Why is mentorship so important?

Mentorship is an absolutely essential component of an individual’s development as a leader. As current students who regularly work with, and seek the advice of, our mentors, we can say with confidence that our mentors have been, and continue to be, instrumental in our everyday efforts to become better leaders. Our mentors are not only individuals we respect and hope to emulate, but also invaluable sources of perspective and advice. Their experience and resultant intuition are resources for which there is no substitute.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership?

The most critical thing we’ve learned from our own experiences in the non-profit sector is that a big part of being a good leader is being an effective leader—that is, knowing how to do good well, and sharing that knowledge with others. Doing good well means understanding your strengths and weaknesses, how your unique talents might be best applied, and when to ask others for help. It means seeking out evidence-based solutions and subjecting your own efforts to frequent measurement and evaluation in order to improve upon them. Finally, doing good well means learning from both your successes and failures, and being willing to broadcast that knowledge to others so that they might benefit from your experience.

How can mentors help their mentees do good well?

Our favorite mentors have been those who speak candidly about the things they’ve tried that have worked, and the things they’ve tried that have failed… sometimes, miserably! Frank discussions like these not only impart valuable knowledge, but also make a mentor more relatable on a personal level, thus promoting a stronger mentor-mentee bond. Another key action mentors can take is to encourage their mentees to spend some time in self-reflection. While mentors often ask what mentees’ goals and aspirations are, this assumes mentees, who are often early in their careers or still in school, have these larger life and professional questions ironed out. But this is often not the case! By encouraging all mentees to spend some time getting to know their own strengths and weaknesses, goals and values, a mentor can have a profound impact on a mentee’s personal and professional development. Finally, mentors can help their mentees do good well by directing them to a helpful resource. We wrote Do Good Well, a comprehensive and practical road map for turning idealism into impact, in order to specifically address these and many other points necessary for effective leadership.

What can readers expect to find in Do Good Well?

Do Good Well is a practical, personal guide aimed at empowering the next generation of nonprofit leaders. The book is divided into three parts. In Part I: The Vision, the reader, through a series of self-reflection exercises, gains a better understanding of his or her core values, key interests, and personal strengths and weaknesses. With these insights in mind, the book guides the reader through the process of identifying a cause or specific problem that not only matches the reader’s interests, but also makes the best use of his or her unique skill set. Next, the reader is engaged in brainstorming activities and a series of exercises to help generate and refine potential solutions with a strong emphasis on innovation and “out-of-the-box” thinking. Once a strong vision of the potential solution has been developed, Part II: The Method outlines three major tenets (sub-divided into 12 specific points) to consider when formulating and implementing an action plan. Finally, Part III: The Toolbox features “how-to” chapters on a variety of specific tasks and skill sets (e.g., fundraising, identifying mentors, establishing a 501(c)(3), etc.) to help readers hit the ground running. And along the way, there are plenty of anecdotes, humorous illustrations, and case studies to keep things interesting!

Read an excerpt from Do Good Well here.

Nina Vasan has been honored as one of America’s Top 10 Youth Volunteers, a Young Adult Winner of the National Caring Award, a Girl Scouts National Young Woman of Distinction, and one of Glamour magazine’s Top 10 College Women.

Jennifer Przybylo’s leadership has been recognized by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the United States Senate Youth Program, and the Toyota Community Scholars Program.

Billed as the Public Administration Event of the Year, the ASPA (American Society for Public Administration) Conference convened in New Orleans in March. This year’s conference featured keynote presentations by top federal and state officials, including Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne of Louisiana and Gene L. Dodaro, the Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government accountability Office. For more than 70 years, the ASPA conference has brought together an international community of government and nonprofit professionals, students, scholars and citizen groups to learn what is happening in their respective fields and gain new skills that can be implemented in their countries, communities and states. The theme for 2013 was governance and Sustainability: Local concerns, Global Challenges. This was an apt theme given the diverse, interrelated resources professionals in public service are working with today in order to accomplish their big and complex goals.  Managing these resources requires skills in leadership, economics, planning, collaboration and technology. The conference organizers created a full program of over 150 sessions reflecting the best in public administration thought and practice. Special emphasis was placed on understanding and developing these skills through workshops, panels, poster sessions, discussion groups and networking opportunities.

