RON MILAM CONSULTING  

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KCRW Fund Drive Lessons

Today is the last day of KCRW’s winter pledge drive. It’s also the last day to listen and learn some really valuable fundraising practices.  As a fundraising consultant, I’ve been listening to their fund drive all week and want to share with you some of the things they do really well that would be valuable to any non-profit organization seeking to raise funds from individual donors through a major donor campaign:

  1. They have an overall campaign goal for the amount of money they want to raise.  Not only that, they set goals for each hour and let listeners know the progress they are making towards reaching that goal.  They rally around these goals and folks who donate feel great for their contribution towards that specific goal.  
  2. They have clear deadlines – both for the overall campaign and for each hour.  These deadlines give a sense of urgency and compel folks to give.
  3. They ask for our support, repeatedly.  If they didn’t ask, most of us wouldn’t just randomly decide to give.
  4. They say “thank you” all the time and regularly thank people who have given on air.  “Thank you” are the two most important words in fundraising.
  5. They get everyone involved in the fundraising process.  All DJ’s, staff and a bunch of volunteers are involved.  Fundraising works best when all staff and board members are involved in the process.
  6. They make a clear case for why their station is valuable, which resonates with its audience. 
  7. They stress the individual benefits listeners receive and also throw in some nice give-aways (which were all likely donated from sponsors who wanted to support the fundraising drive and also reach out to a broader audience with their products).
  8. They use challenge grants.  When I heard the David Bohnett Foundation would double any gift people made, it inspired me to make another donation.
  9. They make giving really easy – it only takes a minute to pledge over the phone or online.
  10. They have fun with it.

I encourage you not only to tune in today on their last day to learn some great fundraising practices, but also consider making a gift yourself.  I’m a big fan of “Morning Becomes Eclectic” and “Which Way LA”. 

Facilitation Skills: Listening

Good listening skills are essential to anyone who wants to successfully facilitate a meeting.  It’s also my number one tip on my “Top 10 Tips for Facilitators”.

As a facilitator, you need to listen closely to what everyone has to say.  Since you are there to serve the entire group, you must actively listen so you can better understand where everyone is coming from so you can help them accomplish whatever they want to accomplish as a group.  Part of the trust you build with the group you facilitate depends on them believing you hear them.  Not only that, your active listening will help ensure other people within the group listen to each other, and actually hear what they have to say.  When folks within a group listen to each other, they are more likely to understand each other and that helps make it a little easier for the group to come to sustainable agreements.

Here are three quick and easy ways to listen:

  1. Mirroring:  When someone says something (that isn’t too long), you repeat the words back verbatim to the person who said it.  This is a tactic I often use when I’m facilitating a br Save ainstorming session with a group.
  2. Summarizing:  People often take a minute or two to make their point to the larger group.  If I’m facilitating a discussion, I’ll often quickly summarize what someone says to make sure I heard it right.  The point also gets reiterated to the group.   If my summary is slightly off, the person will correct me and then I’ll summarize it again.
  3. Clarifying:  Sometimes someone will make a point that isn’t all that clear, or very general.  Before calling on the next person, I will often ask a clarifying question to better understand where they are coming from.  This helps them hear that their point is made and it helps other people in the group.

I recently used all three of these techniques for a community meeting I facilitated for the City of Seal Beach.  I encourage you to give them a try as you facilitate future meetings and see how it goes. 

Top 10 Facilitation Tips

Last night, I helped facilitate a community meeting for the Los Angeles Eco-Village, which meets on a regular basis to discuss and decide issues within the community. These weekly meetings are facilitated by different members of the community on a rotating basis. 
Like the Eco-Village, many board meetings of nonprofit organizations are facilitated by a member of the board itself. Based on my work as a facilitator, I have compiled my top 10 tips for facilitating successful meetings and want to share them with you:
1.      Listen:  Listen closely listen to everything that is said and watch people’s body language as well.
2.      Develop the Agenda:  Before the meeting, create an agenda that has clear items that lead to actual decisions.
3.      Serve Everyone:  As a facilitator, you are there to serve the entire group, which means you don’t take anyone’s side. 
4.       Steward the Process:  Your job is to ensure the decision making process moves forward – the group’s job is to decide.
5.       Conflict is Normal:  Expect occasional conflict and work to build areas of agreement with the group.
6.       Set Ground Rules:  Going over some common ground rules at the start helps enforce bad behavior if it occurs. 
7.       Decide how to Decide:  Every group needs to agree on what their decision making method is before they start making decisions.
8.       Pay attention to time:  Remind the group how they are doing on time and/or appoint a timekeeper to help ensure things keep moving.
9.       Use your toolbox:  One example: Use a stack (which creates a list of who will speak next so people don’t interrupt).
10.   Practice:  We learn facilitation by doing it. We get better at it by reflecting on how we did and constantly learning new ways to do it better. 
I will elaborate on these in future blog posts and wish all of you the best as you facilitate future meetings.
 

Fundraising 101 Seminar

I'm pleased to report that last week's Fundraising 101 Seminar I led at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Downtown Los Angeles went very well.  For those of you that missed this introductory course, I'm leading another one on  February 5th from 10am to 1pm at the Flintridge Foundation in Pasadena.  Below is the course description.

At today's seminar, we had a great session with lots of participation in the form of discussion, questions and role-playing.  Some memorable points made:

-be sure to thank your donors
-fundraising is an ongoing process
-think of fundraising as an opportunity for a donor to invest in your organization
-engage your Board of Directors in the fundraising process

Folks shared with me after the workshop they learned a great deal and incrased their confidence levels when it comes to fundraising.

Here's the course description:

Course Description
Need to raise funds for your non-profit organization? Where do you begin? What's the secret to success? This workshop will explore the key concepts that underlie the fundraising process, including the development of a case statement, prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. You'll have the opportunity to practice what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking for a major gift. The workshop will also provide a forum for you to discuss any issues you have with fundraising and connect with leaders from other non-profit organizations.

For more info and to register for the next workshop, check out the Flintridge Foundation.

Both the Center for Nonprofit Management and Flintridge Foundation host a number of seminars on a wide-variety of subjects that relate to the nonprofit sector. I encourage you to check out the many resources each offers.

The Value of Happy Hours

I have a family member who did well running a successful company.  When I asked him why he succeeded, he said “I’ll tell you what everyone will say – work hard, never give up, have vision, etc.”  He paused for a moment, smiled, and looked at me and continued sharing “There was one thing that played a key role in our success.  Once a month, I would invite everyone in my company for a drink, from the most senior staff person to the most junior.  We’d spend the first part just mingling and socializing.  Once everyone had two drinks, I would bring out a note pad and we would brainstorm solutions to whatever problems we faced.  That’s where we generated our best ideas!”

In that spirit, I’ve hosted/facilitated a monthly happy hour for the last year which are not only a place to generate great ideas to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles, but also meet great people as well.  As a consultant, I interact with phenomenal leaders working on a variety of issues all throughout LA.  This is one way in which I bring everyone together and I welcome you to attend. 

My next happy hour is tonight, February 2nd, starting at about 5:30pm at 7 Grand in Downtown LA.  The question I’m asking folks to consider is “what will you do to make LA a better place in 2010?”  We generally go until about 8:30 or 9pm. I’m looking forward to seeing who attends tonight and introducing some great people other folks they don’t already know.

Last Malibu Beach Safaris

The LA Urban Rangers, a group I'm a part of outside of my consulting practice, will host their final Malibu Beach Safaris on February 27th.  I will be co-leading these outings and invite you to attend.  Below is information from a recent Ranger email:

The LOS ANGELES URBAN RANGERS ANNOUNCE:

The Last-Hurrah Malibu Public Beaches Safaris
Sat. Feb. 27 -- 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

We're wrapping up our 3-year Malibu project, and to celebrate our public beaches one last time, we're offering 3 (three!) 1 1/2-hour free mini-safaris. No sign-up required. All welcome!

What:  Are you tired of Zuma and Surfrider? Want to find and use the the 20 miles of public beaches that are lined with private development? Our safaris will equip you with the advanced skills necessary to find and use the Malibu public beaches legally and safely. Activities include signwatching, trailblazing the public-private boundary, and a public easement potluck.

When:   Choose 1 of the 3 start times. Please do not plan to join mid-safari.

Where:  Come to the public beach accessway between 22140-22126 Pacific Coast Highway (~.5 mis west of Carbon Canyon Rd. and ~1 mi. east of Malibu pier). Park on either side of the PCH (cross with caution), and walk through the accessway to the beach.  (Or take the 534 PCH bus!--nearest stop is Carbon Canyon Rd.-- www.metro.net.)
 
Rangers should arrive (look for the uniform) at the base of the accessway at least 15 minutes in advance of each start time. If you arrive early, you can walk on the wet sand anywhere, and on the dry sand (at least 10 ft. from the houses) on the FIRST 4 PROPERTIES TO THE LEFT (downcoast).  Please do not use the dry sand upcoast or elsewhere.
 
Bring:   Snack, water if you need it, sun protection, and extra layer or two (important!) for warmth.
 
Rain:  If it's raining, the safaris have been canceled. We'll reschedule in the spring.
 
Please note: No bathroom available at meeting point--Try the fast-food restaurants just upcoast on the PCH.  Dogs, sadly, are not allowed on the beaches.

