I must have missed something! I dialed into the morning call this morning. At first no one was there and then Barb and Richard came on. Then Vern came on and said to dial a different number which I did. I could hear the call just fine but when I talked no one could hear me. I heard about others raising their hand but I don't have the slightest idea how to "raise my hand" on the phone. I would be grateful if someone could fill me in on how this works. Thanks.
I got a little carried away on my blog last night. When it comes to NPOs I get really excited and I didn't realize that I was rambling on, sorry. I will keep it to a minimum tonight.
bzm, tny, Thank you everyone for your replies.
Tom ~{}~
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Still a good day
Today I left for work early and got home just in time for the evening call, in fact I signed on about two minutes after it started. While it is true that we were dismissed from the call early to do follow ups--a great idea, keep it up!--I did not do that. I cooked myself supper instead. After eating I spent my time researching another NPO that I will be contacting soon. This one requires more research than most. It has many supporters who happen to be other NPOs whom I am already working with. I do not wish to create confusion or worse yet, any kind of negative backlash. I am treading lightly on this one.
For those of you who were not on the call this evening, I mentioned some things that I have learned about NPOs. Most of them may be desperate for money, but they have been lead down the path enough times by people who were less than sincere when they offered to help. This has caused NPOs to be skeptical at the very least and out right gun shy at the worst when it comes to "Greeks bearing gifts." At our present stage of development, (by that I mean most of us do not have much experience in dealing with NPOs), we are not going to come off as being sincere if we have not done the minimal amount of research to find out what the NPO does, how they do it, who their clients are, and where they are getting their current funding. It wouldn't hurt you to know the status of that funding--has it been cut off, has it been diminished, or is it in danger of being cut off in the immediate future. You should have enough information to speak intelligently before you call. This is what I call "hip pocket information". You may not need it on every call but you should have it in your hip pocket ready to pull out if you do need it. There is nothing more "unprofessional" than the person who calls up an NPO and offers to help and two sentences into the conversation it becomes clearly evident that the person offering to help doesn't have a clue as to what the NPO is all about. Do your home work before making the call.
Since most of us have not seen an NPO all the way though to sign up, we don't know what all this is going to entail. As Jacki said on tonight's call, "you should expect them to ask you to volunteer for the organization." After all we are calling them and telling them how interested we are in their organization. It is perfectly normal for them to ask us to volunteer. I expect my NPOs to ask and I am prepared to volunteer. If you are not sincere enough to volunteer, may be you should select a different NPO. I have made a list of those organizations I would volunteer for and I call them. I don't call NPOs that are not on my volunteer list.
This brings up another issue, we will have our greatest successes with NPOs that are close by, ones we can go to and help establish world changer malls with their members and supporters. You already know how much work it is to get a single individual up and running, now multiply that by the number of people in the organization. You have got to understand that the NPO staff is not going to do this for you (they are already over worked) and you can not do this inabsentia.
These things that I share are not intended to be discouraging. I only mention them so that You can start off on the right foot. You can avoid the mistakes that others have made. Start off with NPOs in your immediate locale, that you can drive to in the amount of time that you have allotted for MPM. Select NPOs that you are sincerely interested in and know some thing about. Do these three things and you will be on your way to success.
bzm--I re-read my own "reason" tonight. I hadn't read it in a while. It is a good thing to do every so often. Thanks for mentioning it. kny--yes, we are all one big family. The Spirit is working within the family. If you just look for it, you will see it. It is there plain as day and visible to the naked eye.
For those of you who were not on the call this evening, I mentioned some things that I have learned about NPOs. Most of them may be desperate for money, but they have been lead down the path enough times by people who were less than sincere when they offered to help. This has caused NPOs to be skeptical at the very least and out right gun shy at the worst when it comes to "Greeks bearing gifts." At our present stage of development, (by that I mean most of us do not have much experience in dealing with NPOs), we are not going to come off as being sincere if we have not done the minimal amount of research to find out what the NPO does, how they do it, who their clients are, and where they are getting their current funding. It wouldn't hurt you to know the status of that funding--has it been cut off, has it been diminished, or is it in danger of being cut off in the immediate future. You should have enough information to speak intelligently before you call. This is what I call "hip pocket information". You may not need it on every call but you should have it in your hip pocket ready to pull out if you do need it. There is nothing more "unprofessional" than the person who calls up an NPO and offers to help and two sentences into the conversation it becomes clearly evident that the person offering to help doesn't have a clue as to what the NPO is all about. Do your home work before making the call.
