Current employees can be a valuable resource for recruiting new talent. An employee referral program that offers cash incentives is a great way to encourage referrals from current employees to fill open positions. The following document details a sample referral program, including guidelines and payout amounts.

The Human Resource Department

Opportunity Knocks has partnered with The Human Resource Department, one of the leading human resource providers, to expand our online resource library with an HR Tool Box. Browse through the sample forms and articles and expand your HR knowledge base.

Related Document: Employee Referral Program (.doc)

Staffing companies and recruiters are in the business of finding qualified personnel, so when it’s time to fill vacant positions letting one of these professionals manage the search is a viable option. However, before your first search, a contingency search agreement, as seen here, should be drawn up that dictates the specifics of the business relationship and payment terms.

The Human Resource Department

Opportunity Knocks has partnered with The Human Resource Department, one of the leading human resource providers, to expand our online resource library with an HR Tool Box. Browse through the sample forms and articles and expand your HR knowledge base.

Related documents: Contingency Search Agreement (.doc)

If you’re considering developing a non profit organization, there are likely countless questions running through your mind. Details on the items you will need to consider can fill multiple books, but some basics on the important items that are required in order to register your new nonprofit are as follows:

• Draft a mission statement. The statement should describe the charitable purpose of your new organization.
• Recruit board members. You need enough board members to meet state requirements for a corporate board if you incorporate. Otherwise, focus on recruiting members for an informal advisory board that can help guide the organization.
• If you plan to incorporate, hire a lawyer to file articles of incorporation.
• Submit your application for tax exemption to the IRS.
• Retain the services of a bank that understands the needs of a new non profit
• Hire an accountant to develop a bookkeeping system.
• Purchase any necessary insurance, including liability insurance, property insurance, worker’s compensation, health and life insurance benefits, etc.
• Draft bylaws and articles of incorporation that state how the non profit will operate.
• Apply for a non profit mail permit that provides a discount on bulk mailings

Developing a non profit is an arduous, though worthwhile, task. If it is something you’re considering, talk to industry leaders for guidance. People who have been there are your most valuable resource.

By Sherry Heyl and Michelle Batten

The Internet has evolved to a place where we can explore music that has never been played on the radio, view artwork that has never been seen in a gallery, watch a performance that has never been seen in a theater or on TV and read news that has never been published in a newspaper or in a magazine.

More importantly the Internet has become a meeting place where we can discover common interests with a person that we have never met face to face.

The Internet has become personal.

People are sharing opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other openly through social media. There are many faces to social media that range from blogs where people connect through links and comments to virtual world environments. Sites such as Flickr and YouTube are actually media sharing communities where people connect and interact as they share their favorite photos and videos.

Because people can take from one community and share the content within other communities, the Internet is becoming a network of networks, more interconnected and more personalized.

Being a part of the Internet means being a part of a community that wants to be part of you.

All walks of life are adopting the Internet in one form or another. No matter what your demographic, if you are online then you are involved in social networks. You may be influenced by a post you stumbled upon during a search, you might answer a question posted in a forum, you might find something inaccurate in Wikipedia and decide to sign up to make the change.

Even individuals “not online” are affecting and affected by social networks. Either someone else may be telling their story or a loved one may be printing helpful information to share with someone offline.

According to the 2006 Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly 17 million Americans say the Internet had played a crucial or important role in them helping another person with a major illness or medical condition.

People are finding and connecting with others that have shared experience. 37% of bloggers cite “my life and experiences” as a primary topic of their blog.

On Location is Now Online!

The 2005 Pew Internet & American Life Project found that men and women were equally as likely to visit personal websites, sites for charities, religious groups, and interest or advocacy groups. 24% of all Internet users sent emails or instant messages pertaining to a storm or aftermath. 5% used the Internet to organize their own assistance efforts and in 2005 online donations increased by 53%.

Nonprofits can utilize the power of social media to provide frequent updates during a disaster or an event. The interconnected web also allows organizations to encourage the community to take action through links, comments, and widgets. Sites can provide rich interactive information through a variety of mashups, a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; an example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information (wikipedia).

