GuideStar Blog

A recent Wall Street Journal article (Feb. 12, The Boss’s Next Demand: Make Lots of Friends by Rachel Feintzeig) spotlights how several major corporations are looking for “influencers” within their companies — those who have robust networks and clout with their peers — to assist management with getting employees on board with major changes, such as a merger, and helping to disseminate other important information company-wide.

In last month’s blog post, Is Your Nonprofit Prepared for a Crisis?, I wrote about the need for organizations to develop a crisis plan. I wrote the article in response to the September shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., an event caused by external factors.

I recently finished writing a couple of speeches for one of my nonprofit clients, and it gave me pause to reflect on my own 20+ years of speech writing for a range of people from a former governor to countless industry executives and CEOs. As I look back, there were some terrifically delivered speeches that make you feel like a “proud momma” and plenty of not-so-good ones where you honestly would not mind if the fire alarm went off in the middle of the person’s speech!

Assemble three senior executives in a room and ask them what their nonprofit’s “elevator pitch” is and you often get three very different messages. The Chief Development Officer, who is talking to donors and funders on a regular basis, may tell a slightly different story than the Chief Marketing Officer, whose focus may be more on promoting programs and services to the community. Both messages can be different from what the Chief Executive Officer, who is looking at the big picture, is communicating to his or her constituents, including the Board of Directors.

Having spent nearly six years working for a large nonprofit organization, another eight years on the PR agency side servicing nonprofits and countless years volunteering for various organizations, I know how tremendously rewarding nonprofit work is. You feel like you are actually making a difference in the world — and you are!