Since most of us have not seen an NPO all the way though to sign up, we don't know what all this is going to entail. As Jacki said on tonight's call, "you should expect them to ask you to volunteer for the organization." After all we are calling them and telling them how interested we are in their organization. It is perfectly normal for them to ask us to volunteer. I expect my NPOs to ask and I am prepared to volunteer. If you are not sincere enough to volunteer, may be you should select a different NPO. I have made a list of those organizations I would volunteer for and I call them. I don't call NPOs that are not on my volunteer list.
This brings up another issue, we will have our greatest successes with NPOs that are close by, ones we can go to and help establish world changer malls with their members and supporters. You already know how much work it is to get a single individual up and running, now multiply that by the number of people in the organization. You have got to understand that the NPO staff is not going to do this for you (they are already over worked) and you can not do this inabsentia.
These things that I share are not intended to be discouraging. I only mention them so that You can start off on the right foot. You can avoid the mistakes that others have made. Start off with NPOs in your immediate locale, that you can drive to in the amount of time that you have allotted for MPM. Select NPOs that you are sincerely interested in and know some thing about. Do these three things and you will be on your way to success.
bzm--I re-read my own "reason" tonight. I hadn't read it in a while. It is a good thing to do every so often. Thanks for mentioning it. kny--yes, we are all one big family. The Spirit is working within the family. If you just look for it, you will see it. It is there plain as day and visible to the naked eye.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Another good day
Again, I set out to get five NPOs today. You don't really need to hear all the excuses as to why I didn't get all five but I do want to share with you that I did get two. The way I see it, as I do more of these, I will continue to get better and better at it. You have heard the old expression "The man who reaches for the stars will not come up with a hand full of mud." As long as I keep reaching for the five, I will not come up empty handed.
Before Christmas I had a terrible time doing follow ups. I have my own set of excuses as to why they didn't get done ( I am sure you do too! ). Anyway, I have made a new year commitment to not let myself off with those excuses. I spend the major portion of my time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays going after the five, but I reserve a portion of time everyday for doing follow ups. Today, when I was doing my follow ups, I was fortunate enough to book an appointment with an NPO for next week, and, an appointment with an other NPO to set an appointment for a later date.
Yes, this was another good day and just so you know what really makes it a good day is all you wonderful people who send me those encouraging comments on my blog. Thank you all so very, very much.
Tom ~{}~
Before Christmas I had a terrible time doing follow ups. I have my own set of excuses as to why they didn't get done ( I am sure you do too! ). Anyway, I have made a new year commitment to not let myself off with those excuses. I spend the major portion of my time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays going after the five, but I reserve a portion of time everyday for doing follow ups. Today, when I was doing my follow ups, I was fortunate enough to book an appointment with an NPO for next week, and, an appointment with an other NPO to set an appointment for a later date.
Yes, this was another good day and just so you know what really makes it a good day is all you wonderful people who send me those encouraging comments on my blog. Thank you all so very, very much.
Tom ~{}~
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A good day
I made a commitment to get five NPOs to look at the web site today. I had researched all five and felt that I was prepared not only with a working knowledge of who they were and what they did but I also had a reason why I was interested in their particular NPO. I was only able to connect with two of them They both agreed to check out the web site. I feel that is good.
I did not stop there. I researched two more NPOs and learned as much as I could about them. A good way into the research I found out one of them was not a good match for us and the other is going to take a lot more research than I have time for today. Still determined to get my five, I researched two more NPOs. By the time I finished it was after 5 PM. I made the calls anyway. No one was there--- this time. I know that business offices close at 5 PM but I make it a practice to keep on calling anyway. I have found that the people I need to talk to are the ones who stay past five and in many cases I would not have gotten past the "gate keeper" if I had called before five.
Oh, yes, you have connected the dots correctly---Now she wants to know how you know her?
It has been a good day, I feel good!
Tom
I did not stop there. I researched two more NPOs and learned as much as I could about them. A good way into the research I found out one of them was not a good match for us and the other is going to take a lot more research than I have time for today. Still determined to get my five, I researched two more NPOs. By the time I finished it was after 5 PM. I made the calls anyway. No one was there--- this time. I know that business offices close at 5 PM but I make it a practice to keep on calling anyway. I have found that the people I need to talk to are the ones who stay past five and in many cases I would not have gotten past the "gate keeper" if I had called before five.
Oh, yes, you have connected the dots correctly---Now she wants to know how you know her?
It has been a good day, I feel good!
