Planning
The first stage in organising any conference is planning. Your plan should start with these questions:

• What do we want our audience to go home and say about the meeting, apart from the fact that they had a great time?
• What is the key message we want our audience to remember?
• What action do we want our audience to take after attending this conference?

Having set your objectives you will need to work out how you will achieve them. Challenge all your assumptions about your proposed conference. For instance:

• Do you actually need a conference to achieve your objectives? Will some other kind of meeting or even no meeting do?
• Do you need one big meeting or a number of small, more intimate ones?
  6 More Non-profit Fundraising Ideas - From a Donor's Perspective PART 2
  After reading PART 1, I’m sure that you are hungry for more. Here it is. Below are the latest fundraising ideas from non-profits in my area. Each non-profit fundraising technique includes the price it was offered to me at, the price I think is reasonable AND what goes through the mind when I am being pitched with the technique (and some suggestions for nonprofits to increase their donation potential).Like last time - If you are a non-profit and you read this, please understand that I am a normal guy. I can also tell you that a lot of other people think like me.1. Non-profit Tree Planting Price: $75 to plant one tree Reasonable Price: $50 to plant one tree Donor Thoughts/Suggestions: I’m all for protecting the environment and all that Al Gore stuff, so this is a good idea. I did hear that this particular non-profit was going to sell these little trees instead. Bad idea. I live in an apartment in the city, where would I plant a tree?2. 501c3 Cookbook Price: $10 per cookbook Reasonable Price: $10 per cookbook Donor Thoughts/Suggestions: I normally would NOT buy a cookbook (because I eat Subway 7 days a week and there are plenty of free recipe websites on the net) but this one was different. It had things that I could realistically make. I didn’t need to go to shopping for some rare $30 herb or bake something for 8 hours. I’m 26, I need instant gratification. The whole cookbook was full of interesting things to do with regular stuff that was already in my kitchen. Good job.3. Charity Greeting Cards Price: $20 for a pack of 10 charity greeting cards Reasonable Price: $0 for a pack of 10 charity greeting cards Donor Thoughts/Suggestions: I never send cards, come on. I consistently buy cards on the way to people’s birthdays. Don’t lie you know you do it too!4. Non-profit Perso
  g. Your plan should start with these questions:
  • What do we want our audience to go home and say about the meeting, apart from the fact that they had a great time?
  • What is the key message we want our audience to remember?
  • What action do we want our audience to take after attending this conference?
  In other words, start your planning with your meeting’s overall objectives. Write these objectives down and ensure that everyone involved knows them - from people who hand out the coffee to the speakers themselves. The answers to these questions will be your mission statement for the meeting. You must have a clear set of simple objectives for your meeting otherwise it will fail.

  Having set your objectives you will need to work out how you will achieve them. Challenge all your assumptions about your proposed conference. For instance:

  • Do you actually need a conference to achieve your objectives? Will some other kind of meeting or even no meeting do?
  • Do you need one big meeting or a number of small, more intimate ones?
    Importance of Business Software
    If you are a starting your own small business you need to be as organized and efficient as possible. One of the tools that you can use to achieve these goals is business software. Many entrepreneurs who are interested in the process of starting their own business may not be into computers or even have an aversion to technology, unfortunately in today’s business world if you don’t have the right tools which usually includes business software you and your business are dead in the water.The good news about business software is that it is easier and in some case more affordable than ever. With much more powerful computers and many different software producing companies competing against one another, the consumer ultimately wins. No matter what industry or type of small business you have, there is business software that can help organize your expenses, analyze your sales and correspond with customers, manufacturers and other businesses.Besides general business tools such as MS Office, there are plenty of business software available for ecommerce web sites and auction site merchants. Whether you are a one person operation or have a dozen employees, using business software can ultimately help you be more profitable.You can find current information and up to the minute reviews and opinions online at software forums. Whether it is Microsoft products, Adobe Photoshop or any type of specialize business software, you can usually do a search and find some reviews based on using a specific software product. So before you go out and spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on business software, do your homework and see what others have to say about it.
    our audience to take after attending this conference?
  In other words, start your planning with your meeting’s overall objectives. Write these objectives down and ensure that everyone involved knows them - from people who hand out the coffee to the speakers themselves. The answers to these questions will be your mission statement for the meeting. You must have a clear set of simple objectives for your meeting otherwise it will fail.

