3rYGjjfujI/AAAAAAAAAfM/0siIj_C_LLs0Y5oFet5zgI4RfniGn9pBwCLcB/s320/Wildebeests-alligator.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a rather sick affection for this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMJXvsCLu6s">video of wildebeests and an alligator</a>
that serves as comedic relief each time I encounter this snap-back reaction in
dysfunctional nonprofits. It shows the value of recording and then believing in
progress made. Use this to present your nonprofit as eager to change. That sort
of humility will increase your chances of attracting great leaders. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Look for those with big ideas toward your mission (be leery
of ideas that stray or suggest personal gain). Those who harp on immediate
tasks will be great volunteers, but not leaders. Guiding task-oriented people
away from leadership roles should not be offensive. Finding the best role for
each individual is not only respectful, it will set them up for success. <a href="http://www.curesforailingorganizations.org/2016/05/nonprofit-priority-matrix-focuses.html">Read
more about the value of appropriate roles in my last blog post</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>STEP 3: Plan to fight
chronic dysfunction</b>. Realize that because your nonprofit slipped into
dysfunction it will always have this tendency. Of course all nonprofits are in
danger of this slip, but once it has happened, some people will defend it. We’re
no better than those wildebeests in that video. Set in place policies that
spell out what progress means and checkpoints that measure progress. Your fight
against dysfunction will never end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you are a leader of a bicycle organization
that has slumped into a rut of dysfunction, please don’t hesitate to contact
me: sue{at}onestreet.org. I’m sure I can help. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sue</span>Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-91034249594718562902016-05-24T12:47:00.000-07:002016-05-24T12:47:32.266-07:00Nonprofit Priority Matrix Focuses Limited Time <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q5VsZqdjjRc/V0SvEXDQQPI/AAAAAAAAAew/kRZf42vOXP4j_WR6jOpl9601sR_BTwcFQCLcB/s1600/Priority_Matrix.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q5VsZqdjjRc/V0SvEXDQQPI/AAAAAAAAAew/kRZf42vOXP4j_WR6jOpl9601sR_BTwcFQCLcB/s400/Priority_Matrix.png" width="307" /></a></div>
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Nonprofit organizations usually struggle with two limited
resources – money and time. <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/images/stories/Priority_Matrix.pdf">One Street’s
Priority Matrix</a> is designed to help nonprofits achieve the most from the finite
time their team has to offer. Before using the Priority Matrix, the first step
is to ensure that everyone is serving in the best role for their character and
skills; both staff and volunteers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i>, I emphasize finding proper roles for everyone
in an organization. Those who are experts and specialists should not be
expected to serve in leadership roles that require broad, long-term vision. On
the other hand, visionaries with leadership skills should know that their role
as leader is plenty and should not be expected to accomplish complex tasks. Some
individuals will want to hold multiple roles. Just make sure these roles are distinct.
By finding proper roles for everyone who wants to help your organization, you
will ensure that their time achieves meaningful success. And people who see
their efforts causing positive change will stay around for more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Once everyone on your team is happy and effective in their
roles, the <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/images/stories/Priority_Matrix.pdf">Priority
Matrix</a> will become a useful tool toward greater efficiency. With it, you
can distinguishing between critical work that the organization relies on and
urgent tasks that require immediate attention. Critical work is always best done
well before it becomes urgent. And urgent work that is critical must be kept to
a minimum to keep stress levels low and prevent programs from being
compromised. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The matrix highlights ways to avoid the critical/urgent mode
by keeping your team working steadily on current tasks so they are never
surprised by a deadline. Note that 100% of volunteer time is shown in the
not-critical category. This is because non-leader volunteers should never be
placed in a position where the organization’s success depends on them. They are
still placed in the urgent section because the role of volunteers is to make
current projects even better. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Post this matrix where members of your team can check it to
make sure they are working effectively. Use it during planning meetings when inefficient
ideas are offered such as asking staff to spend time on tasks that are not critical
when volunteers are available to do that work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This Priority Matrix is one of my favorite tools for
ensuring effective use of time in nonprofits. Do you have another favorite you’d
like to share? If so, please include it in the comments sections.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-74488025068474713612016-03-30T14:22:00.000-07:002016-03-30T14:22:52.870-07:00Confronting Dictators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmUiIMM-SuA/VvxDL2tiHuI/AAAAAAAAAdI/JPL8k8ZOGkMR4n9fXKPA8HivSH7W9Uh3A/s1600/Dictator-Calvin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmUiIMM-SuA/VvxDL2tiHuI/AAAAAAAAAdI/JPL8k8ZOGkMR4n9fXKPA8HivSH7W9Uh3A/s1600/Dictator-Calvin.jpg" /></a></div>
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Dictators come in all shapes, sizes, and roles. We see too
many in the news, but the dictators most of us have to confront will never make
headlines.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve been working with a small nonprofit that does excellent
work for their community. Recently, one of their worthy projects, a proposed
community park, was derailed by a man in another nonprofit that is a necessary
partner to the project. There is no logical reason for this man to block the
park. He simply sees it as a threat to his authority and has no interest in