Hope to see you at the beach!
Los Angeles Urban Rangers
www.laurbanrangers.org

A downloadable "Malibu Public Beaches" guide is available on our website.

 


A quick tour of my office

Yesterday, I made a short video giving a tour of one of my many office locations here in Los Angeles.  Occassionally working in beautiful places like Griffith Park is yet another reason why I love my work so much.  Enjoy the video!


Fundraising 101 this Wednesday

I'm leading another Fundraising 101 Seminar this Wednesday from 9:30am to 12:30am at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Downtown Los Angeles and welcome you to attend.  I'm also leading the same workshop on February 5th from 10am to 1pm at the Flintridge Foundation in Pasadena. 

Here's the course description:

Course Description
Need to raise funds for your non-profit organization? Where do you begin? What's the secret to success? This workshop will explore the key concepts that underlie the fundraising process, including the development of a case statement, prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. You'll have the opportunity to practice what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking for a major gift. The workshop will also provide a forum for you to discuss any issues you have with fundraising and connect with leaders from other non-profit organizations.

For more info and to register, check out the Center for Nonprofit Management.

News from LA Urban Rangers

While I love my consulting work and look forward to working with many more organizations this year, I enjoy doing a bunch of other things outside of consulting.  One group I especially enjoy participating in is the Los Angeles Urban Rangers

Below is text from an email update the LA Urban Rangers just sent out, in case your interested to learn more about the group and what we're up to these days.  Maybe we'll see each other in Malibu later this month.



Happy New Year from the Los Angeles Urban Rangers!

We're pleased to kick off 2010 on the homefront with two exciting exhibitions, coming up just around the corner:

* Come see our work and that of other participatory based projects in Actions, Conversations, and Intersections at the LA Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Art Park from January 24 - April 18, curated by Edith Abeyta and Michael Lewis Miller. The opening reception is Sunday, January 31st from 2-5pm. Check out this link for more events and weekly goings on around the exhibition.
http://www.actionsconversationsintersections.com/
http://www.culturela.org/lamag/Home.html

* Our Portable Ranger Station is winging its way back from the 2009 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam en route to Tijuana! Stop by Performing Public Space, curated by Owen Driggs, at La Casa de Túnel: Art Center from February 6 - March 21. Leave your transit behind and just walk across the border. Other artists in the show include Fallen Fruit, Lauren Bon, and Jane Tsong, among others.
http://cofac101.org/casa.htm

* The new year promises new investigations as well. We are currently working with the University of California's Institute for Research in the Arts on a major project for the UC's Natural Reserve System, returning to the Netherlands next summer to build a field guide for our trail system in Almere's favorite vacant lot, and continuing development of a series of programs for our very own Downtown Los Angeles.

* Finally, thanks to support from the Coastal Conservancy, we will be wrapping up our highly successful Malibu Public Beaches program next month! The newly translated Spanish version of our informative map and guide is hot off the presses, and will be distributed throughout LA County and on the Metro 534 line, and of course, available on our website. Our very last public safari is tentatively scheduled for the last weekend in February. Stay tuned!


Ever onward,
Los Angeles Urban Rangers
http://www.laurbanrangers.org

January News

Here's a link to my most recent email newsletter I sent out.  Enjoy!

Green LA Victory

 

With all of this rain coming down, wouldn't be great if we could do something more productive with all of this water instead of creating massive amounts of pollution run-off that goes straight into the ocean?

I'm pleased to report that a major step in moving Los Angeles towards this direction of a smarter water and land-use policy happened recently thanks in large part to the Green LA Coalition, one of my recent clients.  Green LA played a key role in moblizing support for the Low Impact Development Ordinanance, which the Board of Public Works in the City of Los Angeles approved last Friday.  I joined the long line of supporters and voiced my support for this ordinance in front of the Board.  For a good summary about the meeting and why this is important for Los Angeles, check out Joe Linton's Creek Freak blog posting.

I'm hopeful that the City Council will ultimately approve this policy and look foward to being one of many voices in support of this.

Angelenos Making a Difference

An LA Times Blogpost asks readers to comment on who are L.A.'s greatest.  I submitted the following - all are folks who have worked hard to make LA a better place, with the majority of them helping launch new inititiatives that have had a positive impact. 
"Jimmy Lizama who founded the Bicycle Kitchen. Paolo Davanzo who launched the Echo Park Film Center. Liz Elliot and Shay Sanchez for starting CICLE. Lois Arkin who founded the L.A. Eco-Village. John Case for founding BikeStation, Mark Shandrow for serving as it's first Executive Director and Andrea White as its current Director. Eric Garcetti for his leadership as City Council President. Beth Steckler for her work as an affordable housing advocate. Andy Lipkis for founding TreePeople. Dorothy Green who helped start Heal the Bay. Lewis MacAdams for dreaming Friends of the LA River.   Melanie Winter for starting the River Project. Joe Linton for all his river & bike advocacy. James Rojas for his engaging work on public space. Joe Edminston who has led the Mountains and Recreation Authority. Chuck Arnold who helped build a pocket park along Ballona Creek. The Wilkensons for starting the Southern California Library. Kelly Martin for now leading the Bike Kitchen. Fernando Valenzuela for how he brought LA together. Bert Corona for fighting for undocumented workers.  Sara Deliedan., Emily Scott, Jenny Price and Therese Kelly for imagining the LA Urban Rangers. The father/son team that just opened Eagle Rock Brewery. Bob Gottlieb at Occidental College for Arroyofest and the Bike Summit. Jonathan Parfrey for launching the Green LA Coalition and Stephanie Taylor for currently leading it. Jen Klausner and the crew at the LA County Bicycle Coalition. The thousands of Angelenos who have started bicycling in the last couple of years, installing solar power, planting community gardens, getting to know their neighbors and who have volunteered for various causes to improve the quality of life here."

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it's certainly a start. I'm guessing I'll have some more blog posts on this subject.  Feel free to leave your own suggestions for LA's great on the LA Times site.

Top 10 Fundraising Tips

Earlier tonight, I met with several folks from the Bike Kitchen and helped them brainstorm some fundraising strategies for their fantastic organization.  They were already on the right track because they had five folks from the organization there ready to roll up their sleeves and help raise funds, including some volunteers, a board member and their staff person.  During our time together, I mentioned some of my top 10 tips for Fundraising and want to share a summary of this list for you:  

1. Ask:  Your job is to ask. The person you ask – their job is to decide. 

2. Thank:  The most important words in fundraising are “Thank you”. Thanking donors affirms their gift.

3.  Build relationships:  People give to people. Remember to build relationships with your donors.

4.  It’s an ongoing process:  The folks who are most likely to give large gifts to your organizations are folks who already give. 

5.  You might get nine “no’s” before a “yes”:  Don’t be afraid if someone you ask says no. Thank them for considering.

6.  Develop your case first:  Before you start asking for money, it’s important that you have a strong case for your organization.

7.  Research, Network and Cultivate:  Constantly work to develop potential new donors.

8.  Diversify your funding base:  Seek to raise funds from multiple sources: individuals, events, foundation grants, government grants and earned-income.

9.  Diversify your fundraisers:  Fundraising generates the strongest results when lots of people in the organization are involved in the process.

10.  It’s an ongoing learning process:  We learn fundraising by doing it. I wish you the best as you move forward.

I will elaborate on these in future blog posts and wish all of you the best as raise funds for whatever organizations you are affiliated with in 2010.  I also welcome any suggestions you have to raise money for nonprofit organizations.  Thanks!



 

Happy Holidays

Enjoy a great holiday season.  I hope our paths cross in 2010.
Peace,
Ron

December News

Here's a link to my December 2009 Newsletter.  Enjoy!
Happy Holidays,
Ron

2009 Year in Review

I’m pleased to report on what kept me busy in 2009 – consulting for 18 nonprofit organizations, which included facilitating nine groups, managing three projects, leading 20 trainings and coaching for several nonprofit leaders. 
Below is a short summary of my work as well as an accomplishment of the organization. I look forward to serving even more organizations in 2010 and hope you’ll contact me if you think there is a role I might be able to play for your organization.
Facilitation
Green LA Coalition – I facilitated a visioning process based on an organizational assessment that another talented consultant, Beth Steckler and I did for them. The Coalition sponsored numerous events that brought together the environmental community in LA and also supported many policy initiatives. 
Southern California Leadership Network– I planned and facilitated two learning-seminars for the Leadership LA and Leadership Southern California Programs. This leadership program built the capacity of 50+ leaders over the year.
Los Angeles Audubon– I facilitated a day-long board/staff retreat that helped them make some important decisions. The group sponsored many bird walks that raised awareness of the many birds in the region.
Ballona Creek Renaissance – I facilitated several meetings with their Board to prioritize a fundraising and board development strategy. The group recently celebrated the opening of a new gateway to the Creek.
Beverly Vermont Community Land Trust – I facilitated a day-long board retreat that help the group clarify some strategic goals. The group has continued to make progress on its first land purchase that will ensure long-term affordable housing.
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition – I facilitated a day-long board/staff retreat where they prioritized their annual goals. The group has been working to ensure the City of LA develop a quality Bicycle Master Plan, among other things.

Hispanic Outreach Taskforce – I facilitated an afternoon session that developed a short-term strategy for raising funds. The group has continued to provide numerous programs for the community.

Urban and Environmental Policy Institute – I planned and facilitated a number of pre-meeting to the first annual Bike Summit which brought together 300+ advocates from the region.

