The Genius Blog

Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing – An Exciting or Dangerous Trend?

I got an email the other day from a friend who is a full-time missionary. As a unique way to raise funds, he was asking for people to commit to a $5 donation per month -- and he actually urged people NOT to give more than that. His thinking was that with a small commitment from many people, his support would be more stable than it is when people commit to large sums and then back out.

My wife and I like what he is doing and signed up. Maybe you've been asked for something similar, as the trend of "crowdfunding" has exploded recently. I had another friend that published a book using Kickstarter.com, a popular crowdfunding site. And of course, President Obama famously used crowdfunding to revolutionize campaign fundraising in the 2008 election.

For some reason, though, as I thought more about my friend's $5 campaign, it started to bother me. I began wondering whether the "crowd-everything" trend was a good one. I was reading a book the other day by Richard Swenson. Swenson is a futurist that spends his time tracking trends. He was showing statistics related to the unprecedented pace of progress in the last twenty years and how the graphs are reaching a staggering point on the curve that looks mathematically unsustainable. This escalation trend spans almost every area of life from the number of hours we work each week to the amount of media generated each year. A simple consumer-goods example is that twenty years ago you went into a grocery store to buy coffee and there were a couple simple brands to choose from. Now, there is an entire aisle of choices and options and flavors and price points… and at some point the curve of the graph reaches a mathematical breaking point. That is, there are only so many options you can have for coffee before the whole coffee industry becomes unsustainable and has to consolidate or we all break down in tears in the coffee aisle from decision overload and we just go buy some milk instead. And that breaking point looks to be coming in hundreds of escalating areas of our society.

As I thought about it, there are two primary reasons why crowdfunding and crowdsourcing are increasing right now.

First - technology is enabling this. A $5 campaign never would have worked in the past… because you'd be mailing letters and sending out monthly reminders and getting checks in the mail and depositing them… and you'd end up spending so much time and effort that it wouldn’t be worth it. Email and auto-withdrawal and the internet make it all possible. It many ways, it's a great time to be alive.

But the second reason this is happening is because of an increasing lack of commitment from people brought on by their escalating pace of life. There are now so many ways to spend your money and so many things to support… that my friend was finding that no one will commit any longer to giving $50 a month consistently. Because we're all dealing with so much "stuff" - the only way to get things done is to ask for very small amounts of time or money from lots and lots people.

The thing that really bothered me was where this trend is leading. There is a breaking point coming. Sure, it's great that I have one friend that does this $5 idea… but soon I will have 2… then 5… then 100. Before long I'll have hundreds of people asking me for $5 a month to the point that it's going to be overload every time I open my mailbox. What will be next? Some kind of donation technology where you donate a penny on top of every single purchase you make? Think it won’t happen? Just wait. I’m happy to support my friend, but I'm exhausted already for where this is headed.

The reason these trends fascinate and concern me, of course, is because SignUpGenius is at the core a crowdsourcing utility. Instead of funds, SignUpGenius breaks down tasks and divides the work amongst lots of people. And I actually created it because the escalation of volunteering requests is already reaching a mathematical breaking point. Families in my stage of life are experiencing "death by paper-cut" with an overwhelming number of tiny commitments that are nearly impossible to organize and maintain. 

Thirty years ago, when I was growing up, there was not as much need for SignUpGenius. When I went to church… my Sunday School teacher Mrs. Irish was there every week and she had committed to that responsibility for nearly ten years. No one needed to organize that. But now, people have so many responsibilities that a church needs to schedule a different volunteer every week and people will only make a commitment of once a month for six months. It's maddening to coordinate that without some kind of electronic tool like SignUpGenius.

So what does this all mean for SignUpGenius? It means first of all, that this tool is INCREASINGLY needed to try and simplify a life of crowdsourcing. We can't stop the freight train of culture and therefore we have to be able to manage it. That's the good part of what SignUpGenius does – and it does it very well. But the danger is that it could also enable further crowdsourcing escalation. The more our site grows, the more I am convinced that it is an important responsibility for each person that uses our tool to think about what they are doing. As much as we're glad to have new users, we don't want to run this site if it just contributes to bombarding people with hundreds of more responsibilities.

School, church, nonprofit, sports leaders… you need to start asking yourself:

Is this event really valuable? Is everything I'm asking for really needed? Is my task something so critical that an entire group of people needs to band together immediately and make it happen? For example, if your child's 3rd grade classroom doesn't have “Friday study snacks” brought by a different parent each week, is anybody really damaged? Is that something that could just be cut? Definitely raise supplies for that orphanage in Africa. And organize meals for that friend that has cancer. But we all have a little bit of responsibility to throttle the crowdsourcing/crowdfunding trend. Please think. Don't just use our tool to overwhelm people and create more busyness.

Otherwise, I'm just going to break down and cry… and go drink some milk.

