Background Checks on Volunteers

Scenario 1: you want to volunteer your time and talent to your favorite charity. Scenario 2: You want to join an organization that engages in public service activities. For either scenario, would you be insulted if you were asked to undergo a background check?

Organizations like the Girl Scout Councils include background checks as part of the standard process of bringing anyone on-board: from the volunteer troop leader to the accountant. Other un-named organizations that pride themselves on doing things in the community like organizing fundraisers that involve interaction with the public often do not conduct background checks on their members.

In general charity and non-profit organizations are becoming more cautious about the people who are ultimately acting as representatives for them to the public. More and more are conducting background screenings on their volunteers, especially in light of incidents like what happened in Rochester, IL. Justin Weaver, one of the volunteers at the Rochester Fire Department, was recently arrested on federal child pornography charges. Apparently, he had the audacity to wear his uniform in some of the questionable images found on his computer.

What people fail to recognize is that the Rochester situation does NOT fully support conducting background checks. When Mr. Weaver was hired he had a spotless record and a background check would have come back clean. The key to a successful background check policy is conducting on-going checks. It is more possible that when a person is hired they have not committed any crimes but commits a crime while employed, and unless a periodic check is done an employer may not know.

Regardless if you are hiring employees, accepting the assistance of volunteers or engaging people who are representing your company/brand to the public the key is to establish a process of periodic checks.

Interns To The Rescue!

I have been so distracted lately, and it has been very hard to focus. We have been hit hard by circumstances that have affected operations and it has been so easy to get derailed. Thank goodness for our new interns! As an example of how distracted I am, this semester I just gave the interns our strategic goals (one picked the consumer side and the other picked the corporate side) and I told them to determine the best ways to move forward. In the past, I gave much structure and direction, and often Jennifer and I were disappointed at the lack of creativity and innovation. The internships became this task oriented project - which is not what we believe that it should be about. Don't get me wrong: I would LOVE to hand off some of the tasks that drive me crazy (managing distribution lists, sending follow up messages, keeping resources up-to-date, etc.), but I have seen that when someone has a chance to implement their own ideas they either take on the challenge or try to hide as much as possible. My hope is that the interns will make it their goal to understand Verify-ED and Val-ID-ate, and get out there to interact with the public (physically and online) to truly learn the art of networking. This is a skill that is not taught in the classroom, yet it is THE secret to much success.

This semester will either be a roaring success or a blazing disaster. I am crossing my fingers for the success side!!

Egyptian Dirt For Sale

Last month my husband and I went to Egypt. The stars were aligned and we were able to pull it off - with the help of 2 au pairs and 1 great friend holding down the fort with our 3 children and another au pair serving as travel consultant, we were able to do the trip for a minimal expense. It is a place that my husband has wanted to go forever - and I was up for the adventure (Rome is my forever trip).

Whenever anyone asks me, "how was the trip", my response is the same: unreal. It is very hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I can personally touch something that has been around over 5,000 years. There are almost no barriers to the artifacts and ruins - which made me skeptical about the authenticity. The are also so many statues and other artifacts that I started to feel like I was on a Hollywood set. I am not an archaeologist, so I can't vouch for authenticity, but I couldn't help but feel "hmmm, who's to say that someone didn't just make that statue?..."

The tie in to business: product perception. Think about it: you don't doubt the value of the artwork in the Louvre because you are not allowed to come near anything. That distance almost makes you want it more, and you can figure why people are willing to pay more. In comparison, in Egypt we were picking up rocks and other things from burial sites and temples that (as far as we can tell) could have fallen directly off of Hatshepsut's temple. Timewise, the Egyptian dirt would be worth more than any artwork hanging in the Louvre - but I am sure that no one will pay us money for it. The same with our Val-ID-ate product. We have to present it as the exclusive product that it is. We have a unique tool, and we don't expound on that fact enough. We need to convey just how utilizing our tool makes someone unique - and invaluable. Worth money.

For so long we have undervalued our products, and it is very hard to change pricing to better reflect worth. A basic business principle is that you can always lower a price, but raising a price is difficult. Well, SETTING a price is IMPOSSIBLE! But, I guess we learn from trial and error, or just plain pain.

We are striving to hang (figuratively) in the Louvre - Paris is my second "forever" trip

She Couldn't Keep A Ball Rolling If She Was...

I wrote something today that made me laugh (yes, I have reached the stage where I am telling myself funny things). I wrote: she couldn't keep a ball rolling if she was standing at the top of a hill.

Momentum - how do you keep it going?

That has been the biggest issue with changing staff and multiple projects going on. I have my hands full trying to just gain sales momentum. Think about what I am trying to accomplish with the side support things (newsletters, social network presence, participation in professional organizations, etc.).

