Gratitude!
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
By the NRMC Team
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
We’re feeling overwhelmed with gratitude today. We are especially grateful to:
- the talented risk champions who attended the Risk Summit in Philadelphia; thank you for giving your time, your attention and your enthusiasm to our guest speakers, sponsors and your hosts–the staff and board of NRMC
- the extraordinarily creative members of our Risk Summit faculty, who wove inspiration from the world of art into carefully planned and expertly led workshops, seminars, panel sessions and a memorable game
- the generous leaders of the Risk Summit partner companies, whose financial support made the conference possible
We’re also grateful to the conference attendees who purchased copies of our book, World-Class Risk Management for Nonprofits, and to co-author Norman Marks and our wonderful editors, NRMC staff member Erin Gloeckner and board member Kitty Holt. Learn more about this comprehensive risk management and risk leadership guidebook on the NRMC website. We’ll begin fulfillment of hardcopy orders tomorrow. If you’ve already ordered a copy, thank you!
The Art of Saying Thanks
Although saying “thank you” is arguably easier than saying “I’m sorry,” many nonprofit leaders don’t flex their thank you muscle often enough. A sincere “thank you” for support, a job well done, or simply for caring, affects the speaker and the recipient in interesting ways. Did you know, for example, that saying “thank you” can boost your personal sense of well-being?
In his article, “The Two Most Important Words,” retired Mattel CEO Robert Eckert offers five simple tips for expressing thanks in a work setting:
- Make time: Set aside time every week to acknowledge people’s good work.
- Get personal: Handwrite thank-you notes whenever you can. The personal touch matters in the digital age.
- Be timely and specific: Punish in private; praise in public. Make the public praise timely and specific.
- Let the boss know: Remember to carbon copy a supervisor when delivering praise or thanks. “Don’t tell me. Tell my boss.”
- Build a grateful culture: Foster a culture of gratitude. It’s a game-changer for sustainable improved performance.
To learn the art of saying thank you at work and to learn why “showing gratitude at work is weirdly complicated,” read this “Guide to Showing Gratitude to Peers, Managers and Employees” by Kate Matsudaira and Kate Stull.
Read “The Science Of Gratitude And Why It’s Important in Your Workplace,” from Fast Company, to learn why the lack of gratitude is a “major factor driving job dissatisfaction, turnover, absenteeism” and more.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
— Scott Brown, Mohonk Preserve
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
— Sidney Abrams, BBYO
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
— Pamela Mattel, Basics Promesa Systems Inc
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
— Jodi Spataro, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
— Marti Worshtil, Prince George’s Child Resource Center
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!