Life Lessons from the Suburban Battlefield

Six years ago in March, we moved to the suburbs of Charlotte from a little condo next to a highway in Los Angeles. I remember walking outside at night and standing in the street and being amazed that I couldn’t hear any traffic. It was glorious.

What I didn’t know is that paradise comes with a price. Lurking in the shadow like a cougar ready to pounce… was spring. And as April blossomed, I got my first taste of an epic battle between good and evil that has raged war against suburban men for decades. This age old struggle has chewed up and spit out even the toughest of men – leaving only shattered shells of failure.

It is the quest for the perfect lawn.

When we bought the house, I didn’t think much about the grass. All you have to do is mow, right? Apparently not in the Carolinas. It didn’t take long to see that without purposeful effort, the lawn quickly digresses to a patchy weed garden.

Being a type-A first child – I determined that no weed would conquer my land. I marched into the local Home Depot and bought my ammunition. And I waged my war - hand-spraying weed killer, sometimes several times a week. But the weeds kept coming and I battled that entire first season, and it made hardly any difference.

So the next year, I decided to get even more serious. When I saw crabgrass sprouting, I bought some Round-Up (which basically kills anything that grows) and I started in the back and sprayed any weed I saw. And yes… that finally killed the weeds! Unfortunately…it also killed pretty much all the grass. I had sprayed right before we hit a draught and subsequently the entire back yard turned into a big patch of red clay! That summer, the kids left red footprints anytime they walked through the house.

I was a broken man - cruelly humbled by the bladed beast…and I finally stooped to do what all men do in desperate times. I talked to my dad. 

And like a wisened sage of the turf, my dad shared with me a little secret that turned my battle plan on its head. Three words that reversed my thinking. 

DON’T WEED. FEED.

My dad encouraged me to quit focusing on the weeds and instead turn my attention to the good grass. True well-bred grass thrives when watered, fed, and given good ground to grow. It will actually grow up strong and force out the weeds.

So the next couple years I completely flipped my plan. I fertilized and aerated and we even had a sprinkler system installed. I was all about the good grass. Now… nurturing good grass is not a fast process. It took multiple years of feeding and seeding and patching bad spots to slowly take back the dirt field I had created. But each season it got easier until finally - this year - the real grass is thriving and the turf is thick and the weeds are becoming few and far between.

So I was mowing the other day and enjoying the fact that the mower was finally filling the bag instead of blowing dust everywhere… and it suddenly hit me.

Isn’t this the same error that I make in my life all the time?

Whenever I have a problem, I try to solve it by attacking the negative item. If I’m getting overweight, I diet and try to weed out the bad food. If I’m busy and stressed, I try to evaluate and weed out items from my schedule. If I’m having trouble being a great father or husband, I try to crack down on myself and weed out anger or impatience. But these techniques almost never work in any of these situations.

What creates real life change… is feeding. Investment in positive growth is far more effective than attacking the negative. If you’re overweight, start a new exercise program and you’ll find that your body naturally wants better food. If you’re stressed, force yourself to add time in your schedule for reading and taking a walk with your family, and watch how you’ll naturally eliminate other items. If you want to be a great father and husband, try saturating your mind in scripture and prayer, and watch how growth comes from the inside out.

Browse the news and you’ll see lots of examples of weeding. Recently a big executive started a campaign to stop funding politicians in order to try and root out corruption. On Wall Street, jobless workers are currently protesting to try and force changes in business ethics. Even if the goals are admirable, in my mind, all this is going to do is create more dirt. If you really want to see change – in your own life or the world around you –

It’s all about feeding.

Be gone ye evil weeds.

Lessons on Work from Sand Castle University

It started on a baking hot summer day in 1977. I was 5. My dad had this group of fraternity brothers from his engineering school that would get together with their families and camp. We’d spend the days at the beach and all the kids would play while the adults caught up. It just so happened that on that particular weekend in 1977, the campground decided to throw a sand castle building contest. The grand prize? Some popsicles. But that was enough for the competitive, creative and project-focused thirty-something engineering buddies to kick into high gear. Really high gear. What resulted was an impressive prize-winning castle with an extensive system of roads and surrounding communities that covered a good portion of the beach. And the kids? We helped. And of course… got to eat the popsicles. For the 34 years since, for one weekend each summer, sand castle making has become a bit of an obsession for this little group of families. I missed quite a few years after I got married and moved away from the Midwest, but the last couple years I’ve been able to take my own kids back and join in the sand fun.

A 2011 castle my dad carved. Behind it is a sculpture from the movie "Cars 2" that I worked on with two others.

The 2011 sand castle crew.

It’s great to revisit a part of my childhood and catch up with old friends, but I also realize now that there was a lot more going on than I understood as a kid. In the midst of the sun and sand – my dad and his college buddies were putting on a clinic for their kids and everyone else on the beach… all about hard work. Thirty plus years later, I realize that a great deal of the core philosophies I carry with me everyday as I punch the clock developed their roots on the beaches of Pokagon State Park… in Sand Castle University. Here are a few that come to mind.