One of this year’s highlights was the launching of the new partnership between ASPA and ARNOVA (The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action).  The historic agreement, signed in late 2012, cements the relationship between the two leading associations and will provide many opportunities for bridging the gap between public administration and nonprofit management, in both scholarship and practice.  With the support of Tom Liou, ASPA’s current President, a Super Session was created to highlight the benefits of bringing nonprofit and voluntary sector scholarship to the public administration setting.   In addition, a new ASPA Section debuted – NP3, the Section on Nonprofit Policy, Practice and Partnerships, which will spearhead many exciting initiatives in the years to come.  Roseanne Mirabella of Seton Hall and Past President of ARNOVA represented the association and participated in both the nonprofit Super Session and the brainstorming session for the new NP3 section.

As leaders in the field, our own authors and journal editors served as speakers, presenters and workshop leaders as well as mentors to the many students in attendance, especially those from Asia and Europe. Among our authors in attendance were; Jim Perry, John Bryson, Hal Rainey, Carol Lewis, Chao Guo, Kathleen Hale, Katherine Willoughby, Ines Mergel, Tina Nabatchi, Terry Cooper and Phil Joyce.  Speaking of our terrific authors, the new ASPA leadership for 2013-2014 was elected and our own Steve Condrey is the new ASPA President!

We’ll be video interviewing author Laura Fredricks (@expertontheask) next Tuesday at AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising #afpmeet #afpICON and we’re looking to YOU for questions and real-life scenarios she can address. Do you feel awkward asking for money? What tactics work after getting a “no”? How can you make your letters and emails more effective to save time/effort? Will practicing or role-playing “asks” make you sound too rehearsed or inauthentic?

Comment and let us know what questions you have for Laura. Or feel free to share your story so Laura can weigh in and give her invaluable advice on Tuesday. If we use your question during the interview, we’ll send you a copy of her new eShort, Winning Words for Raising Money!

And if you’ll be at AFP, make sure to visit our Wiley Booth #509 in the marketplace. See you there!

See the complete list here, but below are our favorites!

Philanthropy/Charity/Nonprofit

Gold: Charity Case: How the Nonprofit Community Can Stand Up for Itself and Really Change the World, by Dan Pallotta

Silver: Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World, by Beverly Schwartz

Networking

Silver: Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World, by Beth Kanter and Katie Delahaye Paine

Bronze: Reading the Room: Group Dynamics for Coaches and Leaders, by David Kantor

Leadership

Gold (tie): The Wisdom of Failure: How to Learn the Tough Leadership Lessons Without Paying the Price by Laurence G. Weinzimmer and Jim McConoughey
and
Leading So People Will Follow, by Erika Andersen

International Business/Globalization

Silver: Leading Culture Change in Global Organizations: Aligning Culture and Strategy, by Daniel Denison, Robert Hooijberg, Nancy Lane & Colleen Lief

Business Technology

Gold: Trillions: Thriving in the Emerging Information Technology, by Peter Lucas, Joe Ballay & Mickey McManus

Silver: The Plugged-In Manager: Get in Tune with Your People, Technology, and Organization to Thrive, by Terri L. Griffith

Women/Minorities in Business

Silver: Pushback: How Smart Women Ask – and Stand Up – For What They Want, by Selena Rezvani

Bronze: Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World, by Alyse Nelson

Business Fable

Gold: Have a Nice Conflict: How to Find Success and Satisfaction in the Most Unlikely Places, by Tim Scudder, Michael Patterson & Kent Mitchell (Jossey-Bass)

“The Axiom Business Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary business books and their creators, with the understanding that business people are an information-hungry segment of the population, eager to learn about great new books that will inspire them and help them improve their careers and businesses.”

Congratulations to all our winners!

Meredith Stanton from Jossey-Bass/Wiley publicity accepts the PR News Nonprofit Award

Wiley and Jossey-Bass were awarded Honorable Mention at the PR News Nonprofit Awards on March 11th in Washington D.C. for its quarterly Wiley/Jossey-Bass Nonprofit e-Newsletter for Media.

More than 200 nonprofit communications executives gathered at the National Press Club ballroom to honor the work of their colleagues and share best practices and lessons learned in the nonprofit space.  The Wiley/Jossey-Bass Newsletter was nominated as a top finalist for the award in the email/newsletters category. The newsletter is sent to media on a quarterly basis to inform them of Wiley’s latest nonprofit titles, as well as communicate new initiatives and activities by the Wiley/Jossey-Bass Nonprofit team.

