Contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you've tagged. Start by contacting the folks at organizations closest to yours in focus and/or budget. It's most likely, but not a definite, that their designers are the best fit.

Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won't want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.

Here are some of the questions I ask prospective designers:

• How long have you been designing? With this firm/worki
  What Is Leadership Anyway?
  What is leadership anyway?According to James MacGregor Burns, who authored the Nobel prize-winning book Leadership, there are at least 130 current definitions of leadership; while Warren Bemis and Burt Nanus, in their book Leaders, claim there are at least 350. Here are a few:· We have conceived of leadership…as the tapping of existence and potential motive and power basis of followers by leaders, for the purpose of achieving an intended change…· Though leadership may be hard to define, the one characteristic common to all leaders is their ability to make things happen…· Leadership can be defined as the will to control events, the understanding to chart a course and the power to get a job done, cooperatively using the skill and abilities of other people…· Leadership is the ability
  Nothing is as compelling as managing the design, of a printed piece or web look for your organization, service or campaign. It's easy to get swept away envisioning the impact it will have on your target audiences. And the creative adventure of bringing that piece, or web design, to life, is usually a welcome change from strategic and administrative work.

  However, the excitement often fades when you dive into the process of finding, hiring, and managing a designer or design team. Let's be honest. It's challenging to manage a designer's creativity into a design take that meets your organization's needs can be challenging. You definitely want to give the designer the opportunity to channel her creative genius into something powerful. On the other hand, you want to ensure that she translates your marketing concept into something that speaks to your audiences and motivates advocacy, donations, registration, inquiries, or whatever call to action you need.

  I've run up against this challenge time and again, first as an in-house marketing director in several publishing houses, and at the Foundation Center, and most recently as the marketing firm point person for nonprofit and foundation clients. Over the years, I've devised a few strategies that ensure that the design process goes smoothly. And they really work.

  I advise you to take these five steps. When you do, you'll generate the design results that make the greatest impact for your organization:

  Step One: Take your time to find the RIGHT designer.

  NOTE: Take this step immediately, not when you're in desperate need of a designer.

  I have, over the years, developed a stable of about seven good designers. They are all the RIGHT designer, but not one of them is the right designer for every single design project.

  The question is how do you find your stable of RIGHT designers? You're likely to need relationships with three or four designers. The number depends on the volume of design work, the range of looks you're trying to achieve, and the diversity of materials and online projects to be designed. My situation is unique. Because I work with many clients with diverse needs, I require more of a range of design skills and price points than would any single nonprofit or foundation.

  Here's how to find your designers:

  Step Two: Gather favorite design samples Keep a folder of favorites, printed materials you identify as good design in the same range as your organization's image or the image you want to establish. Bookmark website designs in the same way.

  Make sure that some of your picks are produced by nonprofits and foundations.

  Step Three: Compile your list of prospective designers Contact communications colleagues (make sure you like their design sensibility first, judging by their products) and ask for designer recommendations. Get basic information on pricing, work style, and client base.

  Contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you've tagged. Start by contacting the folks at organizations closest to yours in focus and/or budget. It's most likely, but not a definite, that their designers are the best fit.

  Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won't want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.

  Here are some of the questions I ask prospective designers:

  • How long have you been designing? With this firm/worki
    Mystery Shopping - Fun, Flexibility And Financial Freedom
    Ever thought about Mystery Shopping? Mystery shopping agencies throughout the world have plenty of assignments for people who don't have the life style to commit to full time employment. If you play your cards right it could be your answer to fun, flexibility and financial freedom!Mystery Shopping is a growing industry. It allows members of your community to go out and shop, then be reimbursed for their efforts while evaluating the customer service of a particular retailer. The most attractive aspect of mystery shopping is the flexibility. One is able to devote as little or as much of their time as they like in order to complete an assignment, how easy is that?What is the catch? There is none. Large retailers need people like you and me to complete assignments for the benefit of the wider communit
    werful. On the other hand, you want to ensure that she translates your marketing concept into something that speaks to your audiences and motivates advocacy, donations, registration, inquiries, or whatever call to action you need.

