FirstPoint Management Resources

On Blameless Problem Solving

Practice Blameless Problem Solving Part of our job is to encounter and solve problems. Those might be internal or external. Some of those problems are caused by other team members or volunteers who did not execute or choose wisely. When we are called in to fix something that isn’t functioning properly, we sometimes have a […]

On Making Quality Personal

Focusing on quality means we work to adjust our products, services and processes so that they continue to be the best they can possibly be. Quality starts first in our mind – with our making the decision to look for opportunities to make things better. Here are some tips on how to elevate our game: […]

On Doing More With Less

Last year the expense reduction team did a fantastic job trimming expenses and keeping our division profitable. We can also use some of these same tools with our clients to help them make the most of every dollar they spend. Here are some ideas: RED – We need to help our boards understand that financial […]

On Anticipation

FUNDAMENTAL 22 – Anticipate As we learn and understand more about the flow of work and the needs of members and other people on our team, we can start to predict what comes next. Things will follow each other in a natural progression. When we anticipate, we get to the next thing sooner than those […]

On Response Time

FUNDAMENTAL 20 – Be a Fanatic About Response Time There are very few things that impress people as much as speedy response. Some items can turn around very quickly but others take some time to develop. In either case, we can still focus on our responsiveness – it just takes a different form. Here are […]

Curating Culture: How FPMR Documents Company Culture and Inspires Engagement

By Teri Saylor and Jim Booth At FPMR, general manager Jim Booth, CAE leads the way when it comes to thought leadership, strategic planning, and creating a company culture that fosters creativity, leadership, learning, and yes, fun! A few years ago, Jim created FPMR’s first “culture book,” to reflect on the year and on how […]

FirstPoint Management Resources Announces Year End Move to New Raleigh Location

FirstPoint Management Resources (FPMR) will be relocating its offices during the fourth quarter of 2021. The move shifts operations from 1500 Sunday Drive near the PNC Arena to 3739 National Drive near Crabtree Mall in Raleigh. The transition to new space will begin on November 13 and conclude by mid-December. The organization will operate continuously […]

On Doing the Right Thing

FUNDAMENTAL 18 – Do the Right Thing Always Each of us are governed by self-leadership. We are responsible for making good decisions, investing in our own education and enrichment, and seeking help or mentoring when we are in over our head. One of the most critical features of self-leadership is ethics and integrity. When it […]

On Clear Expectations

FUNDAMENTAL 16 – Get Clear On Expectations One of the most frustrating things we can do, is to work hard to please a client only to find out their expectations were for something very different than we thought. We can prevent things like this by getting clear on expectations before we start the project. Here […]

On Creating Win-Win Solutions

FUNDAMENTAL 14 – Create Win-Win Solutions I am working on a project for one of AMC Institute’s committees which required me to address the situation of balanced loyalty. The situation works like this: when account managers and admins first come to work they have strong loyalty to the AMC and minimal loyalty to clients. The […]

On Fundamental 12: Celebrate Success

There are few things as enjoyable as celebrating a successful outcome. In our work we have many events, projects and gatherings that deserve a celebration as we successfully conclude them. Here are a few thoughts on celebrating success: BE successful. Before we can celebrate success we have to create success. This means we need to […]

Jerel Noel Senior Account Executive: Leading Through Crisis

Jerel Noel, CAE discusses the lessons he learned as president of Association Executives of North Carolina during the worst crisis the world has faced in recent memory – the COVID-19 pandemic. By Teri Saylor & Jerel Noel, CAE Like many people who manage business and non-profit organizations, Jerel Noel, CAE took the scenic route to […]

On Fundamental 10 – Something More

FUNDAMENTAL 10 – Deliver More Than Requested Our client relationships are based on a scope of work and an estimate of hours required to perform that work. Giving clients extra time or effort for free can damage our business by creating an opportunity cost of your time that could be applied toward other clients. So, […]

On Saying Goodbye

“To hold you must first open your hand, let go.” Lao Tzu Sometimes at our direction, and sometimes in circumstances beyond our control we must say goodbye. Sometimes this realization comes with joy; sometimes it comes with tears. We can be blindsided by it or choose it to start the engine of change. Disruption is […]

On Leading From the Center

Everywhere we look these days we see division, anger, misunderstanding, mistrust, violence and destruction. As leaders of nonprofits, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to do better. We can do better when we choose behaviors that allow us lead from the center. Think about these behaviors and try to apply them as you lead […]

