We got some management help in January
The Problem: Our group has steadily expanded. We have focused on improving the relevance of our meetings while trying to help all those who contact us via phone or email. We’ve had more speakers and better information. We would like to be better at what we do, but it’s been hard to know where we should focus our efforts.
The Treatment: Our support group was examined by some project management specialists. Member David Bush, an experienced Project Manager and really-focused-guy, got us an invitation to the Project Management Day of Service (PMDoS). This service project by professional project managers is designed to examine local non-profit organizations and help them improve their results.
Their Recommendations for Our Near Future Focus:
- Develop a plan to become better at what we do.
- Recruit more volunteers. This is a big project. Our current team is too small.
- Create a core management team and organize volunteers with assigned jobs.
- Improve our contact information. This is key to better and expanded services
- Improve Marketing via free newspapers and (most frightening) “Social Media”
- Improve our Web site to work better on smartphones & tablets (60% rely on them).
Status of our efforts (as of 3/21/19)
- Volunteers: We had a good response at the March 2nd meeting. Just starting to task folks.
- Core Team: We have a tentative list. Some are busy, some not given a task yet. Trying to improve our approach to speakers and in-meeting admin support.
- Contact Data: Much raw data gathered, more coming. Plan to start a verifying campaign in April or May. Have several ideas about technology, but no decisions yet.
- Marketing: a small team is working on local newspapers and magazines
- Marketing: Need a Logo – critical for Web use, especially with smartphones.
- Marketing: Maybe a new group name and acronym?
- Marketing & Communication: No progress on Social Media? Still hoping …
- Web site: Lots of ideas, little time available yet.