leading the project himself so he has sabotaged it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve also been working with <a href="http://www.curesforailingorganizations.org/2016/02/campaign-planning-is-valuable-tool-for.html">leaders
of nonprofits in the Ukraine</a> as they develop bicycle and sustainable
transportation campaigns to help reunite their torn country; torn by a
well-known dictator. Other front-page confrontations of dictators show
similarly unnerving situations that have persisted over too many decades
including some positive results from <a href="http://qz.com/317020/the-way-obama-handled-castro-is-a-new-blueprint-for-dealing-with-dictators/">President
Obama’s efforts in Cuba</a> and few changes in <a href="http://africasacountry.com/2016/03/the-big-man-syndrome-in-africa/">the
Big Man Syndrome in Africa</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dictators come in many forms, some working from the shadows
within nonprofits, others blatant and confident at microphones on the world
stage. But all share these characteristics: </div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A belief that their power cannot be challenged.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Certainty that they are the expert and have
superior knowledge over anyone else.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Treating the people they work with as their
minions who must follow their commands.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">No interest in discussion of issues or alternative
plans.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Disgust of visionary ideas and seeing such ideas
as threats to their power.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A history of being rewarded for manipulative and
bullying behavior i.e., elections, promotions, awards, accolades, supporters.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Often, but not necessarily, a large physical
stature and noteworthy charisma.</span></li>
</ul>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press"><i>Cures for Ailing Organizations</i></a>, I discuss
cultures of brutality within organizations that incubate such dictators. Even a
bylaws document that provides ultimate power of some over others can give
people with this tendency and background the greenlight to become dictators. In
other cases, the organization structure itself creates a system that is easily
exploited by dictators. Prisons are one extreme example of this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In his book <i>The
Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil</i>, Dr. Philip
Zimbardo describes his discovery of this phenomenon through his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment">Stanford Prison
Experiment</a> in 1971. He had encountered strange behaviors through his work
as a psychologist at prisons and wanted to see if he could recreate them in a
controlled experiment. He created a makeshift prison in a Stanford University
basement and hired 18 young men for two weeks – nine he randomly chose to be
guards, the other nine to be prisoners. By day six, the guards’ brutality
toward the prisoners had become unthinkable. Even then, as the overarching
authority (dictator), Dr. Zimbardo pushed for the experiment to continue. It
took a concerted and relentless confrontation from his girlfriend and peers to
snap him out of his spell of power and end the experiment. He writes about his
experience as someone who had lost control over himself and his empathy toward
others. Dr. Zimbardo has subsequently been hired to analyze similar situations
that hit the world stage such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse">horrible
incidents at Abu Ghraib</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Stanford Prison Experiment proved that we all have a
tendency to become dictators given the proper recipe of situational support, an
abusive and secretive system, and a lack of training in empathy and respect for
others. If you have never bullied, demeaned, or manipulated another person,
think back to your role models. How did these kind people instill in you a
default of caring and empathy toward others? Now, imagine your life without
these people. Wouldn’t the temptation to act on your anger be so much more
enticing? Wouldn’t the fantasy of forced power where everyone jumps to your
every wish actually seem comforting? How easy everything would be. How lazy and
luxurious your life would become.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dictators are humans like us, but most have never had the benefit
of kind and empathetic role models. They have never known a moral compass and
don’t have the slightest clue what this is. Even if they did have such role
models, they have found a way to dismiss them, just as Dr. Zimbardo did when he
pushed to continue the Stanford Prison Experiment. None of us are guaranteed a
firm grip on our moral compass.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Such empathy toward dictators does not excuse them. All of
us have a moral obligation to confront dictators if we are in a position to do
so, especially dictators doing harm. Such confrontations are about as appealing
as throwing yourself off a bridge, with about as much expectation of coming
through the incident unscathed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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First, check your level of responsibility for the situation
before embarking on this treacherous path. Most readers of this blog are
leaders of an organization and we will unfortunately find ourselves in
situations that give us no option but to confront – to protect our
organization, to ensure the success of a project or campaign, to defend victims
of abuse, and so on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Next, gather trusted advisors, perhaps your fellow leaders
or the role models I alluded to earlier. Present your concern objectively to
them and see how they react. Ensure that your ego is in check and the reason
for your concern has nothing to do with hurt feelings and personal anger. If your
advisors agree that a confrontation is needed, start preparing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Learn about the system and culture that supports this
dictator. Find those he or she must answer to and bring your concern to them.
