Unexpected lessons.

Written By Mindy Muller

Some of our most important lessons are learned in unexpected places. As we tour potential colleges this week for one of our kiddos, I have been reminded of some important principles -- here are two to start:

1. Sometimes things aren't exactly as they appear. Wow - some of the campus pictures, videos and marketing materials are incredibly impressive, but once we arrived, not everything was as it seemed in pictures. Certainly we want to represent our organizations well in marketing materials -- it's what we at CDP call IMAGE MANAGEMENT, i.e. controlling how others view you. Do the video, take the pictures and put effort into your branding, but make sure you are as good as you seem in those materials.

2. Reward effort and sacrifice. Dragging a seven-year old around on college tours wasn't his idea of a good time, but rewarding his effort and 'sacrifice' with ice cream proved a good idea. What kind of sacrifice or effort has your team made lately? Reward them -- perhaps it's as simple as an ice cream treat or pizza lunch or maybe a bonus vacation day. Be mindful of the effort of others and reward it when you can.

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP

Mindy Muller

EDUCATE. SUPPORT. DEVELOP. CONNECT. CDP helps communities thrive. Through innovative and strategic partnerships with nonprofits, local government, educational institutions and community-based businesses, CDP works through community stakeholders to make communities places where everyone can thrive. Through our team of professionals we have helped thousands of organizations build their capacity to better serve their communities by providing innovative solutions to unique community development challenges.

Specialties include nonprofit capacity building; affordable housing solutions; community development strategies; and, social enterprise and entrepreneurship

https://communitydevelopmentprofessionals.com
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