Park and Run?

I had a good idea the other day.  A parking garage 5k. The race would start at the entrance to the garage and end on the top floor.  Spectators could witness the whole race without moving a step, and there would be no threat of rain cancelations.  The route sure would be easy to mark, etc.  The difficulty factor would draw weekend warriors from far and wide.

I looked online, and ... no one has done this yet.  Surprise!  Are they crazy, or am I?

Still Green?

The Tennessean has a clever article about "green gifts." Ok ok this is good ... but what if you don't need it, is it still green?

READ: Green Gifts. The Tennessean.com

The Nonprofit Paradox

Businesses in America divide into two categories, non-profit and profit.  The difference is the mission of the organization.  Profit businesses benefit their owners and shareholders, and non-profit businesses benefit the "greater good".  Because of this difference they have; (1) different regulations, and (2) different tax burdens.

Beyond these two differences, they are essentially the same.  They each require talented management to survive, and they must have financially viable forecasts and clear missions. Without these fundaments, they fail.  Just think of the struggling "Mom-and-Pop" being overtaken by the new Wal-Mart Super Center, or the local nature advocacy group being replaced by a new chapter of the Sierra Club, etc.  Their members relocate, and the mission goes on. 

So why not surrender to Wal-Mart or in this case, the Sierra Club?  If you have the same mission, go ahead.  It might serve you well to join someone else instead of compete with them. But most non-profits are created to fill a need that isn't being met.  If a community needs money for their fire department, they start a fire defense fund to buy equipment and pay dispatchers.  If a school wants to create scholarships, they set up an endowment.

But once the idea is hatched, the organization must be managed.  Why do 95% of small businesses fail in their first five years?  Because only 5% of the people who start them can manage them.  Non-profits are no different.  

The number one goal should be profitability.  Non-profits must create positive revenue streams and set sustainable financial goals.   Money can accomplish if it is properly managed.  Too many organizations rely on small groups of big donors to fulfill their long term fundraising goals. These gifts are great supplements, but a businesses cannot succeed if there are only a handful of customers.  

Non-profit leaders should create ways to engage their constituencies. Make the people come to you.  Find a way to sell your cause and make people want to buy it.  Even if people are only buying satisfaction, everyone wants to help a good cause profit.

READ: Case, Steve. "Purpose and Profit Go Together." The Wall Street Journal.  10 May, 2005.

The "Driving" Factor

Cars are great.  You just hop in, turn the key, turn up the music, adjust the climate, get on the phone.  It's like an office on wheels.  Super!  Instantly you are taken away from the drab asphalt that wastes so many hours of your life.  The commuters comfort.  When gas is cheap, life is good.

But what happens when the outside world interferes; when that bird suddenly dive bombs your beamer reminding you that nature still exists?  Or what if the city adds a speed bump to your neighborhood short cut; another driver cuts you off; a pedestrian J-walks in front of you; a cyclist makes you miss a light; or if you get behind a bus that stops every block??

The solution for motorists is further separation.  More lanes, traffic signals, and signage are added.  The result leaves drivers feeling more entitled to every portion of the road.  But the car culture doesn't end on the road.  It manifests itself in our commercial districts, our neighborhoods, and our schools.  

Successful developments depend on good transportation.  If a business does not have adequate access and parking, their customers will abandon them for more convenient competitors.  New interstate exits can transform farmland into multi-million dollar real estate.  Businesses and residents have been abandoning urban areas in exchange for the conveniences of suburban development for the past two decades.  People are spending more time in their cars than ever before in exchange for the luxuries of strip malls, casual dining, and quant one-acre homesteads.  The number one question retailers ask is "how many parking spaces will we have?"  

The problem is compounded by drive-thru windows, curbside service, and valet parking.  It is ironic that these conveniences hinder the only mode of transportation that we do naturally, walking.  Have you ever had to walk through a drive-thru line to get to the entrance of a McDonald's?  What about walking across six lanes of traffic to get ice-cream after having dinner?  If you've done it once, you may never do it again. 

We need a solution.  The car culture is not sustainable.  With gas prices increasing and the economy in turmoil, now is the time to create a new transportation philosophy.  Our communities can benefit fiscally and socially by modifying street design, increasing density, and rethinking public transportation.  

City officials and developers need to create opportunities for citizens to get out of their cars and throw away the keys before it is too late.

~ Austin

READ: 

Vanderbilt, Tom. "The Traffic Guru." The Wilson Quarterly, 8 Aug, 2008