Bikestation– I facilitated numerous project management meetings that led to the development of an implementation study for a new Bikestation. The group recently opened a new Bikestation in Washington D.C. and is expanding throughout the country.
Project Management
Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust – Working with a Steve Cancian, a landscape architect doing fantastic work, we evaluated their current practices and developed a handbook for developing new parks in the future. The group recently hired a new Executive Director, Alina Bodke, who is has a strong track record in the environmental community.
SOAR Charter School – I created a fund development plan and secured a grant for $150,000. The school is in the process of launching and will open in the fall of 2010.
Behavioral Health Services – I worked with the organization’s leadership and developed a fundraising assessment for the organization. The group has provided needed social services for thousands of people over the year.
Trainings
Liberty Hill Foundation– I led a four-part fundraising series for their grantees working on numerous social change issues in Los Angeles
Alliance for Biking and Walking– I led three weekend “Winning Campaigns” trainings for them in Toronto, Denver and Little Rock. Participants developed campaign strategies that they took back and began implementing throughout the Country.
Center for Nonprofit Management – I led four trainings on fundraising at this great local center that provides numerous resources for local groups in LA.
Flintridge Foundation– I led three different trainings on fundraising, media and volunteer recruitment for this fantastic center that also provides nonprofits resources in Pasadena
L.A. Eco-Village – I led two trainings on facilitation for the CRSP Institute for Urban Eco-Villages, an exciting demonstration project for sustainability in LA.
My Own Fundraising Series – I hosted my own four-part fundraising series that sharpened the skills of folks that attended.
Coaching
I provided coaching for several environmental leaders throughout the year and helped build their capacity as leaders, fundraisers and facilitators.

I really enjoyed working with so many different leaders working on a variety of sustainability issues throughout our region.  I learned a great deal about so many different, but interrelated issues and greatly appreciate the work they are all doing. I look forward to serving even more organizations in 2010.
For more information about the services I provide as a consultant, check out any of the following pages: facilitationproject managementtrainings and coaching.
 
 

Facilitator on a Bike



A good facilitator brings some important materials to a meeting including an easel, markers, a small clock and most challenging of all to carry on a bicycle, a full sized posterboard to scribe notes to capture everyone’s good thoughts. Up until now, I have always asked clients to bring the posterboard because it was too challenging to secure on my small bike rack.

For a recent peer learning session I led for the Liberty Hill Foundation, one of the leading funders of social change movements in Los Angeles, I decided I would incorporate a little social change in my own lifestyle and bring everything to the training by bicycle.  Knowing I couldn't fit everyone on my existing bike, I remembered one of my neighbors here at the LA Eco-Village has an XtraCycle I could borrow, which is a bicycle trailer device designed to carry heavy loads.
I’m excited to report that I successfully carried the following items on one bicycle: that big posterboard, an easel, markers, handouts, my laptop computer and three bags of groceries that fed an impressive group of 15 leaders working on social change here in Los Angeles.  I really enjoyed the ride and the discussion that followed it.
Now that I know it can easily be done, I look forward to hauling all of my facilitation tools on bike to future trainings, retreats and meetings. While I can’t confirm it, I just might be able to say I’m the only bicycling facilitator in Los Angeles! If you need a facilitator or want to know more about what a facilitator does, check out my website.
See you on the streets of Los Angeles and remember that you can always carry more stuff on a bicycle than you think you can.  
 
 

GOOD Ideas for LA

I participated GOOD Magazine's L.A. 2.0: Refresh, Reinvent and Re-imagine event over the weekend and am pleased to report the common theme that emerged from the five groups was the need for flexibility in how we use urban space. So for example, rather than streets being prioritized only for cars all the time, the city of Los Angeles needs to be more proactive in using our spaces in ways that also build community and promote sustainability.

One idea that came up in several groups was the
Ciclavia concept, which temporarily closes streets to car traffic and opens it up to people.  Imagine our streets occassionally full of kids playing, people rollerskating, dancing, bicycling and socializing.  It's a totally different way to experience our cities and one I hope to see someday in LA.  The concept has already successfully worked in San Francisco, New York, Bogota and other places.

Thanks to everyone who submitted suggestions when I made an earlier post about this gathering. I shared several of these ideas with folks who attended, which included architects, planners, staff from local elected officials, bloggers, developers, artists and advocates.   The results of the think-tank will be put into a letter which will be sent to the Obama administration. I will also keep many of the good ideas I heard in mind as
I continue to work with sustainability-oriented nonprofits in LA.  

So, when are we going to get a Ciclavia in L.A.? Sometime in 2010 sounds good to me!

(Also, thanks again to Streetsblog LA for also allowing me to share this update with their readers.  You can also read about this on the LA Loyalist blog)

GOOD Magazine's L.A. 2.0

On December 5th, GOOD Magazine will host an event called L.A. 2.0: Refresh, Reinvent and Re-imagine, which will assemble 25 leading urban practitioners for an afternoon to identify five key urban strategies to improve the physical environment in Los Angeles.  
I’m thrilled to have been selected to participate in this event and plan to share some good ideas I’ve learned from many of my sustainability-oriented nonprofit clients.
As a facilitator, I often work to brainstorm ideas from groups I’m working with at retreats.  I’m curious to hear what GOOD ideas YOU have to improve the physical environment in Los Angeles.  I also blogged about this for Streetsblog LA - if you have a suggestion you would like to share, check out that blog and leave a post there (Streetsblog LA by the way is a great blog to the latest on transportation reform in Southern California).
If you would like to share your good ideas with me in person, I’ll be hosting a happy hour this Wednesday in Downtown L.A. starting at 5pm to about 8pm. Please contact me for details.
Finally, I’m still interesting in hearing your feedback on what workshops you would like me to lead in 2010. Please take a minute to fill out my survey. Thanks!
 
 

What trainings do you want?

I'm staring to plan what trainings I will lead in 2010 and would love to get your input.  Please take a few minutes to fill out my short survey on this.  I really value your input and will do my best to tailor my trainings to your needs. Thanks!

For a listing of the trainings I currently lead, check out my Workshops page.  For a listing of my upcoming tranings, checkout my Calendar page.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Thought on Sustainability

The Southern California Leadership Network asked me to share a quote with them about sustainabilty for their monthly email newsletter. 

Here's the full quote:

Why is it important for civic leaders to become involved in conversations around natural resources sustainability?

"When leaders engage in conversations around sustainability, it leads to solutions that transform some of our region's greatest challenges into our biggest assets over the long-term.

For example, the City of Los Angeles' proposed Low Impact Development Ordinance addresses the multiple issues of stormwater pollution, water shortages, flood control, climate change and lack of green space by encouraging sustainable development in a cost-effective way that captures rainwater in a variety of innovative ways onsite rather than having it wash out to the ocean."

Check it out (it's in the Alumni Spotlight Section at the bottom right).  

A few years back, I participated in their Leadership Southern California Program.  More recently, as a consultant, I planned a day-long seminar exploring Koreatown and another one focussing on transit oriented development along the Gold line.

For anyone considering building their leadership skills and building a stronger network here in Southern California, I would recommend both of these programs.


November 2009 News

Here's a link to my latest newsletter where I give some general updates on my work. Enjoy!

One Way to Raise $150,000

One way to do it is to write a big government grant, which is something I just did for SOAR Charter School, one of my clients. I’m pleased to report that the State awarded the school this grant!
The good thing about government grants is the amounts are often greater than what you can get from foundations (although in this shaky economy we’re also seeing some government grantmaking go down). The bad thing about these grants is writing these proposal usually requires A LOT of work and even more paperwork. 
I’ll be talking about how to write successful grant proposals at a Grant Proposal Writing Clinic I’m leading at the Center for Nonprofit Management. For each of the participants, I’ll be reviewing one of their proposals before hand and we’ll then use the seminar for me to give feedback and also go over some best practices.

Here's the course description:

"How do you turn a good grant proposal into a great one? This workshop will explore various strategies to strengthen your grant writing skills.  Our discussion of best practices will be based on real world examples that you bring to the workshop.  You'll also have the opportunity to receive specific feedback on your proposal.  Participants must submit a sample proposal in advance.  This workshop is not for beginners.

Maybe I'll see you there!

Green LA

For the last two months, I’ve been working on an exciting project for the Green LA Coalition, LA’s leading environmental coalition actively working to transform Los Angeles into a greener City. 
Working closely with another consultant, Beth Steckler who I also used to work closely with when I consulted for Livable Places, we embarked upon an organizational assessment of the coalition where we interviewed over 25 people and also developed an online survey that 55 participating organizations in Green LA filled out. With this information, we presented an assessment report to Green LA’s steering committee last week. Based on this assessment, I will facilitate an upcoming retreat for the Coalition’s steering committee to help decide the future direction of the Coalition.
I’m really impressed with the Coalition’s work, the level of commitment from participants and the effective leaders that make this coalition work, both in participating organizations and in staff.   The Coalition is playing a key role in helping make LA a greener city, and I’m thrilled to help play a role as the Coalition moves forward.

For more information about the facilitation services I provide for nonprofits, check out my facilitation page.

State of Nonprofit Sector

Last week, I led another fundraising workshop at the Center for Nonprofit Management focusing on creating a strong successful fund development plan.  We had a really good discussion as I went through the various elements necessary to develop a fundraising strategy that will yield the highest results.  I'm leading several upcoming trainings on fundraising and invite you to attend.

