tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:52:23 +0000Generalnon-profitplanningchangeQuoteboardsORSCgrowthnew yearobamaeconomyleadershipphilanthropyCyberbullyingIndiaPurposeactionchoicefoundersfundraisinggoalsjewishmetaphorFlirtFunMissionReflectionclientsfacebookfamilypassionperspectivepossibilityrelaxright relationshipMarketingaccomplishmentblisscontrary actioncouragedeclarationsgiftjobjoynowsimplesuccesssystemsvolunteers100 UnitsAIDSAcknowledgmentAngelouApesAwardsBoatCenter for Great ApesElizabeth EnglanderFriendsHopeHoward ThurmanImmigrationInternetInterviewLandsLoopsMadeline AlbrightMarbleheadNotesPoemSatisfactionTimeTraditionWeekendadvertisementanniversaryapplearchitecturebetweenbigbirthdaybrandingcleancoffeecostdaredataedgeessenceflexibilitygrammargratitudeinfrastructureinventionledgelostmapsmembershipnamingnewspapernote to selforganizationoverheardsethsnowboardingstresstechnologyterrorismto dotoleratetoxinsunderstandingvideoweight of the worldwiredwitnessword for the dayGro(w)th Coaches, LLC, provides great coaching to non-profit organizations and the people who love them--volunteer leaders, staff, donors, and clients!http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-1688835734424984912Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:23:00 +00002012-02-29T11:15:25.509-05:00CyberbullyingleadershipOne of the greatest challenges for young people must be to step fully into managing their own lives and taking responsibility for the things that directly affect them. It was for me. It is for my son. And I recall as a high school student government leader (many years ago!), my friends and I did exactly that. We lobbied school administrators, collaborated with school district trustees, and http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2012/02/students-leading-way.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-2941896122272794394Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:02:00 +00002012-01-13T15:25:50.463-05:00grammarleadershipLead. Manage. Facilitate. Strategize. Listen. Solicit. Measure. Work. Participate. Share. Talk. Challenge. Direct. Shape. Govern. Grow. Learn. Process. Evaluate. Mentor. Coach. Counsel. Recruit. Plan. Schedule. Write. Send. Create. Implement. Terminate. Cultivate. Thank. Visit. Draft. Clean. Nurture. Record. Update. Balance. Protect. http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-what-you-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-3078106574737933976Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:23:00 +00002012-01-02T14:00:22.827-05:00toxinsIt's been a rough autumn. And winter. I got pneumonia and have been really sick for some time now. What an interruption to my life. Lucky for me, I was able to identify the moment of infection...and even "Patient Zero." One shared retreat followed by four people out with the plague. Nasty!Ever since this retreat I have been thinking about germs. The things we cannot see or hear or smell http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-lingers-in-space.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-9059745817067524812Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:58:00 +00002011-10-17T11:59:20.519-04:00A terrific article, shared from www.ejewishphilanthropy.com that is well worth a read followed by a hearty a conversation with your board and staff.Ready...set...go!Nonprofit Leadership Needed October 17, 2011 by Todd Cohen Nonprofits need to lead, and quickly. At home and abroad, we face serious threats from multiple, cascading criseshttp://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-read.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-4245722072799476150Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:25:00 +00002011-07-11T08:36:47.267-04:00non-profitvolunteersDear Volunteer,Our organization thrives because of your hard work and commitment to our shared vision. You give your talents and expertise freely which enables us to thrive, provide valuable services, and save money (you also are core to our staying in legal compliance as a non-profit, but that sounds pretty cold...but thanks!). We couldn't do what we do without you. Really!Working with http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2011/07/dear-volunteer-our-organization-thrives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-4841951527117390864Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:02:00 +00002011-06-24T14:23:58.852-04:00economyjobnon-profitThere is a common theme of blame and dis-empowerment in our culture today--"It's the economy"--that we use to let ourselves off the hook for failing to deliver on our goals. Blame the economy! I get that the economy is tough...really tough for many...and yet, there is a tendency to overstate the importance of the economy weighing us down so we do not have to address the truth of what might http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-not-economy-stupid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-6947736974140999525Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:40:00 +00002011-02-12T10:46:11.451-05:00couragejewishnon-profitBoard of Directors, JCC of the North Shore, February 9, 2011About one year ago, it was reported in my community that the 100 year old Jewish Community Center was going out of business. Membership--the life-blood of the organization--was plummeting, philanthropy was down, the economy was killing the organization, the facility was in growing disrepair and lacked modernity, and a new YMCA in the http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2011/02/play-to-win.