This is the time of year every professional journal, magazine, and other media is full of articles on resolutions, predictions and tips on goal setting. Yawn - is there a new angle?

Within the communications sector, popular blogs and networks are full of articles on employee engagement, developing strong internal cultures and building networks. There is good information out there, if you are willing to wade through a whole lot of theory and professionals within the networks commenting on each others’ theories.

The problem is, most of the information is written by professionals working in the profession for other professionals in similar roles, and not of much use for the human resources manager, executive director, communications or marketing officer, or professional fundraiser looking for practical information.

Employee engagement is, and always will be a most important challenge for any kind of organization. Without staff who understand the point at which their personal goals, talents, abilities and purpose intersect with that of others, and the organization, no organization can hope to succeed. With all the chatter about the need for innovation, the big question should not be how, but why?

Most of the time, the temptation is to try to persuade - by sharing numbers, projections, and lately - threats - that jobs will be lost, etc. without the commitment and boot-pulling of staff. This doesn’t work. This is data. Data is logical. Human passion and drive is emotional. There is a hierarchy of needs and emotion at work that has nothing to do with organization structure.

Start with why? Think about why this is important. Put yourself into a staff member’s shoes. What’s in it for them? What hopes and fears do they have? Is there common ground between their’s and the organization’s? How can you help?

I realize this may seem oversimplified - but as with many things in life, simple works. Start there in 2009!

Many organizations plan state of the organization presentations for the early part of the year. These are a great opportunity to share high level information with all-staff audiences — but don’t overlook that the greatest value is in the dialogue, and the follow up.

Especially in the current economic environment, we need to unbutton the formality and actively seek out conversation, input, and sharing. This is usually the opposite of what most executives expect, and are comfortable with.

More tips on this topic:

• From Melcrum, How Not to Conduct a Town Hall Meeting
• My November enews - Communicating in Hard Times (you might also want to read September and October 2007 articles in the newsletter archive)

When it comes to social media, there seems to be two distinct camps: those who embrace it, and those who dismiss it entirely.  For those of you who fall into the category that think it’s a time waster,  and for college kids and teens, here are some facts that might get your attention.

• Facebook is the 4th most trafficked website in the world
• It is the largest photo sharing platform in the world
• Facebook has 125 million users now and is predicted to reach 500 million by 2011
• The average age of Facebook users is 35 yrs old, and the demographic is mature, university educated people with higher income.

Another little known fact: you can collect email addresses from Facebook friends, as you would on your own organization’s web page. Simply install the application called Profile HTML and then paste the optin code from your website into your Facebook page.

You could use this for a promotion, for an alumni or employee club or association, or to offer information about your organization to potential customers or staff.

Many of you are leaders, managers or consultants with at least 20 years of experience. Like me you cut your teeth in the days of fat communications budgets, power suits and decidedly top-down modes of communication.

Old habits are hard to break. If you tend to think of dealings with staff as “telling them what they need to know” you have the equation only partly right.

Here are the new rules:

1. Listen then talk
2. Ask what they want then provide
3. Don’t write anything until you talk to real people who you want to reach
4. Get to know their interests, what’s keeping them up at night, what gets them out of bed in the morning, and what makes them want to stay home
5. Think of yourself as the United Nations instead of the Vatican - representative vs. traditional authority
6. Forget trying to sell your organization’s message - focus on sharing information and a two-way relationship with the people that are part of it

The old way of cascading, top down information does not work (if it ever did…). We all expect and deserve more. We want connection, answers and most of all, to be heard.

What I have come to realize over the past few years is that there is no longer any generalization in public relations and communications. Technology, market forces and demographics have transformed my profession. This signals that the tide has turned within the marketplace and all of its sectors.

What this means to organizations is that the old rules no longer apply. The trusted bag of communications tricks is no longer effective. One industry person commented at a seminar I attended recently that media releases (you may still be calling them news releases) are now considered the lowest life form of public relations. But this is the tool most organizations rely upon to get the word out.

If your communications efforts are at the lower end of the food chain, it’s time to think about how you can avoid being gobbled up… more to follow. Watch this space.

As a communications professional, the one that has changed the world as we knew it is the internet. The onslaught, or epiphany, depending how you look at it, has turned the public relations and media industry on its proverbial ear. This is why I especially enjoyed this week’s Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants as bloggers covered the topic of social media. Check it out.