Tom
Monday, January 26, 2009
Another Day
First, let me thank the friends and Campers who have sent me words of encouragement in the form of comments to my blog. You are very encouraging and I need that. Many, many thanks to all of you and may the blessings of the Great Spirit come into your life.
Yes, today was another one of those days where not much gets accomplished. I made some follow calls this morning and did not connect with anyone. Then I was on the morning call and then I did a nine hour shift at work. I got home from work in time to hear the end of the Monday evening call. After that, I made supper, ate it, and now I am up dating my blog.
Not very exciting is it? However, I do want to call attention to something I learned on the morning call that is exciting.. One of my NPOs is an umbrella organization which has 80 NPOs under it. Each of these NPOs is completely independent and operates as its own entity. It urns out that I have already been working with some of these independents before I contacted the umbrella organization. It was my intention to sign up the Umbrella organization first and then sign up the independents under it.What I learned today was that any independents who sign up before the umbrella org. will not be under it. This gives me a lot of leverage in dealing with the umbrella org. If they want to be the leader and have the independents under them, they have got to sign up now or be left behind. I hope this is information that you can all use as you work with NPOs.
I promise to have more information in tomorrows blog.
Tom
Yes, today was another one of those days where not much gets accomplished. I made some follow calls this morning and did not connect with anyone. Then I was on the morning call and then I did a nine hour shift at work. I got home from work in time to hear the end of the Monday evening call. After that, I made supper, ate it, and now I am up dating my blog.
Not very exciting is it? However, I do want to call attention to something I learned on the morning call that is exciting.. One of my NPOs is an umbrella organization which has 80 NPOs under it. Each of these NPOs is completely independent and operates as its own entity. It urns out that I have already been working with some of these independents before I contacted the umbrella organization. It was my intention to sign up the Umbrella organization first and then sign up the independents under it.What I learned today was that any independents who sign up before the umbrella org. will not be under it. This gives me a lot of leverage in dealing with the umbrella org. If they want to be the leader and have the independents under them, they have got to sign up now or be left behind. I hope this is information that you can all use as you work with NPOs.
I promise to have more information in tomorrows blog.
Tom
Friday, January 23, 2009
One of those days
Today was one of those days where you don't get much done. An hour commute into work, an hour on the call, a nine and a half hour shift, and fortunately a shorter commute home--less traffic at night. I reviewed e-mails this morning before I left and I have been researching the NPO that I want to contact next tonight. It is a complex organization made up of several diverse special interest groups united under the umbrella of a large core group. I want to be sure that I am well versed on the purpose and mission of each one of these small groups and what their relationship is to the large group.
I have not finished my research on this but so far I have found that the tax payers passed a special referendum in the last election which calls for a special tax which would benefit some members of this group. At this point, no one knows how much money this will be but they do know it will have to be shared with many other NPOs in the state. The fear right now is that the Governor, looking for places to cut spending, may use this special tax which will benefit some of the group, as an excuse to take away all the money the whole group is getting now.
As you can see, I have a lot more research to do on this one. Lucky for me, I have several small NPOs which I have already researched and whom I can contact right away.
Many blessings to all,
Tom
P.S. Just thought you'd like to know, we are looking at -30 again tomorrow.
I have not finished my research on this but so far I have found that the tax payers passed a special referendum in the last election which calls for a special tax which would benefit some members of this group. At this point, no one knows how much money this will be but they do know it will have to be shared with many other NPOs in the state. The fear right now is that the Governor, looking for places to cut spending, may use this special tax which will benefit some of the group, as an excuse to take away all the money the whole group is getting now.
As you can see, I have a lot more research to do on this one. Lucky for me, I have several small NPOs which I have already researched and whom I can contact right away.
Many blessings to all,
Tom
P.S. Just thought you'd like to know, we are looking at -30 again tomorrow.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Legislative Briefing.
This morning I reviewed my work from yesterday and found that two e-mails I had sent out had not gone through. I then went to work (at my Job). After work I went to a Minnesota Legislative Briefing.
When I was researching my NPOs, reading everything I could find about them on the Internet, I found that most of them had legislative up dates on their web sites. If what is going on at the Legislature is so important to my NPOs that they post up dates on their web sites, then it better be important to me if I want to be able to talk to them about what matters to them. I felt it was important enough to miss the Boot Campers call. I gave a lot of thought to missing the call. It is the only daily call I have missed since Boot Camp started.