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-8180969324680750239Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:29:00 +00002011-01-12T17:02:19.117-05:00new yearnon-profitsystemsA post inspired by the blizzard out my window!I am intrigued by how challenged everyone is (it seems!) to get along, come together, make it work. When did the challenge become how challenging it is to be/work together and not the collective overcoming or resolution to the issue--the challenge--at hand? When did families begin to look like "casts" of a reality TV show and when did work groups http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2011/01/systems-and-values-and-thoughts-oh-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-7805821261911876851Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:56:00 +00002011-01-01T10:03:40.086-05:00goalsnew yearnon-profitI remember reading once how "to do" lists should be renamed "shame" lists. All we really do is commit what we think we will do to paper, don't do any of it (often because the list is so long and overwhelming), and then we go do some shaming activity to make ourselves feel better for failing to accomplish anything on the list! Sound familiar?At no time is this cycle more prevalent than at the http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2011/01/shame-in-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-480373840684785277Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:53:00 +00002010-12-18T08:09:06.151-05:00actioneconomyReflectionEnd of the week thoughts and queries on several themes as informed by my week:If you have a job in this horrific economy, what are you doing to keep it? What about the job--or having the job--makes you grateful? What about your employment status makes you complacent?If you are looking for work, what are you doing that truly sets you apart from ordinary, or in many cases, sets you apart from http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/12/week-in-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-648296447105344430Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:40:00 +00002010-12-02T14:59:35.409-05:00AIDSfacebookfundraising This fundraising campaign called BuyLife, for the organization calling itself "Keep a Child Alive," leaves me cold! Everything about it strategically and tactically is just wrong. Wrong! It's not clever, edgy, ironic. It's just bad.A simple breakdown of the campaign: A wide range of celebrity-type people will cease all fan contact (being promoted as a "sacrifice") through their social http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/12/we-can-do-better.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-671857405000510408Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:50:00 +00002010-11-08T14:57:46.981-05:00boardsIndiametaphorI have been to India twice. Once as a college student studying abroad and once for a summer with my then ten-year-old son to retrace my steps thirty years earlier. I love India for many simple and many more complex reasons. It is a country that has been home to me and where I have roots.One of the most life-changing experiences I had as a college student in rural India was living with a cow http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/11/sacred-cows.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-6668941835122518662Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:43:00 +00002010-10-22T08:38:44.098-04:00growthphilanthropyA local discount store had this content on the cover of its recent sales circular in the newspaper:"I appreciate complaints.I really would like to know what you think of our stores...how you've been treated, the quality of our merchandise, the fairness of our prices, the good deals you've scored, the times you've been disappointed...for without your feedback, we can't make things right...for you http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/10/fire-away.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-5149032387199691654Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:05:00 +00002010-09-28T09:17:44.194-04:00goalsnon-profitsimpleIt doesn't have to be complicated! Really...really!Often the resolutions to our challenges are right in front of us. It would appear--especially for those of us affiliated with the work of non-profit organizations--that it is our belief the resolutions, in order to be effective, have to be more complex, detailed, tested, expensive, debated, focus-group approved, consensus made, stakeholder http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/09/simplify.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-396777352681910564Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:44:00 +00002010-09-15T15:53:29.200-04:00gratitudeword for the dayWhat are you grateful for? What does gratitude feel like for you? For me, gratitude is more than offering "thank you"...yet that is a start. What does an expression of gratitude look like to you? What gets in the way of offering gratitude? Or acknowledging gratitude? Or receiving gratitude? Think of a gratitude that you wish to offer. Got it?Now go do it!http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/09/word-for-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-1607149331656697196Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:19:00 +00002010-09-06T09:33:20.504-04:00goalsgrowthpassionI am my family's historian. It is a self-appointed position that I love. I am the keeper of the family tree database, a process that began over 35 years ago on scraps of paper and index cards and is now tracked on an elaborate database. I