There is no more normal

In the March 23 & 30 issue of Businessweek, there is an article on management ideas for our changing world. A few statements caught my eye, "Smart leaders recognize that they can use this crisis as a catalyst to spark new way of thinking and doing business." And the quote from John Chambers, Cicso CEO, "Without exception, all of my biggest mistakes occurred because I moved too slowly."

This made me think about the state of sponsorship and corporate membership programs. What can we do NOW to stay ahead of the game, as opposed to blaming everything on the economy and waiting for things to go back to "normal." As corporate philanthropy departments continue to thin, merge and/or dissolve, who is our contact? Where will the money come from? What is the pitch?

These are exciting times. For the next few days I'm going to think about the opportunities around this crisis. In the meantime, I'll going to be sure that my corporate supporters know that we are central to their business strategy.