Death by Email

The only things more poisonous to nonprofit productivity than email are the associated listserv, meeting invitation invasions and ultimately coma-inducing conference calls.  They suck time, crush creativity, undermine expectations and terminate transparency all under the guise of increasing efficiency.  There is nothing efficient about 23 emails to set up a ten minute conference call that probably could have been presented, improved and voted on without a single call or email.  Worst of all email is the trojan horse of personal preferences over board policies.

If you are going to say it, say it publicly or shut up.   Our most limited resource is not time, money, sponsors or volunteers but SYSTEMS for fast, effective, mobile, transparent, secure, CREATIVE COLLABORATION.

The benefits of this “Facebook Style” collaborative tool are virtually endless but here are twenty just to get you started.

1. Connecting a geographically and organizationally diverse group of Team Members.

2. Team Members are highly motivated to only submit their best ideas.

3. Leaders have a vehicle to nurture Team Member ideas.

4. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

5. The organization benefits from the creativity of the masses.

6. New ideas are generated by the collaboration.

7. Cultural and personal biases are ameliorated.

8. Learning is expanded because everyone becomes both a teacher and student.

9. Communications skills are enhanced for everyone in the process.

10. Feedback is immediate, diverse and apolitical.

11. Personal agendas, “lies of omission”, and organizational positioning are all subject to enhanced scrutiny.

12. Leadership is encouraged from every member of the group.

13. You create and organizational knowledge base searchable by keyword and historically accurate.

14. The every prevalent “nobody tells us anything” is replaced by “what have you done to know or contribute?”

15. Alternate options may be explored through exposure to other ideas and projects.

16. You enhance the sense of community, inclusion and the opportunity to be a part of something special.

17. Teams are more creative when they are required to submit ideas before discussion begins.

18. Team members can contribute on their own schedule.

19. Key ideas can be debated and voted on prior to or in place of conference calls.

20. Time is available for more System Two (Kahneman) thinking.

Collaborative tools are also available in a desktop applications as well as apps for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android.  You can connect with your Team Members to work together and be more productive. Updates on the people, projects, and files that you care about most are automatically pushed to you, so you always know what’s going on.