Creating Our Future with Organizations by Design

  I want to take a moment at the beginning of this blog to acknowledge the passing of Simone Joyaux. Simone was a consultant for nonprofits and NGOs. If you never had the opportunity to participate in a workshop led by Simone, I’m sorry. It wasn’t just her extraordinary knowledge that made her impactful, it was her passion for work on justice issues, her impatience with complacency, and her fearlessness in calling out bull**** in our field and beyond. I don’t know what will become of  her website , but I suggest that you make sure to visit it today.  It’s a real treasure trove and a fitting legacy of this remarkable woman. 1.       Simone’s   Learning Center 2.       Her blog  Simone Uncensored 3.       A collection of  Podcasts and Videos  featuring Simone’s insights in her inimitable voice 4.       Her collection of  Commentary and Essays ...

I know it’s happened to you. You’re in conversation – about something controversial or not – and someone responds with a statement of their opinion, which they state as fact but in reality is not true. Whether it’s about the vaccine, politics, or how much nonprofit leaders are paid, they know the truth. As you try to continue the conversation, they repeat the same statement in response. No matter what you say. Frustrating for sure, and hard to move forward in a conversation. Unfortunately, what your conversation partner has learned is that repeating a statement somehow seems to make it true, even if it’s not.  The  illusory truth effect , also known as the illusion of truth, describes how, when we hear the same false information repeated again and again, we often come to believe it is true. Troublingly, this even happens when people should know better—that is, when people initially know that the misinformation is false. With the prevalence of social media, it’s incredib...

  During a meeting of a cherished Development Committee I work with, the topic of the ‘Spring Ask Letter’ came up.  The meeting leader shared that they were thinking of writing an update of what has happened over the past few months and what was planned for the future. It became clear to me that my colleagues had forgotten that when they were cultivating  donors, they should cultivate. When they’re briefing donors, they should share information. And when they are asking , they should ask .   Let’s review. Here’s the cycle: Cultivation is the period of time following donor qualification (ensuring that they are interested in what your organization does and determining that they might be interested in providing support) where you find out your donors’ passions, motivation and goals for philanthropy. To cultivate, you might offer the donor a variety of engagement opportunities: Inviting donors to connect/ follow the Social Media channels related to the campaig...

Having received my second dose of the Covid19 vaccination one hour ago, I found myself pondering the question, “What now?” >Certainly I feel greatly relieved and thankful for all the reasons one might imagine. I also feel a strong sense of hope that perhaps as a result of what we have all gone through and are continuing to navigate there is great opportunity to make real differences on both micro and macro levels. How we have previously taken our casual and not so casual relationships for granted – family, friends, colleagues! How do we hope and plan to move forward bravely and without fear as a pervasive element of our lives? This is quite different from cautious and informed action. But what differences? I keep circling back to the way business in the arts has been done in my lifetime. The vast majority of my life has been spent in this field – as a student, professional performer and arts leader. It has always been a motivating factor as well as a vehicle for expression. I...

Organizations by Design is committed to create the change we want to see in the world. Join us.  T his resource compiled by Launch. Educate yourself Learn about the history, contributions, and past and present experiences of Asian American communities. Watch: The PBS series  Asian Americans  about the history of identity, contributions, and challenges experienced by Asian Americans The Smithsonian’s video series  We are not a stereotype: Breaking down Asian Pacific American bias  which explores what it means to be Asian Pacific American and the impacts of Asian Pacific American stereotypes Asian Americans and Seattle’s Civil Rights History Read: America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens Books about Asian Pacific American history and experiences What is the Model Minority Myth? Anti-Asian Racism Exposes the Model Minority Myth Listen: Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast Self-Evident: Asian America’s Stories Asian Enough Speak up Silence is consent...

  This blog post probably won't add anything new to the dialogue about justice in light of the extreme proliferation of hate acts in our country - but if this blog's purpose is to muse about growth, this isn't a topic I will avoid. I will state, up front, that I have centered white colleagues in this post. These are conversations that white folx need to have and lead amongst themselves.  I also don't anticipate that this writing even exposes the 'tip of the iceberg' on the important topics I broach in this post. I, in no way, mean for this post to be any where near definitive; but rather a beginning.  We have to start, and start again. Like many others, I am horrified by the violence perpetrated in Atlanta against the Asian community this past week. I am equally horrified by the Cherokee County Sheriff Department Captain's statement that the shooter was "having a really bad day." That statement, along with the heinous act itself, was anchored in w...

  Are you focusing on your smaller donors? The rate of giving grew by double digits among donors gifting <$250. Those gifts add up and deserve your attention and thanks as much, if not more, than "major" donors' gifts. Ten years ago, in a piece I penned for Huff Post , I argued that "people with little or zero disposable income are still stereotyped as receivers of services-not supporters, donors or contributors. With a few notable exceptions, many organizations dole out the “major” label for an elite minority of their donors. It is time for us to rethink how we look at generosity, and how we engage with small donors." Fundraising Effectiveness' latest study demonstrates again that nonprofits gain when we see that the collective giving across lines of class can have a sizable impact when pooled together for change.  As I said in 2011, "Indeed, there’s no small change when we’re changing the world, together." Barbara Organizations by Design Full ...

This morning I looked back on my emails from one year ago. My heart began to beat a bit faster as I relived those moments of anxiety and fear I was feeling, while trying to portray a sense of calm for my staff. I thought I’d take a moment to share lessons I’ve learned (or relearned) over the last year. Trust your instincts: I worked in field that was connected to institutions in Europe, and in January/February of 2020 started to get the sense that something was happening that we here in the US didn’t yet understand. I asked colleagues at other organizations what steps they were taking. Few were beginning to address the coming risk, tied up in those immediate tasks and emergencies we faced daily. Yet, I asked my staff to think about the actions we would take if the virus was to come to our area. Little did we know what was before us. ·          Bill Gates says, "Often you have to rely on intuition." The facts are great, and we need them, but ...