Facing the challenges of nonprofits in a Twitter age

How can your membership-driven organization survive and even thrive within a landscape of always-on social networking?
Being a member of a business association or volunteering for a charity used to be the ultimate ways to network -- that is, until LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came along! What kind of event will generate interest? How will you get the word out? And how will follow-up with attendees to make sure your hard work doesn't end with simply having a great event? For charities, it seems there are more causes than ever making the ask for a shrinking amount of people's hard earned money. How will your organization ensure fundraising success for now and for the future? These are all questions I hear often as a constant preoccupation for non-profits, charities, and associations.

For those interested in addressing these concerns, you're invited to check out a new online learning series - free of charge which I think should prove to open up discussion. Some aspects might even be applicable to those seeking work. Check it out by clicking here.

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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. His blog can be found at: http://actionstrategies.blogspot.com

Waskafest October 22, 2009 at 6:00 PM in Loretteville

Event:	WASKAFEST OCTOBER 2009
Location:	Salon de quilles Bellevue 169 Louis-IX Street Québec City, QC G2B 1L1
Information:	418-847-4784 Jean-François Néron 418-407-1425 Christian Tanguay
Date and time:	October 22, 2009 (Thursday) 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Programme:	Buffet Presentation and discussion on office software and Web 2.0 networking in non-profit organizations Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Presentation on Waska's learning method (experiential learning) and registering of new members
Cost of entry: Clientele:	Free Welcome to all, dress casual

Waskafest is a meet-up organized by Waska, autonomie et services techniques communautaires in order to gather all the main actors in the inter-NPO dialogue process, in Quebec City. This dialogue process - as the sharing and the exchange of ressources among non-profit organizations - is based on a tight network, with well-informed and well-equipped participants.

The October 22 meet-up will cover the following subjects:

• Presentation and discussion on office software and Web 2.0 networking in non-profit organizations: how to profit from the computer, at the service of the NPO. Quick oversight of the equipment, the costs (obviously, the best deal), the software and their implementation in the reality of a non-profit organization, Web 2.0 networking.
  

• Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala: serious alternative to counter the prohibitive costs of commercial operating systems and software that, aside from being hard to implement in the operations of a NPO, keep bugging and getting infested with viruses.
  

• Presentation on Waska's learning method (experiential learning) and registering of new members: Students dropping out of school in Quebec and their poor performance demonstrate clearly that the academic system, as it is now, simply does not deliver good results. What makes Waska's experiential learning method better and what makes it a solution to this problem? Come and see for yourself. You can also ask questions and even register to the programmes, all evening long.

Come dressed casually. There will be a cold buffet at the beginning of the evening. All beverages are to be bought at the bar of the Salon de quilles Bellevue. There are pool tables for those who wish to end the evening in a relaxed fashion. You can attend this October Waskafest, free of charge. During the evening, games and attendance prizes will add some zest.

There are free parking spaces for all, on both sides of the building. Buses routes 87 and 72 lead you to the location, the bus stop is just across the street, at the corner of Louis-IX and Hôpital Streets. Road works are taking place in the area, please stay posted to read the latest info regarding the changes.

www.communautequebec.org has a facelift

Communauté Québec's homepage is receiving a facelift, today! As a matter of fact, Québec City's non-profit portal will display more of a portal-shape homepage than the blog opening it previously presented. This renovation is part of Waska's new business plan for 2009.

Lots of new services - availbale to members of Waska - will be added to Communauté Québec's portal homepage.

If your non-profit organization wishes to have its endeavours, special events or any news published on Communauté Québec, please write us to bulletin@communautequebec.org! It is free for all Québec City NPOs and those who serve the Old Capital's population. Our team will make sure the text is error-free and meets Waska's standards: positive, constructive, polite, politically neutral, and of Québec City resident's interest.

My adult life with ADHD

I was 35 already when this brick fell on me: my doctor tells me I have ADHD. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder means I can sometimes be over-energetic and sometimes just so down I can't get myself to do anything. My brain is not able to concentrate for long periods of time and it affects me in my adult life like you wouldn't believe.

