A taste of what caught my attention recently includes Personal Brand, Financial Management, Internal Controls, Content, Healthcare Design, Philanthropy, Funding, Problem Solving, COVID, Segmenting Customers, Donors, Campaigns, Eclipse, Public Safety, Membership, Participation, Customer Feedback, Listening, Value, Docuseries, Documentaries, Measurement, Relevance, Influence, and Media Coverage.
One of these scoops might be the inspiration you did not know you needed or have been looking for.
01)
Putting Your Personality At The Center Of Your Personal Brand
What Caught My Attention: “Terry Isner, owner of Jaffe PR, said that he is successful in his own personal brand building because he uses a simple, yet effective, formula to connect with his audience: being himself.
“Basically, the idea is that if we just bring our whole selves – and our unique selves – to people confidently, then we will attract and innovate and collaborate and do all these great things with great people. I think it’s important that we put ourselves out there and find those collaborative areas,” Isner told PR Daily.
Isner said that as people go through life and their careers, they are building upon their personal brand online and off, whether they intend to or not.
“Your actions, characteristics, personality, beliefs, values and preferred ways to communicate and collaborate, these are who you are. These are your brand,” Isner said. “Knowing that this will happen organically … should alert you that controlling, maintaining and consciously building a personal brand matters.”
Isner said that no matter what one posts, or which platform people use to communicate, it’s about bringing your whole self to each post.
“One of the things that I’ve allowed is my life at work to become one and be able to use the platforms to share that,” Isner said about intertwining his personal and professional life. “When you share that obviously through social media, you’re creating brand reputation.”
Isner posted on LinkedIn about the concept of improving one’s personal brand and how it ties to bringing one’s opinions to the forefront – whether at work or doing life.”
- Author(s): Sherri Kolade
- Published: 2023-10-17
- Source: Ragan
- Tag(s): Personal Brand
02)
Nonprofit ROI: How “Measuring the Good” Can Help Nonprofits Justify Investments
What Caught My Attention: “While creatives feel compelled to prove their “authenticity” through performances of passion, industries often have rigid and stereotypical ideas about what passion looks like. Ironically, this can make it harder to spot genuinely passionate individuals, while rewarding other qualities easily mistaken for passion, such as confidence, arrogance, or the privilege that allows certain creatives to consistently put work before other responsibilities.”
- Author(s): Heather Vough and Angela Ianniello
- Published: 2023-10-02
- Source: Fast Company
- Tag(s): Creativity, Passion, People Operations
03)
Stop Calling It ‘Content’ — And Stop Canceling It
What Caught My Attention: “The term is harmless in and of itself. Sometimes it’s even necessary. But in the corporate context, Content represents a lot of what’s going wrong right now — the turning of specific, valuable work into a generic product that must be managed by highly paid specialists in order to return a profit in a specific way.”
- Author(s): Gabe Bullard
- Published: 2023-10-16
- Source: Current
- Tag(s): Content
04)
Take 5 With Project Management Advisors’ Doug King
Doug King is vice president and national healthcare sector lead at Project Management Advisors Inc., a program management/owner representative firm in Chicago. Here he shares his thoughts on why hospitals are adding more retail space, the role of FQHCs in providing health equity, and the use of AI and robotics for materials handling.
1) Goodbye hospital cafeterias, hello stores and eateries
2) Amenity spaces that support patients and staff
3) The future is now: Logistics automation and AI for materials handling
4) Centering holistic health
5) Federally qualified health centers’ role in addressing health equity
- Author(s): Tracey Walker
- Published: 2023-10-16
- Source: Healthcare Design
- Tag(s): Healthcare Design
05)
Zero-Problem Philanthropy
What Caught My Attention: “Solving problems to improve people’s lives has been philanthropy’s raison d’être. However, some criticisms have arisen regarding the approach philanthropies take in problem-solving. Expecting immediate positive results from complex solutions can lead to risk aversion and short-term thinking. Wealthy philanthropic organizations often view issues through the lens of scientific, technological, and financial superiority. This “we know better” attitude exacerbates power imbalances with local implementers. Impoverished individuals are treated as passive recipients of solutions, with no active role in the process. Additionally, the “fail fast” mantra may leave insufficient time for reflection and learning, which can lead to a lack of accountability and transparency. This, in turn, can increase adverse side effects of well-intended solutions. Solving isolated problems can result in fragmented efforts, duplication, and wasted resources.