If such a discrete confrontation does not resolve the problem, return to your
advisors to plan a more public confrontation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Confronting dictators will never be pleasant, but if we find
ourselves to be the best suited for the job, we must take on this challenge.
Otherwise, people who have lost their kindness, even humanness, to become a
dictator will be left unchecked to trample their victims.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Are you facing or have you ever faced a situation that
forced you to confront a dictator? If so, please tell your story in the
comments section below.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-71407795133878555952016-02-29T13:44:00.000-07:002016-02-29T13:44:17.172-07:00Campaign Planning Is a Valuable Tool for Nonprofits<div class="MsoNormal">
In <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i> I show readers how to strengthen their
leadership team and organization’s structure. But I also emphasize that without
accomplishments, a nonprofit cannot survive. Nonprofits are founded to make
specific changes for the communities they serve. The founders saw a problem
that was serious enough to go to the trouble of creating an organization to
solve it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sometimes such societal changes can occur over the long term
through ongoing programs. Nonprofits that provide services to particular sorts
of people are one example where ongoing programs are the best choice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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However, most other types of nonprofits need the skills to
force positive change through advocacy and proper campaign planning. The status
quo is not easily changed so a good shove is usually needed. These skills
enable the nonprofit’s leaders to choose the best campaigns and carry them
through to success. Succeeding with a campaign is one of the best ways to grow
a nonprofit because those whose lives were improved by the campaign will want
to help the nonprofit accomplish even more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QCtQcKbpuc4/VtSr53loU3I/AAAAAAAAAcg/ztqtYWMLtmk/s1600/lunch-counter-sit-ins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QCtQcKbpuc4/VtSr53loU3I/AAAAAAAAAcg/ztqtYWMLtmk/s320/lunch-counter-sit-ins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few examples of well-known campaigns that succeeded in
improving lives:<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensboro_sit-ins" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">lunch counter sit-ins</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
to repeal the whites-only service at Woolworths.</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_independence_movement" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Indian
Independence Movement</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> when Mohandas Gandhi and his team showed the British
the door.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Great campaigns don’t have to be as high-profile as these.