Throughout my school years, teachers would complain about my slowness and my inability to finish what I start. I'm a complete failure in practical school work, yet I can easily reach 97% in most academic fields, as long as it is theory. I never studied in my life. I didn't have to. I understood theory as I was hearing it but I wasn't able to apply it to reality. I could never understand why this was.

My parents were just so discouraged. I wasn't able to keep anything in order. Even at home, I could start many projects and not be able to finish any of them. I somehow lost motivation or concentration in the middle. They would just sit there, unfinished, for years. I have stories that I am pursueing thirty years after having abandoned their writing.

In 2001, I was hired by a consortium to create a directory of the non-profit organizations in the western part of now merged Québec City. I had five bosses, one for each of the organizations that paid for the work to be done. One of them was the supervisor; a very nice person. She caught me red-handed, downloading tunes and writing articles for Waska's newsletter at the same time I was performing work for the directory. Why wasn't I able to JUST do the directory? When I was multi-tasking, I could render a work of quality in almost no time! Well done, quickly done and very few mistakes made. If I tried concentrating on only one task, I became dyslexic, I lost my abilities and made plenty of stupid mistakes. And I was slower at production!

I tried to reform myself and, if I didn't want to lose my job, made an effort to concentrate on the one job. Maybe, I thought, it's just a matter of will power. I'm probably just too lazy or lacking of self-organization. Things got out of hand.

Even today, I still feel like that in my two jobs. At night, I am a relay operator (711 and VOIP 911) and, the rest of my working time, I am the executive secretary of Waska. Both jobs require that I keep organized and concentrated.

Distraction: I get easily distracted by absolutely everything. Even thoughts running in my head distract me. I have the hardest time focusing on just one thing.

Poor memory: I miss details, forget things and names... Absolutely not good in my jobs. I have to write down everything I don't want to forget. Otherwise, I miss my breaks at work, messing up everybody else's schedule in the process. Every time, I feel guilty and it increases my stress level.

Short concentration span: I can read a book and, five minutes later, read something on the Internet. Then, five minutes later, I switch to a crossword puzzle or something else. At work, I need multi-tasking. Otherwise, I go crazy! My brain switches from an activity to another in minutes. Focusing is a battle of every minute. It's like I get bored or something. It's mentally painful to keep thinking about one same thing for more than five minutes. Except if it is something that is reallllllly enjoyable ;)

Learning problem: My boss is teaching me something new. I understand everything and find everything easy. But I look like I'm stupid as soon as I have to apply what I've learned. I miss details, information leaks out of my mind and I find myself stuck with a holy memory.

Bizarre attention: When people speak to me, they think I'm not listening to them because I can't keep my eyes focused on theirs. I tend to look away unknowingly because I'm struggling with keeping concentrated on what is being said. I'm fighting with my brain to keep it following. It is sometimes interpreted as if I were confused.

Daydreaming: My brain is juggling with so many thoughts at once that I have to stop and pay attention to only one thought to make sense out of it. Disconnecting from reality to do so looks like I am daydreaming.

Processing information: My brain is constantly moving. Incoming information has to be properly processed. But, in my case, it feels like I have to file documents in an office where tennis balls are constantly thrown at me. I may look slow at understanding but, in fact, I am just losing so much time at keeping everything orderly that new information takes some time to be sorted out. Instructions are so painful!

Squirming: When my brain is either overloaded with mixed thoughts or when it threatens to set itself on the "energy saving mode", I start doing exercises on my chair. I have to pump some oxygen into it, otherwise I just shuts off. It pulls the plug on me!

Non-stop talking: Thoughts are zooming so fast in my head that it is hard for someone to keep up with me in a conversation. They say I'm talking so fast and so much that I make them feel dizzy! Again, I am aware of this. I understand their feelings and I struggle to do otherwise. It is not always a success and it results in another guilt stress.

Inappropriate: Being so mixed up in the head makes me say things out of context. Or, even worse, do something and realize the consequences after it's too late! How many times have I found myself taking stupid decisions that I could beat myself for! Where was my brain when I needed it?!? I don't even trust my own judgement. How can I expect someone to trust it?