It turns out information regarding fundraising is what local nonprofits need most, according to a recent study by the Center for Nonprofit Management.  Their recent State of the Nonprofit Sector report provides a general overview of what current nonprofits are experiencing given the current economic downtown. 

Roughly half of the consulting work I do deals directly with building my clients capacity to raise money.  I've helped multiple nonprofits, including:

  • assessing their fundraising capacity
  • creating fund development plans
  • researching potential funders
  • engaging their boards in fundraising
  • writing grant proposals
  • coaching executive staff
  • providing general and customized trainings

If you would like more information about any of these services that I provide, please contact me.  I'm happy to send you additional information and follow up with you on the phone.


Fund Planning Tip #1

Fund Planning Tip #1:  Engage your Board of Directors in the Process of Creating a Plan
Creation of a fund development plan is a great way to get your Board involved with fundraising. If they help create the fundraising plan, they are more likely to implement it. Successful implementation of fund development plans depend on board involvement.
I’ll be talking about this and lots of other topics relating to creating a fund development plan this Tuesday, October 20th, from 9:30am to 12:30pm at the Center for Nonprofit Management, which you are more than welcome to attend. 
I’ve worked with multiple nonprofit organizations and a general rule is that if the board is involved with fundraising, then the organization has a much higher likelihood of being successful at fundraising. Those that don’t’ have involved board often struggle with fundraising.
My workshop on Tuesday explores the steps necessary for creating a fund development plan. Too often, when organizations do engage in fundraising, they do in a haphazard, unplanned way which often leads them frustrated, exhausted and without much success in raising funds. This workshop will discuss the timing of a plan, the overall process, who you need to have involved, what a strong plan consists of and ways to evaluate your organization during the process.  As always, my workshops will be fun, fast-paced and interactive. 
The workshop is designed for folks new to fundraising or for folks that have had some experience and want to brush up on their skills, please RSVP with the Center for Nonprofit Management if you would like to attend. 
As usual, I have a number of other workshops also coming up and invite you to attend. For more information, check out my calendar page.

Leadership LA in KTown

Last Friday, I facilitated another seminar for the Southern California Leadership Network.  This time, we looked at a specific neighborhood:  Koreatown.  I really enjoyed putting this seminar together, which invovlved developing the day's agenda and recruiting the speakers.  I especially enjoyed facilitating the afternoon debrief where participants talked about their experiences exploring various aspects of the neighborhood.   Here's a summary of the day that the Southern California Leadership Network just emailed out:

Leadership L.A. focuses on neighborhood development in Koreatown

The Class of 2009 learned how neighborhoods grow and develop in Los Angeles on Oct. 9 with Dr. Fernando Guerra of the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, who discussed the DNA of neighborhoods in the city and his "5 Ds" that have driven what L.A. has become: decentralization, democratization, deindustrialization, development of land and demographic shifts. The case study focused on Koreatown, where Fellows met with Korean-American leaders, including Leadership Southern California alumnus Hyepin Im, Korean Churches for Community Development; as well as local business owners, developers, community organizers, historians and neighborhood councilmembers. The class closed the session at the new Solair Wilshire transit-oriented development with L.A. City Councilmember Tom LaBonge. Read more about the day on Twitter by following @SCLN. View photo gallery



Back from Denver

This last weekend I kept busy with two consulting projects on the other side of the Continental Divide in Denver Colorado.
I led another 2 ½ day training for the Alliance for Biking and Walking, which led folks from state and local bicycle advocacy organizations through the process of developing a campaign to improve cycling conditions in their communities. The workshop was fun, fast-paced and very productive.  I will lead a similar training in Little Rock, Arkansas in two weeks.
I also am helping raise funds for an exciting new charter school in Denver, and met with the schools leader and two of their board members to brainstorm strategies for a new fund development plan.   The school is called SOAR Charter School, and is led by the former Principal of the Future Leaders Institute Charter School in Harlem, a place I helped raise over $600,000 for several years back when I lived in New York City.
The other joy for me in spending time in Denver was staying with my grandfather’s sister’s side of the family. My great-aunt and uncle were community leaders that organized to integrate the Park Hill neighborhood in the 1960’s at a time when similar communities across the country experienced “white flight” and fell into decline. My great-aunt passed away nine years ago, but my great uncle is still going strong along with two of his three daughters who also live in Denver, along with their families.
I also really enjoyed bicycling the Cherry Creek Bikeway into Downtown Denver.   I wish that someday Ballona Creek, the LA River, Dominguez and Compton Creeks will someday look more like Cherry Creek. Even though Cherry Creek has walls, there’s lots of natural landscaping and rapids that make it a very pleasant place to ride.

Learning to Facilitate

I’m leading another Introduction to Facilitation workshop this Tuesday evening, September 29th at the Los Angeles Eco-Village and invite you to attend.
Here’s more information about the workshop:  Facilitators play a key role in helping a group make decisions. They help create a safe environment where everyone feels like their input is valued. In this workshop, you'll explore the benefits of facilitation, explore the group decision making process, explore various tools a facilitator uses, and have the opportunity to practice facilitating a group (and receive feedback on your efforts). To sign up for this training, visit the LA Eco-Village webpage.
If the group you’re a part of needs to make important decisions, building a stronger team or wants to build better decision making processes, then you could probably use an outside facilitator to help. To learn more about the facilitation services I offer as a consultant, check out my facilitation pageOver the last four years, I’ve facilitated numerous groups in their decision making process and have blogged about many of these experiences.
Please contact me if you would like to discuss further.
 

Liberty Hill Workshops

I’m leading another series of fundraising workshops for the Liberty Hill Foundation, starting this Thursday with a two-hour peer learning session focusing on upgrading donors. How do you take someone who may have made a small donation to your organization on the spur of the moment and transform them into a regular donor? More often than not, nonprofit organizations that are so busy doing good work fail to build meaningful relationships with their donor base and in turn, lose out on needed funds they could have raised.
The series is for Liberty Hill grantees. During these sessions, I lay a foundation by presenting some best practices for the first 20 or so minutes and then for the remainder of the session, I facilitate a dialog between participants. We learn by sharing experiences, asking questions and getting answers from our peers. 
While this Thursday’s workshop is full to capacity, email me if you are interested in attending a future workshop. There are a limited number of spaces available for social-justice oriented nonprofit organizations.
Future Liberty Hill Trainings include:
THE ART OF ASKING DONORS, Oct. 15, 10 am to 12 pm
MANAGING DONOR INFORMATION, Nov. 19, 10 am to 12 pm
ENGAGING YOUR BOARD WITH FUNDRAISING, Dec. 17, 10 am to 12 pm
 
In addition to these trainings, I’m leading numerous trainings on a variety of fundraising, facilitation, volunteer and campaign related topics. More information can be found on my calendar page. I welcome you to attend any of these and/or forward the link to anyone you think might be interested. Thanks.

Mobile Hi-Fi Tours - Wow!

Public Matters, a group I’m a part of, has partnered with a bunch of great organizations to organize a series of mobile tours and a fundraiser in Historic Filipinotown on September 26th. I invite you to attend:
Below are clips from an email Mike Blockstein from Public Matters sent me:
On Sat. Sept. 26 we are launching a series of four Mobile Media Guides to Los Angeles' Historic Filipinotown. This is the culmination of our first year of Pdub Productions, our collaboration with The Pilipino Workers Center, HyperCities, Remap L.A,  USC, local youth and community members. And we have quite the event to wrap it up.  There are free walking tours btwn. 1-6 and then a big Barrio Fiesta fundraising party that evening at the Pilipino Workers Center, 153 Glendale Bld.
Highlights of the day include: 
* High-tech meets history: Free Mobile Hi Fi Immigrant Guides Walking Tours from 1-6 pm
* A jeepney returns to the U.S.: The world premiere of the Pilipino Workers Center Jeepney. It will be our largest piece of "mobile media" and actually will be tricked out to play the guides.  
* Celebrity Jeepney Tours: including led by L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti, comedian Jo Koy and perhaps some surprises!
* A Barrio Fiesta fundraiser: from 6:30-9:30 including food, performances, music, an outdoor screening of the youth videos from the project, a raffle, and more. 
* Illustrations of jeepney parts by Emmy-winning animator and Simpsons Assistant Director Jess Espanola. Proceeds will keep the jeepney running!
* Jeepney T-Shirts
* Pdub Productions Youth Media Screening: at the Barrio Fiesta
To make reservations and purchase tickets and for the most complete and up-to-date event into, visit our event blog:
And...if that's not enough, for those of you who crave yummy reasonably priced food (who doesn't?), The Good Girl Dinette is donating all of their tips next Wed. Sept. 23 to the project. They were recently named as one of "L.A.'s 99 Essential Restaurants" by Jonathon Gold. 110 N. Ave. 56 in Highland Park.  Dine, tip often, and tip well!
 

