Institutional Memory - Lunch with Carlton

I had lunch yesterday with our 92 year-old Executive Director Carlton Brownell.  I needed to pick his brain about some of the historic houses in town.  He had either played in them as a boy or had been called in to consult on them as an adult.  I brought a chicken salad sandwich to share and an hour and a half later I had all the information I needed.  Including some stories that might have been lost if Carlton hadn't shared them with me.

Carlton has served the Little Compton Historical Society in one capacity or another since 1937.

At a time when the average length of employment in a non-profit job is five years and in an environment where very small staffs need to divide their attention among dozens of responsibilities, institutional memory is worth its weight in gold.

It can be easy to dismiss or marginalize people who don't use e-mail, can't make it into the office much anymore or have a hard time hearing you on the phone.  But these people may just hold the key to your latest challenge.

Young employees and volunteers (and compared to Carlton I am young) need to recognize and listen to the experiences and advice of the older staff and volunteers who have been with their organizations for decades. It would be silly to blindly follow anyone's advice no matter what their age, but the advice from these older folks who keep the memories of your organization deserve special consideration.

Their memories may save you hours of wasted work.  They might remember who donated that unregistered object, or who made the giant anonymous gift in 1960 or where the articles of incorporation are stored.  They may steer you away from a donor who said 10 years ago "don't ever contact me again" or steer you toward a donor who said "contact me again when my grandchildren are out of college."  They will remember that they tried that great "new" idea about 20 years ago and they will remember first hand whether or not it worked and why.  They can speak for the older members of your audience and will remind you that Facebook posts and e-mails are nice but people still like a beautiful paper invitation or a thoughtfully worded "snail mail" thank you note.

It may cost you the price of a 12 inch grinder and you may need to take an extra-long lunch but making the effort to access the institutional memory of your long-time supporters will be well worth the investment.

Secrets to Success

A recent post dealt with confidentiality, today let's talk about secrets.  Same thing?  Not really.

Confidentiality is a very serious grown-up subject.  It's all about protecting your organization.  Keeping any internal nastiness behind closed doors - where it belongs.

Secrets are fun.  Secrets are about keeping a wonderful project under wraps until the big unveiling or planning a surprise party for an Executive Director's 90th birthday or even deciding on the perfect thank-you gift for your volunteer of the year.

Today was full of secrets at the Historical Society - all fun, wonderful secrets  - which made for a fun wonderful day.

And just like confidential issues should be carefully and judiciously shared with people who can help make the situation better, secrets can and should be shared with just the right group and number of people.

Today's secrets focused on the art that we will be unveiling for this summer's exhibition.  Who needs to see it ahead of time?  Who needs to be kept in the dark?

We couldn't show everyone - then it really wouldn't be a secret.

Could we show everyone connected to our organization?  Members, donors, Facebook Fans?  In this case no.  It would spoil the surprise at the Preview Party.

In the end we settled on Board Members and Committee Members, a total of about 20 people who have been sworn to secrecy but who will share their excitement and enthusiasm for the artwork, the exhibition and the companion book with their family and friends.

Everyone who learned our secrets today felt special.  Honored, trusted and connected to the organization in a very intimate and important way.  They might even be even better volunteers than they were before because of the secrets we shared.  

And if they slip and share the secret with a spouse or a best friend - no real harm is done.  The circle of support gets wider and the excitement grows.

Loose Lips

Confidentiality may not seem like a big deal for a small organization but it is.

Especially in a small town or a close knit neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else's business it's really important to learn how to mind your own.

Donor information without question should be limited to only the smallest number of people within the organization possible and should never be shared with anyone outside your organization (with the exception of approved donor recognition.)

Staff squabbles, board member faux pas, volunteer errors or temper tantrums of any kind should not make it to the sidewalk.  Even sharing stories with spouses and best friends can be dangerous  - especially if the re-telling of a juicy story would be just too tempting for them.  

Of course the real problem is that these stories are going to circulate if they get out and will hurt your organization's reputation but don't underestimate the damage a few funny stories can do to you too.  In a small community you don't have to be a detective to trace stories back to their source.

Pass it On

When good things happen for your organization - spread the news.
Post it on Facebook.  Put it on your website.  Send an e-mail to your board members and key volunteers.  Include it in your newsletter.  Write a press release.  Send a photo.

We all love good news.  When you have some pass it on.

My first boss out of college used to say "People give you money because you do good things, not because you need it."  I think she was right.  Let your people know all about the good things you do.