Monday, January 10, 2011
Monday, November 15, 2010
Marathon Shopping Day with Nancy
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| Lani & Nancy Escavating Treasures |
This was our first stop, one of many, for the day. Our Mission: to find hidden "Treasures" for her Nancy's "French Country Cottage" home makeover. We couldn't have found a more perfect way to start the day. A moving sale "hosted" by a very interesting couple, that is moving to Costa Rica. Not Costa Mesa, but Costa Rica! The woman asked to take our picture for her blog "Third World Wife..." http://robynchildcole.wordpress.com/2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Cutist Baby (Tiger) Ever! - Halloween 2010
Isn't this just the cutist tiger you've ever seen? See more at Cutist Baby (Tiger) Ever!From Hodge Podge to French Country Cottage
Some before and after pictures of Nancy K's furniture being transformed into "creations" Through vision, color, intension, and elbow grease, she turned a hodge podge of pieces into an inviting living space that gives the impression of a French Country Cottage. Nancy K's Furniture - before and after
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thinking Differently About Change – “Letting Go”
SCORE Orange County, CA Newsletter: July 2010
This article was written by Steve Day, SCORE Orange County Management Counselor
In a prior newsletter article, I reviewed a different way to think about change. This different way, based on the book “Managing Transitions”, by William Bridges, begins with endings and ends with beginnings.
Endings, the “letting go” phase of the change process, is usually the most difficult part of change, so let’s focus on how we can help small business owners and employees let go of some baggage that may hold them back from successful change.
First of all, what do we mean by “baggage” in this context? Change baggage usually includes habits, relationships, environments, comfort zones, warm-and-fuzzies. Successful change doesn’t require letting go of everything, just those things that will block progress to a new beginning, a successful change. When you are assisting a person going through change, the best things you can do are to detect the baggage items, surface them, suggest ways to let go, and help people understand how letting go helps the change process.
Here are some things to keep in mind in these situations:
Be prepared for overreaction when helping people to let go. There will be emotions involved, and some people will find it very challenging to put aside ideas or habits that are in their comfort zone.
Expect some grieving, and let it happen. Grieving takes many different forms, and you may not see it first-hand. But if you’ve just told a person that a cherished idea of theirs probably won’t work, they may take it hard. Give them time and space. Also give them some alternatives to think about. Providing options is one of the most crucial things we do when trying to manage people’s reaction to change.
At all times, be respectful of the person’s ideas, especially if you must advise them to go in a different direction.
Help the client define what is really over, and what is not. Perhaps some aspects of their idea are unrealistic (money required, time required for implementation), and should either be put aside entirely or dramatically altered. But there may be pieces and parts that can be salvaged and form the nucleus for a different idea. Letting go is made easier when the person can take a piece of the old idea with them. It’s not always possible, but it can be meaningful to achieving successful endings.
Encourage future meetings and communicate often and informally to see how the person is doing with the endings phase of change, especially if they need to let go of some big baggage items and if you’ve given them some alternatives to think about/work on. Inviting a person going through change to come back for more discussion is a signal that we care about helping them work through the process.
All business owners and managers have significant experience with managing change, even when we didn’t know anything about Endings, Neutral Zones, or Beginnings. Many of our staffers and friends have no such experience. We can help them deal with the rough spots, one of which can be letting go.
This article was written by Steve Day, SCORE Orange County Management Counselor
Thinking Differently About Change – “Letting Go”
Endings, the “letting go” phase of the change process, is usually the most difficult part of change, so let’s focus on how we can help small business owners and employees let go of some baggage that may hold them back from successful change.
First of all, what do we mean by “baggage” in this context? Change baggage usually includes habits, relationships, environments, comfort zones, warm-and-fuzzies. Successful change doesn’t require letting go of everything, just those things that will block progress to a new beginning, a successful change. When you are assisting a person going through change, the best things you can do are to detect the baggage items, surface them, suggest ways to let go, and help people understand how letting go helps the change process.
Here are some things to keep in mind in these situations:
Be prepared for overreaction when helping people to let go. There will be emotions involved, and some people will find it very challenging to put aside ideas or habits that are in their comfort zone.
Expect some grieving, and let it happen. Grieving takes many different forms, and you may not see it first-hand. But if you’ve just told a person that a cherished idea of theirs probably won’t work, they may take it hard. Give them time and space. Also give them some alternatives to think about. Providing options is one of the most crucial things we do when trying to manage people’s reaction to change.