How can an organization get started in navigating the wilderness of the social web?

Start by monitoring conversations. Know what people are saying and where the most relevant conversations are taking place.

Engage in the relevant conversations. Analyze the moods and drivers behind each community.

Spark conversations by sharing the stories behind the work you are involved with.

Create an individual presence on sites where you can be an active participant and add value.

Participate in the activity of others.

Create your own space where you can enable your volunteers and constituents to tell their stories.

By Dalya F. Massachi
Has this ever happened to you?

You get a writing assignment and you can’t seem to get started. You can’t think of a word to say about your topic. It’s all been said before — and oh so much better by other writers! Besides, you suddenly see all of the absolutely pressing housecleaning or emailing or other distracting work all around you, just crying out for your attention.

And then….you realize that you have barely enough time left to finish your piece before the deadline.

Well, my friend, writer’s block happens to all of us. Here are a few of the many ways you can treat that dreaded affliction.

• Prepare your writing area.

Clear your workspace so that its comfortable, inviting and not mixed up with your other work. If you can, try carving out a specific writing area” in your home or office either in a private space where nothing else happens, or in the middle of hustle and bustle if you like that environment. You might find that retreating to that place at the same time every day helps you focus on the task at hand. And when youre done, you just get up and walk away, knowing that you’ve done your writing duty for the day.

• Cut your piece down to size.

Sometimes you may feel that your writing task is so overwhelming that you just freeze up. It seems like a big, tangled mess that you cant bring yourself to tackle. Well, it may sound like a clich, but if you zero in on smaller parts of the piece youre writing, you can break it down into manageable chunks. If you list them all and cross off each one as you accomplish it, you can track your progress. Set up milestones for yourself and celebrate when you reach them — with a little reward for a job well done, such as a favorite snack or a special outing.

• Fight off the urge to procrastinate.

Yes, most of us have spent a night or two (or more) cramming to meet a deadline. As soon as you get a writing assignment, start keeping track of your ideas about it. If your piece is going to have sections, separate your notes to reflect that. Then, when you sit down to write, you will already have some starter material. Nothing can torpedo your creativity faster than a blank page staring you in the face.

• Listen to yourself.

My clients often know exactly how to say something orally, but it gets lost somehow in the writing process. In those cases, I ask them to tell me what they’re trying to say and we just jot down their exact words. You can do that too!

Just pretend you’re chatting with a friend (your intended reader). Try to persuade a colleague to be your sounding board. Then go back with the eye of an editor and pull out the juiciest and more important pieces of information, word images, stories, and the like.

• Know that your first draft should NOT be perfect.

In fact, I always say that if your first draft is perfect then youre probably doing something WRONG.

A very common reason for writers block is the fear that you will not get it right the first time. Im here to tell you that professional writers NEVER (or extremely rarely) produce flowing pieces the first time around. Thats what your word processors editing functions are for!

• If all else fails: take a break.

Dont waste time trying to come up with brilliant ideas if they are just not flowing. Get a healthy snack, go out for some exercise, read a book (unrelated to your work), or play with a stress ball. You might also want to try some deep breathing, meditation, or stretching.

Take a brief nap or sleep on it and return the next day. You will be amazed at the things you can fix after your sub-conscious mind has had time to undergo the creative process! You’ll be fresher when you wake up, and may even have a new perspective or insight.



Dalya F. Massachi specializes in helping nonprofit professionals advance their missions through outstanding written materials. She has worked with community-minded organizations for more than 15 years: authoring countless successful marketing pieces, articles, and grant proposals; teaching popular writing workshops; and coaching professionals one-on-one.

Download her free tip sheets and subscribe to her free e-newsletter at:
http://www.dfmassachi.net
dalya@dfmassachi.net

NOTE:For many more writing tips, check out my forthcoming book, Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact. If you pre-order right now, you will get a pre-publication discount of 15% at:http://www.dfmassachi.net/wmd.html