Nonprofit-Performance-360-Vol-2-No-1-Hesselbein

Performance P m e Nonprofit Professional WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED! Vol. 2 No. 1 Magazine 360

The Next Greatest Generation Make A Quantum Leap to Success Frances Hesselbein

Nonprofit Start-ups

Mentoring Future Nonprofit Leaders

Jeff Fromm

Jamie Notter

Hugh Ballou

Sarah Cunningham

Jasmine Smothers

Joan Snyder Kuhl

Jeff Magee

611402_P360/C300_Ad Ivy.indd 1

2/13/14 2:19 PM

LEADERSHIP & CORPORATE TRAINING for Top Level and Rising Leaders

Real World experiential managerial leadership training customized to your needs, delivered onsite, professional accreditation with integrated reinforcement and sustainment resources to create positive behavior change and accelerated ROI.

Leadership Academy of Excellence TM

developed by Dr. Jeffrey Magee

www.JeffreyMagee.com/leadership Jeffrey@JeffreyMagee.com

Contents

Performance m e SynerVision's Nonprofit Professional WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED! Magazine

Vol. 2 No. 1 $12.95

contributing Writers Millennials Can Make a

Featured personality Ready for the Next Greatest Generation Frances Hesselbein

11

22

Jeffrey Magee Co-Publisher Jeff@ProfessionalPerformanceMagazine.com Hugh Ballou Co-Publisher Hugh@SynerVisionLeadership.org Todd Greer Managing Editor Todd@SynerVisionLeadership.org Sandy Birkenmaier Acquisitions Editor Sandy@SynerVisionLeadership.org Kim Cousins Creative Designer Kim@KCousins.com Brett Archer Director of Business Development Brett@JeffreyMagee.com

Quantum Leap Toward Success Scott S. Smith

Millennial-Focused

16

Executive Office Boomers and Millennials

Nonprofits Think Diffferently Berny Dohrmann

9

in Leadership: Lots in Common Hugh Ballou

All Voices Matter

17

Collaboration Across Generations Hannah Ubl

Nonprofits that Work Food Recovery Network Bringing Positive Change

12 13

The Emerging Millennial Leader

20

Joan Snyder Kuhl

to our World Ben Simon

Mentoring Future

24

Nonprofit Leaders: Setting the Framework for Success – Part 2 Jeffrey Magee

Academic Desk Ready for 75% of Your New

15

Workforce Derrick Feldmann

Creating a New Religious

26

Single Copy Order or Online Digital Subscriptions, visit NonprofitPerformance.org Advertising

Community Sarah Cunningham

Systems Thinking Anxious Organizations

Point & Counterpoint

28

18

info@SynerVisionLeadership.org SynerVisionLeadership.org ProfessionalPerformanceMagazine.com

Roberta Gilbert

Generations in the Nonprofit World Hugh Ballou and Todd Greer

Board Relations Closing the Millennial-Board Divide 30 Kyle Gracey

Millennials and the Church

32

Connor Gwin

Follow us...

The Balance Between Right

33

and Young Nate Turner

Design Corner Designing for Millennials

36

Jeff Fromm

Creating e-Learning

34

Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine and Professional Performance Magazine are quarterly magazines. Each is published as a digital subscription publication and as a hard copy edition. The views expressed in the ar- ticles and advertisements are those of the con- tributing writers and advertisers, and may not be the views of the management and staff of the publication. The magazine assumes no li- ability for the contributions in this magazine and all content is intended as developmental in nature. SynerVisionisa501(c)(3)nonprofitorganization, and this publication serves its mission.

Millennials Love Isaac Tolpin

Strategy When Millennials Take Over Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant

40

Coworking’s Impact on Nonprofit Start-ups Ariel Lev

35

Partnering for “Now” Success

38

Douglas Powe, Jr. & Jasmine Rose Smothers

The Ambiguity of Modern

39

SynerVision’s Nonprofit Performance Magazine is an affiliated publication of ProfessionalPerformanceMagazine.com.

Adulthood Drew Lichtenberger

© 2015 Professional Performance Magazine. All rights reserved

4 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

The Official Guide to All Things Nonprofit Nonprofit Performance Magazine brings impact which spreads hope and direction to those who are changing their communities and the world. This magazine is a great resource for nonprofit executives and religious leaders. • Learn from key thought leaders who can assist you in propelling your organization to reach its potential • Read in-depth stories written by those who have found success at the front line of the social benefit journey • Learn about the impact of community, communication, and collaboration in your organization

Performance P rm e Nonprofit Professional WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED! Vol. 1No. 1 $12.95 Magazine 360

John Maxwell

ENLARGE T hose A round Y ou The Architecture of Engagement

From Scarcity Thinking to Focused Impact 21 Experts Share Ways Nonprofits Work

JeffMagee

KevinWilliams

SheritaHerring

CalTurner, Jr.