Hard to believe that when I started writing, I pecked my articles on a 20 pound cast iron typewriter. In my 20-something year career, I have been through the introduction of the computer, cell phone, fax machine and internet. Now I can work from almost anywhere, and get information in an instant. Even my old favourite Olivetti has gone digital. This is a new era and it will require a new way of thinking and communicating. Get online and get on board!

Endorsing and promoting a code of professional conduct sends a valuable message to your staff, volunteers, donors and clients. To work most effectively, it has to be linked to your vision, and must clearly set out what the organization stands for and how staff and board members uphold it. One of my clients takes theirs a step further and asks each new person using their non-profit services to sign a code of conduct that will guide their consumer-service provider relationship. I think this is a brilliant, yet simple, method of demonstrating commitment and vision in action.

I have had the fortunate experience of working with many organizations who understood the value of corporate social responsibility and were able to connect the dots between employee and professional expectations, regulatory compliance, customer service, governance, transparency and community involvement. While the cynics out there can find fault with motivations, the fact of the matter is that many consumers do consider these factors when making decisions. Like your donors, consumers have power.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals recently updated their Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice to recognize the role of businesses, like mine, that support fundraising and the non-profit sector. As a member and a consultant, I am pleased to be able to say that I follow this internationally accepted standard. I especially like the introduction - and am looking forward to seeing the yet-to-be-released guidelines:

Members of AFP are motivated by an inner drive to improve the quality of life through the causes they serve. They serve the ideal of philanthropy, are committed to the preservation and enhancement of volunteerism; and hold stewardship of these concepts as the overriding direction of their professional life.

Like many painstakingly-created policies, the best communications opportunity lies in the explaining! You can build an entire communications plan around how to introduce your policy and where it could be emphasized and reinforced. After spending so much time on establishing it, take the time to properly introduce and continually bring it to life. Your efforts will pay off.

In the marketing world the saying goes it takes an average of seven contacts before a consumer takes action and is ready to buy, not dissimilar from the cultivation numbers in fundraising (another parallel between the business of selling and the softer selling in the non-profit world). This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do more, you may just need to do better with less. Here are seven suggestions on making the most of what you have.

1. Email works - If you’re not using an e-newsletter or other email tool to cultivate donors and communicate with your members, you should be. Read more at Despite newer technologies, email is number one.  There is a place for both online communications and print materials. Use your e-newsletter and email list to communicate time sensitive information, to let supporters know a direct mail appeal is coming, and to reinforce the messages in your other materials, for example, content on your website, testimonial stories in your current print newsletter, etc.
2. Website - The website is the place to highlight current campaigns, post inspiring stories, encourage online donations and give readers the self-serve option to choose the information they want. Use your website to feature current articles in your print newsletter or annual report and to expand upon stories in your direct mail piece. Add a sign up box to collect email addresses for your e-newsletter. Sign up forms should be prominently on your website, reinforced in all of your print materials, and collected anywhere you are recording data, e.g. membership renewals, program enrolment etc.
3. Direct mail works - And studies show it works better if you mention your direct mail appeal in your email communication beforehand.
4. Information materials - Admittedly most budgets don’t allow to reprint or update all materials every time a new campaign or initiative is launched. One way around this is to start with a standard format and look that can be carried through all materials. This way, adding a one page or simple folded panel doesn’t need to break the bank.
5. Business card and email signature - The business card and your email signature are communications tools. Make sure your website address and one sentence or less appeal is on yours. If you have an e-newsletter, put the link of your sign up form into your email signature.
6. Stationery - Although not the most glamorous, your letterhead, envelopes, receipts and other stationery items may be seen more often than any other material you produce. Make sure yours are current, include your pertinent coordinates and website, and look similar to your other materials. Add your current campaign theme or other tag.
7. Personal stories work - Gather the wonderful testimonials and personal stories collected from staff and board members. Use them on your website, in your print newsletter, in direct mail, in your brochures, in your annual report and speaking presentations, and in your e-newsletters.

And last but not least, promote your promotions internally. Even in the smallest of organizations, staff who aren’t directly involved in communications or fundraising may not be aware of the current materials and messages. Post them, circulate them, ask for feedback on them. The more people who can explain and advance the cause of your organization, in a consistent voice, the stronger you will be.

If you’ve often feel like you aren’t making your point when speaking with others, Edith Yeung of Dream Think Act has some clues for checking their reactions and how they may be hearing you.

