Sean Eric Watson – TechEffect

Wow! Who knew there was a Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, NC?!? Today I got a first hand look, up close and personal, at the Carolina Tiger Rescue (http://carolinatigerrescue.org).

Most of the animals are rescues from abusive homes/situations. For example, two were found by police wandering around on the road, two of them came from Texas were someone was keeping them in a junkyard, and one was even left in a cage in CTR's parking lot like a baby on the door step! These fine folks offer love, care, and support for the animals while educating the public and maintaining the infrastructure, funding, and resources necessary to provide that care. I was blown away, just a top notch facility and team.

The Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

A New Addition: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hN8CKwdosjE

Sales and marketing are terms sometimes viewed with disdain. But I must remind myself that while some may sale and market in ways that don’t meet my needs for authentic connection, that is a reflection on those individuals, not the concepts.

I consider marketing using techniques to help people find products and services to meet their needs. It’s not about “getting people to buy things they don’t really need”, it’s about helping people with needs understand those needs and how to meet them. And in particular, the people whose needs could be met by my product or service. In the case of nonprofits, some core groups that marketing is used for are:

• Potential Donors
• Potential Funders
• Potential Volunteers
• Potential Supporters
• Potential Members

Each of these groups, and the many more that exist, have some needs they are trying to meet. Volunteers may want to be of contribution, be appreciated, and feel a sense of community. Funders my want to create connection, respect, and understanding. The important thing to note is that by focusing on the needs of these groups, we can determine how to meet the needs of the potential stakeholders and focus on that, rather than what we want from them. This results in us having an opportunity to give to the potential stakeholders, increasing their quality of life, while also creating the opportunity to get our needs met.

Seven Questions I Ask Myself About Current and Prospective Stakeholders:

1. What need(s) is this person/organization trying to meet with the role they are seeking to fill/are filling (donor, volunteer, etc)?
2. Is that role the best way for them to meet their needs as part of my organization?
3. Why would they be interested in being a stakeholder in my organization?
4. How can I be of support to them?
5. Once we have connected, how can I continue to increase the quality of their experience?
6. If I would like them to be more engaged, what needs of theirs could I do a better job of meeting?
7. Would asking them any of these six questions directly be more effective than asking myself?

What are your thoughts on how to meet the needs or your organization and the needs of prospective stakeholders?

Just finished cleaning up around Pam’s place. She is my wonderful friend that allows me to stay with her when I’m in town on business. Currently none of my clients are paying travel expenses, so the commute from Wilmington and staying overnight in Durham is a big concern financially. Pam letting me stay with her has saved me a great deal of money, and possibly even made the difference between me being able to work with my clients here, and not being able to.

Because of her bountiful gift, it is a joy to do things for her. Today I cut up some brush that was too big for the yard waste container, cut the grass in front of the house, and raked and swept the sidewalk in front of and leading up to her house. I also swept off the front porch which is quite large. It was very satisfying to be out in nature, doing something for someone I care about, getting exercise, and seeing the results of my work real time.

Now I’m getting back to a couple of database projects I’m working on, both of which have a deadline of tomorrow for completion. I’m nervous about meeting the deadline, but I think I can do it with a lot of focused work. I’m grateful for the patience my clients have shown me, and the assistance my former employer has offered in keeping the project moving forward. As stressed as I am right now, I get to remember how many good things I have in my life as well!

I completely oppose offshore drilling. I just don’t think the cost/benefit ratio is worth it.
I challenge BP to innovate and work with us and the government to get ALL companies out of the oceans and into sustainable practices including the development of new technologies and supporting cultural norms to eliminate our dependence on oil.

I’ve been a long time supporter of BP as one of the better oil companies. If you check out the Better World Handbook, you will see that BP is the second best choice for environmentally responsible gas/oil companies. (http://www.betterworldhandbook.com/gasoline.html)

I am opposed to a boycott of BP. If we boycott BP, we are HELPING Exxon and other companies that are doing far worse things to the environment than BP. BP messed up huge here, I don’t deny that. And they need to be held accountable. They also need our support in showing other oil companies how to properly deal with this kind of situation, and prevent it from happening again.

As I see it, our choices are to either stop using gas and petroleum products (aka PLASTIC!), or support the companies that do the best job of being environmentally sustainable, or both.

I don’t think it’s about hurting the oil companies, I think its about voting with our dollars and encouraging them to do the right thing, while assisting them in doing it. When we try to “hurt the oil companies”, we don’t succeed. They have too much money and power, that WE GIVE TO THEM! We keep them going because we are dependent on fossil fuels. We need to focus on shifting our culture and supporting the companies that are the safest environmentally at the same time. Let’s empower those working to do the right thing, and encourage more of that, rather than punish those doing the wrong thing, and encourage them to just find another way to do it that we agree with or don’t know about.

My Recipe for Effective Revolution

1> Let’s be intelligent in the long term by supporting the companies with the best record, rather than being reactive and punishing a company with one of the best records for decades over one event, and simaltaenously supporting (inherently) companies that aren’t investing anywhere near the time and energy that BP and Sunoco are in being environmentally safe and sustainable.

2> Let’s reduce our dependence on oil, starting with those absolutely HORRIBLE plastic bags at the grocery store, which yes, are made from petroleum by-products. Here’s a great list of ten realistic and doable things each of us can do: http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/ten-ways-to-reduce-our-dependence/

3> Let’s call for and encourage companies to innovate new solutions. The gas/oil companies like BP sell Energy and materials for creating consumer products. They don’t sell gas or oil or plastic bags. Let’s focus as a society on what we want (such as transportation, energy, and a way to carry groceries), and encourage companies like BP to see that is what they provide. Then they can innovate other methods for meeting our needs, that don’t involve oil!

4> Let’s keep the conversation going and talk with our friends and neighbors about reducing our dependency on oil by carpooling, using public transportation, riding bikes, and other alternatives. Learning and sharing ideas, knowledge, and experience with others is our best offense to shift the way things are. Pick one thing you can do different starting today, just one, and focus on that for a month. If it works, then pick another. Don’t try to do it all at once, and don’t do nothing at all. Find a way to be of contribution that fits your lifestyle so you can make a real and lasting difference.

Your thoughts?

What are your thoughts on how we can encourage sustainability and reduce/eliminate oil dependency?