CherylSnappCon ner

DesmondTutu

HughBallou

Sign-up Today! for your complimentary copy 888-398-8471 www.SynerVisionLeadership.org Info@synervisionleadership.org

SynerVision’s Nonprofit Performance Magazine is an affiliated publication of ProfessionalPerformanceMagazine.com.

Next Edition Highlights June 2015

Amanda Babine Director of Evaluate for Change, provides important evaluation tools for nonprofits to utilize in demonstrating their community impact

AdamGrant Best-selling author of

Give and Take and Wharton Business School’s youngest tenured professor shares his framework for building a giving culture that brings impact

Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, PhD CEO of Cancer Research Institute, establishes a perspective for the

future of organizational collaboration and donor engagement

Wayne Elsey CEO of Funds2Orgs, encourages nonprofit leaders with a model for staying ahead of the curve with fundraising that brings greater impact

SynerVision Leadership .org I 5

From the Publishers...

Throughout this issue of Nonprofit Professional Performance 360 Magazine , nonprofit leaders and Millennial experts share deep insights into the realities facing nonprofits with the continued emergence of Millennials. The framework shared by this elite group of contributors can inspire, challenge, encourage, and format the road ahead for you as you look to engage Millennials at a deeper level in bringing impact to your community. One of the great lessons that research shows us about Millennials is that they collaborate horizontally. Millennials are looking for a community in which they can problem solve, challenge the status quo, glean from others, and be social. At the SynerVision Leadership Foundation, we get that. Our new website is developed to provide you, our reader, whatever your age, with a community built just for you! We are hosting ongoing, dynamic programming like “The Nonprofit Exchange: Tools and Strategies for Leaders,” Tuesdays at 2 PM ET, and #nonprofitchat, Thursdays at 9 PM ET, that will challenge your thinking. Our online community discussions will provide you with places to problem-solve and challenge the status quo. The seminars and webinars that we offer, both in-person and virtually, will allow you to glean insight from key leaders in our industry. And our website and social media channels provide a space for deeper connection with leaders who understand your passions and causes. Much like what we have seen in the Millennial generations, SynerVision functions through a major focus on collaboration. We believe that the win-lose competitive platform is unhealthy and overlooks the real value that many different perspectives bring. Connected to that, we believe that increased communication flow and informational access helps reduce duplication and loss of resources that are so valuable in our areas of impact. It is our hope that this issue will help challenge and encourage you, and a membership in the SynerVision website will serve to educate and engage you as you bring impact to your community. Enjoy the magazine, and come join the community at www.SynerVisionLeadership.org!

Jeffrey Magee

Hugh Ballou

6 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

We appreciate everything you do to make our world a better place!

Appeal mailings that work. www.wordsprint.com/nonprofit or call 276-228-6608

SynerVision Leadership .org I 7

8 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

Hugh Ballou Executive Office

Boomers and Millennials in Leadership Lots in Common

O ften we spend energy and brainpower viewing differences and observing problems based on those differences. With reverse paradigms, we can look at the similarities. Millennials and Baby Boomers make good teams and have lots in common if: • They are self-aware and understand their own and others’ preferences. • They desire a collaborative relationship. • They actually want a relationship. • They are aligned in values and principles. • They are committed to building relationship through communication and personal capacity building. Recently on Forbes.com, Andi McDaniel shared five ways that Boomers andMillennials are alike in “Boomers Vs. Millennials: You’re More Alike Than You Think,” with a premise based on a Nielson study, “Millennials: Breaking the Myths.”I agree with the premise and points. Boomers and Millennials both have a passion for making the world a better place and are committed to basic principles and core values. In Ancient Future Church, Robert E.Webber presents ideas for ministry in the postmodern and post-Christian world. He states that Millennials want a lot of what Boomers want, with distinct differences in how those wants are pursued. Boomers created “Contemporary Worship” to attract “Youth.” But even with many good worship experiences, there are many examples of “Entertainment Worship” that is shallow and without substance. Neither Boomers nor Millennials accept this as a desired norm. Millennials respect ancient traditions and valuable, meaningful content. It’s not as much about style as it is content and relevance.As an

Here are five ways to create synergy between the two generations: 1. Share Values: Don’t assume – clarify in writing. Start with values and then create guiding principles statements, defining who you are and how you’ll make decisions together. 2. Work on Relationship: Above all, leadership and communication depend on relationship. Never think it’s done. Always work on relationship. 3. Define Expectations: Conflict is setup unintentionally by leaders not having ex- pectations clearly defined in writing. De- fine what you need and what you will give. 4. Share Technology: Boomers know more about technology than is believed, so share what we have in common and coach each other on the gaps. 5. Be What You Say: Do you both model what you preach? In building a relationship and a culture of values, define ways to celebrate success together and to evaluate and refine the model over time. Be committed to that success and know that collaboration expands horizons for everyone. I write this as a self-awareness exercise, knowing that I still have miles to go before I sleep. Leadership is a constantly expanding journey of discovery and personal growth. Hugh Ballou is a Transformational Leadership strategist, and President and Founder of SynerVision Leadership Foundation. A musical conductor for forty years, Hugh has written eight books on Transformational Leadership, and works with leaders in religious organizations and business and nonprofit communities as executive coach, process facilitator, trainer, and motivational speaker, teaching leaders the fine-tuned skills employed every day by orchestral conductors. 

