| News for SmartBrief prospective partners |  |  | | | What's Happening |  | | | - 3 ways to prevent brain drain from nonprofit boards
Guest blogger Baron Christopher Hanson, principal of RedBaron Consulting, a branding + strategy + turnaround management firm based in Charleston, S.C., wrote about not-for-profit charity boards in a recent SmartBrief Insights post.
"In today's economy, philanthropic boards are suffering multiple rounds of competition, stagnation and resignation. The modalities of giving have dramatically changed since national and local donation and sponsorship spigots have been tightened down to trickles. Ironically, the work of nonprofit and philanthropic support is more daunting than ever. Therefore, aggressive turnarounds are needed.
"Unlike FOR-profit boards, whereby 'membership hubris, social atmosphere and professional opportunities detract from governance,' writes Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, I would argue that NON-profit board members require modest degrees of social recognition, personal enjoyment, modern conveniences and indirect professional opportunity. The challenge for executive directors and chairpersons going forward is two-fold: attracting quality board and committee members and opening their minds to occasional doses of capitalism."
Read the complete post and join the conversation. - How to use social tools to create real-world engagement
 A growing number of small businesses are using digital platforms to build offline communities, with tools such as Meetup, Craigslist and Facebook helping owners to arrange real-world meet-and-greets and hobby groups related to their area of business. That can be a powerful way of building engagement, says Meetup co-founder and CEO Scott Heiferman, and a way to "connect your customers to each other and create communities." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (10/12)
| Leadership Focus | | | | - Would you rather be in a meeting right now?
Everyone knows that lengthy meetings are a massive drain on managers' time and energy, but the truth is that most bosses secretly love meetings, writes Ron Ashkenas. For all of their flaws, meetings encourage social interaction, keep everyone on the same page and allow leaders to reinforce the office hierarchy. "Complaining about too many meetings or poorly run meetings won't do much good," Ashkenas writes. "Like moths to a flame, we'll keep coming back, no matter what we say." Harvard Business Review online/Ron Ashkenas blog (10/5) - 7 tips to make your PowerPoints sing
 You can make your audience sit up and pay attention if you follow a few simple rules the next time you make a PowerPoint presentation. Avoid straining viewers' eyes with a white background, keep your font size to a minimum of 28 points, illustrate key concepts with graphics and remember to engage your audience with questions, advises Stephen Kosslyn, a Harvard University professor and author of "Better PowerPoint." "What people need to remember is that it's not about the slides. It's about understanding what the audience needs," Kosslyn says. USA TODAY/Gannett News Service (10/13) - 5 steps to digging out of a productivity rut
If you feel yourself getting out of sync with your work, you can move yourself back into a productive state by recognizing signs that you're getting off task -- such as feeling uneasy or nervous, argue Rosemary Tator and Alesia Latson, authors of "More Time for You: A Powerful System to Organize Your Work and Get Things Done." Once you see the signs, you can take steps to refocus through breathing exercises, choosing a different task or setting a time limit for a certain job. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Workforce (10/1) | About SmartBrief | | | | - What we do
SmartBrief publishes industry-specific e-mail newsletters in partnership with prominent associations, professional societies, corporations and nonprofits. More than 3.5 million executives and professionals rely on SmartBrief every day to stay informed and save them time. Visit here to view our partners, see samples and subscribe. For updates, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Want to explore partnering? Let's talk. | Media 2.0 | | | | - How to cope when an employee goes rogue
An H&R Block employee told his Twitter followers to call the company's customer-service desk and ask for him by his social-media name, "Kid Fury." "What Kid Fury didn't realize was the impact of his tweets. People searching online for H&R Block help came across his 'just for fun' tweets in their search results," says Zena Weist, the company's social-media chief. To avoid running into similar problems, Weist recommends carefully monitoring mentions of your brand on social platforms, and shutting down rogue operatives as quickly as possible. Web Ink Now (10/7) - How to attract Facebook fans for $0.07 apiece
 A well-run Facebook ad campaign can boost your following for next to nothing, writes Brian Carter. By carefully targeting ads and tailoring his content to his target demographic's likes and dislikes, Carter shows how he managed to achieve a peak cost-per-fan of $0.07, and an average cost-per-fan of $0.32. AllFacebook.com (10/12) - Why crowdsourcing campaigns stumble
Crowdsourcing can be a powerful tool, writes Geoff Livingston, but it's easy for things to go wrong. It's important to pick a subject that people care enough about to want to participate in, to plan and structure your campaign carefully before its launch and to monitor the process carefully to ensure people aren't seeking to game the system. "Crowdsourcing isn't as easy as it seems. But by identifying potential challenges, you'll be well on your way to success," Livingston writes. Mashable (10/12) | SmartNugget | | | |  | | - Have zombies taken over your organization?
Many groups are staffed by zombies -- not B-movie undead, but workers tainted by an infectious passivity and lack of creativity, write H. James Wilson and Kevin Desouza. The contagion usually starts at the top, and to survive you'll need to be proactive about rekindling your workers' creativity and finding ways to put their ideas into practice. Harvard Business Review online/Research blog (10/12) | |  |
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