You’re Always On

yoav@negevdirect.com 05/18/2008 "Need to Know" for Jewish non-profits
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Guest post from the eJewishPhilanthropy Blog

Otherwise known as: Everything You Need to Know About Networking (The major summer conference season begins this week. A perfect opportunity to ‘recycle’ a post from a few years back on conference networking.)

There is an old Japanese riddle: Is it the bell that rings? Is it the hammer that rings? Or is it the meeting of the two that rings?

Charlie Jones, an internationally known speaker on the challenging problems in business, tells us: “You are the same today as you will be five years from now, except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.â€

What does this mean to you, the non-profit manager or social entrepreneur? The books you read simply means keeping up with all that is new, different, and exciting in order to continuously enhance your business and your own mind. The people you meet are important because they are part of your network.

They include not only your present constituents, but extend much further to those you meet at social and business gatherings, your local neighborhood, or shopping mall; the list is almost endless. “Networking is people talking to each other, sharing ideas, information and resourcesâ€, according to John Naisbitt, author of Megatrends. He continues… “Networks are structured to transmit information in a way that is quicker, more energy-efficient, and more high-tech than any other process we know.â€

You can network in your community by belonging to the local synagogue, civic / political group or by contacting professional associates you meet at conferences. Remember, the potential for growing your non-profit extends beyond not only the walls of your organization, but also the boundaries of your community.

With cell phones, e-mail and the Web, the world has become smaller, which allows you to tell more people who you are and what you do.

Thanks to Dan Brown at eJewishPhilanthropy.com, who has just returned from the “Facing Tomorrow” conference in Jerusalem for this insightful post.

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