Strategic Thinking for Better Communities Tops the Agenda in Latest Leadership Coaching Series
Success Labs recently wrapped another successful Leadership Coaching Series by helping our community partner, the Center for Planning Excellence, with several challenges. Our two teams of high-potential managers looked for ways that CPEX, Louisiana’s only nonprofit planning organization, could build brand awareness, improve visibility of its efforts and increase fundraising revenue.“The groups each did an amazing job,” says Lauren Michaud Knotts, director of communications at CPEX. “We got a number of really great new ideas as well as a few things we’ve thought about or considered partially that it was good to hear about again and see it presented in new ways.”Here’s what the participants came up with and what they thought of the series.
Establishing Diverse Funding Streams
CPEX is working to develop a more diverse funding model after originally depending on federal earmarks. It doesn’t conduct a typical annual fundraising campaign; instead, it offers memberships to individuals, communities, and businesses that want to support the organization’s work in supporting urban, rural and regional planning efforts in Louisiana.The groups recommended a variety of creative member benefits, fundraising events and member appreciation initiatives reinforcing some inclinations CPEX leaders have had for some time, Knotts says.
Finding New Ways to Build Brand Awareness
CPEX has a complex brand, as the organization works on a wide variety of long-term planning, policy, and implementation projects across the state. This makes it difficult to tie fundraising to results, and it also presents challenges when it comes to marketing and building awareness about the organization.To help bridge that gap, the teams suggested that CPEX create an award to recognize a community or neighborhood that has accomplished exemplary work in planning. This award could be announced at a special event, which would also reinforce awareness of CPEX’s mission.
Strengthening Partnerships
Increasing and leveraging strategic partnerships with other nonprofits and governmental organizations came up in both presentations, Knotts says. “We’re always working on those partnerships and getting them in place, but the groups talked about expanding that footprint in some really innovative ways,” she says.
Developing Leadership Skills Along the Way
Julia Magnon, a new audit manager at Albemarle, says the program helped her develop her leadership skills, particularly when it comes to giving and receiving feedback. “It also brought focus back to personality preferences and how my own preferences interact with others. The recognition of those differences helps me in forming my communication on a more individualized basis so that I can be more efficient and effective,” she says.Other participants came from the Louisiana Bureau of Family Health, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Shintech Louisiana, the Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association, Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana and Triad Electric & Controls. The next Leadership Coaching Series begins Oct. 18, 2017Want to learn more about our Leadership Coaching Series? Contact us.Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.