Stupid Move: Thanks for $0.00.

A few days ago I received a beautiful color thank-you email from my University "for a recent contribution of $0.00". Hmmmm....fundraising through guilt. I wonder if it will be a successful strategy for them.

While this email was clearly a computer mistake, I started thinking about guilt vs. acknowledgment and the role it plays in fundraising.

Guilt might garner a one-time token gift, but true acknowledgment creates on-going participation, productivity and continuous financial giving. Unlike the embarrassing actions of my Alma Mater, acknowledgement needs to happen before the behavior. Before the giving.

Today I received an apology email for the mistaken thank-you email of the other day. It was also very pretty. I was also assured that if I had given some financial donation, that I would be properly thanked for the correct amount over the next few days. Wow, I'm looking forward to that.


People have a need to find their role in any community with which they participate. We want to be valued for who we are, not just what we do. When people can lend their unique talents to a community that sees their value, and not just a "body", they will financially support the structure that allows them to feel this way.

I now understand my role in my alumni community. I am a data point that receives fundraising telephone calls and mail. Now, I could step up and create some visibility for myself within the alumni organization. Or, I might choose to login to my alumni account, change my contact information, and hope that some other random individual will get to feel just as special.

Networking: Information vs. Inspiration

"Really, I didn't know that you were from Chicago? I have a sister that lives in Chicago!!"

This is the type of "information" that generally gets passed around during networking events. What might happen if we gave up trading business cards and talking about things we really don't care about.

What if, (gasp!) we exchanged information for something a little bit deeper?

When people get together in a business setting, usually what occurs is an exchange of information. Information seems to be the currency in which we trade throughout our business day. It is one of the reasons we have networks in the first place: to leverage other people's information and resources. This is useful to a point.

However, what distinguishes good, solid, effective people in sales and marketing from those who are brilliant in this field isn't usually the nature or quality of the information exchange. It occurs somewhere else.

Something inspires each of us. Many of us are inspired by many different things. What is it that truly inspires you? There are a number of dimensions to inspiration. When asked about this, our workshop participants were varied in their answers:

• Overcoming a challenge
• Succeeding in an area of passion
• Seeing another person accomplish something
• Developing strong personal connections with others

When asked how they feel when someone takes an interest in what inspires you, the responses were overwhelmingly positive:

• Increased sense of bonding with the person
• I feel great
• I want to give back to them, as they are contributing back to me
• I feel further inspired by their interest
• I feel like I have a partner
• More "real" communication
• There is a great connection formed - I start to get interested in what inspires them as well

If these feelings occur when others take an interest in what inspires us, what might happen for others if we take a genuine interest in what inspires them? Listening for what inspires another person contributes to that person dramatically. You increase your connections with others, and people get genuinely interested in you.

Another bonus: if you help someone in the area of their inspiration it has more impact and value because inspiration always occurs for those things that are most important to us.

Note: You do not have to be inpspired by what inspires someone else. Taking an interest in it because it inspires them is what matters here. Today, start to listen past the information that others impart. Listen for what really inspires them. That is where powerful connections are built.

Training Trends for 2006

Training is available in many forms and on most every topic imaginable. Sorting out the trainings that produce results from the ones that don’t can be difficult. If you are outsourcing your training, deciding who to trust with your organization can be risky. There is nothing worse than investing in training that doesn’t make a measurable difference.

What are the current Trends in Training? What is the new focus of the large training companies? You might be surprised to learn that the newest training trend is all about leveraging a powerful intangible asset – our state of mind.

It turns out that skill development is not enough. Apparently, our subconscious minds play the largest role in how we do our jobs! Motivation is largely influenced by our managers and their skills or lack of skills in acknowledgment. The best employee will stop performing well if they don’t feel valued. Helping our employees understand their unique and important role in an organization can have more impact on the bottom line than traditional skill training. What we believe is as important as what we know.

It might sound strange that aligning the subconscious mind of your employees with business goals would generate such great results. Here are a few tips to guide you in benefiting from this trend – before your competition does.

• Unless your organization has participated in this type of training in the past, go slow and mainstream. Some of the major training companies (especially sales and leadership training outfits) address this powerful force in their regular trainings in subtle ways which are more comfortable for employees new to this process.
• Only use trainers with references and professional documentation (website, marketing materials, training packets, etc.). If your trainer isn’t experienced and professional he/she won’t have buy in with participants.
• Use trainers with business backgrounds. All material must be relevant to your business and customers. Fun training that doesn’t apply to your organization ­will not generate profits.
• Look into professional skill development coaching vs. group training for employees who have the skills but not the results. Often times an internal shift will create new levels of productivity and new enthusiasm.

If you have seen the results from this type of training and want to dive in to the next level, look for these key words: acknowledgment training (productivity and retention), belief shifting (productivity, profitability, and leadership), and attraction strategies (profitability). For more information or help in finding new training resources, contact Allison Taylor at Paravox.