These issues may be resolved, but it’s unlikely to make problem-solving more effective. One reason for this is that problem-solving approaches often overlook the dynamics of problem supply, the ongoing creation of problems. This is apparent in daily news reports, which indicate that our societies generate both new and old problems at a faster rate than we can ever hope to solve them. Even solutions that “work” can have negative side-effects that then generate new problems. Climate change as an undesirable side-effect of the fantastic innovation of using fossil fuels for energy is an example. The live-saving invention of antibiotics has created mutated bacteria that now resist treatments. Indebted households, violence against poor women, and alcoholism can be the side-effect of providing innovative microfinance solutions that are well intended. These side effects require additional solutions that are often urgent and costly, leading to a never-ending cycle of problems and solutions.
Unfortunately, our blind faith in solutions and the capabilities of new technologies can lead to a careless attitude towards creating problems. We tend to overlook the importance of problems as indicators of deeper issues, instead glorifying the innovators and their solutions. This mindset can be problematic, as it reduces our role as philanthropists to playing catch-up and fails to acknowledge the possibility of fundamental flaws in our approach.
Russell Ackoff, a pioneering systems thinker and organization scholar, famously described the dangers of thinking in terms of problem-solving because “we walk into the future facing the past—we move away from, rather than toward, something. This often results in unforeseen consequences that are more distasteful than the deficiencies removed.” Ackoff highlights our tendency to be reactive rather than proactive in addressing social problems. What would it take to shift from a reactive, past-oriented solution perspective to a proactive philanthropy oriented towards a healthy future that does not create so many problems?”
- Author(s): Christian Seelos
- Published: 2023-10-16
- Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
- Tag(s): Philanthropy, Funding, Problem Solving
06)
Serotonin Levels Are Depleted In Long Covid Patients, Study Says, Pointing To A Potential Cause For ‘Brain Fog’
What Caught My Attention: “If you’ve been following the mystery of long Covid since it emerged in 2020, you’ll recall interferons and serotonin have been clues from the start as combatants in the body’s prolonged battles against the virus. Theories about why symptoms persist long after the acute infection has cleared often point to two suspects: viral reservoirs where SARS-CoV-2 lingers and inflammation sparked by the infection that doesn’t subside.”
- Author(s): Elizabeth Cooney
- Published: 2023-10-16
- Source: STAT
- Tag(s): COVID
07)
Why You Need To Segment Your Donors
What Caught My Attention: “Your donors are not the same. Some donors have given for at least five years (these donors should get a lot of attention). Some are monthly donors. Yet, nonprofit organizations fail to recognize that and send everyone the same messages.
I often receive generic, one-size-fits-all communication from organizations that don’t acknowledge I’m a longtime donor or recognize that I’m a monthly donor. How do you think that makes me feel?
Another benefit of segmenting your donors is it can help you raise more money. If you’ve been struggling to meet your revenue goals, that may be why.
Unfortunately, if you’re not segmenting your donors into different groups, you’re missing opportunities here – both to connect with your donors and to raise additional revenue.”
- Author(s): Ann Green
- Published: 2023-10-12
- Source: Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog
- Tag(s): Segmenting Customers, Donors
08)
You May Be Hiding Your Content From Your Audience: How To Make Sure They See It Instead
What Caught My Attention: “You’d never hide your content from your target audience, right?
But I’ll let you in on a secret: If you’re not publishing content in the publications your target audience is already reading, you might as well be playing an expensive game of hide-and-seek—except your audience isn’t going to be seeking.
If you don’t meet them where they are, your competitors will, and you’ll be left hiding in the archives of the publications your target audience isn’t engaging with.”
- Author(s): Kelsey Raymond
- Published: 2023-10-12
- Source: Marketing Profs
- Tag(s): Content
09)
Erie County Providing 300,000 Eclipse Viewing Glasses To Residents
What Caught My Attention: “In advance of the April 8, 2024 total eclipse viewing experience in Western New York, Erie County and its proactive partners will be distributing protective viewing glasses via Buffalo & Erie County Libraries and other like-minded organizations. There will also be plenty of informational opportunities leading up to the viewing event, pertaining to safety protocols and viewing tips.”