institution, mainline churches under Boomer leadership have strayed from being relevant. Both generations know it, but have few opportunities for discussion in a collaborative, non-critical environment. Parallel examples exist in social benefit organizations and the corporate world. Creating a forum for meaningful dialogue, based on relationship,is essential.We Boomers tend to be protective and proud, and are not confident in engaging Millennials because we see their generation as different from ours. Millennial Todd Greer, Executive Director of SynerVision Leadership Foundation, and I work very well together. We don’t agree on everything, but we share common values, vision, and guiding principles, which are the core of a healthy relationship. The differences we have are typically in perspective. Since we are committed to open,honest communication and have a solid relationship, we see things through a common lens. In group planning sessions, there are often points of conflict which create perceived barriers to fulfilling the vision and creating team effectiveness.This challenge is not unlike the generational challenges we perceive. Perception trumps reality, if allowed to do so. It’s our job as effective leaders to separate perception from reality and to understand what’s really happening.This means observing, reflecting, and moving toward perceived conflict as soon as it’s observed.

SynerVision Leadership .org I 9

Learn How To Forecast and Understand others’ decisions and actions before they happen!

Take control of your inner voice and manage your actions and accelerate your trajectory to greater success starting NOW... Advance opportunity to purchase the next break away book that is the GAME CHANGER to life, business, politics, and social interactions... THE LINE Your Trajectory Code to personal and professional success, a whole new interactive book experience.

trajectorycode.com

Preferred Systems, Inc... • offers continuing education credits in 43 professional licensing areas • offers online self-study and LIVE classroom courses • is THE Preferred Continued Education sponsor of SynerVision Leadership Foundation and SynerVision International • is the one for all your continuing education and accreditation needs A Recognized Provider of Continuing Education and Pre-Licensing Training for Professionals Across the Country

Continuing Education that Really Works! www.preferrededucation.com

888.455.7437 info@preferrededucation.com

Preferred Systems, Inc. is THE Preferred Coninued Education Sponsor and Affiliate of SynerVision Leadership Foundation and SynerVision International.

10 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

Scott S. Smith

Millennials Can Make a Quantum Leap Toward Success

To quote George Bernard Shaw, “ Youth is wasted on the young.” A ll of us who are older can look back wishing we had known early in our lives what we have learned the hard way.

that have happened, and how it turned out that difficulties forced him to come up with better ideas. He made a list of all the positive things about rejection, such as, “It teaches you to take criticism without getting angry or feeling sorry for yourself.” • Stay humble — in my experience, the smarter people are, the more likely they are blind to their weaknesses because they arrogantly think they know everything. • Take care of your health — it’s normal for the young to feel immortal, but bad habits will sap physical and mental energy, and plant the seeds for painful and expensive fixes in a couple of quickly passing decades. Ignore diet controversies, and just eat more veggies and whole grains and less sugar. The most overlooked preventive medicine that can pay off easily: rigorous dental care. • Read deeply and widely — most Americans don’t, which will give you all kinds of advantages. For one, it

Mentors should share the insights gained over time, and Millennials should be eager to benefit from hindsight, an opportunity to make a quantum leap over their more- conventional peers. At age 64, I can safely say that I’ve done almost everything wrong — but as the title of John Maxwell’s book puts it, we should always try to Fail Forward. Here’s what I wish I had known when I was 18-28 and had enjoyed some earlier success in business: • Learn to be frugal — you can make your own coffee, rather than buy Starbucks. Working for a nonprofit or a start-up is a good way not to develop bad business habits, too. • Don’t let your passion blind you to the need for backup plans — develop a variety of skills and add experience to be flexible in a volatile job world. • Don’t rush into long-termrelationships — infatuation is easily confused with love. Take the free eHarmony. com survey and find out whether you really know yourself and what you want. • Travel to or live in other countries and learn another language — you’ll never see your own culture the same way and will expand your ability to work across borders. Read Michael Crichton’s Travels to help you understand why this can profoundly change your life. • Learn from imperfect people — all of us make mistakes, but those don’t cancel out the wise things we do, so look for solutions, no matter what the source is. • Look at the glass as half-full — home shopping icon Tony Little has a long list of the adversities he’s suffered through on the first page of his autobiography, There Is Always A Way . Then he lists all the good things

allows you to connect better with diverse people, including donors, vendors, employees, co-workers and customers. Exercise your brain with long articles in places like The Atlantic . Read history and biography — these will give you perspective and role models. Study John Maxwell’s How Successful People Think . Implement some of the ideas in 52 Strategies for Life, Love &Work by Anne Grady.