Funding Tip #4: It’s a Process

Once people have supported your cause, continue to steward that relationship by sending them updates, inviting them to events, meeting with them, sending newspaper clippings and asking for their feedback. The folks who are most likely to give large gifts to your organizations are folks who already give. 
Successful fundraising depends on an engaged staff and board involved with all aspects of the process. I’ll be talking about this and lots of other topics relating to building a fundraising culture within your nonprofit organization this Wednesday, September 16th at fourth in my fundraising series, which you are welcome to attend. 
This workshop explores fundraising responsibilities for board and staff, opportunities to engage them in the fundraising process, ways in which to hold them accountable and provide you an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities you face.  You’ll have the opportunity to apply what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking a reluctant board member to get involved with fundraising.  The workshop is designed for folks new to fundraising or for folks that have had some experience and want to brush up on their skills. Please email me if you would like to attend.
This workshop takes place from 3pm to 5pm at 634 S. Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles. Cost for this workshop is $50. More information about this workshops workshop series can be found on my last blog
I’m also leading 10 other workshops on fundraising, facilitation and campaign planning before the year ends and welcome you to attend any of them. For more information, check out the calendar page on my blog

Your Take on Koreatown?

I’m planning another leadership seminar for the Southern California Leadership Network. Earlier in the year, I planned a day focusing on Transportation Oriented Development along the Gold Line for their Leadership Southern California Class. This time, I’m planning a day exploring Koreatown for their Leadership Los Angeles Class on October 9th
I’m recruiting local leaders to speak about their experiences, and am specifically looking for leaders from the following sectors: business/entrepreneurs, community organizations, developers, church leaders, government and leaders working on promoting intergroup relations. If you have any suggestions for good speakers, please email me
In addition, I’m just curious to hear your take on Koreatown – have any favorite places, restaurants, spas, bars, etc.? If you were going to show someone Koreatown, what would you show them?  If you know of any good locations where 40 or so people could meet to listen to a panel of local leaders, I’m curious to hear that as well.
I’m really excited to plan this seminar. I live and work on the edge of Koreatown and am really appreciating getting to know this neighborhood even more through this process.

Funding Tip #3: Relationships

So much about fundraising is relationships. People give to people. People will want to support your cause because they want to support you. These include family friends, neighbors, coworkers and many more.

I’ll be talking about this and other topics related to raising money from foundations to folks tomorrow, Wednesday September 9th, which you are welcome to attend.  This workshop explores the key concepts that underlie raising funds from foundations, including researching appropriate funders, developing relationships and crafting strong grant proposals. You’ll have the opportunity to apply what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking making a pitch for your cause to a potential funder.  The workshop is designed for folks new to fundraising or for folks that have had some experience and want to brush up on their skills.
Please email me if you would like to attend.

This workshop takes place from 3pm to 5pm at 634 S. Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles. Cost for this workshop is $50. 
More information about this workshops workshop series can be found on my last blog. 

Facilitation and Flying

I recently had the pleasure to facilitate a one-day board retreat for the LA Audubon Society. Throughout the day, the group made important decisions about its budget, board, fundraising and their long-term vision.
One thing I like to do as a facilitator is a have everyone introduce themselves at the start of the retreat. I usually ask one fun question and for this group, I asked everyone if they could be a bird, what kind they would be. The diversity and beauty of answers was really wonderful (I answered that I would be a pelican for both their grace while flying over the ocean and goofiness when you look at them up close). 
After everyone introduced themselves, it occurred to me that at retreats like this we bring a wide diversity of perspectives, experiences and knowledge into the room, like the many species of birds folks mentioned. While we ranged from hummingbirds to eagles, the common denominator is that we all fly! I told the group that my role as a facilitator was to help ensure we all fly the same direction during this retreat, which is exactly what we wound up doing over the course of the day.
I especially love facilitating groups and am repeatedly told by clients that I’m an excellent facilitator. If your organization needs to gather its leadership to make important decisions, build a stronger team or set long term goals, please contact me to discuss how I might be able to help. For more information about my work in this area, check out my facilitation page. I also welcome you to attend my upcoming Introduction to Facilitation workshop on September 29 if you want to learn how to become a better facilitator yourself.
 

Fundraising 101 Tip #2: Thank

Fundraising 101 Tip #2: Thank
The most important words in fundraising are “Thank you”. Thank them immediately in person when they give. Write a personalized thank you note immediately after you meet with them. Thanking donors affirms their gift. So many donors don’t renew their support for organizations because those organizations so often forget about them until its time to ask for more money…not a good idea!
I’ll be talking about this and lots of other topics related to buiding a base of donoros to folks on Wednesday August 26th at my Fundraising Strategies: Targeting Individuals workshop, which you are welcome to attend. 
This workshop provides an overview of various strategies to raise funds from individuals such as annual appeals, events and one-on-one donor meetings. It also discuss different ways to meaningfully engage with your donors so they will upgrade their donations to your organization. You’ll have the opportunity to apply what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of stewarding a relationship of an existing donor. 
The workshop is designed for folks new to fundraising or for folks that have had some experience and want to brush up on their skills. Please email me if you would like to attend.
This workshop takes place from 3pm to 5pm at 634 S. Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles. Cost for this workshop is $50 (Cost for the whole series of four is $125 – sliding scale available for those that need it). More information about this workshops workshop series can be found on my last blog.
 

Fundraising 101 Tip #1: Ask

Your job is to ask. The person you ask – their job is to decide. 80% of people give because they are asked. Most will not give if they are not asked. If you don’t do your job, then they can’t do theirs. If they say yes, great. If they say no, that’s not the end of the world.
I’ll be talking about this and lots of other topics introducing fundraising to folks tomorrow, Wednesday August 19th at my Fundraising 101 workshop, which you are welcome to attend.  This workshop explores the key concepts that underlie the fundraising process, including developing a case statement, prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.  You’ll have the opportunity to apply what you learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking for a major gift.  The workshop is designed for folks new to fundraising or for folks that have had some experience and want to brush up on their skills. Please email me if you would like to attend.
This workshop takes place from 3pm to 5pm at 634 S. Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles. Cost for this workshop is $50 (Cost for the whole series of four is $125 – sliding scale available for those that need it). More information about this workshops workshop series can be found on my last blog. 

New Fundraising Workshops

Over the last several years, I have led numerous nonprofit capacity building trainings for places like the Center for Nonprofit Management, Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership and Flintridge Foundation. I look forward to continuing these trainings and have several scheduled that I invite you to attend.
In addition to these trainings, I’m now launching a series of four weekly fundraising workshops designed to build the capacity of a nonprofit professionals new to fundraising. The workshops include:
Fundraising 101 (Aug. 19, 3-5pm): An overview of the fundraising process.
Fundraising Strategies: Targeting Individuals (Aug. 26, 3-5pm): An overview of various strategies to raise funds from individuals such as annual appeals, events and one-on-one donor meetings.
Fundraising Strategies: Targeting Foundations (Sept. 9, 3-5pm): An overview of the grant writing process and strategies obtain funds from foundations.
Building a Fundraising Culture (Sept. 16, 9am-3pm): An overview of strategies to engage Boards and staff in the fundraising process.
These two-hour trainings will take place in downtown Los Angeles at 634 S. Spring St. and will be immediately followed by a happy hour where we can discuss the learning in a more informal environment. The cost of these workshops is $50 each, or $125 for all four (which is less than what these workshops would cost if I were to have them hosted by another organization). Please email me directly if you have any questions or if would like to RSVP.

Leadership Southern California

I recently planned and facilitated an exciting leadership seminar for Leadership Southern California, a 10-month leadership development program for mid- to senior-level executives  to explore our regon's assets and opportunities.
The day focused on the issues of Land Use, Transportation and Housing and included a tour of the Gold Line. Throughout the day, we heard from our region’s leaders, including LA Council Member Ed Reyes, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, MTA’s CEO Art Leahy, ULI LA’s Director Katherine Perez, Reconnecting America’s Gloria Ohland, SCAG’s Executive Director, Hasan Ikhrata and several others. 
Beth Steckler, a housing consultant, helped lead the Gold Line tour where we toured an innovative affordable housing development built by Amcal and the Del Mar station in Pasadena designed by Moule and Polyzoides. We also stopped at the Memorial Park Station and enjoyed a healthy lunch catered by Large Marge Sustainables.
Throughout the day, we had really good discussions about the challenges and successes of linking land use, transportation and housing, a key solution towards making the Los Angeles region a more sustainable place.
I was impressed with the caliber of the Leadership Southern California Class – they asked sharp questions! Everyone in the program also seemed to enjoy each other’s company as well.  Having participated in this program in 2007, I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about important issues that affect our region.  

Here's a link to some photos from the day.
 

Green LA

Earlier today, I attended a Green LA meeting that Mayor Villaraigosa and new Environment Deputy David Freeman both attended and made several commitments to continue working towards making Los Angeles a more sustainable city. Originally a working group supported by the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Green LA Coalition recently became its own independent entity and is now a project of Community Partners.  Green LA is a dynamic coalition of environmental organizations working to transform the region and serve as a collective voice for our region's many organizations working on these issues.  The Coalition released a report prioritizing actions to green LA, and has been working hard over the last several years to work with the city to implement their recommendations.  I'm glad that the Green LA Coalition has grown over the years and am happy to support them in their work (I volunteered to take pictures at today's meeting, which was fun!).


Follow Ron on Twitter

Ever wonder what the life of a consultant is like? Well, now you can get a taste for that life by following me on Twitter.  Not only will I share some of the interesting work I'm doing, but I'll also occassionally update you where I'm doing that work (like right now, as I update this blog, I'm sitting on the beach in Venice where groups of pelicans keep flying by in beautiful formation).   If there are interesting events that I'll be attending, I'll also post some of those too. 