  Having set your objectives you will need to work out how you will achieve them. Challenge all your assumptions about your proposed conference. For instance:

  • Do you actually need a conference to achieve your objectives? Will some other kind of meeting or even no meeting do?
  • Do you need one big meeting or a number of small, more intimate ones?
    Book Summary: Mind Your Own Business
    A maverick is an independent person who will not go along with the other members of a group (Oxford ESL Dictionary). This book provides priceless stories and insights from a maverick of the business world; an exemplary business leader who prefers not to follow orthodox beliefs in business, nor be eaten by the hyped up ideas of the present. Instead, he chooses the course of action that is appropriate for the changing times.The Maverick’s Way: New Old ThingWhat is effective? This is the question answered by the maverick. He reconciles the good things from both the Old and New times, and focuses on what is really effective in confronting the challenges of 21st century business dealings.A maverick thinks outside of the bed, knows that it pays to be daring, does not allow technology to tyrannize, finds strength in diversity, maintains balance and harmony among people, sets leadership by example, has a strong ethical base, and values employees and customers. A maverick knows his customers and believes strongly in his products.To a maverick, a company is a not just a big candy store. It is a living instrument with living human beings. It should have a HEART.Keys to LeadershipThe leader leads. He exercises critical judgment, which will have a great impact on his people.The leader defines the company. The leader’s responsibility is to explicitly present and advocate the company’s purposes and goals.The leader inspires. He gives sense and meaning to the job. He makes his people realize, that beyond profit there is an underlying meaning, value, and deeper reason for the work they do.The leader should be the evangelist. He should be able to exercise his influence, to sell the values of ethical conduct.The leader must see the company as a coherent whole. He should be aware of the diversity in the comp
    mselves. The answers to these questions will be your mission statement for the meeting. You must have a clear set of simple objectives for your meeting otherwise it will fail.

    Having set your objectives you will need to work out how you will achieve them. Challenge all your assumptions about your proposed conference. For instance:

    • Do you actually need a conference to achieve your objectives? Will some other kind of meeting or even no meeting do?
    • Do you need one big meeting or a number of small, more intimate ones?
      Job Search Lessons From The Super Bowl
      The Super Bowl is a game but, like sports in general, it offers useful life lessons that we can take with us . . . if we only look below the surface. As I watched the game, I saw a number of things. How many did you see?1. Winning is a team effort. The teams that make it to the game don’t get there by accident. There are teams of planners and leaders who are constantly evaluating player performance and performing competitive analysis of the team and its capabilities with others. Scouts are looking to improve it. A GM looks at the draft and player cost to see where he can improve. Trainers and doctors are reviewing medicals. And then the coaches start getting involved.You need to look at your own career in the same way in advance of when you need to make a job change. What is the market like for what you do? Do you excel, are you ordinary or below average? What can I do to upgrade my skills before management starts looking for lower cost alternatives? What is my real value (and understand that is a changing figure both up AND down)?2. It is important to network to develop close and effective relationships with other professionals in your field. When management starts looking to hire new players, they are working with player agents who they often know from other negotiations. Doesn’t that make the process smoother for everyone?3. Attack your search like your life depends on it. Teams often come out attacking their opponent on both offense and defense. You need to attack your search with ferocity and not casually.4. If your plan isn’t working, make adjustments. Both teams enter the locker room with concrete feedback about their plan and how it’s working or not working. If your plan isn’t working as well as you like, change it using the feedback you’re getting, just like the pros do. Analyze what is working and what isn’t and adapt
      all your assumptions about your proposed conference. For instance:
      • Do you actually need a conference to achieve your objectives? Will some other kind of meeting or even no meeting do?
      • Do you need one big meeting or a number of small, more intimate ones?
      • Does the meeting need to be a grand formal affair, or an informal get-together?
      In other words, just because you have been set the task of organising a conference, does not mean you have to! If there is an alternative, superior method of achieving your objectives, choose that route instead. Do not opt for a conference just because it seems a good idea.

      Choose your key messages
      Assuming you have set your sights on a conference, you’ll now need to work out what messages you want to convey. These will arise from your mission statement. It is worthwhile noting, though, that there is plenty of research to back up the fact that your audience – no matter how expert – will only remember a handful of messages from your meeting. Typically, the average conference day can only deliver four or five main messages. Once you have set out your key messages, work out the order in which these will make most sense. Try to produce a logical sequence so that one key message clearly comes out of the previous one. This will make it much easier for your