- Author(s): Queenseyes
- Published: 2023-10-11
- Source: Buffalo Rising
- Tag(s): Campaigns, Eclipse, Public Safety
10)
How to Get Honest And Substantive Feedback from Your Customers
What Caught My Attention: While many organizations saw a boost in online community users during the pandemic, the number of unique monthly logins and unique contributors has returned to a more modest average.
According to Higher Logic’s 2023 Association Community Benchmark Report, its nonprofit and association customer base saw an average of 759 monthly unique logins and 94 monthly unique users in 2020. In the first six months of 2023, customers saw 601 average monthly unique logins and 74 average monthly unique contributors.
With numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels, it’s important for associations to support member engagement in online communities with strong and consistent strategies.
“From the data, we’ve seen that engagement drives every part of an association’s work like the mission, education, learning, etc.” said Rob Wenger, Higher Logic’s CEO. “These communities drive engagement.”
Wenger shared how understanding members who use online communities and investing in the platform can help associations prioritize and drive the success of their online communities.
Understand Users
The report found that about 15 percent of a community’s total users are active. Of the active users, an average of 6 percent log into it monthly, and 13 percent of those who log in contribute to discussion activity.
“When you think about it, 15 percent active and 6 percent log-in is huge,” Wenger said. “You don’t need to log into a community since you can participate without logging in like reading the community digest or replying to emails.”
Wenger said that this pattern follows trends in human nature. Every community has people who are regular participants, those who are active occasionally, and those who log in but never participate—often called lurkers or quiet learners.
“This group is important because they’re finding valuable information from your online community,” Wenger said. “They may not post, but they still go to the site to read posts or get answers to questions. They’re being educated and staying in touch with your association.”
To increase participation, examine what content is being shared, as well as who is posting and replying to it. Consider other topics that would be of interest to different subsets of your membership and how to foster those conversations.
For example, if you want to engage early-career professionals, ask members to share helpful tips they learned in their career or invite early-career members to anonymously ask the questions that they’re afraid to ask their boss.”
- Author(s): Hannah Carvalho
- Published: 2023-10-10
- Source: Associations Now
- Tag(s): Membership, Participation, Customer Feedback, Listening
11)
Understanding Value In Media: Perspectives From Consumers And Industry
What Caught My Attention: “Rising value, shifting habits and the arrival of “supercompetitors”: How new business models and entrants, and changing consumption preferences are affecting media content production, distribution, access and value.”
- Author(s): Staff
- Published: 2020-04-02
- Source: World Economic Forum
- Tag(s): Content, Value
12)
Docuseries VS. Documentary: What Is A Docuseries?
What Caught My Attention: “Docuseries are similar to documentaries; however, while docuseries are singular films covering events or topics, docuseries are a series of two or more episodes. Back in the 1950s through the 60s, docuseries were the main staple of news networks. They would develop and air newsworthy documentaries to help inform and cover events happening in communities and in the world.
A good example of a news docuseries is CBS’s 60 Minutes. The program, still airing today, airs documentary-style installments to audiences. Entertainment documentaries started emerging in the 1950s, which eventually lead to the development of docuseries. Today, docuseries cover a wide range of topics from entertainment to educational.”
- Author(s): Sean Berry
- Published: 2020-12-30
- Source: Videomaker
- Tag(s): Docuseries, Documentaries
13)
How To Measure Relevance, Influence And Media Coverage
What Caught My Attention: “One of the most difficult pieces for PR pros to measure is the ROI of earned media and relevance. How much is the CEO’s picture worth on the cover of the Wall Street Journal? Did that influencer wearing a brand’s jeans increase mentions on social? And if so, what do those social mentions mean to the bottom line (if anything)? Is the goal to tie social to sales or leads? Should social efforts lead to raising awareness only? What about sentiment and reputation? How do you determine the goals your organization shoot for and measure?”
- Author(s): Nicole Schuman
- Published: 2019-04-19
- Source: PR News
- Tag(s): Measurement, Relevance, Influence, Media Coverage
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