In fact, some take place in just a few meetings with the appropriate officials.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Campaigns can also be used for malicious purposes, so
understanding the way they work can help nonprofit leaders identify and stop harmful
campaigns before they gain momentum. One example of a malicious campaign that
is particularly galling to One Street is the successful adoption of the <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history">car industry’s invention
of jaywalking</a> to criminalize those using the public right-of-way without a
car. No pedestrian or bicycle nonprofits existed at that time because there
hadn’t been a need. So the campaign went unchecked and to this day, anyone who
sets foot in an American street is at best mocked and at worst hauled off to
jail. I have to admit, it was a damn clever campaign.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring campaign
planning processes in detail for a very special project in eastern Ukraine. A
few months ago leaders of the Kyiv Cyclists’ Association invited me to come to
Ukraine to teach three campaign planning workshops in three eastern cities. The
goal of the project is to help reunite the country through partnerships toward positive
change, in this case, bicycle and sustainable transportation campaigns.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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All three workshops had to be completed by early March in
order to meet with the requirements of USAID, the funder of the project. We
realized the timeframe wouldn’t work for my teaching the workshops, so we had
to find a way to transfer my campaign planning workshop experience to them so
that they could teach them themselves. (Read more about the project in our
upcoming <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/news-stories">Jan-Feb 2016
E-newsletter</a>).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through several Skype meetings and many emails Viktor, Ira,
and I worked through best practices and the most common difficulties of these
workshops to ensure theirs would start at a high level. We also created a
customized workbook for attendees, which Viktor and Ira translated into
Ukrainian Cyrillic. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teaching someone else is one of the best ways to review and learn
even more about a favorite topic. I’ve posted the basics on <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/campaign-planning">One Street’s Campaign
Planning page</a>, but training Viktor and Ira meant a far deeper analysis. Through
this project, I have been reminded of the importance of:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ensuring that only leaders of nonprofits attend
the campaign planning workshop because only they will know what their
organization can and cannot take on.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Distinguishing between campaigns and programs.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Choosing a campaign that is likely to win.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Remembering that problem development is always
the most difficult for attendees, so plenty of time must be given for this early
step.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Emphasizing that attendees are the experts for
their unique situations and need workshop time to work through the details, so
case studies from other areas are all but useless.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Taking the time to allow attendees to fully
assess who in their community has the power to solve the problem they have
defined.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Showing attendees the value of completing a
comprehensive campaign plan before launching it. I like to use a favorite quote
from Sun Tzu in </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Art of </i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">War, 6</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
century BC: “The successful strategist only enters battle after the battle has
been won.”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two of the three workshops have already taken place and the
results are outstanding! See them in the E-newsletter article linked above.
Most notable are the clear goals for growing each of their nonprofits through
their campaigns and using them as springboards for even more positive change in
their troubled area.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve learned many times over the years, and especially over
these past few months, that campaign planning is one of the most valuable tools
for energizing nonprofits and ensuring they forge a confident path toward the
mission their founders intended. Eastern Ukraine is becoming a proven model of
this through this inspiring project.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you would like more info on One Street's Campaign Planning efforts please use the comments box below.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-85206353856609342082015-12-07T13:07:00.000-07:002015-12-07T13:07:55.077-07:00Google Discovery Could Prevent Fractures in Nonprofits<div class="MsoNormal">
I try not to read corporate blogs designed to squeeze more
work out of their workers. Most stink of patronizing platitudes spewed out by
consultants who promise output to whoever pays them for their fluff. So when a
reader emailed me a link to Google’s blog for their workers, I groaned. Not
only is the thing called re:Work, the home page shouts: Let’s Make Work Better.
Better for who?, my cynical self asked. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then I started reading the particular post. Some of
their HR staff had spent two years studying “teams” within Google to find a
recipe that could make any team effective. By the second paragraph they’d
hooked me:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“…We were pretty confident that we'd find the perfect mix of
individual traits and skills necessary for a stellar team -- take one Rhodes
Scholar, two extroverts, one engineer who rocks at AngularJS, and a PhD. Voila.
Dream team assembled, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were dead wrong. Who is on a team matters less than how
the team members interact, structure their work, and view their contributions.
So much for that magical algorithm…”</div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w_gU3uERJ6I/VmXlYJf7lMI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/fhugxOdsJXs/s1600/Google-teams.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w_gU3uERJ6I/VmXlYJf7lMI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/fhugxOdsJXs/s320/Google-teams.png" width="271" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s when I realized this was not the ordinary corporate
blog post. These HR people had hit on something that matters to any organization,
committee, or team; any group within nonprofits. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Their most profound discovery is that psychological safety
is the number one factor in effective teams. I ran this through many of my own
experiences as well as those I’ve guided leaders through and sure enough it hit
them all. For every organization I’ve seen fall apart, I could recall a loss of
psychological safety at the start of the downward spiral. I’d never identified
it this way. Rather, I’d viewed these tragedies as the fallout after factions
or rogues begin working against the others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reading this post from Google I realized that to cause
psychological safety in such groups could actually prevent factions and rogues
from splitting away. As I explain in <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i>, some people truly want to harm an
organization by splitting the group, but more often rogues and factions are
good people who simply believe they have no other choice but to block the
efforts of the group. What if they felt comfortable voicing their ideas? I
wonder how many sad stories of broken groups could be avoided.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take a few minutes to read the short post called “<a href="https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team/">The
five keys to a successful Google team</a>” and see what you think. The other
four keys are interesting, too, but that first one really hit home for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you discovered other traits of effective teams? Have
you witnessed any of these in action? Please offer your experiences in the
comments section.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-65308085235847880212015-11-16T18:54:00.000-07:002015-11-16T18:54:58.154-07:00Charity or Murder: Both Result from Dehumanization<div class="MsoNormal">
The recent attacks in Paris have caused important
discussions and some horrific responses. I know that it is human nature to seek
revenge; for the attacked to attack their attacker. This starts from our
survival instinct, but soon goes too far. Because of these murders more
liberties will be taken from all of us, more civilians will be killed in Syria,
more hate talk against various groups will go unchecked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Leaders of organizations big and small face this swinging
pendulum of hate more often than we like to admit. Sometimes factions form within
our organization, pitting people who were once friends against each other.
