by Anne Yurasek on October 24, 2009
I woke this morning just as the sun was rising. It was one of those mother of pearl sunrises with streaks of pink and grey and white. As I watched, the sun inched above the horizon and then, I realized all of a sudden, started to rise at an angle, moving from one window pane to the next. I was startled to see this and startled at being startled. Had I really never noticed that the sun rises, not straight up in the way that it seems to set, but moving on a gently incline from left to right? Of course, I know that the earth revolves and the sun stands still and it would make sense that , as the earth goes round, the sun would rise at an angle. Perhaps the angle is steeper in Maine, where I am now, and that' s why I am seeing this now. But I did have the sense of being reminded of something essential and fundamental and inescapable that is an underlying reality to whatever else is happening in the world.
This has been a hard week in which I have had the same conversation with my client CEO's over and over again. These conversations went something like this: "I didn't choose this career to turn away people in need, to cut my staff's salaries, to lay off colleagues of long standing. I didn't choose this job in order to fight with politicians. I can't accept that the work of my lifetime is now in the hands of seemingly helpless, hapless, clueless bureaucrats who have no idea what to do, who seem incapable of thinking clearly if they have less money to spend, who can't set or see priorities or make decisions on principle. I didn't choose this; I don't want this; I don't like this."
The impact of the economic downturn is now a crisis for the nonprofit sector, a seismic shift in our reality. But we have to remember that just as the sun rises, equilibrium will return. New patterns will emerge and we will shift our perspective. Within the seeming chaos of this contraction, are the seeds of order renewed. When it comes, it will be like seeing something familiar in a new way.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pearbiter/
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by Anne Yurasek on October 02, 2009
Are you as amazed as I am at how quickly time passes? It's been too long since we've blogged..but today I delivered a three-hour session on social media to a wonderful group in Bridgeport, CT. The session was sponsored by the Fairfield County Community Foundation and the CT Association of Nonprofits. As I shared with them the importance of the engaging in conversation via social media, I had to admit that FIO Partners had dropped the ball in recent months on blogging...alas. [We have been twittering though!] Today's session though was held in a room without access to the Internet which can be tricky when you are trying to teach social media. There are a number of resources that I mentioned that I thought would be helpful to consolidate here - enjoy!
Today's slides: Introduction to Social Media
FIO Partners Framework for Strategic Management: This article describes the framework we discussed in today's session in more detail. It is free with registration of your email.
Twitter Presentation: Twitter & Your Business (We covered some of these slides today - but there is a bit more content in the presentation from earlier this spring which was developed for an association of communications professionals.)
Overall Resources:
Nonprofit/Social Media Bloggers: [I've included Beth Kanter's blog - and a couple of others I enjoy!]
Tools to Support Measurement and Monitoring:
Examples:
One additional resource that may be helpful is the comprehensive collection of tutorials and tools consolidated and brought together by the Case Foundation as part of their Gear Up for Giving effort.
I love teaching this material and encouraging organizations to explore the world of new media...and at least, begin to consider how these amazing tools and technologies can support the positive change you are trying to make in the world. The more you can link your social media activities to the strategic management of your organization and to clear objectives: the more successful you will be.
To those who attended today's course - stay in touch! I would love to hear how you put what we talked about today into action...post a comment or question here, send an email, or catch up with me on Twitter -- good luck!
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