Staying ahead

When a user reaches out to you to report a problem, they're doing you a huge favor.

Most users won't bother:

• Oh, the membership renewal form is too complicated? Guess i won't renew.

• Weird layout problems in the membership directory? Oh well.

Wouldn't it be nice to learn about problems before someone decides to tell you?

What systems do you have in place to let your know when everything is not running smoothly?

Do you check in with your staff? Do you have daily reports or dashboards that you review regularly, for the metrics you care about? How would you notice if there were a problem?

Here's the thing:

Handling issues proactively is far easier and less stressful than scrambling when someone complains.

Thorough testing and regular monitoring can help make that happen.

Whatever metrics you care about, if you're finding ways to measure them, then you can probably measure them proactively too.

All the best,
A.

Mental stress is a cost

Does your CRM system give you a headache? That's a cost of ownership.

Would your staff feel extra stress while changing to a new system? That's a cost of acquisition.

Have you been living with problems in your CRM that make you worry about accuracy, security, or usability? That's a cost of inaction.

Here's the thing:

Mental stress is a real cost. Sometimes you can live with it, because you've decided that it's worth it.

If you're not intentionally addressing that mental stress in one way or another, then it's a cost you haven’t accounted for. But it’s there.

You don’t have to remove all mental stress; but it can help to acknowledge where it’s coming from, and to consciously decide whether or not to fix the causes, now or later.

All the best,
A.

Deciding to be less efficient

Efficiency is always good - right?

Maybe.

The real question is: Is it always worth it?

Say I've got a task that takes 5 hours, and an idea to optimize it down to 1 hour.

Should I put aside everything else for a week to make that happen?

Well, if that task only comes up once a year, investing a week of 8 hour days means I'll recoup my investment in 10 years.

So is it worth the time and effort to automate this process?

Here's the thing:

Real efficiency means comparing the overall value to my investment of time, money, and mental stress.

Labor-intensive tasks that come up often are good candidates for optimization. Those that only come up rarely are usually not.

For that kind of thing, the really efficiency is often simply to decide to be less efficient.

All the best,
A.

While you’re waiting

Here's one more thing you can do when you're faced with the temporary reality of a dwindling annual budget:

While you're putting in the extra effort and time to make it through this rough patch, take a moment to make note of the tasks and processes they give you the biggest headache.

Even when budgets are flush, you'll still have to choose which improvements to make based on some system of priority.

Hard times can be a good chance to think about what really matters to the bottom line, which is this: how your systems can make the best use of limited resources (and they will always be limited) to make the most difference in carrying out your mission.

All the best,
A.

Operating on a shoestring

At one time or another most organizations, or departments, will find themselves operating on a very tight "shoestring" budget.

For whatever reason, you might find yourself operating under very tight budgetary constraints, and you just have to find a way to make it through.

Or maybe or maybe that's just a way of life in your organization.

If that’s your situation, or if it becomes your situation, you still have options. Here are some ideas to help get you through:

• Find the online documentation for your systems, and make it your best friend. For CiviCRM that's here: https://docs.civicrm.org/.

• Find the online community for your systems, and start asking questions. For CiviCRM that's https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/, and https://chat.civicrm.org/.

• Make sure you’re documenting what you learn in a place that's accessible to you and your team members. Google Docs is a good option, but it's not the only one.

• See what you can get in the way of coaching or training. When money is tight, time becomes precious, and a little bit of quality training can go a long way towards getting more value out of your own time. CiviTeacher, for example, offers a pretty economical subscription for a large library of video tutorials on CiviCRM.

• Change your human processes to fit the software. Yes, software customization can provide a huge value in time saving, but when you've got more time than money, the winning solution is to let yourself spend a little more time doing it the software's way.

None of these are necessarily fun or sexy.

But they can help you make it through a tight squeeze, until you've got the resources to build something that's actually more efficient and pleasant to use.

And that's a whole lot better than feeling permanently hamstrung by your financial reality.

All the best,
A.

What is an hour?

What does it mean to pay for an hour of work?

When I take my car to the shop, the mechanic usually gives me an estimate based on parts and hours of labor.

It's an easy way for him to think about it, but for myself, I don't really care how many hours it takes him.

I care about two things, maybe three: What's it going to cost me? When will it be ready? And is it going to be fixed right?

Whether it takes him 1 hour or 10 makes no difference to me.

When you're looking for expert help with your systems, what do you really care about?

I'm going to guess it's probably about the same as those three things.

And maybe one more: Is the help I'm getting likely to achieve the development goal that I need to see in my organization?

