The very best companies and organizations realize that marketing is a core component for success and they place its importance at a high level within their operation. So why do so many smaller organizations only consider marketing efforts as secondary, or as an after-thought? Risk is inherent in all business and it's those businesses and…
Author: Richard L. P. Solosky
Richard has over 25 years of business development and marketing expertise. He is the founder of two software development companies and has over 10 years of nonprofit experience serving at various levels bridging both staff and board functions. He consults nonprofits in the areas of marketing and organizational development, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Western Michigan University, and a Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University. With a natural love of the outdoors and outdoor activities, Richard is an experienced skier, climber, and mountain guide; a twelve-year field-active team leader with Alpine Rescue Team, serving as President, Training Director, and as Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Region of the Mountain Rescue Association, he has resided in Evergreen, Colorado since 1990.
Social Media Matters
While for many, how to best use social media to promote and publicize their organization appears to be an amorphous creature that continues to escape their grasp, it's really fairly straightforward, and it's time to join the conversation. And, that is pretty much what social media is all about; it's a conversation between you and…
Spin Cycle
You never really know when negative press may hit your organization and switch your communication efforts to the spin cycle. It can easily hit the best organizations; just consider the disparaging developments at organizations like LiveSTRONG, Central Asia Institute, and Susan G. Komen. Preparing in advance for these speed bumps, can minimize your risk and…
30,000 Foot Strategies
As we are propelled head long into a new year full of uncertainty, but rich with promise, consider these 30,000' strategies to jump-start your 2013… 1. Identify your strengths and align your responsibilities. In his book, "Let My People Go Surfing," Entrepreneur, climber, and founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard professed this simple truth: "Managers have…
Shift Your Focus
Essentially, growth comes in two flavors: bigger, or better. What ever your goal, you need to invest resources to hit your target. The idea of investment over expense was recently brought into focus by a blog post from Larry C. Johnson, titled, "Raising Less?—invest more". It elevated my thinking to realize that where you place…
Bring the Rain
If you saw my last post, a humorous look at starting a movement, (if not, check out the 3 minute video under "Leadership & the Courage to Follow", it's worth your time) you may be thinking a bit about your leadership style. Perhaps you're shifting towards a better understanding of what makes followers (the critical…
Leadership and the Courage to Follow
Yesterday, just for fun, I Google'd leadership and received a response of 506 million articles. Among these replies, I found a range of topics on leadership; they crossed areas covering a broad spectrum of styles, concepts, models, and characteristics. There were also articles which covered strategies, tactics, mentoring, and visioning; a lifetime of self-improvement reading…
Building Bridges
Understand these basics of building strategic partnerships and you'll see your organization blossom. Get off in the weeds and you'll spin your wheels in the ditch. More often than not, many organizations lack a thorough understanding of what their strategy should be in building collaborative partnerships. They know they need to have them, but they're…
Build Your Brand Through Actions!
As a career-long marketing professional, I believe in truth in advertising. That is not to say you can't spin or slant your argument to present a fresh alternative, or provide a different perspective, but you need to back up your claims! This brings me to the state of customer service, about which I often find…
A recent interview with Bob Ottenhoff, CEO of GuideStar produced some pretty folksy, but relevant advice for nonprofits looking to improve their funding position. His comment was brilliant in its simplicity: "When asking for donations, make sure to answer the following questions: What do you do? How do you do it? How are you doing?…