Scott S. Smith is the author of Extraordinary People: Real Life Lessons on What It Takes to Achieve Success . He is a freelance journalist and frequent contributor to the Leaders & Success column of Investor’s Business Daily. He specializes in interviewing top CEOs and analyzing the careers of famous historic figures to understand their keys to success that can help small business. www.ExtraordinaryPeopleBook.com

SynerVision Leadership .org I 11

Nonprofits that Work

A t an age when most college stu- dents are wrapped up in exams, parties, sports, and courting, a few stu- dents at the University of Maryland, College Park, noticed a problem: huge amounts of leftover food from cam- pus dining halls and sports events be- ing thrown away. While students were enjoying meals in dining halls, 1 in 8 people in the Washington, D.C. area were struggling with hunger. Additionally, food from the dining halls was sitting in landfills, contributing to global warming. In 2011, three students from different campus organizations formed the Food Recovery Network (FRN) at UMD. They assembled a team, got student groups to volunteer, and worked with Dining Services to start recovering leftover food. In the first weeks, students recovered 150-200 pounds of food a day. Every night, a different student group on campus would spend an hour recovering food from the dining halls and donating it to shelters in the D.C. area. By the time the year was over, the group had donated 30,000 meals to D.C.-area shelters. Ben Simon and Mia Zavalij, two of the founders of the UMD program, began to wonder about food recovery at other schools. Why doesn’t every American college recover food? How much good food is going to waste each year on college campuses? They discovered that many colleges had no recovery program in place and, furthermore, countless people didn’t even know that recovering food was possible! In January 2012, students from four colleges created a national Food Recovery Network, with a mission of creating food recovery programs on every college campus in the

Post wrote about them again. In 2013, the Washington Post featured them for a third time and they were spotlighted on the Melissa Harris Perry Show on MSNBC. In May 2013, the Sodexo Foundation, whose mission is to put an end to child hunger, took note of the huge role FRN was playing in achieving this mission and provided a grant allowing the organization to rapidly expand its impact. FRN formed a partnership with Sodexo and one with Bon Appetit, another national dining service provider. By this time, FRN had grown to 25 campuses from Massachusetts to California. In July 2013, funding was in place for the organization’s first full-time staff member dedicated to working one-on-one with students across the country.This allowed FRN to mentor new campus groups and provide support to the existing FRN programs. At the end of July, Ben Simon, Founder and Executive Director of FRN, was featured as a top-five finalist on VH1’s Do Something Awards in Los Angeles. The entire team flew out to support him, and he took home a $10,000 prize and won the attention of over 300 new students interested in starting programs. As of January 2015,FRNhas chapters at more than 113 colleges in 30 states and the District of Columbia, and has recovered over 617,000 pounds of food, establishing partnerships with Sodexo, Bon Appetit, Chartwells, and many independent dining providers. Now meet Ben Simon of Food Recovery Network.

country. Students at Brown University formed the second chapter of FRN, which recovered 6,000 pounds of food in its first semester. That same month, FRN joined forces with two existing food recovery programs, Bare Abundance at the University of California, Berkeley and Food Rescue at Pomona College. A National Leadership Team of seven students from these four schools began meeting to discuss expansion. FRN reached out to students at other schools who were interested in starting food recovery programs on their campuses and developed materials to guide students through the process. The results were immediate. By November 2012, students at four schools (RISD, Providence College, UT-Austin, and Harvey Mudd/Claremont McKenna/Scripps) had started food recovery programs and joined the network, and more were on the way. In April 2012, FRN entered the Do Good Challenge with Kevin Bacon and won the grand prize of $5,000. In July, they won the $15,000 national grand prize at the Ashoka Banking on Youth Competition. Not long after, the organization was featured in the Washington Post and obtained 501(c)(3) status. The press coverage continued. In October, FRNwas on ABCNews,and theWashington

12 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

Nonprofiits that Work

Bringing Positive Change to our World Food Recovery Network Ben Simon

M illennials, as a generation, are probably both more idealistic and more practical than previous gen- erations. We care a lot about changing the world. We want to shop at busi- nesses that take care of their employ- ees and care about the environment and social responsibility. We want to make a good living, but the theory is no longer just “make a bunch of money and then give that money back;” it’s also “go off and do your own thing.” We have seen the growth of entrepreneurship, since entry bar- riers to entrepreneurship have been lowered with the internet, smart phones, and social media. That doesn’t just mean new business- es. It means that injustices that have persist- ed for hundreds of years are finally seeing a huge amount of hope. Growing up with that mindset, and around other people who share that mindset, has been a major influence for me, and for my generation. Millennials want a world where positive change is happening, and we care about a diverse array of issues. Although I wasn’t around, I believe that in the ‘60s and ‘70s, people cared about civil rights and Vietnam, and a few other issues really marked those decades. Today, young people are fired up about a much wider range of issues. It’s exciting to see people moving the needle on various causes. A number of experiences made me care about hunger, poverty, and the environment before starting Food Recovery Network (FRN). When I was in high school, my dad met a man playing tennis at a neighborhood court. After playing together only a few times, this guy made a bold ask of my dad. He said he couldn’t afford to rent his own place. He had been sleeping at friends’ houses and was out of places to stay. He asked if he could crash