Hourly rates, estimated number of hours, choice of technology —does any of that really matter?

When you're deciding how to get help with your systems, it's good to remember what really matters to you, and find the help that will allow you to get what you’re after.

All the best,
Allen

Measuring intangible value

Intangible value is a real thing, and finding proxies to measure it can remove a lot of the mystery.

There's a family in my neighborhood who comes around every year with Christmas cookies. Homemade. Delicious.

They've got three daughters who apparently love to bake. Actually I think only one of them really loves to bake, and the others go along. Happily, as far as I can tell.

They must put in hours of work. All the neighbors get a little box with handwritten notes on the cutest little hand-painted cards I ever saw.

Besides the investment of time and care and creativity, there’s got to be some financial cost involved too. The boxes, ingredients, quality paints and papers.

Why do they do it?

They're obviously not promoting a business or trying to sell anything. They're not fundraising for their school, or trying to get their dad elected to city council.

What are they getting out of this?

You could say they're not getting anything out of it.

But can that really be true? Would they put in all this time and creative effort and even money, if they really weren't getting something out of it?

Somewhere, in the deep complexity of their human existence, they think it's worth it.

Here's the thing:

Not every value is financial. We all make decisions all the time to invest in things that bring us an intangible value.

The same goes for your members, your donors, your staff, your board, even yourself.

Putting a name on those intangibles can help to highlight their value.

Security, pride, peace of mind, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, knowing that you're making the world a better place.

All of them count.

And to one degree or another, in fact to some measurable degree, they're all worth investing in.

The magic lies and figuring out what they’re worth to you, and then finding a way to make that investment, and to reap that very real value.

All the best,
A.

Funding the mission

There's a lot of pressure any organization to stay solvent.

All of your event fees, your membership dues, your donor contributions, your incoming grants. Somebody has to make sure all of that adds up to more than the cost of doing business.

Don't forget, in the face of all that pressure: You're doing all this for a very good reason.

It's because you — as an organization, and hopefully as an individual within that organization — believe that you're helping people.

Who are you helping? How are you helping them? That's the mission.

Funding the mission is important, but don't forget, all that work is only valuable because it actually funds the mission of helping people.

As you go about your day, I hope you can take some pride and satisfaction in knowing that you're helping real people who really want your help.

All the best,
A.

ASAE article on measuring engagement

The ASAE just posted a great article about the measurement of value. You can read it here: Four Keys to Meaningfully Measure Community Engagement

It turns out it's not exactly about measuring. Well, almost none of it is about measuring anything.

But, they do make a couple of good points about setting priorities and working from goals.

Here's a good example, from the article:

“Sometimes leadership stakeholders are thinking, ‘Yeah, we want to make money back on this expensive platform that we bought,’” Mbugua explained. “But it’s not really about the platform. It’s really about your members and your community.”

What I love about this is that she calls out a pretty common error in thinking among boards and organizations, which is to first make a purchase of technology or tools, and then to try and figure out how you can squeeze value out of it.

After all, isn't the secret to success to acquire the fanciest tools you can get?

Yeah, no. Actually it's not.

To counter this misconception, she offers a different line of thinking:

Mbugua recommended starting at a more fundamental level when trying to get at what you’re measuring and building, asking these three questions:

Why does this community exist?

What are the business goals?

What are our shared values between members, and what do we want to achieve as a business?

Boom, there goes the dynamite.

Before you even think about trying to get value out of an expensive tool set, it is imperative to remember what your goals are, why you exist as an organization, why you're even undertaking this project.

By starting with clear goals, you can understand what it is you should be measuring. I couldn't find much in the article about actually measuring anything, but the reminder to get back to basics and set priorities based on your actual goals, makes this article a winner in my book.

All the best,
A.

Doing it yourself

This morning I dropped my truck off at the mechanic.

It's been having some electrical issues, and I've lived with that strangeness for long enough. Sometimes the dome light works, sometimes it doesn't. Same with the stereo, same with the dashboard lights. Not a deal breaker, but not fun.

These guys will fix it up, and I'll have it back in a couple of days.

In theory, I could have done that myself. But it would take me a long time to figure that out, and frankly I just don't enjoy that kind of work.

This past summer, on the other hand, I spent most weekends in the backyard replacing the foundation on a 12’x20’ workshop. Jacked the whole thing up on blocks. Dug and set new footings by hand. Replaced all the beams and joists and floor decking with treated lumber. Then carefully lowered the shed back into place, and anchored the whole thing for proper wind resistance.

