A Day in Harrisonburg with the Arts Council of the Valley

ROOOOAD TRIIIIIIIIP! John and I spent Monday in Harrisonburg, VA with staff and board members from the Arts Council of the Valley, which included a tour of the Court Square Theater (pictured above). I had never been to Harrisonburg before-- and I've been missing out! The historic downtown is beautiful, the small town is overflowing with arts and culture, and the Arts Council of the Valley is right smack dab in the middle of it all.

Floricane is helping ACV transform a lengthy, broad strategic plan into a concise document full of realistic action items. This will mean a clearer vision for the next 18 months and a simpler plan for making positive changes. We hope the entire staff and board will be relieved and excited when they see the final product!

Capital One serves up a dose of our own medicine

Sometimes, a little whimsy is all you need. Whimsy, and discipline. 

It was certainly whimsy that led me to submit Floricane’s name for ScopeAthon, an event organized by the Taproot Foundation and Capital One to help small businesses strengthen their processes. Believe me when I say that the six hours that Caroline, Theran and I spent working with a small team of Capital One process experts was worth its weight in gold. Or whatever is in your wallet.

It was, quite honestly, a bit like what many of you have experienced when you’ve brought Floricane into your own organizations.

We had a lovely start to our session. Amy, Krystal and Natasha were intrigued by Floricane. We talked about the history of Floricane, and our areas of focus, and the talented team that has assembled in recent years. And then I stepped away to take an important phone call and look for coffee.

When I came back, Natasha leaned back into the conversation and said, “So, one of the common threads that keeps coming up for me is that John is the bottleneck.”

So much for the intrigue.

Saying Thank You...

Thank You From Floricane

Based on our purchase history of our patented Floricane orange envelopes and note cards, I’ve written more than 1,500 thank you notes since the business launched at the end of 2008. It’s a challenging practice to stay on top of – and I probably owe everyone who reads this post a card that hasn’t been written.

I’d like to blame my mom for this habit, but it’s really not her fault. No, Charles and Charlie Luck – the owners of Luck Companies – are to blame.

During my 12 years at Luck Stone, I probably received three dozen handwritten notes from Charles or Charlie – in fact, Charles has sent me two notes since I left Luck in 2008. Believe me, I was not the only employee to receive an old-fashioned thank you for a job well done, or a milestone achieved.

I know how much each of those notes meant to me when I opened and read them – less for the words written, and more for the intent behind the note itself. Each note meant that someone was paying attention to me as a person and to my work as an employee.

As I continue to grow Floricane, I never want our friends and clients to feel that we’re not paying attention to them – as people, and as partners.

Taking Wing with Virginia Audubon

It’s hard being the middle child. That’s one lesson we’ve learned over the years from work with the state affiliates of national nonprofits with local chapters. The state affiliates are at risk of Middle Child Syndrome, getting tangled in the potentially blurry lines of role clarity, member management, fundraising and program delivery.

When we’re able to walk into a room and have a different sort of conversation, that’s a good thing.

Something along those lines happened last weekend when we spent the better part of a gorgeous Saturday indoors at Maymont with the Virginia Audubon Council. Rather than getting entangled in conversations about memberships and dues and chapter relationships, we talked about something Virginia has that is unique, important and powerful – Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

There are about 3.5 million acres of IBAs in Virginia – 20 large, forested swaths that are a refuge and home to hundreds of migratory bird species. IBAs have historically been at the heart of the Virginia Council’s work. And during our retreat, the Council realized that IBAs were a “core product” – something no one else had, and something that could help the Council, and the six state chapters, thread together funding, public awareness and mission delivery in a powerful way.

We started building the outlines of a plan on Saturday. The local chapters will add color to the framework in the coming weeks. Watching a small board leave a planning session with enthusiasm for an emerging plan is no small thing. It’s what makes a working weekend worthwhile.

Building Leadership: Know It, Grow It, Show It

Listen, we love infographics. They can make even the most complicated of concepts seem way simpler (and they're usually pretty easy on the eyes, too). 

Last year, our summer intern interviewed a ton of our past clients and worked with graphic designer Ben Dacus to create a visual representation of our beliefs about leadership. It's so nice to have this visual reminder of Floricane's unique approach to leadership development!

If you have any questions or additional thoughts, please comment below! Oh, and here's a link to download your own copy, if you want to hang one up in your office like we have.

Floricane Leadership Poster