What did I learn at this briefing? Our state, like 45 other states is experiencing a budget short fall again this year. The Minnesota constitution calls for a balanced budget. In short that means the Legislators MUST come up with a way to cover the short fall between now and May 18Th. There are two "basic" ways to balance the budget---cut spending or increase revenue. The normal way to increase revenue is by increasing taxes. Our Governor has made it very painfully clear "THERE WILL BE NO NEW TAXES." That leaves the Legislature only one option, cut spending. What does "cut spending" mean? It means the state agencies and NPOs will not get as much money from the state as they got last year.
How much less than last year? We have right now a $5 billion short fall. I am going to use this number even though we know it does not count for inflation or for the fact that many Minnesotans have lost their jobs and are no longer paying taxes. Some of the NPOs I work with deal with health and human services so I attended their legislative briefing. The state currently gives health and human services $11.5 billion. The governor has proposed taking $2.6 billion from their budget, an overall reduction of 23%. I think you can see why what goes on at the legislature is important to my NPOs and ultimately to me.
This is probably already more politics than you wanted to hear about but it does let you know how I spent my time to night and for those of you who are dealing with NPOs, you would do well to find out where your NPOs are getting their funding now and if it is threatened. It gives you more credibility if you know and understand enough about their concerns to have a meaningful discussion.with them.
OK, enough,
Tom
When I was researching my NPOs, reading everything I could find about them on the Internet, I found that most of them had legislative up dates on their web sites. If what is going on at the Legislature is so important to my NPOs that they post up dates on their web sites, then it better be important to me if I want to be able to talk to them about what matters to them. I felt it was important enough to miss the Boot Campers call. I gave a lot of thought to missing the call. It is the only daily call I have missed since Boot Camp started.
What did I learn at this briefing? Our state, like 45 other states is experiencing a budget short fall again this year. The Minnesota constitution calls for a balanced budget. In short that means the Legislators MUST come up with a way to cover the short fall between now and May 18Th. There are two "basic" ways to balance the budget---cut spending or increase revenue. The normal way to increase revenue is by increasing taxes. Our Governor has made it very painfully clear "THERE WILL BE NO NEW TAXES." That leaves the Legislature only one option, cut spending. What does "cut spending" mean? It means the state agencies and NPOs will not get as much money from the state as they got last year.
How much less than last year? We have right now a $5 billion short fall. I am going to use this number even though we know it does not count for inflation or for the fact that many Minnesotans have lost their jobs and are no longer paying taxes. Some of the NPOs I work with deal with health and human services so I attended their legislative briefing. The state currently gives health and human services $11.5 billion. The governor has proposed taking $2.6 billion from their budget, an overall reduction of 23%. I think you can see why what goes on at the legislature is important to my NPOs and ultimately to me.
This is probably already more politics than you wanted to hear about but it does let you know how I spent my time to night and for those of you who are dealing with NPOs, you would do well to find out where your NPOs are getting their funding now and if it is threatened. It gives you more credibility if you know and understand enough about their concerns to have a meaningful discussion.with them.
OK, enough,
Tom
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Some don't need Funding
Another great day! A while ago, I believe it was on the first or second call after Christmas break, I had indicated that I had found my niche and I was asked how do I know, what is different? I don't remember what I responded but I believe I have a better answer now.
I can tell you what is different. Before I started working with NPOs I had to find my leads from the general populace. Now I heard at least two people on last nights call say finding those five contacts is as easy as boom, boom, boom. I have heard Jacki say getting those contacts should take very little time. I am sure it is easy for those who say it is. Here is the difference: since I am working with NPOs I am excited about what I am doing, I enjoy researching and learning about the organizations I am going to contact. I can't wait to get started in the morning and I don't want to stop when it is time to quit. I enjoy every call I make even if they say no.
Now let's look back before NPOs when I had to work with the general populace. I dreaded every day. Even when I had my five for the day there was no peace because I knew I had to find five more the next day. When night came there was no peace because I knew that as soon as I got up the next morning I was on the hook for five more names. There was no joy in finding the contacts when I did get them.
Please don't draw the conclusion that I don't like working with the general populace or that I think that I can hide behind NPOs and never have to work with individuals. I know that when the NPOs start signing on I will be helping them---yes helping them sign up individuals. I am looking forward to it.
I spent a lot of time researching the NPO's that I contacted today. Only two of them agreed to look at the web site but that's great. I don't want to say much about it now but one of them looks extremely promising. I was also surprised to find out in spite of the economy, some NPO's have all the money they need and others say that there is plenty of money available for NPO's, they just have to be creative to get it.
Enough for now.
