Picks of the Week: February 7 - 13, 2010

Website of the Week -- Public Agenda

For over 30 years, Public Agenda has been providing unbiased and unparalleled research that bridges the gap between American leaders and what the public really thinks about issues ranging from education to foreign policy to immigration to religion and civility in American life. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, Public Agenda was founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in 1975. Public Agenda's two-fold mission is to help American leaders better understand the public's point of view and enable citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions. Go to: http://www.publicagenda.org.

Publication of the Week -- Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Managers and Leaders: Developing People to Achieve Your Mission by Judith Wilson and Michelle Gislason

From the publisher: The only nonprofit orientation to coaching skills available, Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Leaders will provide nonprofit managers with an understanding of why and how to coach, how to initiate coaching in specific situations, how to make coaching really work, and how to refine coaching for long-term success. Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Leaders offers practical steps for coaching leaders to greatness and complements the academic and theoretical work in nonprofit leadership theory. The book can be used by the coaching novice as a thorough topical overview or by those more experienced with coaching as a quick reference or refresher. Based on the Inquiry Based Coaching? approach, Coaching Skills will strengthen and expand the reader?s ability to drive organization mission, while retaining the intrinsic values of the nonprofit culture and working towards outcomes that create a culture of discipline and accountability and empower others to be even more responsible, accountable, and self-motivated. This book uses accessible language, examples, case studies, key questions, and exercises to help:

• Promote better relationships
• Know when to delegate, direct and coach.
• Balance directive and supportive styles of leadership for productive partnerships
• Overcome fears and deal head-on with difficult situations and conflict.
• Use coaching for performance improvement and on-the-job development.
• Support independent thinking and personal reflection
• Gain commitment and accountability from others and build teams

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Teen Use of Social Media

Everybody goes online, everybody has a cell phone, and kids hate blogging and Twitter, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. The findings show that the Internet isn't just prevalent in our lives, it is our lives. Ninety-three percent of teens ages 12 to 17 go online, 75% of them own a cell phone, and 66% say they text. In fact, 58% of 12-year-olds now have mobiles, compared to 18% just five years ago. Sixty-two percent use the Internet to access information on news and politics, and some teens are even using the Internet as a guardian: 17% say they go online to research information about drug use, sexual health, and other topics that are awkward to talk about with real people. For more findings from the study, go to: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog.


Resource of the Week -- Virtual CAP

Virtual CAP provides an in-depth look at innovative programs and projects developed by Community Action Agencies around the United States. Programs can be researched by state, category or keyword. Each contains a summary description, as well as useful links to download materials and to related websites. Go to: http://www.virtualcap.org/viewprogram.cfm?pid=209.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Add a Watermark to a Word 2007 Document

Watermarks are text or pictures that appear behind the text. They can add interest or identify the document's status, marking a document as a draft, for example. You can use graphics or text as watermarks.

• Open a new, blank document, or open an existing document.
• Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon
• In the Page Background group, click Watermark
• Click a design in the gallery or create a custom watermark
• Select the Picture, if you are creating a Picture watermark
• Enter the Text, if you are creating a Text watermark
• Use Print Layout view to view a watermark as it will print

The watermark displays on the background of each page.