I did some quick research, and didn't find any helpful tips online - tools for keeping a team interested in a project that may be slow-going.

Time to put the query out there! Let's see if my Twitter and Facebook contacts have ideas...

Reviews and Reflections

After a bit of a hiatus, I am back online. I wish I could say that I am refreshed, but I feel more run down than ever.

Let's think about our first jobs. I am not talking about working at a summer camp as a lifeguard or even Mickey D's - but your first real job where your input was required in order to make decisions. Do you remember if your first job was reactive or active? By that I mean: were you a decision-maker or did you wait until someone told you what to do?

In our environment, since there are so many balls in the air, we seek team members who do not need to be told what to do in detail. We seek people who have enthusiasm and the self-direction to convert that enthusiasm into results. Unfortunately, we don't have the money to further encourage this, but we have been lucky to find people who have seen the benefits of working with us to develop their problem solving and implementation skills.

Recently we received feedback that this total lack of hand-holding and "looking over the shoulder" was not appreciated, that we are boring. I couldn't help but chuckle because it is interesting how those who do not have the ability to take a project to the next level and look to others for "entertainment" would find anything that is not spoon-fed either "boring" or "too hard".

I struggle with this mentality with my 10-year old. We challenge our children to "think out of the box" and give the teachers more than the minimum requirements. THIS is how you excel - and this is how you grow. Waiting around for someone to tell you every "how" puts you in a position of subservience and dependence.

Regardless of the negativity, I am proud of our environment at Verify-ED. We let people make mistakes and we encourage everyone to go beyond the minimum. Unfortunately, most do not take the challenge. We are usually able to weed out the people who need lots of hand-holding during the interview process. It is amazing that just by asking an open-ended question that requires some research you can find out those who are seeking a position that requires and in and out box vs. those who want to show you that they have the ability to find solutions. We state a GOAL and then we basically leave it at that. We recognize that we are dependent upon the energies of others - and we have seen some great projects falter as a result. But, we have also seen great team members who have chosen to continue to contribute beyond their term of employment here - and THAT is all the reward for which any employer can hope!

To all our past and current team members - THANK YOU!!

A Prayer To The Sales Gods

Today I made the executive decision to hire a pre-sales person. This is a big deal because we are very conservative about spending the money that we don't have - but it has to be done. We have been building Verify-ED for almost 3 years and we have been growing organically. Unfortunately, organically is not going to get us to the goal of Val-ID-ate being a standard part of the hiring process. Organically makes me think of a plant that slowly emerges from the seed and eventually breaks through the soil. The plant may hibernate in the winter, to re-emerge in the spring - during which there is no growth (of course). Organically is NOT the growth cycle that we want - and investing our dollars in someone who can get us in front of prospective clients is a big deal.

I have come to appreciate and I am in awe of successful sales professionals. I am amazed at their ability to "get out there" and "get appointments". As I have mentioned before, Mark LaRosa continues to be my idol. I still take the safe routes by primarily reaching out to known contacts or colleagues of colleagues. How will we really grow that way?

So, Debbie, welcome aboard! I will let everyone know how we are looking in 3 months.

The Power of the Social Network

Today I attended the funeral for the mother of a friend I have known since high school. After high school we connected intermittently, and in recent years have become closer. So close that she is the godmother to my daughter.

My friend does not have a profile of Facebook , but I do and through this profile I have connected with quite a few classmates. Today, with her permission, I sent a message through Facebook to these classmates with the funeral information. Now, think about it, I sent the message the day of the event - kind of short notice. What I figured is that a few people may be interested in signing the online guestbook, so I provided the information.

One of our classmates saw the message and made the trip from Manhattan, circumventing all the crazy construction. How amazing! We all haven't seen each other in 20 years, and this woman made it a point to show our friend how much she cared - and she wouldn't have known about the funeral without the network.

Facebook also exemplifies the concept of 6 degrees of separation. I recently went through an old phonebook and searched on Facebook for some of these long-lost friends. I found an old boyfriend, someone who I hadn't seen in about 13 years and we "connected". After the connection, we find out that we have a mutual friend - and we didn't know this back when we were dating.

I have been using LinkedIn to connect with the connections of connections who work within the recruiting industry, and it has been an interesting process. Most people have been very kind and forthcoming and willing to help me reach a desired contact - and primarily because of my relationship with a mutual "connection" ("colleague" is sometimes still too strong a word).

Social networks are re-defining human interaction. It allows us to interface and hide as desired, which can be good and bad - almost like Caller ID. At Verify-ED, we are constantly looking at ways to utilize social networks to support our business strategy and we are amazed at our many options.

1 year from now, if I ever review this post, I am curious as to the effect of social networks. Hmmm, sounds like I need to put a task in MS Outlook to check next year.