Once again, we’ve offering a free eBook Sampler featuring the newest titles from our AFP fund development Series and once again…it’s FREE!

Download it for your favorite eReader now!

Amazon Kindle

Apple iBooks

Whether you are new to the field of fundraising and need to get quickly up to speed or you’re a seasoned professional looking for new ideas on how to reach donors in a connected society, our experts can show you how. We’ve gathered together excerpts from five of our leading AFP fund development Series books to help you deal with the challenges executives face when leading, incorporate ethical standards and practices in your fundraising, implement right-sized prospect research techniques, better understand the challenges of global fundraising, engage millennials in fundraising, provide the spark for social change and more!:

Sample 1, from The Philanthropic Planning Companion: Brian Sagrestano and Robert Wahlers compile and analyze the latest research on donor/client behavior, discussing the need for segmented approaches to charitable gift planning based upon the values and personal planning objectives of the donor/client.

Sample 2, from Leading the Fundraising Charge: Karla Williams addresses the challenges and issues that executives face when leading a nonprofit organization that is dependent on philanthropic support.

Sample 3, from Global Fundraising: Penelope Cagney and Bernard Ross bring together a team of international fundraisers to skillfully track how the world of fundraising is changing rapidly due to a number of factors including: continuing growth of great wealth; non-profit innovation emerging everywhere; growth of indigenous NGOs; increased professionalism in fundraising; and the value and role of new and social technologies.

Sample 4, from Prospect Research for Fundraisers: Jennifer Filla and Helen Brown offer a practical understanding of the relevant tools at the disposal of development officers and managers responsible for hiring, outsourcing, purchasing, managing, and implementing prospect research within their organizations.

Sample 5, from Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy: Janice Gow Pettey and members of the AFP ethics committee provide a wealth of practical tools to help fundraising practitioners, board members, and governing boards implement these essential ethical decision making and regulation concepts into their own organizations.

Sample 6, from Cause for the Change: Kari Dunn Saratovsky and Derrick Feldmann examine strategies for engaging Millennials as constituents, volunteers, and donors, and focuses on how organizations can realign themselves to better respond to this group of 80 million strong.

Sample 7, from Social Change Anytime Anywhere: Allyson Kapin and Amy Sample Ward guide readers through the planning and implementation of online multi-channel strategies that will spark advocacy, raise money and promote deeper community engagement in order to achieve social change in real time.

Did we mention it’s FREE? download it now!

Amazon Kindle

Apple iBooks

Several months ago, we published Dan Palotta’s book, Charity Case. The message Dan delivers in that book is a powerful one: Everything We’ve Been Taught About Charity is Backwards. In Charity Case, he starts a conversation about the changes that the social sector needs to make if they’re going to achieve real impact. Earlier this month, Dan delivered his powerful message in the closing TED talk where he touched on the concepts in the book. His a powerful message and one that we’re proud to be able to deliver to you.

Scroll down to view the video and click here to order your copy of Charity Case now!

“On Friday, March 1st, I had the honor of delivering the final 18-minute talk of the 2013 TED Conference. You can watch the video of the talk online now. Giving the speech was an experience of a lifetime, but the response to it was truly humbling, and gives me renewed confidence that I’m not alone in feeling this passionately about changing the way the world thinks about changing the world.” –Dan Pallotta

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Originally posted on www.josseybassbusiness.com

Her book on the subject released just last year , and her short original eBook, Winning Words for Raising Money, will be available for all digital readers soon (you can purchase a copy for $3.99 for your Kindle now). In honor of Valentine’s Day she sat down with WTNH Connecticut Style to share tips for those of us who could use some “me” time today or who don’t want to deal with overpriced, crowded restaurants. Sound like anyone you know? Be sure to watch the video below. For more practical advice from Laura, visit her website expertontheask.com.

The “Ask”

What’s on your list?

Susan

• Charities dedicated to restoring & rebuilding the Jersey Shore after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy: http://www.restoreourshore.com/
• The AFP Publishing Advisory Committee—an amazing group of fundraisers that offer advice, perspective, and wisdom about the profession
• Bruce R. Hopkins—an editor’s dream author—dedicated, supportive, creative, and tireless: www.wiley.com/go/Hopkins
• Valuable & practical strategic tools for fundraising executives
• My nieces and nephews!

