A Message from our President

Happy Holidays!

We have so much to share with you this month. First, we are excited to announce searches with two separate Make-A-Wish organizations as well as a search with the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. Please look at our Current Searches below for more information on these great opportunities.

Also this month, we are highlighting an excellent article by Julie LeMond, regarding taking advantages of the downturn. We know the holidays are busy and time is valuable, so we shortened the article for the ezine. You can read the full version on our website.

Finally, we would like to share two additional articles I wrote recently. The first, Do’s and Don’ts in Hiring a Search Firm, was first published in the September 2010 edition of the Gadd/Guillot. The second, Easing the Anxiety of the Search, was also written for the Gadd/Guillot newsletter.  We are excited to see our original articles reprinted in other worthy newsletters, too, such as "Basics of the Nonprofit Job Hunt" in the November 2010 edition of the Non Profit-Direct, the Non Profit National Resource Directory. Please just make sure you ask us first. :-)

2010 has been a busy, often challenging year for many of us. Here's wishing you a peaceful close to your year, and a strong beginning to the new one.

Sherry Heuser
President, Capability Company

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Current Searches

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Article of the Month

Word count: 273
Approximate Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Difficulties Mastered are Opportunities Won
(Winston Churchill)

by Julie LeMond

Winston Churchill noted that “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”  Given the challenges faced by nonprofit organizations in recent years, it is important to focus on the (sometimes hidden) positive effects of the Great Recession in the nonprofit world in order to continue to move missions forward. 

Compassion fatigue and increased competition for donors have become the most significant challenges facing nonprofits as a result of the Great Recession. Organizations which develop significant donor relations, leverage resources and collaborate with community partners, demonstrate program impact and fiduciary accountability, and promote their cause by linking with current communication trends will not only stand out from the rest of the competition, but will also maintain current stakeholder interest and develop new sources of interest.

This may sound like an overhaul of current nonprofit business protocol, but many organizations have been taking advantage of down time or stalled growth plans over the past year or so to focus on these priorities. Following are examples of ways in which organizations are fine-tuning their operations.

• Focus on donors – By getting to know your donors and really understanding their interest and ability to give, you can build stronger, longer-term, and more valuable relationships.
• Think creatively about resources and partners – Pay attention to your community connections and recognize alternative ways to support each other.
• Promote effective and efficient activities – Success goes beyond doing "good" work, it also requires you to do it well.
• Use trends to your benefit – Be aware of "new" ways to communicate your mission and gather support for your activities.

The Bottom Line: Be an optimist, seize the opportunities and greet 2011 with confidence and eagerness..."Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it." (Winston Churchill)

Julie LeMond is a freelance writer specializing in nonprofit management issues.

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Event Calendar

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