We called our friends at other schools and told them about the impact we were making with this simple model of redistributing surplus food we called Food Recovery Network. Our friends started chapters at their schools and told their friends. The idea spread through word of mouth and coverage on media outlets like MSNBC, VH1 and Upworthy. A major turning point for us was receiving a $300,000, two-year investment from Sodexo Foundation in spring 2013 that allowed us to hire full-time staff to scale up our operation. Just 3 ½ years after our first chapter at UMD, we’re now at 115 colleges nationally and have donated over 625,000 pounds of food that otherwise would have been wasted. I often reflect on the past few years, and how we were able to achieve this breakthrough impact. First, team is crucial. It would seem obvious, but I found out later that others had tried to create national campus food recovery programs similar to Food Recovery Network five or so years before we got started. However, they never took off because they weren’t able to assemble high-performing teams. In this regard, we were really lucky going into it: it wasn’t just me. I’m technically the “Founder” but I have seven Co-Founders who each made significant contributions of 10-20 hours a week for two years. Nearly all of these Co-Founders had previous experience fighting hunger, or were involved in nonprofits or student organizations on campus. Assembling an awesome team that’s well equipped to execute is really important. Having a strategy that everyone buys into is also key. At FRN, we lucked out again be- cause Rob Sheehan, a professor at UMD, is a nonprofit strategy guru and facilitated a pro-

with us for a short time; otherwise, he would be homeless. My dad, barely knowing him, took him in, and this stranger became family, living with us for two years. We ate together and watched football together on Sundays. He had full-time employment at a grocery store, stocking shelves at night, making minimum wage even though he was in his 50s, and different circumstances kept him poor. For example, he didn’t have health care, so when a very serious medical issue came up, he avoided going to the hospital for as long as he could. The doctor said if he had waited another day he might have died. He left the hospital with tens of thousands of dollars of medical debt. Experiences like these changed my perspective. I started to think a lot deeper about societal systems, the privilege that I had, and the opportunity and responsibility to help open pathways for others to succeed. A few years later at University of Maryland, College Park, my friends and I led canned food drives and raised awareness about hunger. It set the stage for starting FRNwhen we learned how much food was being wasted in campus dining halls. We had relationships with local organizations, and knew there was a big need in the community for this food, and could not believe that UMD was wasting thousands of pounds of food every week. So we snapped into action and created the program.

SynerVision Leadership .org I 13

bono strategic planning process for us. Rob is all about breakthrough strategies, which aligned perfectly with our energetic, ambi- tious group of Co-Founders and Board mem- bers. Having a clear vision with goals and a roadmap for accomplishing them helped give all our stakeholders confidence as we pushed forward in executing our bold vision. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of a volunteer labor force was also imperative. We understood that volunteers could only go so far. Although they were a huge asset for us, we needed to look at drawing funding. I’ve seen a lot of community-based organizations where you may start with a strong team, but one person’s more invested than everybody else. Then when there’s no funding to pay salaries, people get burned out and drop out. You’re left with one leader who’s volunteering and making just enough to scrape by, putting in 100% of the work and doing three or four jobs. We knew we had to be strategic and realistic about our business model – if that’s social enterprise, or grants and foundations – but be realistic about only having 24 hours in a day. One of the most common pitfalls in social entrepreneurship is losing focus and drift- ing away from the core mission. Looking at nonprofits and for-profits, start-ups and

organizations that are 20 or 30 years old, it seems like the highest-performing ones are the ones that know who they are and remain true to that. At FRN, we’ve at times been dis- heartened by the funding landscape because there really are very limited programs around food recovery, while there’s a lot more around nutrition education for kids.That’s really hot right now, and funders follow trends. We do a little bit of nutrition education when that’s what the chapter wants to do, and the food we serve tends to be healthier than what many agencies are used to, but nutrition education is not our core model. We’ve resisted the temp- tation to roll out a program around nutrition education, even though that was where the funding was. We’ve had to make tough deci- sions like that, and I’m sure we’ll continue to have to do that, engaging our board and our staff in real communicative conversations. It’s

Ultimately, I’ve learned that’s where leader- ship comes in. Leaders need to be in close touch with their staff and with how a situ- ation the organization is facing will af- fect everyone’s job. They need to have really strong relationships of trust and respect with whomever they are leading. They need to have a clear vision for where the group or or- ganization needs to go and how to get there, and be able to articulate that in a way that moves head and heart. We probably haven’t done quite as good a job as some, but much of our success has come because we’ve done a pretty good job of packaging our story in a way that makes people want to share it and get involved. Organizations with a story that can be shared and an avenue for people to get involved are the organizations that will cap- ture the energy and passion of this generation and help shape a better future.

especially unfortunate since for most of our journey there have been no dedicated grant pro- grams around food re- covery. However, we’ve been very fortunate to connect with the right funders who enabled us to stay who we are and to do what we do best.