Building More Parks in LA

Lately, I have been doing some consulting work for the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a fantastic organization that "facilitates the creation of small, accessible community green and open space, such as parks and gardens, to address the inequity of open spaces in Los Angeles’ underserved neighborhoods, and to ensure community participation and collaboration in every step of the process of creating these parks and community gardens."

I’m working closely with their board and staff to help them develop a strategy to implement their long term vision of developing 50 new parks throughout Los Angeles.  This work involves a lot of facilitation at meetings as we brainstorm and prioritize strategies. 

This is a collaborative consulting project for me not only because I’m working closely with their staff and board, but I’m also partnering with Steve Rasmussen Cancian, a former organizer turned into Landscape Architect that has breathed new life into neighborhoods with his engaging work to develop community living rooms, among other things.  Together, we are combining our talents and generating a lot of great ideas for how to generate community parks and open space in a 21st century Los Angeles. 

If you know of any local community groups that are interested in having more parks and open space in their communities, please email me

Bicycling Consultant Geography

As many of my consulting clients know, I ride my bike most of the time to meetings and presentations.  I really enjoy riding around town and credit it for my good health.  Outside of consulting, I’m working on developing BikeSage, a community of streetwise bicyclists inspiring others to ride.

A few months back, I ran into some researchers at UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing working on developing a technology called Biketastic that uses cell phones to track bicycle rides.  Excited about the potential of this being a tool that could help potential cyclists discover routes that other cyclists already use, I volunteered to help test this new program in its development stage.

Nearly 150 rides later, I’ve mapped out all of the routes I ride on a regular basis.  Below is a snapshot of one section of the overall map.  As you can see, the streets I bicycle on are sometimes streets with a lot of traffic, but often quieter side streets with less traffic. 

I look forward to continuing my work with the folks at UCLA to further develop, and hopefully one day launch this exciting application.



What's Your Message?

I'm leading another "What's your Message" media workshop this Thursday at the Flintridge Foundation in Pasadena and welcome you to attend.   Here's more info about it:

"How can people choose to donate to your organization if they don't know you exist?

Media visibility about your organization and work increases your credibility in the community, helps you to obtain financial, in-kind, and volunteer support, and also plays an important role in shifting societal perceptions and moving your organization's mission forward. If you had one minute with a reporter, what would you say? How would you pitch that story to get media coverage in the first place? In this workshop, you'll learn how to craft your message to pitch to media. You'll have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback from both the instructor and your peers in the workshop. The workshop will explore what's newsworthy and discuss various strategies for securing media, including the development of an effective press release.

This workshop is designed for nonprofit professionals with no or only moderate amount of media experience."





Words of Encouragement

I recently facilitated a day long planning session for the Beverly Vermont Community Land Trust, an organization working to exercise land stewardship as the basis for creating pedestrian-centered neighborhoods that emphasize sustainability-oriented affordable housing.

We had an especially productive retreat.  As a facilitator, I helped create a space for the Board of Directors to decide their organization's long-term goals, short-term goals and the beginnings of a 2009/10 workplan. 

At the end of the retreat, one of the participants shared a list she had been making throughout the day of “Ronisms”: little things I said to encourage the group as they made tough decisions throughout the day. 

Here are some of the things I said:  “Nice”, “Excellent”, “Good work”, “Awesome”, “That’s Great”, “Huge”, “Amazing”, “Lets Rock and Roll”, “Give yourselves a hand of applause”, “You folks have chosen well” and “We have less than 40 minutes people”.

I laughed as I heard this list and was reminded that part of my work as a facilitator is to help ensure full group participation in the decision making process, which is done in part by encouraging and affirming participation throughout the process.  By the end of the day, everyone was very happy with the results of their hard work and thanked me for my hard work as a facilitator. 

Introduction to Facilitation

Facilitation plays a key role in my work as a Consultant.  I've faciliated numerous retreats, board meetings and community meetings. On April 28th, from 7 to 9pm, I'll be leading an "Introduction to Facilitation" workshop at the Los Angeles Eco Village. I invite you to attend.  

Here's more info about the training:
"Facilitators play a key role in helping a group make decisions, especially intentional communities and neighborhood groups.  They help create a safe environment where everyone feels like their input is valued.  In this workshop, you’ll explore the benefits of facilitation, explore the group decision making process, explore various tools a facilitator uses, and have the opportunity to practice facilitating a group (and receive feedback).   Good facilitation can significantly raise the quality of life in any group that makes decisions together. Poor facilitation can sometimes chase valuable members away from a group."



 

10 Fundraising Event Tips

Last week, I led another “Choosing the Right Fundraising Event” seminar at the Center for Nonprofit Management .   As always, we had an engaging conversation about multiple aspects of putting on a successful fundraising event.  Here are 10 quick tips from the seminar:

1.  Give yourself six months to plan a major fundraising event
2.  Engage your board and volunteers early on in the process
3.  Tailor your event to your audience
4.  The space you choose sets the tone for your event
5.  Write a budget and stick to it
6.  Think outside of the box
7.  Have fun
8.  Keep the event program to 45 minutes or less
9.  Thank and follow up with donors that attend
10. Connect fundraising events to other parts of your organization’s fundraising strategy

During our workshop, I also gave participants the opportunity to practice asking for money, which is something you can also do at your event.  We generated a lot of good ideas and based on our discussion, participants had the opportunity to share their successes and challenges with the rest of the group.  They also walked away with a number of articles on the subject. 

 

Winning Campaigns

I’m here at LAX waiting to catch my plane to Toronto, Canada, where I will lead another “Winning Campaigns” training for the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking.  This highly interactive, fast-paced and fun workshop gives participants the opportunity to develop their own campaign strategy to win improvements in their local bicycling or pedestrian environment.  This will be the eighth training I have led, having also led trainings in the following cities over the last couple of years: Denver, Albany, Louisville, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Flint, and Philadelphia.

As always, I’m excited to meet local advocates and have the opportunity to bicycle around a new city to gain inspiration for ways in which we can make Los Angeles a better place to bicycle. Later in the year, I’ll lead the same training in Denver and Little Rock.  If you’re interested in learning ways in which to make your own community a better place to walk and bicycle, I encourage you to attend.

(Here's a link to some photos from the training)

Public Matters

This week, the LA Times reported on the exciting work Public Matters is doing to engage the community around food-related issues through the use of media.  Working with high school students and other community members, Public Matters has generated some exciting media content that takes on the issue of the Food Desert in South Los Angeles.  You can watch some of these videos on Public Matters’ Vimeo Site.  The Associated press also recently wrote about Public Matters. 

I’m excited to be a part of the Public Matters team.  Working with the founders, I have been working on helping grow Public Matters so we can engage with more communities. 

“Public Matters generates innovative, artistic, place-based projects that build creative, civic and social capital in communities. Our projects develop creative community leaders. We engage residents in the creation of media-based neighborhood narratives that illuminate its history, character and conditions and integrate the results with broader civic processes, advocacy efforts and community initiatives. Our work addresses social issues through long-term educational projects. Our interdisciplinary approach is creative and analytical, left-brained and right-brained. We establish long-term sustainable programs that evolve beyond our initial involvement and are ultimately shaped by the community and its needs.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Public Matters, or are interested in partnering with Public Matters on a project, please contact me.  Thanks.

Upcoming Trainings

I continue to provide a number of capacity building trainings that are open to the public and invite you to attend one of them.  To date, I have the following workshops scheduled and expect to lead several more throughout the year:

·         Hosting a Successful Fundraising Event (3/25)

·         Fundraising 101 (4/2)

·         Winning Campaigns (4/27/-4/29)

·         Introduction to Facilitation (4/28)

·         What’s your Message: Getting Media (5/7)

·         Essentials of Effective Meetings (Date TBD)

In addition to leading trainings that are open to the public, I now also lead customized trainings directly for clients (often for nonprofit staff and Boards of Directors).   Below is a list of trainings I’m able to lead.

 1. Fundraising 101

2. Developing a Strategic Plan

3. Developing a Fundraising Plan

4. Finding Funders: 

5. Tapping into the Wealth of Individuals

6. Crafting a Successful Annual Appeal Letter

7. Introduction to Grant Writing

8. Advanced Grant Writing

9. Hosting a Successful Fundraising Event

10. Building a Strong Board

11. The Art of Cultivation

12. Fundraising Infrastructure

13. Balancing Fundraising with your other Responsibilities

14.  What’s your Message? Getting Media

15. Campaign Planning 101

16. Finding, Engaging and Thanking Volunteers

17. Introduction to Facilitation

18.  Running Effective Meetings

Please contact me if you would like for me to create a customized training for your organization.   I hope to see you at a future training!

 

 

See You at the LA Bike Summit

I’m really excited about the upcoming Los Angeles Bike Summit on March 7th and encourage you to attend.  “The Bike Summit will bring together bicycle advocates, advocates for healthy communities, and others to network and to plan a bikable healthy future for Southern California.”

The Summit features four keynote speakers from New York City, Portland and Mexico, all with stories and experiences that Southern California can learn from.  I used to have the pleasure of working with one of these speakers – Noah Budnick from Transportation Alternatives in New York City, and am excited he’ll be in town. 

