Category: Uncategorized

This blog is normally used for commentary on not-for-profit management issues. However, today I am going to make a shameless plug for two of my books, both of which can be found on Amazon:

The Gospel Of James And Other Gems of Eastern Christianity: Pearls Of Great Wisdom From The Eastern Church  – August 3, 2019

This is an anthology of my writings for my former parish website and adult education classes.  Most Western Christians know extraordinarily little about Eastern Christianity.  Very few people understand its vibrant and rich history.  This book brings Eastern Christianity alive, discussing a wide range of topics germane to the religious world today.  

Living The Eastern Christian Faith: A Guide for Byzantine Christians – July 2, 2019

This is a small workbook useful in a four- week adult education course on Eastern Christianity.

I am also in the process of editing and developing textbooks for management courses in conjunction with a great publisher.  More on that later.  Stay tuned.

I have worked at several charitable organizations.  Perhaps the one I have genuinely enjoyed the most is being faculty advisor to Stitches, the student craft and crochet club at Moravian College.   One of my students asked if I would be the advisor at the beginning of the 2018/2019 academic year.  I knew extraordinarily little about crocheting, so I was surprised when I was asked.  

Not knowing what to expect, I showed up at the first meeting.  I was surprised with what I found.  The club members meet once a week to crochet articles for a hobby.   The students crocheted many hats and scarves for residents of a local women’s shelter.  This is a wonderful thing in itself, but there is another significant benefit of being a member of Stitches.

  After a little time to chat at the beginning of the meeting, the students get down to work.  A restful quiet set in, rarely punctuated with conversation. Watching the students create beautiful garments of vibrant color, I was reminded how much the world misses and needs such periods of quiet. We are constantly bombarded with noise and outside stimuli.  Having time like this is a healthy break from the busy routine of our lives.

The Moravian Chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society nominated Stitches for the Quiet Commitment Award this year.  This was particularly apropos for Stitches.  Congratulations to the officers and members of Stitches!  I am proud to work with you, and I look forward to next year. 

I want to give a special thanks to Susan Hornak, who donated crocheted blankets and yarn throughout the year to the club.   A special thanks goes to Shelby Lawson of Lawson Accessories, who provided an internship to one of the students and took an interest in the club.  You both made a difference.

A disabled person recently sued Playboy because its website did not conform to ADA requirements. Many people chuckled when they heard this.  I too used to chuckle when I heard things like this.  Years ago, I was an executive officer at a large bank.  I chided the head of the branch network because the drive-up ATM machines had braille plaques installed.  Making light of the situation, I said “Don, why on earth should we have braille at ATM windows?  Blind people don’t drive.”   Don looked at me sorrowfully and said, “Mark, suppose a blind person is sitting in the backseat on the driver’s side?”  My condescending and insensitive attempt at humor comment left my mouth like a major league baseball pitcher’s 95 mile per hour fastball and came back to me like a 120 mile per hour line drive off the bat of a slugger.  Hopefully, my understanding of and my sensitivity to these issues has significantly improved over the years.

The internet is becoming increasingly critical to daily life.  Think how much we use it. We pay our bills with it.  Our children do their homework with it.  Those are only two small examples of how the internet has changed our lives.  There are elements of society that have been denied this life changing tool.  For example, courts have ruled blanket internet bans as a parole condition is a violation of constitutional rights.   The New Jersey State Supreme Court ruled blanket bans interfere with a necessary tool for living. Even as early as 2010, the Pew Research Center reported 82% of all Americans used the internet to access governmental services and information in one year. Justice Kagan of the U.S. Supreme Court noted the use of Twitter by the current president of the United States.  Anyone without the internet arguably is being denied participation in the political process because his or her information is being limited.

The internet has been a game changer for the those with disabilities.  You can shop by the internet now.  You can video conference with your friends and relatives.   You can even earn a college degree online if you have the time and inclination. The feeling of being completely isolated from the world if you have a mobility disability can be somewhat alleviated by internet usage.

The Center for Disease Control reports there are 61 million disabled people in the United States.  This equates to one in every four adults.  Of these 13.7% of all adults have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.  6.8% of all adults have problems doing chores on their own. 5.9% have difficulty hearing.  In short, businesses that design their websites not considering the disabled are not taking advantage of a vast untapped market.  Businesses should look critically at their websites to make access for the disabled a major priority.  Who is not looking to grow their sales and businesses? Ignoring this segment of the marketplace seems foolhardy.   Capitalism and “doing the right thing” are clearly aligned on this issue.