Opposition: Things go too fast for me. Sometimes, in the understanding process, I may look defiant or stubborn. Deeply, I am not. On the line of fire, I don't have enough time to be analytic the way I'd like to be and it is often misinterpreted. Now, I say: I'll come back to you on this. People see I am agreeable - after enough thinking time. That's why I'm absolutely no good at arguing. I often am the losing party because of this LOL

All of this added up and my stress level sky-rocketed. Guilt feelings lead to anxiety. But there is hope! There is this medication called Methylphenidate (MPH) helping dopamine work better in the brain. It results, seemingly, in a better concentration level which allows a better organization of one's life. Just what I need because I'm just so desperate.

In 2001, I went to see my doctor with this disorganization problem. At the time, he wasn't favouring the chemical solution because, he said, I was able to cope with alternate mechanisms. It means I was able to multi-task and seemed to work around the problem in a satisfying way. Maybe it was true then but it's not working anymore. My life is crumbling around me because I cannot get organized appropriately. So, at 43, I went to see another doctor and spoke of the problem once more. This time, I have children to take care of - I am not alone in this turmoil. And genetics seem to transmit this fault to following generations: my kids are stuck with that too.

Along with the medication, a good organizational coaching is a useful complementary way towards succes. Have a look at Chantal Beaupré's site and let me tell you that she is a big part in my being hopeful.

Jean-François "Tuxdequebec" Néron
Tuxdequebec's blog
Tuxdequebec on Twitter

Waska's relaunch business plan and four jobs created

For the past 27 years, Waska has been operated mostly by volunteer workers. Some were paid by contract but for a very short period of time. The organization now engages in a major structural reform and prepares to hire four employees: three full-time and one part-time jobs will thus be created.

Aside from the job creation, Waska's relaunch business plan includes the opening of a new office somewhere in Quebec City's west end (boroughs of Haute-St. Charles, des Rivières and St. Foy-Sillery).

Waska continues to provide the same good services: empowerment workshops, learning workshops (computer learning and business language), office software technical support, web 2.0 conception and management, community dialogue, and the cybercafé. The new social economy business will revive its Theatre on Video (1983 to 1995) and add the new technical support service for computer repair and maintenance.

What makes Waska different is its welcoming atmosphere, its unique traditions and the way its office is decorated. Also, a major part of it is the social network of friends and mutual help that contributes to increase the positive thinking of Quebec City's people in need, help them regain dignity, empower them so they can become a pillar of the community.

You can read a summary of Waska's relaunch business plan (in French only for now) at http://waska.communautequebec.org/planderelance.html. You can also express your support to the cause by becoming a fan of Waska's page on Facebook.

Waska will submit the plan to the CLD towards the end of August or the beginning of September. Your support is welcome! Write to us at waskaquebec@gmail.com or phone us at (418) 407-3230.

Leveraging Social Media? Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and podcasts - what are all these internet forums and are they really applicable to non-p

Interestingly, it is the internet’s depth and vastness that mystifies many association executives. Sadly, I hear many associations express veiled excuses for not involving social media in their outreach efforts. Commonly thought of as the domain of Gen-Yers, and twenty-somethings, social media and internet viral marketing offer practical and sensible applications for all audiences. Social media strategy depends from case to case and will require an investment of time. Used correctly, social media can:

· Build networks and community, connect and mobilize members on the key issues confronting your association
· Build a donor base and gather emails
· Tell your story –Put a face and a personality to your organization
· Share information and resources quickly
· Promote brand and cause

If carried out correctly, viral web marketing techniques can be very effective in boosting your member list and getting your organization’s name and message out. Many non-profits are using “Tell a friend” buttons or links on their websites and email newsletters. Whether used for connecting or recruiting members and donors, and developing advocacy can take different channels through the various goals sought.