Tom
I can tell you what is different. Before I started working with NPOs I had to find my leads from the general populace. Now I heard at least two people on last nights call say finding those five contacts is as easy as boom, boom, boom. I have heard Jacki say getting those contacts should take very little time. I am sure it is easy for those who say it is. Here is the difference: since I am working with NPOs I am excited about what I am doing, I enjoy researching and learning about the organizations I am going to contact. I can't wait to get started in the morning and I don't want to stop when it is time to quit. I enjoy every call I make even if they say no.
Now let's look back before NPOs when I had to work with the general populace. I dreaded every day. Even when I had my five for the day there was no peace because I knew I had to find five more the next day. When night came there was no peace because I knew that as soon as I got up the next morning I was on the hook for five more names. There was no joy in finding the contacts when I did get them.
Please don't draw the conclusion that I don't like working with the general populace or that I think that I can hide behind NPOs and never have to work with individuals. I know that when the NPOs start signing on I will be helping them---yes helping them sign up individuals. I am looking forward to it.
I spent a lot of time researching the NPO's that I contacted today. Only two of them agreed to look at the web site but that's great. I don't want to say much about it now but one of them looks extremely promising. I was also surprised to find out in spite of the economy, some NPO's have all the money they need and others say that there is plenty of money available for NPO's, they just have to be creative to get it.
Enough for now.
Tom
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration day
Inauguration day is finally here and just about over. It's been a good day for this Boot Camper. I don't often get to spend most of a day on MPM like I did today. I did watch 25 minutes of the inauguration but most of the day was spent on MPM. I spent some time studying the NPO Manual early in the day and then started searching for NPOs that interested me. I am looking for local NPOs that I can work with. My interest is in those NPOs who work with social justice issues, animal/bird issues, and environmental issues.
I don't have a list and I certainly don't know who these NPOs are so I spent the balance of the morning and part of the early afternoon searching for these NPOs on the Internet. I came up with a healthy list of names just doing general research but they were not accompanied by phone numbers. I then checked the web site for a group of them. When I was comfortable that I knew something about the organization, I gave them a call. I got through to three of them and they are going to check our web site.
I spent the balance of the day doing follow ups. I was not successful in reaching the follow ups. Not one of them was in. I ended up the day by sending e-mails to people who were not in.
I feel I had a really good day.
Tom
I don't have a list and I certainly don't know who these NPOs are so I spent the balance of the morning and part of the early afternoon searching for these NPOs on the Internet. I came up with a healthy list of names just doing general research but they were not accompanied by phone numbers. I then checked the web site for a group of them. When I was comfortable that I knew something about the organization, I gave them a call. I got through to three of them and they are going to check our web site.
I spent the balance of the day doing follow ups. I was not successful in reaching the follow ups. Not one of them was in. I ended up the day by sending e-mails to people who were not in.
I feel I had a really good day.
Tom
Monday, January 19, 2009
A new week
Here we are again, a new week. I am feeling much better. Thank you all for the good wishes. I am recharged and ready to work on MPM. I have a lot going with NPOs this week.
Tom
Tom
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thanks
I am happy to report that I am feeling better but I am still not feeling well. It's a cold and my head is all stuffy and I have the rest of the symptoms that go along with a cold. Since I am feeling better today, I hope that this is a sign that I am getting past the worst of it.
Special thanks to Big Z and his mom for their well wishes. With them in my corner, I am confident that I will awake tomorrow fully recharged and ready to plan my strategy for next week.
Thanks,
Tom
Special thanks to Big Z and his mom for their well wishes. With them in my corner, I am confident that I will awake tomorrow fully recharged and ready to plan my strategy for next week.
Thanks,
Tom
Thursday, January 15, 2009
It's a Cold
I seem to have caught a cold. I don't feel well at all. I am going to bed early.
Today we had the coldest day in the last 5 years...45 below zero!
Tom
Today we had the coldest day in the last 5 years...45 below zero!
Tom
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
MANY ARE COLD
Welcome to the land of the frozen chosen, where many are cold, but few are frozen. Don't you doubt it for a minute, we all walk on water here,--- nine months out of the year.
About three calls ago, I was asked "What are you going to do differently in the new year?" and I responded that I was going to concentrate on businesses and NPOs. That's what I have been doing and it has made a big difference in me. I am happier, I feel better about what I am doing, and I have a sense of mission. Three days before I was selected to be on this Boot Camp, I received a message that I was supposed to be on it. There is a reason, a purpose to be fulfilled. Until now, I was not feeling that sense of mission. Something was missing. I have worked projects before and I know when they "feel" right and when they don't.