I’ve been working hard to leverage the impact of the Bike Summit by planning a series of meetings on the Thursday and Friday before the conference where I will introduce the Summit’s keynote speakers to staff from local elected officials, transportation agency staff, advocates working on transportation reform, the media and public health professionals.  At each of the five meetings we have scheduled, I will facilitate a forum for the keynote speakers to share best practices, take questions and then have a conversation where we can learn from each other.  Because for as much as Los Angeles has to learn from New York City, Mexico City and Portland, there’s quite a few things we can teach them about like implementing the Orange line dedicated busway/bikeway in the San Fernando Valley, which we will also be touring. 

Then Friday night, we’ll ride in the “Root Down Ride Around”, which will tour important sites of bike advocacy/culture in Los Angeles.  I’ll be presenting at one of the stops to talk about some of the work I did while directing the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. 

I’m really excited about the Summit.  Not only will we be inspired from the keynote speakers, but there will also be over 20 workshops on a variety of topic.  I will be leading one of these workshops: Overcoming the Barriers of Bicycling through Social Networking.  The workshop will explore the BikeSage concept and launch our effort to begin recruiting a larger community of BikeSages in Southern California.  I hope to see you there.

 

Fundraising 101

I’m leading another one of my favorite workshops, Fundraising 101, on April 2nd from 9am to 12pm. This time, I’m presenting it at the Flintridge Foundation, which builds the capacity of nonprofit organizations serving children and families in Northwest Pasadena and Altadena.
This workshop explores the key concepts that underlie the fundraising process, including the development of a case statement, prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Participants will have the opportunity to practice what they learn through interactive exercises, such as practicing the art of asking for a major gift and describing the mission of their organization.
The workshop is geared for folks involved with nonprofit organizations that are new to fundraising. Like all of my workshops, it will be fun, fast paced and very interactive. My goal is that participants leave the workshop more aware and comfortable with fundraising, which plays a critical role in ensuring a nonprofit makes it through these tough economic times.

Fundraising During Tough Times

“Will Nonprofits Survive” was the recent title of a panel sponsored by Zócalo Public Square (a great series that focuses on LA related issues). The answer is yes, though some may not during these challenging economic times. What nonprofits can do is develop short-term fundraising plan to solidify support from their existing funders and pursue strategies that generate new sources of income. 
 
This last weekend, I facilitated a three-hour fundraising strategy session for Hispanics Outreach Taskforce (HOT), which sponsors a variety of programs in South East LA County. HOT is a member organization of the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership, which referred me to the organization.
 
We discussed a number of topics including assessing the organizations past fundraising efforts and setting some short and long-term goals for 2009. After going over some fundraising fundamentals and the fundraising process, we developed a short-term fundraising strategy that engaged the entire Board of Directors, as well as their Advisory Board, in the organization’s fundraising.   After three hours, the organization’s leadership had created an action plan and looked forward to implementing it. By jointly developing this action plan, as well as everyone committing to implement portions of it, HOT is well on its way to surviving through these tough economic times. 
 

Thank You Trek

For those of you that know me, you know I ride my bike around town… a lot! In fact, it is my primary form of transportation in Los Angeles. People are always amazed that I ride across town to various consulting meetings, but for me it’s totally normal. In fact, after having bicycled down the Pacific Coast two years ago, all distances in LA seem relatively short to me.
Late last year, my Trek touring bike frame that took me down the coast snapped while riding. Thankfully, I have a second Trek – an early 80’s black road frame I converted into a city bike at the Bike Kitchen. And thankfully, Trek provides a lifetime warranty on their frames. I went to I Martin and my friend Todd helped me fill out the paperwork to get a new frame. Long story short, I received a new bike! (for the details, check out Todd’s I Martin blog).
I really appreciate Trek setting me up with a new ride, and have immediately began work to blur the lines between transportation and recreation – each time I ride, I do both. I look forward to riding my new Trek 520 to future meetings with my consulting clients.  While riding lately, I’ve also been giving thought to the BikeSage idea I’ve been working on, which continues to develop.  Happy riding in 2009!

Engaging Staff in Fundraising

Last week, I attended the annual fundraising dinner for LAANE (the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy). Besides being a fantastic event, I especially enjoyed it because as a consultant, I played a role in its success. 
A few months before the event, LAANE asked me to lead a staff training to fire everyone up about fundraising, and help demystify this sometimes feared, yet critically important part to any nonprofit organization. I led a fun, fast-paced, interactive seminar that engaged the staff on this issue.
After practicing the art of asking for money, I knew the workshop was a success when one of the LAANE staff asked me if I would buy a ticket for the event. 
At the event, I learned from LAANE’s Development Director that they wound up breaking their ambitious fundraising and attendance goals for this event, which is especially impressive given the current downtown in the economy. This shows that when all of an organization’s staff is engaged in the fundraising process, the likelihood for success increases dramatically.   Ensuring an organization’s staff is engaged in the fundraising process may require a little more investment up front (like hiring a great consultant to lead a short-seminar), but the investments often lead to greater returns.
 
 

Barack Obama for President

One of the things I appreciate about being a Consulant is having a flexible schedule.  I'm excited to spend the four days before the national election in Nevada working to get out the vote for the Obama campaign.  I encourage you to vote for Barack Obama.  If you're planning on voting for Obama, then I encourage you to contribute to his campaign or volunteer some hours and make some phone calls to swing states.  Or, if you'd like to join me and the campaign in Nevada, please let me know.  The more we can all pitch in to help elect him president, the higher chances he has of winning the election.  Thanks.

Learning from Each Other

Last week, I attended a Green LA membership meeting and ran into some folks that work at Liberty Hill Foundation. For those of you that don’t know, Liberty Hill “partners with innovative and effective Los Angeles grassroots organizations to combat poverty and injustice, and help transform the "City of Angels" into a place that promises safety, equality and opportunity for everyone who lives here.”
For the last year, I’ve had the privilege of facilitating a quarterly peer roundtable for Liberty Hill grantees, with the aim to build participant's capacity for fundraising.  In addition to facilitating, I serve as a resource for the group and wind up sharing different lessons I’ve learned over the years as a fundraiser.  
I’m a big fan of peer-based learning and have enjoyed facilitating these sessions, where we have explored topics such as earned-income strategies, annual appeal letters, building a fundraising culture and hosting successful events. Peer-based learned provides a space for people to learn from each other and build stronger relationships at the same time.  The more nonprofit leaders can develop networks with each other to share best practices, the stronger the overall sector will be. 
 I’ve been inspired by the work of Liberty Hill’s grantees and am glad that Liberty Hill not only provides funding for these organizations, but that they also actively work to build the capacity for their grantees.

Ballona Creek Renaissance

While I’m hoping the country goes through a renaissance with Barack Obama as our next President, I’ve been thrilled to consult with a local organization working to transform and restore a one of our local watersheds: Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR).
Working with BCR is especially meaningful to me because I’ve bicycled along Ballona Creek countless times. I can’t help imagine what a revitalized creek would look like – trees, native plans, birds, fish, people walking, bicycling, running along it, families playing alongside of it, and maybe even kayakers paddling down it and people swimming in it. That’s my vision.  BCR has its own compelling vision and a strong history of working to create murals and pocket parks along the creek. They have also done a tremendous amount of work to educate both the local community and broader watershed about the creek. 
I’m working with BCR to help them grow and develop their volunteer Board of Directors. I’m also working with them to help raise funds so that they have the resources necessary to do their important work. For both of these items, I’m working closely with their Board, facilitating brainstorming sessions to decide what their priorities are and helping them develop a strategy for them to move forward.   It’s a process I’ve enjoyed leading.   As I continue to ride up and down Ballona Creek, I look forward to witnessing the ongoing transformation of the creek into a healthy, vibrant eco-system that serves the larger community.

CSC Launches GardenSwap

I’m pleased to announce that Cultivating Sustainable Communities, one of my clients that I helped recruit a new Executive Director for, as well as helping them with a strategic planning process, has just launched Gardenswap, an innovative project that could fundamentally reshape how food is produced in Los Angeles. 
The following is from CSC’s Executive Director, Gabriella Worrel,
“Cultivating Sustainable Communities (CSC) is launching its newest project.  GardenSwap is an opportunity to pair up urban gardeners with their neighbors who have yard space in order to grow and share in the profits of urban food gardens.
Urban gardens are not only fun; they support low-carbon food production, create economic development, inspire healthful eating, build community, create opportunities for education, address watershed health concerns, create productive green open space, and beautify communities.
CSC is currently taking requests for participation in this program. If you'd like to participate either as a gardener or a land owner who is willing to share yard space (and some garden profits!) with a neighbor (we'll help you find a neighbor), please contact me at (rather than listing Gabriela’s email online, please email me from the contact page and I will forward it to Gabriella).”
More info at www.cscommunities.org.

Where to Retreat?

Last weekend, I had the honor of facilitating a planning retreat for the LA Urban Rangers. It went really well! One thing the Rangers did which is often overlooked in planning these retreats, is that they selected a site outside the City of Los Angeles. We met at the Sedgewick Reserve, which is part of the UC Natural Reserve System, and is about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara.
While we worked hard during the day to define mission and new projects, we all had the opportunity to unwind during a sunset hike. We also had time to chat by the campfire and enjoy the beautiful landscape that surrounded us. By balancing the busy workload with being in a faraway place, we managed to get a lot of work done. 
For any organization planning a board or staff retreat, I recommend picking a site that feels far away from the day to day stresses of Los Angeles. While it means more work logistically, it usually leads to stronger results in accomplishing whatever your agenda is, as well as providing the space for participants to build stronger relationships with each other.