Other times we must turn all our resources toward stopping different groups
from harming each other. I even found this in the animal rights movement, a
movement not even focused on humans, as overzealous activists claimed that people
who harmed animals should be harmed in the same way or even killed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I watch the reactions to the Paris attacks with mixed
feelings. Of course it’s good for people to stand up against hate. But do we
realize how close we are to hating the haters?<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is an effective response, but it requires perspective,
an understanding of dehumanization, and the calming of our initial reaction. I
cover this response method in Chapter 3 of <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i> because unless we stop such inappropriate
behavior at its very beginning, there’s no point solving the easier problems. Surprisingly,
this response not only undermines hate, but charity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Zisco0sQ-g/VkqFb_BiuHI/AAAAAAAAAZI/2toW-J3XBWs/s1600/starving-ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Zisco0sQ-g/VkqFb_BiuHI/AAAAAAAAAZI/2toW-J3XBWs/s200/starving-ad.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The seeds of hate are planted in the same way as the seeds
of charity – by making the hater or the charity giver a better being than their
target. This is dehumanization.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sometimes large charity organizations become larger than
their cause needs them to be or can support. This inertia and desperation to
survive at their current level helps their leaders to justify messages and images
that show their constituents as helpless and unable to care for themselves –
starving, flies crawling on them, dependent on the organization. This draws
people longing to help without having to put in the work to understand the true
situation. They ignore the fact that every human has skills, experience, and
value to contribute, not only to their own well-being but the causes touted by
organizations. This occurs within cities and towns where the well-to-do answer
charity pleas as they imagine their assistance going to people lesser than
themselves. And it occurs across oceans as developing countries have been
flooded by free goods that destroy local businesses and the economies that
would lift them from poverty.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What’s wrong with this sort of giving if it is well intended?
Everything. The separation. The promotion of some people as helpless. The call
to other people that makes them better than those presented as helpless, deficient,
wretched. The destruction of the systems that would nurture sustainably and
enable struggling people to tap their skills and talents to help themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If your organization is derailing into such destructive
charity practices, start changing it back into one that sees your constituents
as the same as all of you and find ways for them to contribute to your programs
rather than just receiving charity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Okay, so charity mindsets cause harm, you might say, but at
least they are well intended; no correlation to murder. I have to argue
otherwise. To help someone because you believe them to be inferior to you is no
better than harming them for that reason. Your charity may get them through
that day or even a year, but it will establish them in that place of
helplessness you intended to help them out of. <o:p></o:p></div>
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People in African countries are some of the hardest hit by
this as rampant charity has undermined their locally owned businesses and encouraged
them to choose the endless charity handouts over the pursuit of their dreams of
self-reliance. Simply understanding that every human needs the dignity of caring
for themselves would stop this destructive charity flood. Our hands would pause
before dropping a coin into a hat without making eye contact and talking with
that person. We’d think twice about sending a check or bag of used clothes to
people we will never meet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This “lesserness,” this diminishing other humans to an
inferior level not only inspires charity, but harm. Yes, some murderers are
psychopaths. But we can’t make this sweeping claim of murderers like those in
Paris who were following the doctrine of their organization. They killed 129.