What all this is leading up to is that I have started working with NPOs and businesses and I am feeling a lot better. I am where I am supposed to be. Today I worked with NPOs and it was great! I hasd a wonderful day.
Yes, many are cold and so am I and I am not going to stay up all night freezing while writing this blog. I am going to bed where it is warm and cozy.
Warm fuzzies to all of you,
Tom
About three calls ago, I was asked "What are you going to do differently in the new year?" and I responded that I was going to concentrate on businesses and NPOs. That's what I have been doing and it has made a big difference in me. I am happier, I feel better about what I am doing, and I have a sense of mission. Three days before I was selected to be on this Boot Camp, I received a message that I was supposed to be on it. There is a reason, a purpose to be fulfilled. Until now, I was not feeling that sense of mission. Something was missing. I have worked projects before and I know when they "feel" right and when they don't.
What all this is leading up to is that I have started working with NPOs and businesses and I am feeling a lot better. I am where I am supposed to be. Today I worked with NPOs and it was great! I hasd a wonderful day.
Yes, many are cold and so am I and I am not going to stay up all night freezing while writing this blog. I am going to bed where it is warm and cozy.
Warm fuzzies to all of you,
Tom
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
NPO Visit
'Twas the morning after the storm and the highways, yes, they were still covered with snow,
and I, like an idiot, was riding my jalopy, making tracks to see my first NPO.
It was -20 here this morning, anyone with an ounce of brains would have stayed in this morning. At the very least they would have stayed off the highway. But no, all those nice people, Big Z and his mom, Katina, and Aletha--they sent prayers, and love, and the forces that be, ...THANK YOU..., and I couldn't stay home. Many times, I asked myself "why are you on this highway?" But I trudged on, witnessing accidents, cars spinning out in front of me, one went in the ditch. It was scary!
I finally arrived at the NPO, a nice little school. The president received me warmly. We had an hour and forty-five minute chat, and I got a tour of the school. We developed a good relationship, and he expressed his concerns. Some I could address and some I will have to get help with. Most of them were standard concerns, how much time will be taken from his staff? What makes me think it will work? Will they have to pay taxes?
In the end he said that he had a lot going on right now and that the school had scheduled new fund raising projects for May and that we should stay in touch between now and May so that a meeting could be scheduled with some of his other people. I assured him that I had a great interest in his school and his students ( his students are his "why") and that I would keep working on this between now and May and that I would keep him posted on the progress.
Again, many thanks to all of you who had me in your thoughts and prayers today.
Tom
PS For those of you who are looking for the weather report, it is -23 and snowing.
and I, like an idiot, was riding my jalopy, making tracks to see my first NPO.
It was -20 here this morning, anyone with an ounce of brains would have stayed in this morning. At the very least they would have stayed off the highway. But no, all those nice people, Big Z and his mom, Katina, and Aletha--they sent prayers, and love, and the forces that be, ...THANK YOU..., and I couldn't stay home. Many times, I asked myself "why are you on this highway?" But I trudged on, witnessing accidents, cars spinning out in front of me, one went in the ditch. It was scary!
I finally arrived at the NPO, a nice little school. The president received me warmly. We had an hour and forty-five minute chat, and I got a tour of the school. We developed a good relationship, and he expressed his concerns. Some I could address and some I will have to get help with. Most of them were standard concerns, how much time will be taken from his staff? What makes me think it will work? Will they have to pay taxes?
In the end he said that he had a lot going on right now and that the school had scheduled new fund raising projects for May and that we should stay in touch between now and May so that a meeting could be scheduled with some of his other people. I assured him that I had a great interest in his school and his students ( his students are his "why") and that I would keep working on this between now and May and that I would keep him posted on the progress.
Again, many thanks to all of you who had me in your thoughts and prayers today.
Tom
PS For those of you who are looking for the weather report, it is -23 and snowing.
Monday, January 12, 2009
01/12
It's Monday again! It snowed all day, the wind is blowing and it is below zero. I don't know by how much but with the wind it is around -20.
After I finished shoveling the new snow, I spent the remainder of my time preparing for my first face to face meeting with a NPO. Obviously I am a little nervous. I want to be well prepared--over prepared if possible. I have been giving presentations for forty-two years but on material I know well. In fact, so well that on several occasions that I have given a four hour lecture with out notes. NPOs are a completely new thing for me I don't know the presentation so well that I could give a four hour lecture.
Again on the subject of my presentation, I want to thank Big Z and his mom for their words of encouragement regarding the presentation. Eagle is good to me and we are looking for full Sunshine.
I must get to bed so that I am awake for the presentation.
