Are you a trend setter or a follower? 

Do you follow individual trends or institutional trends?

Are you a conformist or nonconformist? 

Do you follow the norm or create the norm?

Do you question authority or comply with authority?

One should not always blindly follow trends, whether they are set by individuals or institutions. Integrate trends into your mission when it best suits the health of the organization.  However, it is not always clear if a change is a trend or a shift in thinking that is permanent.  Time will be the ultimate measure to whether something is a trend or permanent change.

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One recent idea is taking hold thorough out America and is called”Green House. ” No it is not about building within the environmental green model.  It is about taking the large 100-200 patient Nursing Homes and caring for people in smaller settings.  The setting has the look and feel of a private home or apartment.  The house unit is built so that seven to ten seniors has his or her own room. The common living space of the house consists of a shared living room, dining room, kitchen facilities and a  common room.  It almost sounds like aspects of a commune or a kibbutz. Remember the phase “It takes a village to raise a child. ” Why not “It takes a village to care for our elders”.

For more information on the Green House concept for elder care or the physically/medically disabled check out the web link below.

http://www.ncbcapitalimpact.org/default.aspx?id=146

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The Massachusetts Safe Schools Movement is a great example of a successful campaign to bring about change.  The success was due to a focus not in based on gender but on safety.  The message was presented as a public health problem that needed to be addressed. Thereby, changing the discussion from a political one to a public health policy discussion base on statistics.

The Bay Windows had a great summary which describes the twenty year movement and lessons learned.  Nonprofits can learn from it on how to turn political lobbying into program advocacy.

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My parents went to a party for my school.   My brother got a gym membership and I got lessons. My parents got Friday night at a fancy hotel without me and my brother. But we had fun anyway with our cousin.  I got to stay up until 9:30.  I asked my parents if they had any more papers to be able to go out again.   They only laughed.  said next year.

From Papa:

Break the silence of the “Silent Auction”.   Do not leave money behind.  The quieter you are on the auction, the smaller the return.  Promote the auction to find that special unique gift for the holidays or summer get away.

Want to make sure your nonprofit in its silent auction maximizes bids and participation.   Use an online process in the auctions of items.  Increase the number of people who would bid if you allowed them to participate on line.  Increase the number of people who would have bid 150 % of the items worth if they could buy it now on line.  Increase the number of items that can clearly be shown and pushed at the auction if there was room.

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If a nine and six year old can understand ways to help individuals, why is it so hard for the government to grasp it.  I think it is because a child thinks of one action at a time and government overwhelms itself to solve it all at once.

Deinstitutionalization was hail in its day as the greatest achievement of providing mental health individuals with equal rights. Has the achievement of this new found liberation improved individual treatment or allowed government a means to lower their costs to the mentally ill? What government has learned since the closing of many mental health institutions is that without community resources that provide services to track outpatient access, regular medication treatment and resources for involuntary commitments when an individual is unable to control ones behavioral, there will be failure.

The evolution of the governments requirement for health insurance plans to include mental health services on parity with other services  should begin to show measurable outcomes in the coming years on whether such an act was sufficient.  The next evolution in treatment will be to what degree does treatment have to be available equally.

I would suggest that the key to success will be providing families the ability to choose their clinical service providers whom are most convenient to their lives and met the service plan needs. Our choice as consumers goes a long way towards accepting the outcomes each of us may experience in regards to our choices.  Life is not perfect and neither are human beings. If things do fail, blaming another persons for those directed for an individual does not solve the current problem. Therefore, a team approach which includes an individuals primary medical professional provides for ownership as a group.

Massachusetts recently was mandated to offer children mental health services in their community and not institutional care. How will a persons geographic location effect the outcome?  Since children mental health services are being pushed to be more in the community I would suggest learning from the past of how adults are now service in the community.

One point of view can be found in the book “The Insanity Offense” by E. Fuller Torrey.

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Effective communication to an individual will ultimately provide the means of successfully raising support for the nonprofit.

Face to face while labor intensive is the best approach for increasing current individual supporters to become major donors.  Remember that ten percent of the individual donors give up to 80 percent of the money.  This is the area that Management and the Board should being spending their time when dealing with fund raising directly.

There are four basic means for the individuals to make a donation and make a difference for the nonprofit.

1. Give Cash
2. Donate items for an auction or donate items on nonprofit need list
3. Provide in-kind support such as pro bono work or cover costs of an event or initiative.
4. Be a volunteer or provide employees to volunteer

Remember when an individual says NO it may really mean maybe or later.   You at least got to talk to the person.  That is a good beginning.

Invite the individual to tour the programs and see the impact of the nonprofit.  In a face to face do not overwhelm the Individual with people.  It is best to consider only bringing one other person.

Building relationships is not about treating everyone the same.  It is about sustaining nurtured friends and creating a sense of community.

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For more information about what keeps MBA’s away from careers at nonprofits check out the Boston Business Journal post of June 13, 2008.

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To make sure I can get what I want I give my parents hints.  For my birthday I would like a computer.  For school I need to be able to do research.  I will not  crash your computer if I have my own.  The computer screen will not get messed up.  This drawing of the car is from a Play Station game I want.  It has lots of cool cars.

From Papa:

Just like knowing the interests of our children, nonprofits need to know the interests of their current and potential donors.  There is nothing worst than showing a lack of interest in whom the donor is.  Did you do your homework about the donor?  Do you have talking points of interest to establish a personnel connections. Have you gathered information to create a profile on the donor and feel there is sufficient information to interact with the potential donor.  Play to the donors strengths and interest.  Remember you need to be in contact seven times to maximize the communication and increase results.   You do not ask for money every time.   Try an Internet search on the person and see what comes up.

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