On Mission Creep

Mission is the unifying principle or statement of purpose that causes an organization to form and stay together. Mission is why we get up in the morning. In the beginning it is tightly focused and others rally to it because their beliefs align with the mission of the organization. This is one of the reasons […]

Celebrating Jerel Noel

Association Executives of North Carolina inaugurates a new president on August 3. Jerel Noel, CAE, is a Senior Account Manager with Raleigh-based FirstPoint Management Resources and serves as Executive Director of Cardiovascular Credentialing International. Noel will serve a one-year term ending in August 2021. AENC is a professional society promoting professional development and networking among […]

On Virtual Meetings

Like many other companies serving associations and non-profits, we have been working out the details of providing virtual events. In only a few weeks it is interesting to observe the sudden shift from avoidance of virtual events to a complete embrace of technology as a viable alternative to in-person events. While the technology is not […]

On Revival and Renewal

Over the last 8 weeks the world has seen a tremendous amount of suffering and sacrifice. As frustrated as we are and as helpless as we feel, we need to stay the course just a bit longer to allow the strategy to work. When I facilitate strategic planning sessions there is a point the group […]

We Have Homework

Once upon a time we all dreaded homework. It was a necessary condition of going to school and represented some kind of unfair intrusion into our freedom from school. Now, we consider ourselves fortunate if we are able to work from home since that means we are still employed. In the non-profit association world, this […]

FPMR COVID-19 Response

FPMR Status Report on COVID-19 Response March 20, 2020 Like so many companies across the United States, FirstPoint has been making rapid adjustments to our work environment and technology infrastructure to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19. These changes include: Working with many of our clients to reschedule or cancel and refund registrations for upcoming […]

Nonprofit Pandemic Resources

As we continue to learn more about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and how it’s impacting communities across the country and around the world, the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits has collected updates and resources to help nonprofit organizations take steps to safeguard your employees, operations, and your communities. Stay Up-to-date on COVID-19 Centers for Disease Control […]

Stay Calm and Communicate

Communication strategies for dealing with emerging issues Associations are trusted advisers for their members and their members’ constituencies, customers and clients. In times of crisis and when people need information, they look to associations for guidance. Your association is the public face of your industry or sector, and it is important how you respond to […]

On Disaster Recovery

On July 21, 2018 we had an office fire. We also had a disaster plan and put it into motion immediately. Maintaining operations throughout the recovery period is one of our proudest moments so it is very sobering to think about how we would have responded if we had not planned for such an event […]

Re-accreditation

FirstPoint Management Resources just concluded a six-month process of preparation for re-accreditation. Our policies, procedures and documentation was updated by staff teams, required items were communicated to clients, and an internal audit was conducted to make sure we had all required elements in place for the final re-accreditation audit. The final step in our re-accreditation […]

On Ethics and Compliance – Conflicts of Interest

In order to operate ethically and in the spirit of transparency and full disclosure, all nonprofit organizations should have a conflict of interest policy. According to the National Council of Nonprofits a Conflict of Interest Policy is critical. “A policy governing conflicts of interests is perhaps the most important policy a nonprofit board can adopt. […]

On Planning – Mission as a Measuring Stick

Your nonprofit probably has a mission, vision or purpose statement. Some may have all 3 and other statements like a brand story, tag line or values statement as well. These statements are extremely powerful because they represent a shared understanding of the purpose of the organization. If you have read “Start With Why” by Simon […]

Understanding the Financial Statement

As a volunteer leader on the board, you have a responsibility to be a fiduciary of the organization. That means you have been elected or appointed by trusted individuals and you represent the interests of all other individuals and organizations that have contributed time and resources to the organization. There are personal liabilities associated with […]

On Leadership – Too Much Poking

“Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. You spoil it with too much poking.” Tao Te Ching 60, Lao Tzu. When assuming a high position of governance in a nonprofit organization there is a great temptation to be involved in everything and try to control the outcome as much as possible. This […]

Nonprofit management blog

Thanks for finding this resource to support nonprofit boards. Hopefully you will find items here that will help you and your organization guide the growth of your nonprofit organization and create a more effective and fun environment for governance. Feel free to share these postings with other board members. If quoting, please credit FPMRNonprofit.Management.