The world is in an uproar.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As people worldwide cry out for change to stop “terrorists” after
Friday’s killings, many other murders go unnoticed. <a href="https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/survey-analysis/measuring-the-extent-of-gang-problems">This
year in the U.S., 2,000 people will die from gang violence</a>, just as 2,000
died last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Also in the
U.S., each year there are <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hcv0412st.pdf">over 200,000 victims of
hate crimes</a>, many fatal. No worldwide uproar. No cries against terrorists
and other perceived enemies. Could it be that in these cases we have placed
both the murderers and their victims below us, so inferior that they don’t even
deserve a place in the news? Why are the Parisians more like us than the
victims of gang or hate crimes?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The response to dehumanization is simple: Recognize it and
stop it. As soon as anyone sets another person out as inferior, stop it. As
soon as we realize we have dehumanized another person, go to that person and
apologize; treat them with dignity. Yes, punish murderers. But the response
starts far before that by preventing dehumanization that encourages murder.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is an uncomfortable topic because it forces us to
question our own judgment, our initial reaction, our “gut,” which we so like to
trust. I’ve had to study this because I encounter dehumanization so often through
my work at <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">One Street</a>. Usually I
uncover it while consulting with leaders of an organization being torn apart by
factions within their leadership. Other times, it’s through the campaigns I
help them develop to stop injustices. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It took me some time before I could believe how rampant
dehumanization is in our current society, how prone each and every one of us is
to it. Here are a few of the most striking documentations of this tendency,
which I hope will open your eyes to the problem:<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRnRIC9JQTQ" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes Experiment</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
- In 1968, the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliott, an
elementary school teacher in Iowa, asked her students if they wanted to learn
about racism. When they agreed, she told them that all the blue-eyed children
were better than the brown-eyed children and gave them special treatment. The
next day she reversed it. Watch this video to see how the children in one of
her classes responded. Then ask yourself if you have diminished anyone in a
similar way.</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></span></span></li>
<li><a href="https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40741" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Stanford
Prison Experiment</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> – In 1971, a professor at Stanford University was curious
about the striking difference of behavior between guards and prisoners at the
prisons he had visited. He launched an experiment with otherwise equal
students, some of whom he made guards, the others prisoners, and locked them
together in a makeshift basement “prison” for two weeks. Six days later the guards
had become so violent against the prisoners and the prisoners so meek as to be
unrecognizable, the experiment had to be stopped. The professor had unwittingly
uncovered dehumanization, not just in his students, but himself.</span></li>
</ul>
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Experiments like these are no longer allowed in our schools,
perhaps for good reason. But thanks to these courageous teachers we can learn
from theirs. When we give something to someone or harm them because we believe
them to be different from us, we have fallen into the very same unacceptable
behavior as the students in these studies. This is not because we are bad
people. None of those students were bad people. And yet they, and we, can lapse
into this behavior within a matter of minutes given a few prompts from an
authority we trust. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We can also stop such prompts and tell such authorities they
are wrong, not meekly like the students did during the experiments, but with
the conviction we should all share that such proclamations are wrong. Only when
inappropriate images of charity victims are revealed to be wrong and only when
hate speak is stopped at its source, authority or not, will we finally abolish
the indignity, murders, and violence they breed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve done a lot of broad-brush bashing of charity organizations
here. So I have to say that for every misguided charity organization there are
dozens of nonprofits who treat their constituents with dignity and as their
equals. There’s no need to point at the inappropriate organizations as I hope
now you can pick them out. But I would like to end with a story of one that is
doing the right thing against gang violence, started by former gang members who
broke out of the dehumanization suck hole. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/06/gang-violence-is-on-the-rise-even-as-overall-violence-declines">This
U.S. News story</a> seems to have begun as a general story about rising gang
violence, but the people they interviewed in the video speak of hope rather
than despair because they broke the chain of violence and are now helping other
gang members to do the same. If any readers are still dehumanizing gang members,
this story should break you out of that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s keep breaking the chains of violence and