At all times, be respectful of the person’s ideas, especially if you must advise them to go in a different direction.
Help the client define what is really over, and what is not. Perhaps some aspects of their idea are unrealistic (money required, time required for implementation), and should either be put aside entirely or dramatically altered. But there may be pieces and parts that can be salvaged and form the nucleus for a different idea. Letting go is made easier when the person can take a piece of the old idea with them. It’s not always possible, but it can be meaningful to achieving successful endings.
Encourage future meetings and communicate often and informally to see how the person is doing with the endings phase of change, especially if they need to let go of some big baggage items and if you’ve given them some alternatives to think about/work on. Inviting a person going through change to come back for more discussion is a signal that we care about helping them work through the process.
All business owners and managers have significant experience with managing change, even when we didn’t know anything about Endings, Neutral Zones, or Beginnings. Many of our staffers and friends have no such experience. We can help them deal with the rough spots, one of which can be letting go.
Writing a Grant Proposal can be Daunting « Managing Nonprofits
Writing a Grant Proposal can be Daunting « Managing Nonprofits
Whether you do it yourself or hire a grant writer you will find that there are some common aspects to all grant proposals. Even if you are expert at writing grants it is a good idea to keep some of the basics as a check list that you can refer to as you develop the documents. There is a variety of approaches for this type of writing and a basic framework.
First and most critical is that the writer understands the funder’s guidelines and specific instructions regarding the presentation of certain facts; especially if it is a conditional grant. With a conditional grant it usually means that your organization needs to raise a specific amount of money before the grant is paid. Many grant writers rely on their check list to ensure that the proposal includes all steps necessary to give the document the edge for success. You need to achieve flawless quality
A good way to start is to develop a map /outline for the proposal and match it against the funders guidelines – then begin the writing of the proposal. Use language appropriate to the grant. Not every person reading the proposal will know the “jargon” you may have used to express a thought – including acronyms. Jargon is irritating to readers and often seems pretentious.
Be concise and concentrate on your organization’s ability to meet the need stated in your mission statement. Give a brief history of your nonprofit and give a capsule of your programs. Make sure to directly connect what you currently do and what you want to accomplish with the funding that is requested.
Often your proposal is one of many competing for the same grant so present your ideas as clearly as possible. Stick to the main points, eliminate wordiness. A short and succinct proposal will be appreciated by the reader. Give it life!
Lastly, let someone else read your proposal – have them read it out loud so you can hear and appreciate the contents. Make last minute adjustments as necessary then send it off with good wishes.
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 28th, 2010 at 12:19 pm and is filed under -By Author, Fundraising, Robin Noah. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Whether you do it yourself or hire a grant writer you will find that there are some common aspects to all grant proposals. Even if you are expert at writing grants it is a good idea to keep some of the basics as a check list that you can refer to as you develop the documents. There is a variety of approaches for this type of writing and a basic framework.
First and most critical is that the writer understands the funder’s guidelines and specific instructions regarding the presentation of certain facts; especially if it is a conditional grant. With a conditional grant it usually means that your organization needs to raise a specific amount of money before the grant is paid. Many grant writers rely on their check list to ensure that the proposal includes all steps necessary to give the document the edge for success. You need to achieve flawless quality
A good way to start is to develop a map /outline for the proposal and match it against the funders guidelines – then begin the writing of the proposal. Use language appropriate to the grant. Not every person reading the proposal will know the “jargon” you may have used to express a thought – including acronyms. Jargon is irritating to readers and often seems pretentious.
Be concise and concentrate on your organization’s ability to meet the need stated in your mission statement. Give a brief history of your nonprofit and give a capsule of your programs. Make sure to directly connect what you currently do and what you want to accomplish with the funding that is requested.
Often your proposal is one of many competing for the same grant so present your ideas as clearly as possible. Stick to the main points, eliminate wordiness. A short and succinct proposal will be appreciated by the reader. Give it life!
Lastly, let someone else read your proposal – have them read it out loud so you can hear and appreciate the contents. Make last minute adjustments as necessary then send it off with good wishes.
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 28th, 2010 at 12:19 pm and is filed under -By Author, Fundraising, Robin Noah. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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