Appreciate your employees with a celebration Janice Jucker  Three Brothers Bakery    Keep moving forward! GreatGatherings

Stay organized and return messages promptly to keep clients working with and supporting your needs. Lori Burris-Glasgow          Four Star Environmental, Inc.   Speak with power!  Ask the most relevant question first at any converence.  Learn to use your voice for power. Joyce Scott                            Superb Speakers Bureau   Manage your money! Richard P. (Rick) Leslie                                    SCORE   Ask and you shall receive, but first you gotta ask! Patricia "Trish" Barry Rumple         playitstore publishing   Compliment, appreciate and lead by example. Mary Piper                                          Bernstein Realty

If you don't know what you want, you're not likely to get it. Katherine Swarts                               Spread The Word   Always hire the right talent for the job. Vikki McCullough                         The Spearhead Group   Know your strengths and capitalize on them. Sherri Johnson                     McClinchey Stafford, PLLC   Location, location, location is important in home selection. Sirtrenia Braxton                        RH Restoration Homes   Build trust.  When trust is high, employee engagement is high.  Walk the talk.  Be open to giving and receiving feedback.  Accept differences.  Be reliable.  Do what you say you will do. Vicki Simmons                                  Advantage Center

Never represent yourself in court.  The business that represents itself has a fool for a client. Teri A. Walter                             Walter Law Firm, P.C.   Never give up!!  You will succeed if you keep on trying. Rita T. Stroup                                                   MetLife   Really know your customers and their needs and listen, listen, listen! Linda Zapalac                                Chevron U.S.A., Inc.

Set realistic goals for each individual as well as the company as a whole.  Motivate and push each individual to not only meet, but exceed these goals. Mandy Love                                        Houston Comets   Please don't expect your customers to be familiar with your company's procedures. Dan Maher                                                 Macori, Inc.   Any company of any size or industry can become the subject of a form I-9 audit!  The form I-9 is not just a simple form.  The immigration laws which govern employment eligibility verification are very complicated.  A fine for form I-9 violations can e costly and possibly devastating for a small or nonprofit company. Elaine Morley                                     Lookout Services

Make donating to your organization a long-term relationship.  Make sure that between solicitations, donors are thanked for past gifts, receive updates on the use of previous gifts, and receive general information about the organization; being a donor should be an ongoing, not an episodic relationship with your organization.  Joel J. Orosz, The Johnson Center for Philanthropy as reported in Nonprofit Good Practice Guide.   Provide a full range of payment options for donors.  Allow donors to fulfill their pledges with cash, checks, credit cards, debit cards, payroll deduction, and electronic transfer. Joel J. Orosz, The Johnson Center for Philanthropy as reported in Nonprofit Good Practice Guide.   Prior planning positively prevents poor performance.  Any campaign requires meticulous planning prior to launching in order to be successful. Joel J. Orosz, The Johnson Center for Philanthropy as reported in Nonprofit Good Practice Guide.

Concentrate on individuals.  Corporations and foundations control substantial resources, but the sheer number of individuals makes them by far the largest source of funding - more than 80% - for nonprofit organizations. Joel J. Orosz, Johnson Center for Philanthropy as reported in Nonprofit Good Practice Guide   Place your eggs in different baskets.  Just as your personal savings are safer if you invest in many different types of securities, your organization is safer if you raise funds from many different sources, including individuals, corporations and foundations; never depend on a single "angel" to support your organization. Joel J. Orosz, Johnson Center for Philanthropy as reported in Nonprofit Good Practice Guide   Fundraising, like charity, begins at home.  It is vital to be able to demonstrate that all of your organization's board members, officers, and volunteer fundraisers make significant gifts to your campaigns; what is considerred to be a "significant gift" will depend on the size and budget of an organization. Joel J. Orosz, Johnson Center for Philanthropy as reported in Nonprofit Good Practice Guide

Create a board development plan.