If you’re looking for a way to engage your audiences, reach thousands of people, promote your vision in an interactive way, and do so quickly and inexpensively, the blog is an incredibly powerful communications tool. Non-profit organizations and individuals are beginning to use them for mission driven and philanthropic pursuits.

Sara Harley of The Barking Biscuit and three entrepreneurial friends in Ontario joined talent and forces to form the PAWS for Charity project to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Their blog launched earlier this year complements promotions in their own businesses (check out the Pink Ribbon Chilly Dog Sweater from Chilly Dog shown here as an example). Like many who blog, Sara had no prior experience and underestimated the reach it would have. The last 100 visitors to the site were from North America, UK, Europe and as far away as the United Arab Emirates. The success of the blog prompted her to start one for her own business.

As more and more people link to their site, news of their efforts has spread. The project was recently highlighted in the grassroots Women Can Do Anything blog, another testament to using technology to unite people of common interests. The WCDA motto of Dream. Believe. Achieve. is a great motto for us all.

Let me confess, I hardly knew what a blog was until I discovered some I liked last year. Generally I avoid technology whenever possible. My VCR would blink 12 if I didn’t have a more vigilant spouse. However I soon became convinced by others’ experiences. Being a communicator, I am curious by nature, and also looking for new alternatives. If you’re wondering what blogs can do and aren’t sure of the advantages, consider these benefits:

• they can bring your organization’s brand and mission to life in a more intimate and interactive way
• they allow the personality of the writer to shine through in a way your other materials can’t
• they can be created and managed at low cost and don’t require a lot of technical knowledge
• they are immediate - you can write and post your article in minutes
• they allow you to interact with readers, and your network grows exponentially
• they can be integrated with and complement your existing website or other materials
• they allow you to reach hundreds and thousands of people on an ongoing basis!

Interview with Red River College President Jeff Zabudsky

  Jeff Zabudsky started his own blog shortly after becoming president of Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As a former journalist, and president of a college known for its applied technology and communications programs, using the power of the web was a good fit for Jeff as well as the college. Jeff posted this week’s blog, and conducted this interview while travelling on vacation. Here’s what Jeff had to say:

What’s the biggest advantage to blogging?

One of the biggest advantages for me has been my use of the blog as a knowledge management tool. Once I post a story it is readily available online for me to go back to if I need a statistic, remember a name, etc. This has been tremendously useful for me when I need to write, for instance, a report to my Board of Governors about my activities or prepare other types of documents. Of course, the ability to access the blog from anywhere is also incredibly convenient.

What was your objective in starting the blog?

As a president, I have made it a priority to create as many opportunities to communicate with staff and students as possible. I thought the blog was just another great way to create a line of communication. Also, I think it’s just a great way to celebrate success in our college and to commend people for their efforts.

What prior experience did you have in blogging?

I had no specific previous experience directly with blogging but my previous career was as a broadcast journalist and I was also involved with Web-based distance education so those two things made it natural for me to consider blogging.

What feedback have you had?

It now seems to be growing as more people find the blog. The feedback I have received from staff has been very positive. You’ll notice the comments function on the blog has seen limited activity but there is some.

Do you track your traffic?

Yes, I do track traffic regularly. As you might expect, most of the hits come from the college - but I do receive visits from places throughout Manitoba and other parts of the world. I’m receiving about 50 unique visits a day. At one point my blog was listed in a President’s who Blog story (see July 1, 2007 entry) and as a result my hits were in the hundreds per day for a few days from all over the world.

Do you promote your blog in your email signature, business cards etc.?

Yes, I promote the blog in my email signature and in my next printing of my business card I will include the link.

Would you recommend it to other educational institutions and non-profits?

I would definitely recommend it to others. You don’t understand how powerful it can be until you start to use it. Others will discover opportunities in the blog that might be unique to their organization.

Are you inspired yet?

The possibilities are endless, and exciting. Here are some potential uses:

• communicating activity on a special initiative or project like a relocation, strategic plan or reorganization
• positioning a fundraising campaign chair and leadership in the community
• reporting on campaign progress and thanking your donors
• giving donors another opportunity to connect with you - invite them to post on what giving to your organization means to them
• noting achievements of your organization, staff, and volunteers
• supporting advocacy and government relations activities

If you read any great blogs let me know. Happy Labour Day!