Last year I worked with Heather O'Hara, the Executive Director of Potluck Cafe to put into practice some of the techniques I have been writing about. As you can see from the story below, experience taught both of us a lot about the value of this work and how to make it more effective in … Continue reading Demonstrating Value – Building a Dashboard for Potluck Cafe
Reducing Costs through Mailing List Cleansing and Skilled Volunteers at Quest
Another great example of how non-profits can utilize technology and skilled volunteers to reduce costs and improve services is with Quest Food Exchange. The Quest Food Exchange, run by the Quest Outreach Society, leverages an innovative business model to rescue food that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage and headed for landfills, and redirect … Continue reading Reducing Costs through Mailing List Cleansing and Skilled Volunteers at Quest
Free Software for Non-profits from TechSoup
Many of my posts talk about how non-profits can use technology to improve operations and better communicate with stakeholders. However, a big questions non-profits have is: How do I get this technology? My best answer is TechSoup. TechSoup Global, headquartered in San Francisco, provides a platform for non-profit organizations around the world to gain access … Continue reading Free Software for Non-profits from TechSoup
Cutting Reporting Time and Improving Fundraising with Skilled Volunteers at Arts Umbrella
Last time I talked in general about how skilled volunteers can contribute to community organizations. This time I want to talk about a specific example where SAP employees worked with Arts Umbrella to improve reporting and fundraising processes. This is a great example of how technology, combined with business skills (in this case sales processes) … Continue reading Cutting Reporting Time and Improving Fundraising with Skilled Volunteers at Arts Umbrella
Skilled Volunteering – Making the Most of Employee Engagement
Had a call today with two people from a US corporate foundation looking for advice on making best use of their employee skills in the community. This started me thinking more about what we are doing here at SAP so thought I would write about this. Most corporations these days have foundations to give money … Continue reading Skilled Volunteering – Making the Most of Employee Engagement
Why I’m an Ambassador for David Suzuki
Recently voted our most trusted Canadian, David Suzuki is an institution in Canada. I remember growing up watching The Nature of Things and my interest in science and the environment being kindled at a young age. That trust has helped the David Suzuki Foundation become a leading research and policy group on issues such as … Continue reading Why I’m an Ambassador for David Suzuki
Leveraging the Olympics for more sustainable transit
Nice article here on the Translink blog talking about SAP Vancouver's prep for the Olympics. This has been a massive planning exercise for our company since the main office is on Mainland Street - what will be a pedestrian only zone for the duration of the Olympics and we are right down the street from … Continue reading Leveraging the Olympics for more sustainable transit
Question Zero Part 6: Next steps
In the last 5 posts, we have covered a number of components that help you answer, and communicate your answer, to Question Zero "What, exactly, are we trying to accomplish?": Choosing the type of story you are trying to tell Ensuring you are speaking the right language for your audience Making sure you are measuring … Continue reading Question Zero Part 6: Next steps
Question Zero Part 5: Measurement in Time and Space
I am very grateful to Morgan MacDonald from Offsetters for introducing me to the concept of balancing measurements in time and space. This is a very simple idea that provides a powerful check on your reporting. When looking at your selected measures, you can plot them in a series of circles (you can do this … Continue reading Question Zero Part 5: Measurement in Time and Space
Question Zero Part 4: Goals, Activities and Outcomes
The question of measuring outcomes, defining goals and managing activities can be quite complex and many people have written on this topic. I don't want to rehash that work or get into a debate about the exact terminology, I don't think that is important. What I tell groups I work with is that you do … Continue reading Question Zero Part 4: Goals, Activities and Outcomes
Constructive Public Engagement 