A Community for Community Builders to Grow Your Organization

The SynerVision Leadership Foundation is a membership community for social benefit leaders — religious leaders, nonprofit executives, foundation directors. Collaboration is the core of social benefit. The reality is that together we can accomplish more. Together we build bigger, encourage deeper, reach wider and care farther. You want this in your religious, nonprofit, charity and educational institutions.

Join Us Today

The Nonprofit Exchange — Tuesdays at 2 PM EST A weekly interview series that brings insight and application from cutting edge thought-leaders. Past Contibutors include...

• David Burkus • Sherita Herring

• Devin Thorpe • Brian Sooy

• Ed Bogle • Aaron Young

and many more!

#NonprofitChat – The weekly Twitter chat provides a great opportunity for engaging challenging ideas in a social platform. Join a community of nonprofit leaders as we work to bring higher-level functioning to our organizations as we impact the community.

Follow us...

www.SynerVisionLeadership.org

14 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

Ready for 75% of Your New Workforce Derrick Feldmann Academic Desk

M ore than 46 million American employees are aged 20-34. Just as Baby Boomers altered life as their parents knew it, Millennials – a larger cohort than Boomers – are influencing our lives today as much or more, and at an incredibly accelerated pace. Their influence is being felt is the workplace. Millennial (born 1980- 2000) employees are looking for much more than nice compensation. They’re taking their desire to improve the world into the office – meaning nonprofits have an intrinsic edge. Nonprofits will be engaging with Millennials as donors, volunteers, advocates – and employees. The Millennial Impact Project, produced by Achieve and the Case Foundation, annually conducts research on Millennials’ engagement with causes and publishes the Millennial Impact Report . Our 2014 report focused on Millennials as employees. As a group, Millennials feel called to address issues, and they seek peers and small groups that think alike. They feel a call to be risk- takers when others are playing it safe due to economic uncertainties, a call to lead a team in a new, sometimes unrecognizable environment.They blur the line between living and working until it’s almost nonexistent. For Millennials, work-life balance is something that just is . The downside: too many nonprofit boards and management teams, see them as employees who want to challenge their organization’s structure and norms. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that as of April 2014, approximately 14 million aged 20-24 and almost 32 million aged 25- 34 were employed in the United States. The undeniable truth is that Millennials employees are coming to you (or are already there). Is your organization ready?

Historically, we’ve studied Millennials as individuals who participate in social causes. Now we understand how their desire to do good is reflected even in their employment at for-profit companies – from their initial job search considerations to the effect an employer’s cause work has on overall job satisfaction. Even in corporate careers, Millennials want to be able to do good and make a tangible difference through the workplace. This opens a door for nonprofits to approach for-profit companies with workplace giving opportunities. Millennials are interested in a triple platform of involvement: company- wide, department-based, and individual. Be prepared to suggest opportunities at each level. Your organization may be able to help a company improve their overall work culture as they help you raise funds and volunteers! Why Millennials matter. By 2020, Millen- nials will make up an estimated 75% of the workforce, so your organization should devote resources to the happiness of Millennial work- ers. Also, engagement and happiness lead to greater productivity. You need to engage with your workforce and, increasingly, this means connecting with Millennials. To recruit and retain the best and the brightest in the very near future, begin making your organizational structure attractive to Millennials now. You may be surprised at how the other generations of your employees embrace those changes, too. Derrick Feldmann  has a passion for helping organizations better understand and reach donors and volunteers. With continued research efforts through the Millennial Impact Project and leading the implementation of MCON, Derrick has become a thought leader in the ever changing world of fundraising. AchieveGuidance.com — TheMillennialImpct.com — MCONideas.tumblr.com

Start now. They’re assets. Companies in- creasingly recognize employee culture as an important asset inspiring retention, productiv- ity and a myriad of other benefits. Millennials don’t necessarily want to tear down and get rid of the existing system, but to build it, reimag- ine it and, yes, even run it.That’s a good thing. Nonprofits need to welcome and build relationships with their Millennial employees from the beginning by creating opportunities to engage both their professional and personal interests. Start with your office culture. Our research identified that organizational culture was high on the list of reasons Millennials applied to their current employers. Culture is also vital in employee retention, especially when coupled with a belief in their employer’s mission and purpose. Beyond compensation and benefits, the top reasons Millennials would stay with their employer were... • Having passions and talents used and fulfilled (53%) • Bonds with co-workers (20%) • Belief in company’s mission and purpose (20%) Making your internal structure Millennial- friendly can take time.Design a newworkplace environment you can implement in phases, and help all generations in the workplace participate.

