Comments for C. David Gammel, CAE http://highcontext.com Helping associations pursue goals that matter. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:40:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ Comment on The Association Cycle by Scott Meske, CAE http://highcontext.com/2011/06/29/the-association-cycle/#comment-613 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:40:22 +0000 http://highcontext.com/?p=1766#comment-613 No question David the ‘cycle’ is double-edged. The certainty and stability of the association cycle (or business cycle for that matter), can easily lead to complacency and apathy. The association leader’s challenge is to maintain the stability of the annual cycle without losing the passion to grow. Thanks for the post.

]]> Comment on New York Times and Paid Content by Quick Clicks: Elite Eight | Philanthropy http://highcontext.com/2011/03/18/new-york-times-and-paid-content/#comment-598 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:52:21 +0000 http://highcontext.com/?p=1761#comment-598 [...] Gammel reminds us that charging for online content can be a perfectly viable business model… but you have to do it [...]

]]> Comment on Have You Killed Your Sacred Zombie Cow Today? by You Must Remove the Head… « manicrabbit http://highcontext.com/2010/05/04/have-you-killed-your-sacred-zombie-cow-today/#comment-591 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:20:59 +0000 http://www.orgpreneur.com/?p=276#comment-591 [...] Have you killed your sacred zombie cow today? This entry was posted on Saturday, March 12th, 2011 at 10:20 pm and posted in [...]

]]> Comment on Old Members Are The Future! by David M. Patt, CAE http://highcontext.com/2010/10/15/old-members-are-the-future/#comment-540 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:59:49 +0000 http://www.highcontext.com/?p=1563#comment-540 We should talk more about life career stage than about age. People are more likely to get involved in associations when they become more secure in their careers and when those careers take center stage in their lives. That’s why Boards are often older than the average member.

]]> Comment on Old Members Are The Future! by David Gammel http://highcontext.com/2010/10/15/old-members-are-the-future/#comment-539 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:30:49 +0000 http://www.highcontext.com/?p=1563#comment-539 Fair comment and is what lead me to discuss if the 50-60 year old members of today were all that engaged with associations 30 years ago. My personal experience and belief is that life and career stage drive decisions much more than the generational cohort into which you are born. We’re not robots programmed en masse at birth, acting the same forever.

We’re in agreement on your second paragraph.

The short-term trend looks to be later retirement ages at the same time that older populations are growing. That is a tremendous opportunity for associations.

]]> Comment on Old Members Are The Future! by Scott Briscoe http://highcontext.com/2010/10/15/old-members-are-the-future/#comment-538 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:11:21 +0000 http://www.highcontext.com/?p=1563#comment-538 Hmmmm…

When you cite your stat about 25% in 2050 — isn’t that growing population the younger generation of right now that Deirdre was talking about needing to bring in? Where do your 50- and 60-somethings of tomorrow come from if not today’s 20- and 30-somethings?

But that’s not what I wanted to pick on though. Mostly, I just think too much is made of generational differences. Know what you are as an organization and what your strengths are — then make them stronger. If that happens to coincide with developing products/services for early-career folks or any other particular market segment, great, do it, but do it amazingly — that’s the part that really matters.

]]> Comment on Link of the Week: Why an RFP May Guarantee You Don't See the Best of the Best by David Gammel http://highcontext.com/2010/04/07/link-of-the-week-why-an-rfp-may-guarantee-you-dont-see-the-best-of-the-best/#comment-557 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:38:15 +0000 http://www.orgpreneur.com/?p=175#comment-557 You’re arguing both sides of the issue while promoting your RFP site, David!

Chasing bad RFPs in the hope you’re one of the few crazy enough to bid on it is insane and a sign of poor sales talent.

I do agree that if you already have a strong relationship with the issuer or can otherwise short circuit or improve the process, go for it.

]]> Comment on Link of the Week: Why an RFP May Guarantee You Don't See the Best of the Best by David Kutcher http://highcontext.com/2010/04/07/link-of-the-week-why-an-rfp-may-guarantee-you-dont-see-the-best-of-the-best/#comment-556 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:27:44 +0000 http://www.orgpreneur.com/?p=175#comment-556 It’s hardly the exception, and I can easily name at least a dozen other instances, that was just a fairly recent and high profile example. As the owner of the RFP Database, I follow up with each issuer of a RFP to find out how the site performed for them. Did it get them more respondents and better proposals? Almost unanimously yes. And I hear story after story about how most previous RFPs had received very few proposals and the organization was often left choosing the only one that fit the criteria, not the best one to fit the criteria.

One of my other favorite stories is regarding my town of Northampton MA that had space they wanted to develop in the center of town. They issued a RFP and only received 2 proposals, one from a hotel developer (who was going to pay $1 for the space) and one from an office building developer (who was going to pay a whole lot more). The hotel developer won… but then the locals got upset that they didn’t have enough options and that the city didn’t negotiate the best deal.

I’m in no way saying that you should chase every RFP (as my previous link stated, not all are worth a proposal), but what I am saying is that you shouldn’t simply throw out a RFP because it’s written like crap. How’s that saying go? If you’re not the leader of the pack the view from behind never changes?

]]> Comment on Link of the Week: Why an RFP May Guarantee You Don't See the Best of the Best by David Gammel http://highcontext.com/2010/04/07/link-of-the-week-why-an-rfp-may-guarantee-you-dont-see-the-best-of-the-best/#comment-555 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:39:25 +0000 http://www.orgpreneur.com/?p=175#comment-555 That really seems like the exception that proves the rule from the perspective of those responding to RFPs. You can’t build a business on long shots like that.

More importantly from the issuing side, it’s a serious abdication of responsibility to issue a bad RFP to that many companies for anything more complex than acquiring toner cartridges.

]]> Comment on Link of the Week: Why an RFP May Guarantee You Don't See the Best of the Best by David Kutcher http://highcontext.com/2010/04/07/link-of-the-week-why-an-rfp-may-guarantee-you-dont-see-the-best-of-the-best/#comment-554 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:26:49 +0000 http://www.orgpreneur.com/?p=175#comment-554 As always, there are two sides to the coin. Sure, you should 100% analyze a RFP carefully and decide whether your time is best spent chasing that opportunity.

Not all RFPs are worth a proposal!
http://blog.confluentforms.com/2008/10/not-all-requests-for-proposals-are.html

However!

That RFP that you got that was awfully constructed, poorly thought out, etc. could be a blessing in disguise. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about a fantastic opportunity that, because of an awful RFP, received only a minimal # of proposals. The simple act of you responding could have qualified you as a finalist.

Don’t squander a great opportunity in the form of a bad RFP
http://blog.confluentforms.com/2009/04/dont-squander-great-opportunity-in-form.html

Prime example was the City of Austin TX RFP for a website overhaul. They sent the RFP to over 200 firms yet only received 3 proposals. 3. The project was valued at $704,088. One of the firms that responded was twice the winning price, and the other company was deemed non-compliant.

The firm basically won by being able to complete the project (on paper) and having put in the time to respond to the RFP.

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