    I've run up against this challenge time and again, first as an in-house marketing director in several publishing houses, and at the Foundation Center, and most recently as the marketing firm point person for nonprofit and foundation clients. Over the years, I've devised a few strategies that ensure that the design process goes smoothly. And they really work.

    I advise you to take these five steps. When you do, you'll generate the design results that make the greatest impact for your organization:

    Step One: Take your time to find the RIGHT designer.

    NOTE: Take this step immediately, not when you're in desperate need of a designer.

    I have, over the years, developed a stable of about seven good designers. They are all the RIGHT designer, but not one of them is the right designer for every single design project.

    The question is how do you find your stable of RIGHT designers? You're likely to need relationships with three or four designers. The number depends on the volume of design work, the range of looks you're trying to achieve, and the diversity of materials and online projects to be designed. My situation is unique. Because I work with many clients with diverse needs, I require more of a range of design skills and price points than would any single nonprofit or foundation.

    Here's how to find your designers:

    Step Two: Gather favorite design samples Keep a folder of favorites, printed materials you identify as good design in the same range as your organization's image or the image you want to establish. Bookmark website designs in the same way.

    Make sure that some of your picks are produced by nonprofits and foundations.

    Step Three: Compile your list of prospective designers Contact communications colleagues (make sure you like their design sensibility first, judging by their products) and ask for designer recommendations. Get basic information on pricing, work style, and client base.

    Contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you've tagged. Start by contacting the folks at organizations closest to yours in focus and/or budget. It's most likely, but not a definite, that their designers are the best fit.

    Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won't want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.

    Here are some of the questions I ask prospective designers:

    • How long have you been designing? With this firm/worki
      Chinese Management Style
      There are really some cultural difference between Western management and Chinese management. I will be sharing one example of the Chinese management style as the following. Basically I share some ideas of what you should do when you are meeting up with Chinese Businessman.Te Business Meeting with the ChinesePreparationTry and work out the management structure of the Chinese organization. Often the person with the most impressive title is not the one who makes the decisions. Carry plenty of business cards to distribute. All documentation should be presented in both Chinese and English. Language should be kept as straightforward as possible to assist the interpreter.Using interpretersAn interpreter will be required at most meetings and their role is central to the success of the ne
      ion:

      Step One: Take your time to find the RIGHT designer.

      NOTE: Take this step immediately, not when you're in desperate need of a designer.

      I have, over the years, developed a stable of about seven good designers. They are all the RIGHT designer, but not one of them is the right designer for every single design project.

      The question is how do you find your stable of RIGHT designers? You're likely to need relationships with three or four designers. The number depends on the volume of design work, the range of looks you're trying to achieve, and the diversity of materials and online projects to be designed. My situation is unique. Because I work with many clients with diverse needs, I require more of a range of design skills and price points than would any single nonprofit or foundation.

      Here's how to find your designers:

      Step Two: Gather favorite design samples Keep a folder of favorites, printed materials you identify as good design in the same range as your organization's image or the image you want to establish. Bookmark website designs in the same way.

      Make sure that some of your picks are produced by nonprofits and foundations.

      Step Three: Compile your list of prospective designers Contact communications colleagues (make sure you like their design sensibility first, judging by their products) and ask for designer recommendations. Get basic information on pricing, work style, and client base.

      Contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you've tagged. Start by contacting the folks at organizations closest to yours in focus and/or budget. It's most likely, but not a definite, that their designers are the best fit.

      Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won't want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.

      Here are some of the questions I ask prospective designers:

      • How long have you been designing? With this firm/worki
        80% of New Employees Fail Within the First 5 Years
        Have you heard the statistic that says, “80% of new businesses fail within the first five years?” That seems to be a favorite one for people to cite when attempting to discourage their friends or co-workers from starting a new business (with the best of intentions of course Now can anyone tell me what percentage of employees fail within the first five years?If you work at a job and get laid off after 4.5 years, would you qualify for this statistic? What if you quit? Left for a better job? Retired? Got a tr
        re more of a range of design skills and price points than would any single nonprofit or foundation.

