Listen First – Even from a distance

Listen First – Even from a distance

by | Jun 30, 2020 | Building Relationships, Communication

Not so many years ago, Stephen Covey was telling us to, “Seek First to Understand.” Today, many nonprofit experts are echoing that with Listen First.

There are good reasons for this excellent advice.

First, as you listen to your current donors whether it’s on the phone, video chatting or in person at a safe social distance, you learn what attracted them to your organization, what part of your mission touches their heart. Knowing what matters to them, you know what stories to share; you tell those things that reflect their interests. Let them know their investment is paying off in ways that are meaningful to them, and they will be more likely to keep investing.

Part of listening, too, is hearing what does NOT matter to them. It is knowing how they prefer to communicate and how often. Do they want texts, emails, phone calls, or visits? Are they following your social media? Do they want weekly updates or a letter twice a year? It’s knowing if they are moved by stories or by data. It’s knowing who they want to hear from. Do they want to hear from someone who directly benefitted, a favorite staff member, a board member or a senior administrator? Would they enjoy being on a committee, sharing their own expertise, becoming a volunteer or in healthier times, hosting a small gathering to thank fellow donors or introduce your mission to their friends. Store this information in your data base. So you honor their wishes and their interests later.

For prospective donors, listen for things you have in common. If you connect personally, they are more likely to take time to listen to your organization’s story. Pay attention for their interests. Your organization’s mission may not interest them. In that case, your time will have greater benefit for the organization spent with someone who is interested.

Of course, you may hear strong interest. Then how do you engage them? Listen to the language they use. Mirror it. If they talk about fairness, then describe ways your mission builds fairness. If they talk about kindness, share acts of kindness your mission engenders. Listen for their values, their beliefs and their trusted sources for information. Let those help frame your story as you share with them. Ask if you may get back in touch again later. When you return to the office note what you’ve learned in your data base, so you can continue to frame your communications in ways that recognize your shared values.

When it’s your turn to share, continue to focus on them. Make their interests central as you share the good your organization is working to accomplish. If you’re are visiting in person or video chatting, Watch their reactions. Watch body language and facial cues. If their eyes light up, continue in that vein. Ask for feedback. But, if their eyes are wandering, or they are glancing at their watch, or if you’re on the phone and there are long pauses or sighs or sounds that indicate they are ready to move on, wrap it up, and thank them for their time.

Education or Experience – which has greater value to your organization?

Education or Experience – which has greater value to your organization?

by | Jun 29, 2020 | Best Business Practices, Focus on the Mission

Education or Experience – which has greater value?

As with most things in life, the answer is – It depends.

Let me give you three examples from my experience:

  1. I was a brand new teacher – well-trained in all the latest pedagogy, filled with facts, and brimming with knowledge about child development. A mom from my classroom came to me concerned about her son. I smiled. I listened. I did my best to make her feel heard, but I’m ashamed to admit I sat there thinking, “Where did YOU get your degree in education? Which of us has studied Erik Fromm, Maslow, Montessori, and Howard Gardner? My youthful ignorance made her dear son struggle longer than he needed to.

Then I had my own kids and learned about the wisdom that can only come from experience. A parent may not have read the manuals, but they know their child. Ahhh, the value of experience!

2. Each of us has natural talents, and everyone wins if an organization makes use of each person’s gifts. I saw that as a teacher. I also saw it at each organization I served. One example happened as Duke University. I was the first full-time Development Officer for the Lemur Center, and we had enough success marketing and raising funds that we needed to add staff. While we received many applications with the right education, there was an Animal Technician I had noticed. She had just the natural gifts we needed. She was smart. She was confident. She was comfortable with all kinds of people, and she had a knack for listening, connecting, and building relationships – just the skills we needed. We hired her and she was amazing! She took over my position when I moved on, and she kept moving up. Several organizations have benefitted from her use of her natural gifts – and of course now she has taken classes, too, to fill in any gaps.

3. As important as education is, matching a person’s skill set – those skills needed to do the job is more so. When I was hired as the Foundation Director at Penick Village, an assistant was already in place. She was willing and hardworking, but her skill set didn’t match the position. I chatted with her, and found out that she had never wanted that position. She had applied to be on the Activities Staff. She wanted to work directly with the residents and here she was doing her best to input data and run reports. It wasn’t the right match. As soon as a position on the Activities Staff became available, we moved her. She didn’t have a degree in Social Work or Occupational Therapy, or anything related, but she had the heart and the desire and the natural gifts to connect and relate and innovate. She and the residents were thrilled. She was a natural!

So I guess the answer to the question, which has greater value – education or experience is that the right education helps, but look for experience, natural talent and matching skill sets, and both your employees and your organization will thrive.