Sources (Accessed May 21, 2019):

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/03/19/dominos-playboy-disability-ada-blind/2903564002/

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Accessibility Requirements for Video

https://www.nj.com/politics/2017/03/nj_supreme_court_tosses_total_internet_ban_for_sex.html

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-socialmedia-idUSKBN19A1ZB

Government Online

Cybersecurity has become a critical issue for all organizations. A few examples can underscore the just how serious this threat has become. The military has set up the Cyber Command, a unified combatant command to defend the United States against cyberattacks from foreign powers.  The Securities and Exchange Commission has also taken great interest in this area.  Public companies are required to report any material breaches of their critical information systems, analyzing the legal, financial and reputational consequences of such actions.

Somehow, the message about this threat has not filtered down to some governmental entities and not-for-profit (NFP) organizations.  An amazing example of poor internal controls is unfolding in Baltimore, Maryland.  As this blog is being written, the city’s information systems have been held hostage for the last nine days.  There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to the problem either. The city’s email and critical billing and payment systems are at a standstill. Baltimore has been reduced to receiving checks as payment. One can only imagine the accounting nightmare this will cause after everything is sorted out.

What is even more amazing is the city suffered a previous cyberattack.  Chillingly, that attack disabled the 911 system over a weekend period, putting people’s lives in danger.  The city had to revert back to manual processing of 911 calls. One would have thought this would have been a clear warning about the dangers of the situation.

Many NFPs are also in the same situation. They don’t understand or don’t have the resources to take preventive action. Even worse, some stick their heads in the sand and say they are too small to warrant attention from hackers. Nothing could be further from the truth. The information systems of one of my clients, a small church, was hacked with ransomware.  Church management wisely chose not to pay the ransom and proceeded to restore their information systems.  Sadly, not only was there inadequate protection against hacking, but there was no backup. They were forced to redo all transactions for the year.  Fortunately, the volume of transactions was not immense, and the church was able to recreate its records.  Yet, it took a lot of effort that could have been deployed elsewhere.  After all resources at most NFPs are in short supply.

Cyberattacks on governmental agencies and NFPs are on the rise.  Is another catastrophe such as what happened in Baltimore required for everyone to take notice of this threat?

I would like to congratulation MOCEANS CIL (MOCEANS) on holding its Annual Meeting on May 16 and the election of new directors. The organization has made incredible strides in the last year and is on its way to another successful year under its current leadership.

Congratulations is also due to the organization for another gala event held in April 2019. For more information about the gala, and the possibility of donating or volunteering for a worthy cause, please see the MOCEANs website at http://www.moceanscil.org. This is the second year the gala has been held. It is a new venture to raise community awareness of MOCEANS and to raise unencumbered funds for the organization.

MOCEANS, like many other not-for-profit organizations receives grant money from the federal and state governments. In the “fee for service” environment, government agencies limit the amount an organization can charge for its services. Citizens will appreciate the parsimonious attitudes these agencies espouse, but it does make the delivery of services by NFPs that much more difficult. It always seems resources and funds are in short supply at an NFP. This is why fundraising, in whatever form, is critical to the success of an NFP. Hopefully, events like the gala will continue to grow. Contributions to MOCEANS tax deductible. Please consider donating to a worthy cause. Information about donations is available at http://www.moceanscil.org.

Many of you are Star Trek fans and recognize the title of this blog entry was the name of the series finale of the Star Trek: TNG  television show.  By the time that episode was aired the  show had run for seven years  and 178 episodes.  The character development and the plot lines had begun to run a little thin.   It was the right time to end the show, and that was exactly what happened.  The show ended on a high note and its fans remember Star Trek: TNG fondly.

There is a lesson to be learned here for all business people.  Sometimes it is just best to end an activity.   We all know this can be a tough thing to do.  Think of a veteran baseball player  continuing  to hang on for years after he should have retired.  It can be painful to watch.  Sometimes business people will “double down”  on a bad decision.  That also can be painful to watch  as time and energy are poured into a project with no seeming return.

Why is it so difficult to end an activity?  There can be many reasons. Perhaps it was something we have been good at. Sometimes  we simply don’t want to admit we made a mistake. In both of the above cases, so much ego and self-identification can be invested in an  activity it is difficult to pull the plug even when it is evident to all but the most partial observer.

So after five years on the board of directors of MOCEANS Inc.  it is time to take my own advice and call it quits. Four of those years were spent as chairman of the board of directors.  The last year was spent transitioning to a new board and board officers.  Just as in an aging television series, ideas about organizations can run their course and fresh leadership is needed.  That is the case here.  Management and the new board deserves an opportunity to apply their creativity and come up with a new agenda to propel our little NFP to new heights.   As the Lone Ranger was wont to say: “My work is done here.” It is not done everywhere else though.  It is time to find other venues  where I can continue to contribute and give back to the community.

I have enjoyed my time at MOCEANS.  I learned about a disadvantaged segment of our population, met a lot of people, and contributed  a lot of time.  I thank everyone in the organization from my fellow board members right down to the interns I have worked with.  They are truly a special group of people. Hopefully, I have helped my fellow man.  Isn’t this what we are put on this earth for?