Many of you may know that the training office at FundRaiser Software is detached from the main business office which is in West Plains, Missouri. Our training office is in Arizona, originally in Tucson, but now in the smaller-than-West-Plains town of Oracle. Having this separation can be a challenge, as it tends to make communications both less frequent and more crucial to achieving our common goals, and it tends to lead to a sense of disconnection from the company.
In a meeting today, it hit home that, as the training manager, I need to have a better sense of "connection" to our users; to be more accessible; and to bring more of the finer points of using FundRaiser software to the table than can be presented in a classroom (read: webinar) setting. As a part of the solution to that challenge, I'm turning to "blogging" to be able to present ideas, hints, tips, tricks, and answers to questions from you, our users.
As I become more familiar with this venue, video "snippits" will appear from time to time, to reinforce the written explanations. Occasionally a link to another organization may appear (with their permission, of course) so that users who wish to do so can become more familiar with other non-profits using the software. I would also hope that you folks will offer feedback on what you see here, to keep me informed about your primary concerns with using the software, etc.
My mini-bio: Born in 1946, reared in Ohio, Navy Sonar Technician, married/divorced/remarried (about to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary), myriad occupations along the way, including (but no limited to, heh heh) in no particular order: truck driver, insurance salesman, Harley mechanic (certified), corporate trust clerk, on-air radio personality, musician, computer tech, programmer, software salesman, trainer.
In every position I've held, there were certain tools of the trade, some quite physical in nature, others psychological, but each tool had its place. I'm hoping to show you, over time, the nature of the tools in FundRaiser software, because, when it comes right down to it, FundRaiser is just a tool, and the key to success in using it is learning how it works. And it helps to work within the design of the tool, rather than trying to "bend" the tool to the task at hand. Hammering with a pipe wrench is not good for the pipe wrench at the least, and fixing the resulting mess can be more time-consuming and costly that having found a hammer in the first place!!
So I may be using a lot of tool metaphors, and phrasing things in non-fundraiser oriented terms, but that's because, when it comes down to it, I'm no fund raiser. That's your job. To help teach you how to use your tools, how to clean them, store them, and keep them from becoming lost, is my job.
Thanks.
Larry Weaver, Training Manager
FundRaiser Software
http://www.fundraisersoftware.com
800-880-2997 Training (direct)
Need Help with FundRaiser?? 800-543-4131 Tech Support
Many of you may know that the training office at FundRaiser Software is detached from the main business office which is in West Plains, Missouri. Our training office is in Arizona, originally in Tucson, but now in the smaller-than-West-Plains town of Oracle. Having this separation can be a challenge, as it tends to make communications both less frequent and more crucial to achieving our common goals, and it tends to lead to a sense of disconnection from the company.
In a meeting today, it hit home that, as the training manager, I need to have a better sense of "connection" to our users; to be more accessible; and to bring more of the finer points of using FundRaiser software to the table than can be presented in a classroom (read: webinar) setting. As a part of the solution to that challenge, I'm turning to "blogging" to be able to present ideas, hints, tips, tricks, and answers to questions from you, our users.
