Month: May 2013

It’s not often that I quote rappers. But Mr. Worldwide has quite the opening line in his song “Feel this moment” ( video below ) “Ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money twice” Indeed Pitbull, indeed. So many of you know I’m co-hosting an event on May 27 called “Director School” to help my network and other future leaders in fundraising reach their potential. I’m directing this post at 500 leaders in my network, who have held or currently hold a position at the Director level or above. Could you answer just 3 questions and give advice to those who attend this event? Click here to take the survey I won’t share your name, so please be critical. You’ve got beefs with this generation, tell them what problems they need to overcome to reach their goals. Believe me they’ll appreciate it. I have personally achieved every job I ever wanted, every professional goal I have ever made because of this network. I am eternally grateful and work hard to host events like this out of gratitude and to be the change I want to see in this profession and world. As always, thank you dear network for sharing news of this event with people you’re mentoring and for all your support. Please always consider me a resource in all you do! With great gratitude and humility,   Paul

Sitting is the smoking of our generation. Says Nilofer Merchant, and I agree. I hang out with a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs who maintain an awesome healthy lifestyle. They don’t do it because they’re hippies, they do it to make more profit, personal or social. And I respect that. And I want that for me. And I want it for you too. I spent my childhood behind a desk in school, my entire career in cubicles and offices. I only attend meetings where everyone sits and talks in order. There is no standing, there is NEVER any standing. Whose fault is that? Mine! I chose this life and lifestyle – if change is to be, it must start with me. After all, there are so many awesome thinkers I admire and many of them insisted on walking and talking meetings. This spring, I went for a long walk with Jaime Stein on one of his #KilihikeTO walks to network and prepare to climb a mountain for #Climb4Cord to create Canada’s first “cord blood” bank. It was truly an “ah-ha” networking moment for me. Sure if sitting is the new smoking, getting up for meetings could save my life but there is also the creativity aspect. Our brains evolved not to think more, but to accommodate more complex movement – moving more helps the brain digest and create better! I know we’ve gotten so used to meetings, we often say “let’s grab a coffee” ( and I’ll still be starting at Starbucks ) but the office has evolved, so should meetings! And of course fresh air to creativity is what they originally meant by “thinking on your feet” – which is what my favourite chef James Barber used to say. His specialty was “cooking with what we have” instead of trying to create a dish with all new ingredients. Does this sound like your office? There is no new revenue, no more budget money, no more hours in the day. So we cook with what we have and it CAN be delicious. So! Enjoy Nilofer’s great TED talk below, you’ll see me out and about for more meetings and I’ll be hosting a networking idea-walk this summer in June! Details to follow. If you’re around May 27, I hope you’ll walk on over and join me at my career event, “Fundraising Director School” until then… Happy walking, Paul

Canadian champion Mark Tewksbury spoke to both my work team and my professional association this year, both loved his book which I have to share. I love the target reader: For “Achievers, leaders and legacy leavers” In my career I found that great sellers, make bad managers. Great fundraisers made bad leaders just like great athletes often make bad coaches. Mark had to go from Olympic Gold to leading a team, to representing his country. A confession, I’m NOT a sports guy. I don’t like advice from sports people or the pumped up ideas of Type-A excellence. This book goes beyond inspiration and pumping up, this is a quality workbook that encourages you to think, reflect, make a plan then act. Breaking down the traits of leadership into key concept, how to do it well, critical takeaways, a self assessment moment and tips to make it practical so you can do something with what you’ve learned is what makes this book so valuable! For those who want to develop their brand, learn how to lead, motivate and manage teams in an authentic way from a place of personal values. This book is for you! A final note, during his talk at our conference Mark made a heartfelt pitch and plug for Twitter. As lead of our conference Twitter team I was on top of the world and want to personally thank you Mark for sharing your story of how this medium allowed you to connect as a leader to your team, and the country you represented. Follow the team and enjoy this quick talk by Mark and Debbie, as always, thank for reading!         Paul

Many people know that I try to help fundraising peers who are skilled and passionate, get ahead in career and life. But there comes a point, where you hit a wall. Because you can’t learn more, or don’t know what you need to learn. Or no one will let you be more where you are. AFP Fundraising Day in Toronto is coming up. Many people will get a chance to reconnect with mentors at this important event, maybe you’ll meet a new mentor there…. IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR CAREER INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. You know that your future leads to leadership. Many great fundraisers who didn’t get any training became bad bosses. You know who I’m talking about. You don’t want to be them, but you know you could do better if you knew how to prepare over these new few years! So I’ve partnered with leaders in my network to put together an event that I hope will help you become the leader our profession, our country needs. David Hutchinson, our host is a recruiter. Plain and simple. He will share trends where current skills are lacking that you want to hear about. Janice Cunning is a coach who helps star fundraisers do their best! She will share tips on how keep your joy and your soul. It’s not a ‘nice to have’, this is a BIG reason why Directors quit! Ahmed Nizam who helped me understand the power of a good picture will be present to help you with a professional social media headshot for LinkedIn ( now you can get rid of that photo of you from that wedding/graduation ceremony ) so you’ll feel like the leader you will soon be. And yes, I’ll be sharing some key strategy tips on personal branding for career development for the busy fundraising professional. This will be worth the investment of your time! There is even a surprise for the first couple dozen folks to register! Come and see the new Centre for Social Innovation in Regent Park! After all, it’s your career, your future. You’re worth it right? See you in school, Paul