Monthly Archives: December 2010
American Friends Helping Refugees, One Family at a Time
By Steve Letourneau Imagine arriving in Portland, Maine from a refugee camp in Somalia or Burma and not knowing the language or the customs of America. How do I mail a letter? What do traffic lights mean? What type of … Continue reading
Posted in People
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Having Trouble Coming Up With a New Year’s Resolution?
By Jen Lobley, M.ED, CVA This is the time of year when everyone starts to think about their New Year’s Resolutions. Some of the most popular ones that are made time and time again include exercise more, eat less, get … Continue reading
Posted in Training
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Development and Marketing Consultants
By Noble Smith As 2010 rapidly draws to its end and 2011 begins its reign, volunteers, professional staffs, members of non-profit Boards of Directors, donors and even suspects (potential donors) are breathing a temporary sign of relief. This current year … Continue reading
Posted in Managing Organizations
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3 Organizational Communication Trainings that Can Add Value; Part II: Newswriting
By Sarah Ryan, Ph.D. I’ve now offered tips for meeting and interviewing trainings. This month, the topic is newswriting. While print newspapers are dying out, news is proliferating. Successful organizations now produce pithy news content for Twitter, multi-media substance for … Continue reading
Juggling? Or Balance?
By Jane E Haskell When you are the facilitator (or leader) of a group, it is important to realize how important you are in that process and structure. Let’s think about self-care in relation to facilitation and group leadership. Sometimes … Continue reading
Posted in Facilitation, People, Strategies
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Neighbors Helping Neighbors Stay Warm This Winter
By Rob Ellis I am the weatherization coordinator at Hour Exchange Portland (HEP). We are a local non-profit organization utilizing a service exchange model focusing on neighbors helping neighbors. Our participants earn and spend their “time credits” on services they … Continue reading
Facebook and Instant Gratification
By Jamie Andrew Here’s the thing: about a month ago, I quit Facebook. I got tired of the millions of updates about head colds, breakfast cereal and family feuds – and my incredible ability to waste a lot of time … Continue reading
Posted in Strategies, Technology
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Data-Driven Decision Making
By Anne Schink As the calendar year draws to a close, many volunteer managers are scrambling to collect all the data they need to justify their existence. Well, not really, but some days it may feel like that. Building on … Continue reading
Posted in Managing Organizations, Strategies, Technology
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Is there an App for that?
By Patricia Kimball I spend a lot of time on the internet, on the prowl for programs that enhance my workflow and increase the efficiencies of organizations with whom I work. Over time, I have discovered quite a few tools … Continue reading
Posted in Technology
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