        Here's how to find your designers:

        Step Two: Gather favorite design samples Keep a folder of favorites, printed materials you identify as good design in the same range as your organization's image or the image you want to establish. Bookmark website designs in the same way.

        Make sure that some of your picks are produced by nonprofits and foundations.

        Step Three: Compile your list of prospective designers Contact communications colleagues (make sure you like their design sensibility first, judging by their products) and ask for designer recommendations. Get basic information on pricing, work style, and client base.

        Contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you've tagged. Start by contacting the folks at organizations closest to yours in focus and/or budget. It's most likely, but not a definite, that their designers are the best fit.

        Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won't want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.

        Here are some of the questions I ask prospective designers:

        • How long have you been designing? With this firm/worki
          Getting Over Ambiguities in Your Decision Making
          How do you normally go about non-trivial decisions?Even if you prefer to take time to do your homework and systematically clarify and prioritize all gains or costs, you can still face many grey areas, when pure logic by itself does not arrive at one convincing conclusion.It could be that your criteria for analysis are difficult to formulate unambiguously. You have gaps or conflicts in your data. Circumstances may be changing too fast to give you enough time to systematically sort out all the data. What do you do then?In such situations you will probably turn to your “gut feeling”, also known as your inner voice or intuition. When it comes to poorly structured problems like and ambiguities, your decision making effectiveness is determined mostly by your ability to use your intuition.In cont
          n on pricing, work style, and client base.

          Contact the communications director at those organizations who produced the print materials or websites you've tagged. Start by contacting the folks at organizations closest to yours in focus and/or budget. It's most likely, but not a definite, that their designers are the best fit.

          Step Four: Hone your list to the top three or four by interviewing ten to twelve designers Contact the top ten to twelve before you have a design project ready to go. At that point, you won't want to waste a minute in getting design estimates in.

          Here are some of the questions I ask prospective designers:

          • How long have you been designing? With this firm/working freelance?
          • Have you worked with nonprofit organizations? If so, who are some of your clients? How did you get into design work for nonprofits?
          • Do you design for print and online media?
          • Could you show me a few samples of what you consider to be your strongest design projects? What is the average size (dollar-wise) of your design projects?
          • Take me through the design process for a brochure? How about an annual report?
          • Do you have references I can call?
          • Will you personally be designing our work, and be my point person? (for non-solo designers)
          • These are the quirks you'll face in designing for our nonprofit (explain any, from the Executive Director thinking she's a designer--and putting her stamp on every piece--to a boss who always changes his mind completely on what a piece should feature when he sees a design concept)
          • While reviewing past work is a very important consideration, be sure you also spend some time talking to their clients to find out more about their design process, working styles, and the results of the project.
          Step Five: Write a creative brief the moment you get a whiff of a pending design job

          A creative brief is the most effective way to get everyone (your colleagues and the design team) started with a common understanding of what needs to be accomplished. An effective creative brief gives the designer direction and provides your team with benchmarks against which to evaluate design concepts.

          Spending the time to complete a thorough creative brief will save you a lot of time up front, and ensure that you get the design product you envisioned.

          In two pages at most, your brief should:

          • Define the project and its objectives
          • List, characterize and prioritize audiences
          • Present Unique Selling Proposition(USP), one sentence about what makes the organization, program or service unique
          • List top features and/or facts about the program, service or organization, and its value to audiences
          • Detail tone or image
          • Specify budget and time frame
          • Outline internal review and approval process
          These five steps will lead you to strong relationships with the right designers. As a result, I guarantee that your print and online design work will be more effective than ever in engaging and spurring recognition from your target audiences.

          Start right now by diving into the stacks in your office. It's likely that, when you do, you'll find some great design samples that will lead you to more effective (and maybe even less expensive) graphic design for your organization.