SynerVision Leadership .org I 15

Berny Dohrmann

Millennial-Focused Nonprofits Think Diffferently

M illennials are causing organizations to rethink their strategy. They are media-conditioned, new brains and have developed a wiring that is quite unique and different from earlier generations. The millennial generation requires new and different cue patterns to command their attention. Millennials, with a mode for thinking that may often frustrates the pathologies of the older generations, are changing the way we think about education, employment, career paths, and charitable strategies. They are a focused yet flexible generation who desires to move from one area of mastery to another including breaking away from one career path to pursue another. To millennials, security and retirement are a tenuous oxymoron. The United States Department of Labor predicts the new millennial market will shift employment patterns by having 15 to 25 career resume experiences before they turn age 40. Millennial entrepreneurs are typically serial entrepreneurs (or entrepreneurs that have the propensity to continually create new entities).These entrepreneurs brainstorm and build two to three year business models, sell them, and then enter into the next business opportunity.With the exception to this being entrepreneurs who are able to iterate new ventures within the confines of their existing organization. But Millennials’ entrepreneurial focus extends to their view of the nonprofit sphere as well.They are interested in what Bill Gates termed as strategic charitable giving. They have engineered a new economy shifting

using charity as the core driver without any stress loads to your existing bandwidth? • If we can enlarge your trading community using exciting press releases and our own events, featuring your sponsorship, and you can measure every dollar is returning more than a dollar for future enlargement of this plan, would you have a meal with us to explore this plan? • We can develop charitable tax repurposing in free audits that match your values to gifting and never exceed your stress load on current tax management using charity as a missing toolkit for both. • Can we schedule a meeting with you and your comptroller or treasurer over the coming 10 days just for exploration that makes bottom line sense? Confirm your meeting dates with the CEO’s permission as you book the location time and date for the meeting, and who will attend by e-mail or text, and send a GPS map to them for convenience. Demonstrate you’ll do everything, and let them feel the offloading of bandwidth from their busy time pressures. You have taken a non priority item of charitable gifting and moved tax repurposing – strategic multi-year gift planning and audit matching – to an art form for the new brain millennial buyer. Berny Dohrmann is Chairman of CEOSpace Interna- tional, the largest support organization for business owners, and the inventor of SuperTeaching, a Title 1 technology for public schools that greatly accelerates retention. Frequently speaking on stages as the guest of nations and VIP conferences, Berny is a recognized author. His latest book is Redemption: The Cooperative Revolution .

away from the old multi-decade “I” cycle that focused on hosts of individual benefit and motivations. Millennials want to be engaged in a way that brings together their funds, time, passion, and purpose with their social network and physical community. Just as they want to create business ventures, they want to be co- creators of the nonprofit organizations with which they partner. But, we won’t be able to engage this generation if we don’t understand them. Approaching Millennials requires new check lists or a new cue language. This cue language alters the entire frame work of incoming messages electronically on your web site, in print, and in personal relationship meetings. Millennial Cue Construction in approaching the Millennial with follow-up to core questions as defined in this short article, can reform your team’s approach successfully. Millennial questions to work into conversa- tions: • I know your brand profit is high when your strategic charitable gifting plan impacts growth in your core business. Have you explored how tax repurposing can deliver exciting brand enhancement over a multi-year strategic gifting plan fitting any budget large or small? • Do you know how gifting programs can dramatically impact brand awareness

16 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine

Hannah Ubl

All Voices Matter Collaboration Across Generations

I ’ll never forget my first day of kindergarten. With new backpack and light-up sneakers, I sat down at my assigned seat and looked at a giant purple sign that read, “There is no I in team.”This would become the motto of elementary school, middle school and high school. “Collaboration” was my anthem. Most Millennials who grew up in the U.S. probably had a similar experience. From a young age, we were taught the power of working in teams, because two heads really were better than one and working indepen- dently hindered innovation. My Xer col- league laughs a bit too loudly at this: “That’s adorable! When I grew up, our motto was, ‘If you want something done right, do it your- self.’” Our opposing mindsets are not unique. In a world demanding us to collaborate con- stantly online and in person, it’s never been more important to learn how to communicate in a way that every generation can hear each other. Here are some tips when collaborating across generations in the nonprofit world. Traditionalists Also known as the Greatest Generation, Traditionalists built this country from the ground up in the wake of a Depression and a World War. They devoted their lives to serving their country and those around them– neighborliness reigned as the generation was coming of age. The world was slower, devoid of numerous technological distractions, and a great person at the party was one who could tell excellent stories. They still have stories to share from a lifetime of professional and personal experiences. Other generations must find the opportunity to admit, “I don’t know

independence and honestly discussing when collaboration is beneficial. Millennials Millennials are collaborative by nature. They were raised in democratic home and school environments where everyone’s voice mattered. They matured in a circular world free, or at least mostly free, of hierarchy so they tend to thrive in an unstructured environment. Social media activism is a perfect example of Millennials harnessing the power of collaboration – look no further than the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. At work, find ways to offer a flexible, collaborative environment. If necessary, be clear with boundaries and Though just teenagers, Edgers are shaping up to be just as self-reliant as their parents. A generation raised on YouTube and Do-It-Yourself blogs, they don’t have the patience or desire to consistently come to collective decisions. Don’t underestimate the independent power of this socially active generation. Hannah Ubl is a generational expert, researcher, keynote speaker, and consultant for BridgeWorks, the company dedicated to bridging gaps in the workplace and marketplace since 1998. For the past year, she has delved into generational research on a global scale and is the head researcher on the next generation following Millennials and the impact they’ll have on the workplace. Her perspective helps organizations gain a deeper understanding of each other to build lasting, multi-generational partnerships. www.generations.com expectations. Gen Edgers