The cutest nieces and nephews!

Alison

• Helping to end childhood hunger: Cooking Matters
• The National Organization for Women and the important work they are doing: http://www.now.org/
• Vermont land conservation efforts particularly the legacy of three great conservationists, Marsh, Billings and Rockefeller
• Helping to conserve land in my town of Amherst, NH through Friends of the Orchard and the annual Orchard Festival
• My dog Max who loves to run and play in the snow!

Max looking handsome after the blizzard

Alina

• Looking forward to the future of publishing. Our very first nonprofit short format eBook – Winning Words for Raising Money by Laura Fredricks – is now available on Amazon and will soon become available everywhere. Check it out here and let me know what you think!
• This Huffington Post piece from YNPN’s National Director Trish Tchume about millennial leadership.
• Inspiring words from our NonprofitCommunity Facebook page.
• Valentine’s Day gifts that give back.
• 4:30pm workout classes at my gym. The mid-day break helps me re-energize and focus (see also: this article that our own Susan McDermott sent around earlier this week).

Reminding me to do a little bit of good, wherever I am.

Jeanenne

• Being a visual learner/communicator, nothing makes my heart go pitter pat like a good infographic. I love this list of 10 Tools for Creating Infographics and Visualizations
• Who doesn’t love some solid nonprofit communication trend research wrapped up in a beautiful presentation? This slide set from Kivi Leroux Miller makes me swoon!
• Enamored with the idea of social change wherever and whenever? Then you’ll adore this book!
• “Valentine’s Day has lost its way…we’re making it about love again…it its purest form: giving without expecting anything in return.” How can you not LOVE Generosity Day? http://www.spreadgenerosityday.com/generosity
• Sweets for my sweets! I’ll be making this tonight as a lunchbox surprise for my littlest Valentines.

By Robert Sheehan

Effective goal-setting is a discipline based on well researched principles. Ask yourself, do you want to use your time in ways that are more relevant – relevant to what you care about most in your life? If so, then goal setting can put you on that path.

The first lesson is that you are probably not setting goals nearly enough. You are probably barely scratching the surface. To maximize performance you should consider setting long-term goals (e.g., five to 10 years) that you then break down into annual goals, quarterly goals, weekly goals, and even daily goals. To truly maximize performance, you should do this for every important domain of your personal and work life. This is based on one of the primary finding from the goal setting research.*

Goals direct attention and action toward relevant activities and away from non-relevant activities.

If you want to really start your new year off right, then follow these guidelines for effective goal setting:

• Set goals as outcomes. On what you really want, not the activities that may lead toward them.
• Make sure that all your goals are SMRT: Specific, Measurable, Relevant, Time-Bound
• Use the right “A” in your SMART goal formula. All goals need to be SMRT. But to be SMART you need to pick the “A” that is right for your situation. Here are your options:
  1. Attainable Goals, which you have an 80+% chance of accomplishing, are good if failing will have many negative consequences. Attainable goals are good to build some momentum with easy wins, or to learn more about new environments, or if you are concerned about getting discouraged.
  2. Aggressive Goals, which you have a 35% chance of accomplishing, will improve your performance. Research shows that the more difficult the goal, the higher the level of performance.* If you feel like you have a good system and you want to maximize performance of it, then this method will help you do it.
  3. Almost Impossible Stretch Goals, which you have a 1% chance of accomplishing, will require you to design innovative ways of going about accomplishing your goal. “Working harder” on the same process won’t do it. You have an opportunity for breakthrough performance with Almost Impossible Stretch Goals.
• Celebrate Noble Failure. If you are inspired to pursue a goal and you go for it, but you don’t make it all the way, then appreciate the progress you have made and appreciate that you worked hard at something you really cared about. This mind-set will bring you more long-term success than letting the fear of failure keep you from doing what truly inspires you.

Again, more extensive detail on goal setting is covered in The Power of Goals. If you use these principles and apply them to your personal and work life then I promise you much higher levels of performance, fulfillment, and satisfaction. But it only works if you take it on as a true, committed discipline. Good luck with all of your goals!

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost. And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on my Blog | Twitter | Facebook |