Now, a break from our regularly scheduled program

Mary Schmidt

Mar 08, 2012

I’m doing my Friday’s Do Good Do Well post a day early.  Why? Because today is International Women’s Day. 

But, haven’t women come a long way, baby? We can run for public office (but we usually don’t). We can vote (but we often don’t). We can do pretty much anything a man can (that doesn’t require massive upper body strength, Even then we can usually figure out how to move that rubber tree plant. I’ve moved huge, heavy pieces of furniture…up and down two flights of stairs).

So, why do we

In Do Good. Do Well.

It’s All Relative (Or Is It?)

Mary Schmidt

Mar 02, 2012

“But, I NEED THAT!”

A Facebook friend posted this, Wall Street Bonus Withdrawal Means Trading Aspen for Coupons, with the note, “It’s all relative.” 

The article begins with a quote from a man who makes $350,000 a year and is finding it tough going with his lower than expected bonus. (Yes, he’s still getting one.)

Andrew Schiff was sitting in a traffic jam in California this month after giving a speech at an investment conference about gold. He turned off the satellite radio, got out of

In Do Good. Do Well., Pet Peeves

Are You at the Top of the Heap?

Mary Schmidt

Feb 24, 2012

I was once a sociology/psych major. (After I was pre-med and before social work…i piled up about a bazillion undergrad hours before finally getting my biz degree. Don’t regret one minute. I learned to think - outside/inside the box [Is the cat dead or alive?}...on the head of a pin…on my feet and on fly - not just repeat data.)

I’ve forgotten a lot of it. But, one thing that has stuck is the Maslow hierarchy of needs. It comes in handy in business development and marketing.  If people are

In Do Good. Do Well.

I Don’t Want to Make “Gobs of Money.”

Mary Schmidt

Feb 17, 2012

(Now that I’ve totally blown my chance of ever being hired by Jamie Dimon...What? She doesn’t love money?...no cred whatsoever!)

“You obviously haven’t figured out how to make gobs of money.” - response to one of my comments on LinkedIn re social media.

Okay, I admit. I like money. It’s very useful (and can be a ton of fun to spend).

However, the making of it as the sole reason for existence?  No, not interested. I’ve spent too much time in corporate boardrooms and around VCs.  I’ve seen up

In Brain Food, Do Good. Do Well.

Donate or Join?

Mary Schmidt

Feb 10, 2012

Like you, I get a lot of pleas from non-profits.  And, the “donate” button is prominent on many of their web sites.  Now, I’ve got no problem with donating;  I do to several organizations on a regular basis (but, please, no more free tote bags, t-shirts, or stuffed animals.)
 
However, while it makes people feel good to help others (google and you’ll quickly find the back-up research…or just ask yourself) - we really like to feel we belong.  We’re hardwired to gravitate toward groups. (We

In Do Good. Do Well.

Do You Have 39.5 Cents?

Mary Schmidt

Feb 03, 2012

As I continue to work on the Adopt-A-Village project for Global Hope Network International, I’m exercising some admittedly rusty fundraising brain cells (particularly difficult this week with a gallopin’ head cold). 

How can I make it as easy as possible for people to participate?  How can I make it as painless as possible?

Well, one way is do some simple math for perspective. 

To participate in the project,  it’ll be $12/month for two to three years.  Maximum 100 people (I’ve already

In Do Good. Do Well.

What Gets YOUR Wallet Open?

Mary Schmidt

Jan 27, 2012

Following on my post from last week, F2F Beats “Like” Every Time

From How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media: “An astounding 97 percent of nonprofits are using social media, far surpassing even the business world,” says Nora Ganim Barnes, co-author of a study released last year by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research…The trick, say nonprofit advocacy experts, is to pair virtual campaigns with flesh-and-blood action.

Ah, there’s always a gotcha, isn’t

In Do Good. Do Well., Social Media Reality Checks