Recruiting members and soliciting donations:
The very essence of making online “friends” and developing a base of followers through social media extends this ability far beyond the reach of the amount of people or prospects you could physically reach in one day. With one of my charitable clients, the Success Factory, we have just begun an online campaign through Facebook to raise money and build word-of-mouth awareness for its employment training programs. Using the “Causes” application, Facebook is allowing board members and staff of this brand new organization in one full sweep to: 1.) Demonstrate the mission of the Success Factory, 2.) Engage other Facebook members to recruit their friends as supporters of the cause, and 4.) Allow a forum of communication for Success Factory supporters, thereby spawning the creation of new innovative ideas.

Facilitating communication between association staff, members, supporters and the board
The concept of sharing ongoing association business with the entire world on Facebook is less than appealing. To answer this situation, there are social media options such as Ning.com and Google Friend Connect that can create either a separate network for an association or integrate social networking elements right within an association’s website. The Canadian Table Soccer Association is one association that has effectively utilized Ning (http://tablesoccerca.ning.com) as an opportunity for members to connect, share ideas, and announce events.

Within an association website, there are means a communications team can take to ensure that it remains current and relevant for members. Using Google Friend Connect, a free set of customizable tools offered by Google, associations can embed html code within their website that easily invites friends from social networks and contact lists to visit and join your site.

If associations are not blogging, they need to begin. Integrating a blog into your web presence provides regular information for members and board to follow. For those associations less inclined towards a full blog, Twitter comes to the rescue offering a micro-blog option. Creating an account is free and each blog entry is limited to 140 characters. As a result, your association’s ability to be found in search engines is increased.

Building recognition with the Media and Influential Bloggers

The internet is crawling with bloggers on issues as vast as the internet itself. Social media also changes the presence of how non-profits present information to journalists. With the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), I have been working their media relations and internet teams to promote collaboration between these two fields. Journalists will also be kept up to date with every story development of via an RSS subscribe option. Even the delivery of traditional press releases changes with social media. Instead of the typical boiler plate press release, a photo was embedded along with clickable links over to the organization’s website. To best ensure the internet is leveraged as a communications vehicle, make sure the message you devise is clear, well presented, and easy-to-follow. This includes replying to personal messages and posting constant updates. Online profiles can be time-consuming, but their targeted visibility is unparalleled.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. His blog can be found at: http://actionstrategies.blogspot.com

Become a Strategist - Learn Chess!

by Laura Sherman

Ever sat there with your head in your hands wondering what went wrong in your business? Could it be that you just missed “the right move”?

When you play many games of chess you learn to look ahead into the future and plan several moves deep. You learn to predict outcomes. Yes, the over-the-board lessons do translate to life.

I learned to play chess when I was a little girl. I loved the game, but hated losing. I was usually the youngest person at any tournament or club event I entered and was often the only girl there. As a result other participants would gather around my table and watch my games, interested to see what I could do.

Because of the added attention I played every game to the best of my ability, treating each battle as if everything was on the line. I spent a lot of energy on each move, making sure it was the best possible move I could make in the time allotted. And if I made a mistake in one game you’d better believe that I did everything I could to learn from that error, making sure I didn’t make it again.

I developed intricate plans and strategies, which had back-up plans in case I had missed something. Each move I made had more than one idea behind it, more than one tactic to ensure success and ultimately victory.

Now you might think with all this caution that I was a timid player. Not so! I was actually very aggressive and attacked my opponent’s king with gusto each game. I wasn’t afraid to sacrifice a couple of pawns or even a piece to get a glorious attack. I learned which sacrifices worked and which did not lead to a win, but I enjoyed the living-on-the-edge type games the most.

When you become experienced at chess and you care about the outcome, you develop good habits in life. Today I love a challenge and will take on mammoth tasks, but will think through every step carefully. I create back-up plans for my back-up plans and even some of those will have back-up plans. When it comes to business and marketing you can’t be shy. Put yourself out there - live on the edge. And it isn’t that I never make mistakes, but when I do, you’d better believe that I learn from them!

Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (www.YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. Together they teach children to play chess through various schools in Pinellas County, Florida, as well as privately in students’ homes and online.