dehumanization, following the lead of former perpetrators and their victims who
have already done so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have you been concerned about inappropriate charity images
or wanted to stop hate speak against any group? Please offer your experience in
the comments section.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-64055796212506053802015-11-06T13:34:00.000-07:002015-11-06T13:34:36.179-07:00November: Time for Work Plan and Budget, No Holiday for Nonprofit Leaders<div class="MsoNormal">
Most nonprofits see lots of action between February and
October. Whether advocating for new laws during legislative sessions or
conducting important events and activities for our constituents, those nine
months can wear us out and leave us longing for the lounge chair and a stack of
Christmas videos. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4pwLrgrQXh4/Vj0NjnkIHpI/AAAAAAAAAYM/aBZWo8h9DZM/s1600/Scrooge%2526Cratchet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4pwLrgrQXh4/Vj0NjnkIHpI/AAAAAAAAAYM/aBZWo8h9DZM/s320/Scrooge%2526Cratchet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, November is no time to rest. This drowsy
month is our best time to set the stage for the coming year. Here are just a
few reasons why:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Results from the year are fresh in the minds of
leaders, staff, and helpers.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Disappointments can inspire improvements for the
next year.</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Participants are still engaged and are likely to
offer ideas for improvements.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Board members can still be gathered before scattering
in December.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Having at least a draft of your work plan and
budget for next year finished in November will set a strong start for the
coming year.</span></li>
</ul>
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As I respond to calls for assistance from nonprofit leaders
here at <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">One Street</a>, I’ve found that the
lack of a work plan and budget is often the core reason for a nonprofit
spinning out of control. Sure, I’ve seen this happen because of improper bylaws
or a vague mission statement or even a malicious leader. These are all serious
and traumatic situations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But to see an otherwise effective organization derail simply
because they skipped the fundamental task of creating next year’s work plan and
budget is all the more frustrating. I wonder if the lull of November is
responsible for this common mistake. We need to learn from this tendency, stay
energized in November, and get this important work done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Use your November board meeting for this planning activity.
Let everyone know that it is a special meeting, sometimes called the annual
meeting or board retreat, and will take a bit longer than a normal board
meeting. You can invite others to attend or at least reach out to your partners
and constituents prior to the meeting requesting their ideas. Bring a flip
chart or use a large white board to note highlights from that year and capture
ideas for the next. Save at least half an hour at the end of the meeting to
organize these sloppy notes into your next year’s work plan and budget.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what is a work plan and budget? Very simply, your work
plan describes your programs and expected goals for the coming year. Your
budget shows your projected income and expenses for the coming year; income
always on top. Use as few line items as you can while still separating them
enough to show where funding is coming from and where it is expected to go. A
balanced budget will have the same number in the total income and total
expenses lines. I recommend trying for more income than expense to cover
unexpected expenses or, even better, to go into a reserve for the following
year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I want to note the importance of combining these two. A work
plan is fiction without a budget intertwined with it. And a budget is just a
bunch of made-up numbers unless every line item comes from a part of the work
plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Your work plan will describe each of your programs along
with the program goals you and your team expect to achieve in the coming year,
who is responsible for ensuring those goals are met, and the percentage of
their time needed to achieve them. Major expenses for each program are noted in
the text of the work plan. These expenses match line items in the budget. The
budget also includes the overhead expenses needed to be successful in all
programs and to keep the organization running. Overhead expenses can include
payroll, contractor fees (such as bookkeeper, web designer, and building
maintenance), phone, utilities, office supplies, and travel expenses. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Combine the work plan and budget into one text document to
prevent them from being referenced separately. I like to place the budget at
the top since it will take less than a page and this makes it easy to find. The
entire document should fit into two or three pages so include only necessary
details. This is a reference document, not a literary work of art. By keeping
it short and concise you will ensure that you and your leaders understand and
remember its contents.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In <i><a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press">Cures
for Ailing Organizations</a></i> I warn readers to keep their programs to three.