Tom
After I finished shoveling the new snow, I spent the remainder of my time preparing for my first face to face meeting with a NPO. Obviously I am a little nervous. I want to be well prepared--over prepared if possible. I have been giving presentations for forty-two years but on material I know well. In fact, so well that on several occasions that I have given a four hour lecture with out notes. NPOs are a completely new thing for me I don't know the presentation so well that I could give a four hour lecture.
Again on the subject of my presentation, I want to thank Big Z and his mom for their words of encouragement regarding the presentation. Eagle is good to me and we are looking for full Sunshine.
I must get to bed so that I am awake for the presentation.
Tom
Friday, January 9, 2009
01/09
First, a big thank you to Big Z and his mom for their concern about my health. I am feeling better today but still not feeling good. Thanks for your good wishes. They are appreciated.
I really enjoyed this mornings call, I felt "connected". Not because I got to talk. Those of you who know me know that I am usually quiet. I talk when something needs to be said but I try to keep that to a minimum. This morning I felt connected because of Ginny's comment about the eagle. I was thinking about Eagle before the call this morning and when Ginny made the comment , it was my cue to make a contribution.
For those of you who were not on the call, my contribution was that I had contacted a school earlier in the week and when I did my follow up this morning, the head of the school invited me over to discuss their participation in person.
Tom
I really enjoyed this mornings call, I felt "connected". Not because I got to talk. Those of you who know me know that I am usually quiet. I talk when something needs to be said but I try to keep that to a minimum. This morning I felt connected because of Ginny's comment about the eagle. I was thinking about Eagle before the call this morning and when Ginny made the comment , it was my cue to make a contribution.
For those of you who were not on the call, my contribution was that I had contacted a school earlier in the week and when I did my follow up this morning, the head of the school invited me over to discuss their participation in person.
Tom
Thursday, January 8, 2009
01/08
Since I have been working with a school, I was glad that Andrea shared her school experiences on the call. Not the ones about the e-mail problems but rather the ones about what the school could get if they participate.
I am not feeling well this evening so I am going to go to bed early.
Tom
I am not feeling well this evening so I am going to go to bed early.
Tom
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
01/07
Busy day today, made some good contacts and got a lot of busy work done. I made progress on the New Years letters but still don't have them all done. I have a lot left to do yet and it is already quite late so I must get back at it.
Tom
Tom
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
01/06
I took a completely different approach today. Instead of concentrating on the five new names today, I spent the majority of my time on other tasks. I realize this is going to put me a little behind in the new name department but I am confident that I can catch up.
I have never taken the time to review other Boot Campers' blogs--not one have I looked at. This was not because I didn't care, it was because I didn't know how. Blogs are a completely new thing to me. I don't know the first thing about them other than I have one and I am supposed to write in it every day. Today I found out how to check other people's blogs and I checked out those blogs of people I recognized from the calls. It was a rewarding experience.
I reviewed the mall presentation that every one was talking about on the call this morning. I think it is great improvement. The layout is better, the message is better, and best of all, once people have seen it, they know what they have seen. I know people who watched the old presentation and were more confused after they watched than before they watched it. Great job on the new presentation!
In the area of follow up, the area where I need to do the most work, I worked with the New Years letters and complied addresses. Hopefully, I will be able to finish these yet tonight.
It is good to be back with you all,
Tom
I have never taken the time to review other Boot Campers' blogs--not one have I looked at. This was not because I didn't care, it was because I didn't know how. Blogs are a completely new thing to me. I don't know the first thing about them other than I have one and I am supposed to write in it every day. Today I found out how to check other people's blogs and I checked out those blogs of people I recognized from the calls. It was a rewarding experience.
I reviewed the mall presentation that every one was talking about on the call this morning. I think it is great improvement. The layout is better, the message is better, and best of all, once people have seen it, they know what they have seen. I know people who watched the old presentation and were more confused after they watched than before they watched it. Great job on the new presentation!
In the area of follow up, the area where I need to do the most work, I worked with the New Years letters and complied addresses. Hopefully, I will be able to finish these yet tonight.
It is good to be back with you all,
Tom
Monday, January 5, 2009
1/05
Its' great to be back after a two week vacation. Ginny had a great story today on the morning call about an eagle who knew he was born to fly but had given up. With a lot of encouragement from a brother eagle, Quest ( the eagle in question) stopped feeling sorry for himself, and made the decision to do what he was created to do, fly.
