Not to pile on the former president or anything, but a recent article in the National Review, Ten Bush Mistakes, points out some things fundraisers can learn from the Bush Administration. Some of them are a lot like the mistakes that plague many nonprofits.
So, leaving out the very specific ones from the Review article, here are some Bush-like errors fundraisers often make:
An ineffective management style.
Management is boring. I think so, and so do most people. But when you get it wrong, nearly everything else goes wrong. Putting people in the right places, letting them know they're valued, not making stupid, morale-killing mistakes -- that's what management is. Not as cool as your Cause, but critical nonetheless.
Deferring to his generals.
Fundraising goes bad in a big way when the "generals" lead the "commander in chief." That's because the generals (in our case, the leaders of programs, marketing, fundraising, and other distinct specialties in organizations) have different agendas, some of which can be in conflict with each other. The Commander needs to create alignment. That means saying no when a general is pulling against the common good.
Too much accommodation of a GOP Congress.
Even when they're on your side, you still have to lead them. Many nonprofits are hotbeds of self-destructive activities because people aren't held accountable for their actions.
Not reading enough history.
Too many nonprofits behave as if they just sprang, fully formed, from their founder's head. Pay attention to what's happened before. Hire experienced employees and consultants -- and listen to them. 90% of what happens to you has happened before. The problem has already been faced and solved. You don't need to start at square one every time.
Refusing to settle the internal war within his administration.
It's easy for organizations to develop silos of expertise that don't cooperate, and eventually become mutually hostile. Without effective leadership, huge amounts of energy gets diverted into the conflicts between silos. Your Cause is too important to waste your energy.
Underestimating the power of explanation.
Really. Just telling people what's going on makes all the difference. In fact, the exercise of explaining forces you to think more clearly.
Technorati Tags: Bush, npmanagement
I like this post very much, as learning from others' mistakes offers an inexpensive source of invaluable lessons for improving our organizations. I especially like the point about accountability--In general, people always strive to avoid being held accountable. In today's fundraising climate, though, nonprofits which embrace accountability to donors and grantors are the ones which will maintain (and perhaps even grow?) their fundraising results.
Posted by: Steve Addicott | 18 February 2009 at 07:15