Meliora Group News

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2010 Previous - Job Postings

Saint Leo Job Announcement:
Dir. of Parent Programs
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USF Job Announcement:
Sr. Director of Development College of Business
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PENN STATE Job Announcement:
Major Gifts Officer - Director of Development
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Director of Major Gifts - Information Sciences and Technology
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Director of Major Gifts - Smeal College of Business
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2010 Dr. Carol Wittmeyer to speak at Great Lakes Regional AFP Annual Meeting:

For copy of slides of the following presentation, email Carol.

Transforming Strategy to Execution of Best Practices:
Implementing Good to Great in Development Programs
By Carol B. Wittmeyer
President, Meliora Group LLC and
Assistant Professor of Management Sciences, St. Bonaventure University

Many of us in fund-raising have the tools we need to accomplish our work: a compelling mission, staff, budgets, board and volunteer commitment, prospect research and management support, technology, professional networks, etc. However, those resources are not enough to assure our success. In an environment where expectations and competition for donor resources are consistently increasing, we need to become better leaders and differentiate ourselves from our peers to excel in our field.

The purpose of this session is to challenge us to consider our leadership roles and our ability to motivate those who serve with us. Why is this important?

In our profession, turnover and burnout is high. We need to consider ways to build and encourage staffs who can best serve the needs of our institutions for the short and long haul.

As in any organization, we need to consider new ways to execute best practices to realize thoughtful strategic plans, so often buried in file cabinets because we struggle to find time and expertise to consider implementation.

The best professionals continually challenge their leadership skills and search for best practices. Discussing these challenges with colleagues who may have the same issues can be a useful way to become more effective and efficient.

Using Jim Collins' Good to Great, this session will cover the principles he suggests are most important in developing effective leadership. We will specifically apply these to development work using case studies. They include:

  • Level 5 Leadership
  • First Who
  • Confront the Brutal Facts
  • Hedgehog Concept
  • Culture of Discipline
  • Technology Accelerators
  • Flywheel
  • Preserve the Core / Stimulate Progress

The session will be interactive, including a real-time survey of participants, along with Q and A following the presentation.

Several copies of Good to Great and Good to Great in the Social Sector will be raffled at the presentation. (These can be purchased at any bookstore as well.)

To learn more about Good to Great visit:
http://www.jimcollins.com
2007 The Meliora Group partners with Blackbaud's Analytic Team to provide electronic screening to institutions who desire periodic screening of a dozen prospects such as a new group of parents or a batch of screening needed to analyze a reunion cohort.
2005 Introducing the Meliora Group. Do you want the services of a large consulting firm but cannot justify the expense? With decades of similar experiences we have empathy for your situation and have created the Meliora Group to serve the development consulting needs of small and mid-level sized institutions. We strive to tailor programs to meet the individual needs of our clients at a very reasonable cost. To learn more about our services, please visit our website at www.melioragroup.com or call us at 1-716-474-6833. We will be delighted to talk to potential clients about conducting an operations audit to listen to the needs of the institution, ask questions, and propose a flexible plan to assist the organization in becoming more effective and efficient.