___” and ask about it. Traditionalists’ stories can foster discussion and collaboration sessions that ultimately build strong mentor relationships. Baby Boomers Boomers have redefined every life stage they’ve touched. The first generation to say, “Don’t trust anyone over 30!” is incredibly young at heart. For the first time, political and social leaders looked to teenagers to be the voice of change. At work, they challenged the status quo and mastered the art of navigating written and unwritten rules. When it came to collaboration, they knew how to gather necessary people to brainstorm on a topic, keep to an agenda and get the job done. If you are looking to collaborate with a Boomer (and you should, they are full of knowledge), respect their expectations. Write a detailed agenda, send it ahead of time and come prepared to discuss. Gen Xers Gen Xers are the most fiercely independent cohort in today’s workplace.The latchkey kid generation learned at a young age how to fend for themselves. They knew that getting things done alone equated to getting things done right. Xers bring that independence into the workplace, but it doesn’t mean they don’t want to collaborate! They just want to do so at the most efficient time possible. Build trust with an Xer by respecting their

SynerVision Leadership .org I 17

Roberta Gilbert Systems Thinking

Anxious Organizations

O ften leaders complain that their organizations get nothing done: that people are lazy, moody, or have more time for gossip than for work. Sometimes leaders’ criticisms are more specific: they see no creative, forward movement of the group. This state of affairs will soon affect productivity and the bottom line, whatever the product or service may be. Both phenomena have to do with anxiety in the workplace. Possibly the most common instigator of anxiety in an organization is anxiety at the top. When the leadership is in turmoil, and the relationships there are not smooth, anxiety is generated. Anxiety affects the whole organization as long as unresolved relationship issues are present in leadership. Anxiety in individuals. Anxiety in an individual is generated whenever one feels a threat, real or imagined. It is evidenced by rapid heart rate, sweaty palms, thought rumination, worry, tense muscles, fight (anger), or flight (distancing from significant others). Symptoms may appear, such as overeating, over drinking, loss of energy, physical illness, insomnia, or mental/ emotional illness. Anxiety in relationships is manifest by: Conflict —shown by arguing inappropriately, criticizing, or blaming. Distance — avoiding each other, not speak- ing or speaking less than is needed. Over-, under-functioning Reciprocity — people getting bossy, having all the answers, hogging the “airtime,” or the opposite, seeing no alternatives, depending on others unnec- essarily, being depressed or showing other symptoms.

is influential over others, either in ideas or emotionally. If leadership relationships are not working well, the anxiety virus at the top will spill over, before long, to the entire organization. Anxiety is that catching. Fixing the problem. Why would these relationships not work well? The answer is often simple, but it can be difficult for people to implement in the beginning. In my experience of coaching leaders over many years, I find the most common reason is that they don’t spend enough one-on-one time together. Leaders need to carve out time to meet with each other on a regular basis if they are going to attain a smooth working relationship. (Meetings in a group don’t count as one-to-one regular contact.) These meetings are important enough to be scheduled into peoples’ calendars. It doesn’t matter who calls the meeting—the boss or one who reports to that boss, just that they are scheduled and do occur, regularly. Leaders who don’t take time for this important but easily neglected recurring conferencing are risking troubled work relationships. Because of the communicability of anxiety, this omission and its predictable turbulence can affect the well-being of the entire organization. Dr. Roberta Gilbert, in addition to maintaining a private psychiatric practice, is a faculty member of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family and the founder of the Center for the Study of Human Systems, author, and speaker. She works with business leaders, pastors, and therapists, particularly in Bowen family systems theory for individuals, families, and organizations. www.hsystems.org

Triangling — spreading rumors and gossip, talking about someone not present, not taking up issues with the appropriate one. All of these relationship postures tend to be more prevalent when anxiety is higher, and thus are a symptom of it. Anxiety in organizations. When anxiety rises in an organization, absenteeism goes up because of physical, mental or addictive illness, or people just plain feel bad often. Sometimes these places are referred to as “toxic workplaces.” If we can find the source of the anxiety,we will be in a position to deal with it. Commonly, the anxiety in such a chronically anxious place is coming from disturbed relationships at the top.How can disturbed relationships at the top affect the whole workplace? Anxiety spreads. Anxiety is extremely communicable. When one person is anxious, everyone he/she contacts will take it on. If you don’t believe me, think about the last time your spouse came home upset. How long was it before you took it on and now we had two anxious people? If this takes place where many people are in close contact, it doesn’t take long for the anxiety to spread to the whole group like a virus. It can begin with anyone. But leadership has an added punch. Leadership

18 I Nonprofit Professional Performance Magazine