In theory, I could have hired a couple of guys to do that in a weekend for not very much money. But I knew already that I love this kind of work. And every time I go into that shed I get a reminder of that good feeling.

Sometimes it's okay to take on a big task yourself.

The real question is: Do you love doing it?

All the best,
A.

What are you going to do with all those measurements?

Okay let's say you really go in and measure all the stuff you can measure. How's that going to help you?

It won't, unless you look at the results of your measurements and pick out the areas that are right for improvement.

Did you measure how long it take staff to complete certain tasks, and which of those tasks are the most frequent? There's a good chance you can save a ton of staff hours every week or every month by cutting in half the time it takes to complete some of those most frequent tasks.

Did you measure the frequency with which users are opening but then failing to complete your various intake forms? You could probably get a whole lot more of those forms actually submitted — and therefore increase your contributions, membership renewals, and event registrations — if you could make time to figure out why they're giving up on those forms. And then improve the forms.

But without measuring, and without examining the results of your measurements, any improvements you make are not much better than a shot in the dark.

If you don't measure it, you can't improve it.

Or more precisely: If you don’t measure it, how can you even know if you’ve improved it?

All the best,
A.

Easy things to measure

Here's a list of things you can measure if you're looking for objective numbers as a proxy the things that you want to improve but are hard to measure:

• The time it takes to complete an event registration form.

• The percentage of users who open a form and fail to complete it.

• The number of fields in forms that do or do not have a high rate of completion.

• The time it takes for staff to complete a particular task, and how frequently that task is performed.

• Email open rates on various subject lines.

• Average lifetime value of a contact.

• An individual contact’s tendency to open an email, register for events, no show for events, click on email links, or donate to campaigns.

• The percentage of members who renewed in any given year — and of course, anything about what might have gone into that decision on their part.

• The popularity of payment options —check versus credit card — on any or all of your forms.

• The number of errors triggered by any given CiviCRM extension.

• How often your users struggle with required fields on any of your forms.

• The relative popularity of mobile versus desktop browsers among your site visitors.

• The frequency of new email list subscribers month-over-month or year-over-year.

• The number of interactions before a contact will actually make a donation, sign up for an event, or become a member.

• The frequency of user complaints, trouble reports, or requests for help month-over-month or year-over-year.

• The most popular channels through which new contacts learn about your organization.

• The interconnectedness of any of these metrics.

Do you have other things that you're measuring or want to measure? I'd love to add to this list.

If you've got something to add, please take 10 seconds to hit reply; I'd love to hear from you.

All the best,
A.

Anything can be measured

Some things are difficult to measure. Happiness, satisfaction, disappointment, frustration, love.

But if you think about it just a little, there's a way.

When we say those things are hard to measure, we usually mean it's hard to find an objective rating scale. I can tell you I love my kids, but I can't really tell you how much.

Nonetheless there are ways to compare these things, even without an objective scale of measurement.

I love my kids, and I also love the taste of a properly cooked rare steak. I can't put numbers on either of those. But I know I love my kids more than a rare steak. I can compare, even without a commonly accepted objective rating scale.

And what's more, there's usually some easily measured proxy for such things.

One is time. I can measure the amount of time I'm willing to invest in my kids, and I can measure how long I'm willing to travel and wait in line at a restaurant that serves a properly cooked rare steak.

Your staff might be frustrated, or your members might be excited, but it's really hard to say how much.

Nonetheless there are proxies that you can measure for those things. Time is just one of them.

What else can you measure, to know whether you're making a difference in the lives of the people you serve?

All the best,
A.

Identifying value

Measuring value is difficult, but not impossible.

First you have to identify what's valuable.

Hint: It's not always money. Sometimes it's just the ability to get a good sleep at night.

All the best,
A.

I don't think you're ready for this project

I know you think you need it. I hear you say that you want this for reasons x y and z. It appears that you even have a budget set aside that would cover the implementation.

But are you going to use it? Are you going to train your staff to follow procedures? Do you have the time yourself or your department directors to master the system and understand how it works?

No? Better not bother with it.

...

Or...

... maybe ...

... there's another way.

Maybe you feel like you just have to have it. Maybe some part of you just knows that this is really the right thing to do for your organization.

Maybe you're under some real pressure to make this happen. Maybe it's a regulatory requirement. Maybe you've got an ultimatum from your board.

Somewhere, somewhere in there, there's a need.

If you can identify that need, really name it and boil it down to its essence, well then, now you've got something you can sink your teeth into.

Now you're not just thinking about a form or a button or a feature.