Three is plenty for diversity and ensures everyone, leaders and constituents,
knows what the organization does. I also emphasize this when coaching leaders on
work plan development. I often get pushback from leaders of larger organization
who list off many activities, campaigns, and initiatives they tout as separate
programs. But even when their list seems varied and unrelated, we always find
three categories to place every activity under and these become their three
overall programs. Pull out administrative tasks, partner outreach, and fundraising
into a general overhead category. While they are necessary they are not
programs because they do not advance the organization’s mission.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By taking care of this planning and budgeting in November,
you and your team will be ready to start your programs in January. By February,
you’ll be full speed ahead in all the action.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s another bonus for your effort: Once you’ve captured
all the details of your three programs and administrative duties into your work
plan and budget you will have everything you need to create an impressive year-end
fundraising letter. If your organization is large and complex enough to need an
annual report, this planning effort will give you the details to make it sing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So wrap that lounge chair with caution tape, store those holiday
videos, and get back to work. If you and your team do a good job with your
planning and budgeting your December break will be all the more enjoyable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you have questions about work plans and budgets? Does your
organization do annual planning differently? Have tips to add? Please offer
them in the comments section.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5039558660214600949.post-54986360397001065062015-10-19T21:37:00.000-07:002015-10-29T18:35:11.355-07:00Opening the Nonprofit Helpline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ky1IvrVJj7Q/ViXEJV26jyI/AAAAAAAAAUw/WM5aAMT5Z2s/s1600/Helpline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ky1IvrVJj7Q/ViXEJV26jyI/AAAAAAAAAUw/WM5aAMT5Z2s/s320/Helpline.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is nothing more frustrating than knowing you can help
someone, but having no way to do so. I go through this too often at <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/">One Street</a> as I connect with leaders of
bicycle nonprofits, find out about their struggles, then lose them. They say
they’ll call back. They promise they’ll follow the steps I offer, but too often
I’m left with only silence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For all the frustration, I still love being here for their
calls and emails and knowing that at least I gave it a try. And for every one
that vanishes, I enjoy ongoing discussions with nonprofit leaders who keep at
their work to increase their effectiveness. These success stories keep me
going, but the ones I lose keep me fired up to do more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I founded One Street eight years ago to offer a safe haven
where leaders of bicycle organizations would feel comfortable going for advice
and assistance. Over those eight years, I have worked with our board and
partners to develop resources and coaching methods for building influential
organizations that never waste energy spinning their wheels. Most of these
services we offer for free because helping them equates to increasing
bicycling.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The idea came to me after recognizing in the bicycle
movement the same patterns of infighting and wasted energy I’d seen in other
nonprofits over the previous 33 years. Whether their mission was to defend the
rights of animals, save a wetland, battle poverty, or offer wilderness trips to
disabled people, they were all prone to the very same derailments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a particular affinity to the bicycle, not only as a
sleek and efficient movement machine, but as a canary that can warn of a
community’s inhumanity by its absence. As I formed the idea for One Street, I
realized that all this new nonprofit organization would have to do to make an
enormous impact for increasing bicycling around the world would be to help
existing organizations avoid these common traps. Easier said than done. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This blog is the second result of my frustration. The first
was to write the book of the same name, <a href="http://www.onestreet.org/bicycle-programs/56-resources/others/70-one-street-press"><i>Cures for Ailing Organizations</i></a>, for any
nonprofit organization. The book captures the patterns of ineffectiveness I’ve found
over my 40 years of working with nonprofits. Tapping my work through One Street
to define and break these patterns, it shows readers how to diagnose their own
organization’s problems, then walks them through solutions so they can get back
to their important work. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The problem with a book is that people have to actually read
it for it to do any good. We’ve sold many copies, mostly through this office,
sometimes in lots of ten or twenty. But nearly every sale comes with a note of
enthusiasm about who the buyer is going to give the book to. At first I hoped
these comments would be few and far between, that buyers would finally start
buying the book to read themselves. Unfortunately, <i>Cures for Ailing Organizations</i> has turned out to be a book that
people buy for other people. And I fear that a free book from a well-meaning
person is not going to reach the top of the to-be-read stack anytime soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, let’s try a blog!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This should be fun. I’ll have a chance to offer parts of the
book in bite-sized chunks and then embellish them with stories and current
happenings. I hope readers will jump in to offer their own experiences, perhaps
even argue my points, and bring in other perspectives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blog posts are easy to read and forward. Perhaps this blog
will provide the means I have been longing for to reach and help many more leaders
of nonprofits, bicycle or otherwise, and offer them my hard-won experience from
guiding nonprofits out of common struggles.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You, as a reader, are the most important element toward this
blog’s success. Please read. Please comment. Please forward. Let’s get these
difficult, yet essential discussions out there!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks for taking part.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sue</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Sue Knauphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14149859995220789372noreply@blogger.com0