We have been advised that Part I of the Boot Camp is over. Let us bring forward the lessons we have learned and leave the rest of it back in 2008. We are moving forward with Part II in 2009--the GROWTH part. That's right, no matter what happened tin 2008, we are now ready to reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown. well, hopefully we are. In my own case I have sown a lot of seeds but I am not very happy about the way I have cared for those seeds. During the vacation I had time to reflect on how I was doing in the Boot Camp, what am I doing right, what am I doing wrong, how can I improve? Unfortunately, when Boot Camp is in full swing there isn't much time for reflection--something I have done as a business man all my life. That is going to change in 2009. In business I never ever gave up a customer in the hand for one who might be in the bush but that is exactly what I have been doing. I have had my priorities in the wrong place. I have neglected following up with people who had already indicated an interest MPM to go chasing after new people who had not indicated any interest at all. Don't get me wrong, new people are the life blood of any organization but in the general scheme of things they do not come before the people you already have.
I would like to end with a little story of my own. Today we got news that Carl Pollad died today. I knew him as "Uncle Carl" when I worked for him at Midwest Wine Company (1978-1982). Most of you will know him as the owner of the Minnesota Twins. Some of you may even know that he made Billions of dollars and gave millions to charity. What you probably don't know is that Uncle Carl started out just like you and me. He was an Iowa farm boy. He grew up, went off to World War II (yes, until today he was a survivor of WWII), served three years in Europe and earned a purple heart. Uncle Carl did not come back from the war and say "woe is me, I am a veteran, I was shot, the world must owe me a living." No he didn't say those things. Like our friend quest the eagle above, he made the decision to do the things he was created to do. He knew he was created to build a great financial empire and help many, many people. Just how does an Iowa farm boy freshly back from being shot up in the war do that? He started right where he was at. He took what little money he had and invested it in a single Pepsi Cola distributorship in some one horse town in Iowa. He built it up and bought another Pepsi Cola distributorship and another and then a bank or two. The rest is history.
The point is Uncle Carl decided to do what he was created to do and he started building right where he was. We can do the same thing, we can choose to do what we were created to do, we have already been given the tools in MPM, we just need to start building right where we are at.
Uncle Carl is gone, it is up to us to do the building now. 2009 is our year to show the world that we have made the decision to do what we were created for.
Happy New year!
Tom
We have been advised that Part I of the Boot Camp is over. Let us bring forward the lessons we have learned and leave the rest of it back in 2008. We are moving forward with Part II in 2009--the GROWTH part. That's right, no matter what happened tin 2008, we are now ready to reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown. well, hopefully we are. In my own case I have sown a lot of seeds but I am not very happy about the way I have cared for those seeds. During the vacation I had time to reflect on how I was doing in the Boot Camp, what am I doing right, what am I doing wrong, how can I improve? Unfortunately, when Boot Camp is in full swing there isn't much time for reflection--something I have done as a business man all my life. That is going to change in 2009. In business I never ever gave up a customer in the hand for one who might be in the bush but that is exactly what I have been doing. I have had my priorities in the wrong place. I have neglected following up with people who had already indicated an interest MPM to go chasing after new people who had not indicated any interest at all. Don't get me wrong, new people are the life blood of any organization but in the general scheme of things they do not come before the people you already have.
I would like to end with a little story of my own. Today we got news that Carl Pollad died today. I knew him as "Uncle Carl" when I worked for him at Midwest Wine Company (1978-1982). Most of you will know him as the owner of the Minnesota Twins. Some of you may even know that he made Billions of dollars and gave millions to charity. What you probably don't know is that Uncle Carl started out just like you and me. He was an Iowa farm boy. He grew up, went off to World War II (yes, until today he was a survivor of WWII), served three years in Europe and earned a purple heart. Uncle Carl did not come back from the war and say "woe is me, I am a veteran, I was shot, the world must owe me a living." No he didn't say those things. Like our friend quest the eagle above, he made the decision to do the things he was created to do. He knew he was created to build a great financial empire and help many, many people. Just how does an Iowa farm boy freshly back from being shot up in the war do that? He started right where he was at. He took what little money he had and invested it in a single Pepsi Cola distributorship in some one horse town in Iowa. He built it up and bought another Pepsi Cola distributorship and another and then a bank or two. The rest is history.
The point is Uncle Carl decided to do what he was created to do and he started building right where he was. We can do the same thing, we can choose to do what we were created to do, we have already been given the tools in MPM, we just need to start building right where we are at.
Uncle Carl is gone, it is up to us to do the building now. 2009 is our year to show the world that we have made the decision to do what we were created for.
Happy New year!
Tom
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