Recent research* suggests that when working on long term goals, it is helpful to find enjoyment in the pursuit of those goals in the short run. For example when people find the process of working out enjoyable, they tend to persist longer. They found the same thing for those who experienced enjoyment with studying. We really don’t need a research study to tell us that we … [Read more...] about Fun Improves Persistence
Invest More in Fundraising!
The end of the semester is upon us at the University of Maryland, where I am co-teaching a graduate course on Nonprofit Fundraising with my colleague, Dr. Bob Grimm. Part of the course involves student teams going out into the community to visit with nonprofit organizations and do a full evaluation of their fundraising program. I have been reading the final reports and … [Read more...] about Invest More in Fundraising!
If You Really Had $100 Billion
When I encourage people to create an aspirational vision of what they would want their organization to look like if they could have it any way they wanted it – it is often hard to get them to “think big” or “think outside of the box.” To help people think big, I sometimes say “Imagine you just received an unrestricted gift of $100 billion. The donor said to do anything with … [Read more...] about If You Really Had $100 Billion
Big Happy Audacious Goals
When I talk with people about setting BIG Almost Impossible Goals, I will sometimes hear “Oh yeah, just like ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goals’ in that book (Built to Last) by Jim Collins & Jerry Porras! BHAGs!” To which I say “Sort of.” The “Hairy” in BHAGs is “scary” – like taking a big risk. Hairy, scary goals might be appropriate sometimes – but research shows that they … [Read more...] about Big Happy Audacious Goals
Activate Your Brain
We all want to be able to count on our brains working at an excellent capacity every day, every week, and every year – into the future. But it turns out that in order for that to happen, we need to take good care of our brains – to fully “activate” them. This is the topic of Scott Halford’s book, Activate Your Brain, which is based on extensive secondary research. Here … [Read more...] about Activate Your Brain