Nonprofit Measurement

In this weeks reading of  “Measure What Matters,” Chapter 13 discusses measurement for nonprofits. 

Before reading this chapter I was intrigued because over the summer I worked for a nonprofit and it seemed as if measurement was extremely crucial, especially when engaging with donors.

The nonprofit I worked for heavily used social media, which the book describes as the most useful tool for nonprofits because of the low-cost measurement tools built into the social media sites. I did not actually have the chance of operating our social media because I was on the events side, but I did see my fellow interns work on the measurement aspects.

One of the projects the social media interns at the nonprofit was working on was establishing a benchmark, which is also Step 3 in measuring for nonprofits in the book. The nonprofit I worked at is very specialized and it is hard to figure out what the competitors are, so the interns were to identify competitors and figuring out what ways to measure the competitors to us.

I think the biggest take away from this chapter is to make sure data is available when you need it. Buding and planning without data can be very challenging, so data and analysis should constantly be collected.

Retail Therapy

After a hectic week and dead week and finals week approaching, I decided to take a shopping break and head to Easton Town Center with my boyfriend.

There is nothing better than shopping around the Holidays. Of course, the mall may be crazy, but you can’t beat the amazing decorations and Christmas music following you everywhere you go. It creates a great atmosphere to spend money, which is exactly what I did.

I finished up my Christmas shopping, but I also found a few items for myself I have been wanting. So, Merry Christmas to me!

We finished the day of mall shopping by grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and then we ate at a great Irish Pub called Fado Irish Pub. They had great food and great service, I highly recommend if you are ever in the area!

It was so nice to get out of the Ada bubble for a little while and experience the luxuries of a bigger city. 

It really is true; there is nothing more relaxing than some retail therapy!

Happy Saturday!

Stop Fake Stories from Spreading

Has your Facebook feed been flooded with fake stories recently? 

Most of these stories seem so obviously fake, but I will admit I have fallen for some of them. 

For example, I recently read an Underground Health about how a Keurig coffee maker users are at risk because the machines are prone to mold, algae and bacteria growth. I even discussed the article with my family over Thanksgiving. I then just found out the article is not completely accurate. While a Keurig can get dirty, it is false they can never be cleaned. Also, the article said the bacteria can only happen in a Keurig, which is also false, it can happen in any similar coffee maker product.

According, to the Chicago Tribune fake stories and offers have been spreading like wildfires because social media users believe them to be true and retweet, like or share the stories. People might believe the stories to be true because their  friend shared it, so why should they doubt their friend?

There’s a few ways to get around figuring out if the story is real or not according to the Chicago Tribune:

1. Check for grammatical errors – it sounds obvious, but most credible stories probably will not have too many errors
2. Check Snopes.com – this website checks out what’s real and not real on social media
3. Google It – I cannot tell you how many times someone has shared a story or told me about a story and it seemed unreal to me, so I Googled it and in a matter of seconds the story was proven to be wrong. 

Let’s all try to stop these dumb fake stories from spreading and stop posting, liking or retweeting them.

Thanksgiving Break

My Thanksgiving break was jammed pack full of family, friends, events and unfortunately a ton of homework.

My break began by having a family reunion with my dad’s side of the family, which includes the ONU President. We had a great dinner and went to the Holiday Spectacular. I had never been to the Holiday Spectacular before and it was fantastic! 

The next day I caught up with my best friend from home and got dinner with her at Nagoya, which is a Japanese steakhouse and one of my favorite restaurants. We also spent hours talking at her house just like we did in high school. We see each other a lot less as we get older, but every time we are together it is like nothing has ever changed.

The next few days were spent getting homework done… gross, right? Now, this is partially my fault since I could have rallied and finished my homework before break. Though, before break I had zero motivation and it was a struggle to get anything accomplished.

On Wednesday I traveled to my lake house to meet my family members for Thanksgiving. In total there was 17 family members and we were combined representing the West Coast, East Coast and of course the Midwest. My house was jam packed, but it was a great family gathering and there was too much food to imagine.

My last night of break consisted of Chipotle, Starbucks and watching Christmas movies while putting up my Christmas tree with my boyfriend.

Overall, it was a great break and time well spent in my mind. Now to get through the final three weeks until Christmas break.

Let the countdown begin!

Preparing For Thanksgiving

If you haven't guessed from my blogs, I want to be an event planner. My family sometimes takes advantage of my skills and makes me plan our holiday events. My family always hosts Thanksgiving at our house and this year we are having about 17 people in attendance. Needless to say, my parents are stressed and want everything to be perfect.

Since I have been more focused on school, I haven’t thought of anything extravagant for Thanksgiving, but I have thought of a few DIY projects I can easily create before Thanksgiving.

The first DIY project is name placeholders. With 17 people in one dinning room, name placeholders are important so everyone is seated quickly and without any dispute. Now, with 17 people I had to think logically. There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest, like using tiny pumpkins, but in reality I am not buying 17 tiny pumpkins.

Instead, I am creating simple cardstock name placeholders. Pinterest is full of free templates you can easily download and personalize. I am thinking about using the one below.

The second DIY project is all about burlap, burlap and more burlap. I think burlap is perfect for Thanksgiving because it is so rustic and works beautiful with the colors. One idea I really like is a monogrammed burlap table runner. Burlap is very cheap and can easily be found at any craft store. For this project, all you need to do is draw your initial with a Sharpie at the end of the burlap as seen in the picture below. It is literally the most non-crafty and lazy DIY project, but I think it adds a simple and elegant touch.

My last DIY project is painting wine bottles, such as the picture below. I have no reason behind doing this other than I think it's really cute. 

All of these projects are super simple, but extremely cheap and quick to make. Even though I would love to go all out, I just don’t have the time this year. Maybe next Thanksgiving when I am out working I will blog about the most extravagant Thanksgiving ever.

Do you have any DIY Thanksgiving ideas?

What Do Employees Really Think?

As many of my business professors would bluntly say, “employees suck.” Employees mostly seem to care less about their jobs and more about their free time. Well, that's at least what many employers may think. In Chapter 10 of “Measure What Matters,” it discusses the need for companies to understand how to better communicate with employees in order to engage and energize them.

It is clear, most employees now get their information about the organization from company blogs, text messaging, e-mail and social media. Yet, there still seems to be an issue when companies try to communicate with employees.

What’s the books solution to understanding the best way to communicate? You’ve guessed it… measurement. Measurement has once again proven to be extremely valuable. Measuring what employees think, say and do, will give the company results of the details of internal communication.

Even though employees might “suck,” there is no doubt they are not a crucial and viable part to a community. Understanding their thoughts helps a company take action and handle any situations instead of an employee releasing their thoughts on social media. Ultimately, companies should want their communication efforts to make employees more knowledgeable, more loyal, and more productive.

A company should not let an employee feel like they are withholding information from them or controlling them. It should be an honest and trustworthy relationship in order to thrive.