scan old photos that are then appended to individual records. I get mysterious documents and photos translated from their original languages (usually http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/09/discovery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-2802857123406305571Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:03:00 +00002010-09-06T08:19:48.382-04:00goalsjoynon-profitpassionI have a new acquaintance (quickly becoming a friend) who is a talented, educated, experienced, skilled professional in her non-profit field. She is fantastic. And she has been stuck in a rut professionally. I know she is a success--meets her goals, contributes positively to the cause and culture, leads--but she would describe her existence as joy-less. Something is missing.It took some time.http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/08/pursuit-of-joy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-1550166893971967419Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:27:00 +00002010-08-17T11:14:40.863-04:00economynon-profitperspective<!--[if !mso]> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/08/tough-times.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-5846869792481040185Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:48:00 +00002010-08-06T09:09:26.740-04:00FunNotesI just returned from a month of travel and have now completed many of the tasks that lingered in my absence. A terrifically satisfying accomplishment: Cleaning and organizing my office! In the stacks of paper waiting to be filed, I found a paperclip holding three random notes. I do not recall the origins of either scrap or even why the content was important at the time.Maybe there is some http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/08/make-it-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-651451877830355876Fri, 28 May 2010 13:29:00 +00002010-06-15T08:41:17.693-04:00right relationshiptechnologyI have a theory. More and faster and instant communication portals and devices do not make us better communicators. We just have more and faster communication portals and devices.The origins of my theory this morning: I have a contractor completing a year-long project at my home who is getting quite lazy and we are literally 6 hours from completing the job. The last few months have been http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/05/connectivity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-2832246959166120942Thu, 20 May 2010 11:09:00 +00002010-05-20T07:49:08.502-04:00BoatFunmetaphorSitting in the boat with my son, comfortably in the driveway!One year ago I was given a boat for my birthday by my sister. So much for gift cards! Notice the name of the boat?It is a sweet 18 foot power boat that will be moored right in front of my home for the summer season. In the ocean...with daily tides...and Nor'easter storms...and hidden rocks that reveal themselves when the tides go http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/05/love-sister.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-7436735907813593696Thu, 06 May 2010 15:41:00 +00002010-05-06T11:48:07.305-04:00blissQuoteIn a recent coaching session a client wondered to herself out loud: "What would I leave this state of bliss for?" Oh, the places that question can take you. What would you leave your current state of being for? What's there that you don't have/feel/see/want here? What do you know about your personal bliss? What matters to you about it? If not bliss, what?Have a look!http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/05/bliss.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-2213646216922943952Mon, 03 May 2010 14:44:00 +00002010-05-06T11:48:34.109-04:00actioneconomyplanningMy community north of Boston has been included in the emergency restricted water use program since Saturday evening. The report is that the main water pipe supplying fresh water to 2 million people in over 700,000 homes broke. The flow to the broken pipe was stopped and now untreated water from a different reservoir is flowing to the affected homes and businesses. Since the water is untreated,http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-community-north-of-boston-has-been.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-4061361679882676879Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:58:00 +00002010-04-30T09:19:56.604-04:00GeneralplanningI am very aware of the young people in my life who are graduating from high school, graduating from college, or taking big steps in the "what next" of their lives in the next few months. Lots of 'em! What an awesome experience to witness these young talents, tapping into their skills and resources, to make it in their worlds.Every day there appears to be a fierce determination to begin the resthttp://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/04/class-of-2010.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285830187340599774.post-2079320439484358460Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:28:00 +00002010-03-01T17:19:53.583-05:00planningOn Saturday, February 20, one of my clients raised a lot of money for her non-profit organization. So get this--in this crippled economy and after key internal leadership transitions she capably managed a large event team that raised over $625,000 (over 65% increase over the year before) and reduced the expenses by over 20% (total expenses for this event were 28%!) all the while making dear http://growthcoaches.blogspot.com/2010/03/tale-of-two-saturdays.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gary Groth)