Much has been made of the innovation of late in the field of technology.  Ipad’s, smartphones, social media and more innovations have hit us in the past 18 months in a way that has dramatically accelerated the pace of change for those in the world of business.

But how about those of us who work in the non-profit sector, in churches or charities?  Why should we care about these technological innovations and what are the effects on our work?

This new range of innovation matters because it affects some of the major core pillars that support work in the the non-profit world.

Communication: the nature of how people communicate, the speed at which they communicate and how we can interact with our supporters and spread our cause has now taken on a new dimension.  We must respond by interacting with our fans and the general public on these new platforms.  In addition, we must be thinking about how to create content for these new platforms, such as social media, the Ipad, etc.

Marketing: If non-profits aren’t paying attention to these latest innovations they will fail to see that the way organizations must market their products and services has changed.  In the future (really right now) non-profits need to have a presence on social media and texting to augment their traditional marketing campaigns.  There are probably newer, more effective ways of reaching and communicating that are yet to come.

Fundraising: Innovation matters because it’s directing effecting how you will raise the majority of your resources to do your good work in the future.  Depending on the average age of your donors, this could be happening sooner than you think.

Get in and start experimenting!  Innovation matters to your organization.

David Curry

My pastor used to tell me, “Whenever you see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, you know he didn’t get there by himself” as a humorous way of reminding me that we all need people around us to motivate, teach, correct, and be an example to us.

I know this is certainly true of my life.  There are so many people close to me who have helped mentor me throughout the different stages of my life.  However, there is one great fact that many people don’t realize about mentorship; a mentor can be someone you’ve never met!

Long-distance mentors are people who you’ve observed, learned from, perhaps read their books and listened to their podcasts/tapes/cd’s, but have never spent personal time with.

Here’s a few things you need from a Long-Distance mentor:

Person of exceptional accomplishment.  If you’re going to immulate and learn from a leader, why would you choose to do so from an average leader?  Yet many people do.  Instead, immulate exceptional people.  Those who’ve accomplished great things, helped others, lived a life full of integrity and accomplishment.  I’ve learned a lot from people like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Bill Hybels, John Maxwell, and more even though I’ve never met any of them.

Person of Exceptional Integrity.  Scripture cautions us not to immulate those who are quick to anger and pursue foolishness.  When I was in my teenage years, I’m sure I modeled some of my behavior after pop-culture icons who weren’t worthy of immulation.  Now I want to follow those who are trying to live their life with unusual spiritual strength and I try to learn from their spiritual journey.  Be careful who you immulate!

People of Strength.  Dont’ misunderstand, I’m not talking about physical strength, I’m not even talking about internal strength.  What I’m suggesting is that you take only the STRENGTH of the long-distance mentor, and discard the rest.  What’s the point of making all the same mistakes that they have made?  Instead, focus on what they are good at, really good at, and then learn from those things.  Find people of great strengths, who know what their focus, purpose and gifts are, and do likewise.

Have you found that long-distance mentors have been helpful in your life?  Let me know a few of those who’ve inspired you?

David Curry

One of the most challenging aspects of building great teams is that you must surround yourself not just with people who will subordinate themselves to your will, but with those who will have much greater strengths, talents, perspectives than you do.  Most leaders just can’t do it, and therefore surround themselves with compliant rule-followers who will never challenge them.

Yet one of the great joys of building a team is when you have surrounded yourself with star performers, people who are exceptional at what they do and go beyond all your expectations.  this is only possible when you are willing to challenge your  human urge to hire sycophants.

Once you’ve found a star performer, the challenge becomes unique: How do you keep this person motivated?  They have already met and exceeded your expectations and so therefore may become bored.

Here’s a few ideas to keep your STAR PERFORMER motivated:

Encourage them to REFINE their work, even if it’s beyond what you expected. The leaders goal should always be to develop each staff member to become their best.  For a star-performer, turning in great work may become routine.  But you must encourage them to keep pushing the envelope so that they are stretched beyond their limits, thus creating more opportunities for them to grow.

Reward them with more Autonomy. STAR PERFORMERS don’t want to be micromanaged.  Give them more freedom to created/execute and see what happens.  They will almost certainly surprise you with things you never thought of.

Give them more Responsiblity/Authority: Be careful that you don’t move people out of their gifts and strengths, but if a STAR PERFORMER has the gifts to lead and manage giving them a larger span of control could be just the thing they need to stay fresh and challenged.

Praise and Reward. You should try to be a student of what motivates your staff, certainly your star performers.  Whatever it is that motivates them, fill them up with praise and reward.

Be thankful for your STAR PERFORMERS, I know I am.

David Curry

Friday, April 9th, 2010, we are having our spring NEW LIFE PROGRAM graduation!  It’s always a huge highlight for the staff and supporters of the Rescue Mission.  It allows us to see the transformations that are taking place in the lives of those we love and serve.  I encourage everyone to attend.

The graduation is taking place at Trinity Church 4041 Tacoma Mall Blvd. at 7pm.

This spring I’m also hosting a special pre-graduation pizza party for ALUMNI OF THE NEW LIFE PROGRAM at the ADRIATIC GRILL, also on Tacoma Mall Blvd. – essentially across street from the church.  All Alumni are invited to join me at 5:30pm, (the pizza is free) and spend an hour getting reconnected and catching up on all that God is doing in your life.  We are willing to provide transportation to those Alumni who are not driving.

Please RSVP to Marlene Hamilton, Alumni Director, at Marleneh@trm.org or call 253-383-4493.  (If you don’t let me know you’re coming I won’t know how much pizza to order.)

Look forward to seeing you there.

David Curry