Introducing BikeSage

Someone once told me, “For a long time, I didn’t bike. The barriers seemed huge. Once I finally started riding, I realized the barriers were a lot smaller than I thought and the benefits were greater than I could ever have imagined.”

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it will take for people to overcome the barriers preventing them from bicycling as a transportation alternative in Los Angeles.  While bicycle ridership has increased recently due to rising gas prices, the reality remains that most people don’t bicycle on a regular basis in Los Angeles.   
 
I regularly speak with people who like the concept of bicycling, but choose not to ride because they are concerned about their safety, uncertain about where to ride or just assume that bicycling is for other people, not them.  I want to change this. My hunch is that some of these people would start bicycling given the proper support, education and encouragement. This is where BikeSage comes in, a new service I'm providing.  
 
BikeSage provides one-on-one support for people who want to use their bicycle to get around town. Whether it’s helping people plan a route, put their bike on a bus or ride safely in traffic, BikeSage’s goal is to transform people’s fear and uncertainty around bicycling into confidence, joy and excitement. Sage has two meanings: a wise person and a native plant to Los Angeles.  BikeSages share their bicycling wisdom with others.  Like sage plants, BikeSages also know how to thrive in the local environment.
 
Are you or do you know someone who you think might be interested in spending time with a BikeSage?  If so, please contact me and we can arrange a time to ride.

More info at www.bikesage.com.

Rising Tide of Bicyclists

Rising gas prices have motivated many Americans to start bicycling and taking transit in record numbers.  While I've experienced this anecdotally while riding around town, I recently learned first hand about the dramatic shifts going on around the country after researching recent media coverage relating to this issue for one of my clients, Bikestation.

Consider some of the following headlines: "Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit", New York Times; "Bicycling in Region Rolls Up Big Gains", Sacramento Bee; "Interest in Bicycling Soars with Gas Prices", Boston Channel; and even "Save Money, Bike to Work", Christian Broadcasting Network.  For every major media publication that covered this issue, hundreds of smaller media outlets around the country report the same phenomenon.  Check out this Sunday's LA Times Opinion section as well.

As more people consider transportation alternatives, the more that can be done to accomodate these trips by making them safe and enjoyable, the better. 

Locally, we have several organizations that are doing good work: Bikestation provides secure bike parking, the LA County Bicycle Coalition advocates for better policies, the Bike Kitchen provides a space for repair, CICLE gives people the education necessary to ride our streets with confidence.   As a consultant, I've had the opportunity to work with the leadership of all of these organizations and am thrilled with the work they do.

Over the last several years, numerous bicycle related groups and rides have sprung up in Los Angeles, creating the beginnings of a more bicycle-oriented culture.  While much has been gained, there is much work to be done to truly make Los Angeles a bicycle-friendly county. I'm optimistic that this will occur.


 

Why I like Consulting

Some weeks are busier than others. Last Thursday, I led a workshop for the Center for Nonprofit Management attended by 20+ representatives from various local nonprofit organizations. Over the weekend, I facilitated a retreat for the all-volunteer Bike Kitchen. Today and tomorrow, I’ve helped organize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Western Region Housing Summit. Given that my week and weekend have been so busy (with all three events being very positive), my blog this week is just a short update. Working with such diverse clients reminds me of one of the things I really like about consulting: the opportunity to work with different leaders from a wide-variety organizations that focusing a broad ranger of issues. 

The Value of Values

Earlier in the week, I facilitated a portion of a strategic planning process with the board and staff of Cultivating Sustainable Communities, an organization working on transforming Los Angeles into a sustainable City. Having already worked with the group to develop a new vision and mission, we then took some time to discuss and decide what the collective values of the organization were. 
 
Everyone comes to an organization with their own set of values, which guide them in their actions and decision making. What’s important is for an organization’s leadership to decide on what their common values are. Why? Because these values will play a key role in guiding the organization as it moves forward. The values will help them decide how to prioritize their work, and help them with the process of making difficult decisions. It will also shape how they interact with whoever they come into contact with.
 
After a brainstorm, we listed about 30 different values. We then combined like values and boiled them down to six general categories. From this list, we decided the key value for each category and came up with six values. From this list, they whittled it down to five guiding values for Cultivating Sustainable Communities, which everyone was really excited about.  I’m inspired by their choices and am really excited to see how these values shape the future work of the organization.

LA is my office

This week has been another busy week at the office. Right now, my office is outdoors on the lawn of Barnsdall Art Park with a fantastic view of the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. Earlier in the week, I worked on top of a peak in Griffith Park and spotted two coyotes on my way into work.
 
As a consultant, my work tools are a phone, laptop and internet connection. When I’m not meeting with clients, I often decide to take my office mobile (with the help of a laptop shade, camping chair and wireless connection).
 
Oftentimes, I find myself working in the local mountains or by the beach. Sometimes, I decide to work in underutilized public spaces like traffic medians, or along the banks of the LA River or Ballona Creek. The other day, I was working by the tarpits at LACMA, and ran into an old friend who is a professional photographer, Elon Schoenholz, who snapped the picture of me below.
 
Through my work and where I choose to work, I’ve deepened my connection to Los Angeles. Technology, strangely enough, has enabled me to spend more time outdoors enjoying nature and the city. 
 

(c) Elon Schoenholz Photography
 
 
 

Affordable Housing Solutions

Rising foreclosure rates – what to do? Affordable housing – how to preserve it? Mixed-income housing – how to make it work? Green building?  All of these questions and more will be answered at an upcoming conference I’m helping organize: HUD’s Western Region Housing Summit on August 25th and 26th in Los Angeles.
 
I have had the pleasure of speaking with some of the region’s leaders working on cutting edge strategies to build, preserve and protect affordable housing.  These leaders will come together for two days to share best practices with each other. I’m looking forward to it!

The Joy of Presenting

How do you start a nonprofit organization? And how do you raise money for a nonprofit?
I spent today and yesterday leading two different workshops on these topics for the annual Iota Phi Theta Summer Leadership Conference.
 
As always, my presentations were fast-paced, interactive and fun. Success in starting a nonprofit depends a great deal on leadership, and how that leadership prioritizes and implements its work. Successful fundraising depends on being aware of the fundraising process and constantly working to build relationships with people and institutions that would be interested in funding your work.
 
I really enjoy leading trainings like these. I ask a lot of questions and do my best to tap into the knowledge of people in attendance. Rather than just talk about these subjects, I usually throw in some interactive exercises where participants can practice and experience the different subjects we’re discussing. Action makes for good reflection. While I do present much of the information, it’s really just the beginning framework to start a conversation, which I then facilitate. Ultimately, I hope to foster a dynamic learning environment that engages people in the subject matter and gives them the tools to then make positive changes in their communities.
 
I’m leading several other trainings later this summer and fall that are open to the public and welcome you to attend.

New Carbon Offsets Source?

I recently researched carbon offsets for a client, which are an innovative solution to reducing global warming through a trading system. As an individual, you can invest in these credits to mitigate your carbon footprint. Large companies, governments and other institutions also buy and sell these with the theory that it will ultimately help reduce emissions. 
 
Funds generated from carbon offsets typically invest in projects like wind power, solar power, reforestation, methane collection and energy efficiency.  While all of these are important strategies to reduce our carbon footprint, I can’t help but wonder why the transportation sector isn’t more prominent on this list, especially given the fact that such a large percentage of carbon emissions originate from cars and trucks. 
 
If I had several billion dollars worth of carbon offsets credits to invest, I’d support institutions like Bikestation (one of my clients), which has a proven track record of reducing emissions by facilitating the connection between bicycling and public transit. I’d invest in clean burning diesel trucks going to and from the Port of Los Angeles. I’d support car and bike sharing programs that give people the flexibility of having the option to drive without having to own a car, or the option of borrowing a bike in the city. With the money left over, I’d invest in light rail, street cars, clean busses and bicycle boulevards.   By investing in these and other transportation alternatives, we could dramatically reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously improving air quality.  Sounds good to me!

Decisions: Big vs. Small Group

Mission and Vision statements are critical pieces to any successful nonprofit organization.   After all, everything else the nonprofit does flows from these two all important questions.
 
An organization’s leadership can spend countless hours brainstorming, refining and deciding its mission and vision. Earlier this evening, I worked with one of my clients, Cultivating Sustainable Communities, to craft a new vision statement.
 
After working with the organization’s leadership to brainstorm different aspects of what should be included in the vision, we narrowed it down to four major themes. Given that we had already been working together as a group for more than an hour, I suggested we break up the larger group and have each small group work on creating a sentence for one of the major themes identified. 
 
This worked quite well! Within fifteen minutes, each group developed a proposed sentence which we combined on a sheet of paper for everyone to see. Together, we then refined the vision and explored one more theme to work on. At this point, I suggested we split the group into two, one to refine the sentences we had already posted and one to add a new sentence. Fifteen minutes later, we came back together as a group and after reviewing it, agreed unanimously in concept that folks were excited about this vision, and that the only work left was some final language refinements.
 
As a facilitator, I’m constantly looking for the best structure to assist with the decision making process. I believe that breaking up the larger group into smaller groups not only led to a decision made in less time, but that it also creating an even more engaging space for all board members to participate in the decision making process. Both the board and I are very pleased with the results.  

See You in Malibu

Having grown up in Southern California, I do my best to spend ample time at the beach when summer rolls around. This summer, I’ve spent a considerable