Now you're thinking about the end goal and what you really need to accomplish for your organization.

That, my friend, is your starting point. What can you do to make that happen?

Does it really require a new feature in your CRM?

Could you wrangle a couple of interns or volunteers to do some extra data entry one week a month?

Could you export that data to Excel and do some manipulation there, with some slick formulas?

There's nothing at all wrong with rolling out new features. But everything comes with a cost, and it's not just in the implementation.

If you know what your real goal is, and you have some sense of what that's worth to you, then you're in a good spot.

Because now you know whether investing in this improvement is actually going to be a win for your organization.

If it is, dive in. If you're still not sure, then you've got a little more creative thinking to do.

Whatever happens, it's up to you to weigh the cost and benefits, make a plan - however simple or complex it needs to be - and move forward without reservation.

All the best,
A.

Careful novice versus master chef

A careful novice baker can turn out a pretty good pecan pie with a good recipe and a little practice.

A master chef can turn out a fantastic dessert with just about anything that's in the kitchen.

What's the difference?

One of them knows how to follow a recipe. The other one fully understands the underlying concepts in what they're doing.

When you're trying to get something done in your CRM, it can help to have a simple set of steps to follow for that one thing.

But if you want to maximize the value of your CRM system, you're going to get a lot farther by trying to understand the underlying strategy, tactics, and components of that system, and how and why it all works together.

What steps are you taking to become more than a recipe follower in your work?

All the best,

Allen

Mastering your tools

One way you can get more value out of your tools is to get intimately familiar what they can do and how they work.

An average violin in the hands of a master can create more value than a Stradivarius in the hands of an average player.

To master your instrument, you can do a few things:

Spend more of your own time in practice and performance.

Study tutorials and manuals from people who have mastered it.

Get an instructor who can skip over the parts you've already mastered, show you things you never knew, and even correct bad habits and misconceptions.

Hang out with other people who are trying to learn the same thing.

These are all good ways to turn the systems you already have into tools that are actually more valuable for you.

Yes, sometimes you just need to hire a musician to play the music.

But to build long-term value in your tool set, someone on your team needs to master the tools.

All the best,
A.

Sharp tools

Besides keeping yourself sharp, it helps to keep your tools sharp.

My buddy Eric does tree work. If you're in north Texas, he'll come over and take a dangerous tree completely out of the picture for you, or keep your beloved heirloom oak in great condition. He knows his stuff.

But early in his career this guy fell out of a tree, and just about ended his career, if not himself.

Now he checks his ropes. And his harness. Frequently.

And he keeps his chainsaw teeth sharp. And the motors clean and oiled. Frequently.

It doesn't take a lot. But it has to be done. Frequently.

How are you keeping your CRM tools sharp? Security updates. Site backups. Disaster recovery plans. Data reconciliation. Duplicate management. Password policy review. User permissions review.

Frequently – right?

There's really no other way.

All the best,
A.

Staying sharp

As a developer and a strategist I have to stay on top of things in the industry both from a technical viewpoint and from a strategic viewpoint.

Devoting time to strategy and professional development isn't hard, but it takes a commitment and a focus on priorities.

I'm a part of a few online technical communities as well as the ASAE, and I get several emails a week, typically with valuable content, from each of these groups. I make a point of reaching out and participating in conversations with other people in my industry.

Every week it probably adds up to about 4 hours, and I'm glad to make the time because I know it helps me stay sharp.

What are you doing to keep yourself sharp in your professional work?

Are you a part of the ASAE or another organization?

Do you have a mailing list that you actually love to read?

Where do you go online or in real life to connect with others in your space, share new ideas, and improve your ability to reach your organization's goals?

Maybe those are rhetorical questions to make a point, but I'd also like to hear the answers from you. I'd be grateful if you hit reply and take a second to tell me.

Have a great day. Stay safe, and stay sharp.

Where to make improvements

If you’re like me, you could probably list about a dozen things that you'd like to have a better version of.

House, car, health, free time, you name it.

It's the same with your business systems: Faster computers, more efficient staff, prettier website, cheaper office space, shorter meetings, whatever.

Most people can look at their CRM on any given day and find plenty of things they wish were easier, whether for their staff, their members, or their donors.

But resources are limited. Time and money are finite.

How can you pick which thing to improve?

Simple. Pick one that’s most likely to give you a measurable benefit, that you can point to afterwards and say, we improved this aspect of our operations by X percent over last year.

Here's the thing:

If you can't name the expected value of your proposed improvement, why even bother spending your limited resources to examine solutions for it?