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Session Materials from the 2008 Nonprofit Technology Conference

I didn't attend this year's Nonprofit Technology Conference, but I have had a great time studying the Sessions Materials made available for download at the NTEN website. A number of sessions don't have such materials of course, including a few in which I was particularly interested (like "Will Your Data Be Yours? Evaluating Data Exchange in Software") and in other cases the materials are distinctly missing their context. But I recommend this material nevertheless, especially: What Your Stakeholders Aren’t Telling You, The Virtual Nonprofit, The Seven Things Everyone Wants, Postal and E-mail, More Than a Thank You, Mission Critical, Make Your e-Newsletter Work Better, Goofing Off or Learning, Getting the Big Picture, Five Ways to Set Up - Amp Up - Screw Up Your Email Messages, and Don't Push the River. Posted: 6/16/08; 6:56:55 PM #

1400 Examples of Email Calls to Action
	The British online activism consultancy FairSay has collected nearly 1400 Examples of Email Calls to Action that are free to browse and study online. There's a gold mine of both inspiration and research material here. Posted: 6/16/08; 6:39:49 PM #

Simplicity Is the Nature of Great Emails

Gary Levitt and Rob Lubow have a great short article making the case that Simplicity Is the Nature of Great Emails. Ironically, the article is embedded in a plethora of distracting ads, but I'll recommend it nevertheless. Their three questions are completely worth asking and will definitely make your life easier and your email more effective: (1) What is your favorite kind of email? (2) How much time should you spend reading an email that was sent to you along with a zillion other people? (3) What else is happening on the page when you view a typical email? Posted: 6/16/08; 6:33:26 PM #

What's the Best Way to Raise Money? Choosing the Right Revenue Strategy

The answer to most questions asked by clients of consultants is "it depends". It's also the answer they seem to dislike the most. This is as true for financial strategies as it is of communication strategies. I'm pleased to see Jan Masaoka tackle one aspect of the former in her Just Tell Me piece in Blue Avocado: What's the Best Way to Raise Money? Choosing the Right Revenue Strategy. What does it depend on, in this case? She takes an asset-centered approach and recommends building on your strengths. Posted: 6/16/08; 6:29:56 PM #

How to Succeed in Your Work

Bryan Walker is an English academic, author, and advisor to humanitarian organizations. He's recently pulled together the second edition of his book How to Succeed in Your Work (choice of 67 page PDF or Word file). I would love to see the authors of Navigating Soft Skills review this book, but in the meantime I can just tell you this: It's a charming collection of the kind of practical information that I pretty much never touch upon in my own career coaching and counseling work. The chapters include: How to Succeed in Your Work, How to Write Your Resume;, How to Apply for a Post, How to Groom for an Interview, How to Make Your Mission Statements, How to Appraise Your Work Progress, How to Manage a Meeting, How to Plan a Power Point Presentation, How to Prepare a Report, How to Control Your Time, How to Assess Your Personality, How to Master Stress, How to Pursue Distance Learning Courses, How to Work as a Manager, How to Help a New Colleague, and How to Decide Whether to Change Jobs. Posted: 6/16/08; 6:25:12 PM #