Be a builder. One year after we had spent numerous hours completing our castle, we ended up seeing some kids stomping all over it. It was a horrifying moment, but my dad pulled us aside and made sure we understood: “Anyone can destroy things. In our family… we build.” Now, after putting in years in the work world, I’ve realized that there are always people that take great joy in being a critic and ripping things apart. The real difference-makers, however, are the people that get their hands dirty and create solutions.

A two day project for me and two friends.

A job well done is its own reward.
We got popsicles that first year. But there were no prizes or payments after that for long hard hours spent working in the sun. In fact, sometimes within an hour of completion, part of the castle or sculpture would cave in and all the work would be ruined. Working with sand teaches you to find the joy in the work itself over the end result. Recently, I helped design an elaborate Internet application for a client. Unfortunately, the leadership of the company changed and it never ended up getting used to its full potential. I had no regrets - because I felt satisfied in having built the best product I could produce.

You’ll be surprised at what you can do if you try and don’t give up. It’s funny, but each year someone will ask us if we are “professional sand artists.” We have to laugh because the truth is, none of us really know what we’re doing. It’s really all a matter
My brother-in-law and I working on Iron Man in 2010.		of going out and continuing to try and not stopping when it doesn’t work the first time. Last year, my brother-in-law and I were supposed to carve a sculpture of “Iron Man.” Neither of us had a clue where to start. We packed, carved, tried again.., studied a picture and just kept at it. About an hour in… you always want to quit. But if you believe it can be done and stick to it… eventually some sand starts coming together. If you just keep going, eventually people on the beach stop and start taking pictures and whispering to each other who it is… and then you know that it’s working.

Creativity always trumps resources.
When you get to a beach, there’s not much to work with. Just sand. And water. And every kid and his brother are making a castle. To create something of any kind of artistic value that stands out… you gotta bring something special to it. You have to dig down deep and CREATE. The same holds true in almost every project I’ve been involved in since. I never seem to find myself with enough resources or hours or talent to do a job. In the web world I work in, there are so many sites and so many companies with big payrolls… competing seems impossible. The only chance I have to succeed is to dig down deep… and out-think and out-create the competition.

Never be satisfied.
One of the most amazing things to me is that in 34 years of castle building, I don’t think my dad and his buddies have ever stopped trying to improve. Every year has to be better than the last. What started with some kiddy shovels has grown to involve custom designed tools, hand-built sand molds, packing techniques and philosophies, team assignments, roped-off designated areas, and more and more complex sculptures and structures. It’s something that is engrained in me as now, years later, I analyze every step of every web page I create and ask… how could this be better?

My dad, the professor, in his classroom.

Pass it on.
It’s not enough to know things if you don’t pass it on to the next generation. One of the best parts of our sand castle weekends… is that our group now holds our own sand castle contest each year for everyone else on the beach. All over the sand, kids of all ages are inspired to get to work and learn the value of creating something well. If you’re ever in Indiana in August, stop by Sand Castle University. My dad and his buddies are still there. And class is still in session.
 

Leadership's True Test

How exactly do you gauge the effectiveness of a leader? By the attendance at meetings? By the financial growth of the organization? By some kind of satisfaction survey from the membership?

I think that the true test of leadership is something completely different. The real litmus test comes after the leader leaves. What happens to the organization after the leader has moved on speaks volumes about the kind of leader that was running the organization. Were long-term procedures and plans put in place? Was the vision communicated so that other people in the organization truly own the mission? Were other leaders mentored and prepared for taking over? When the leader has moved on -- will the organization continue forward without a hiccup or just dissolve because it was shallow and held together only by the effort of a single person in charge?

For the last couple years, I’ve been leading a small group ministry at the church we attend. I love the way God grows people in the context of community and it’s been exciting to be a part. Recently, though, my wife and I felt that God wanted our family to move to another church. There was nothing wrong with our existing situation or the people there – we just sensed we were being sent to serve elsewhere. While ultimately I know that this small group ministry is God’s and not dependent on anything I did … I can’t help but wonder if I was involved in the kind of leadership that fostered a sustainable ministry or if I was just a shallow organizer.

It was about six months ago that I realized that I had been going about the leadership thing all wrong. I was handling almost everything for this ministry myself, rarely delegating, and working in a completely top-down model.

So for the last half-year, I made a conscious effort to change the structure of the group and my leadership style. I tried to get more feedback on decisions and interact with a small core of leaders rather than deciding everything myself. I recommended that we re-organize the way our teaching was handled - overhauling it so that we got as many people involved in leading/facilitating as possible. We also simplified the whole meeting schedule, making it easier for others to lead and for group members to come if they missed previous weeks. I can only hope that some of those changes laid a foundation that will help this ministry flourish apart from any one person.

I don’t know what kind of group or organization you are leading… but it’s worth asking: Are you burning yourself out doing everything? If you stepped away would everything crash to the ground? Are you the kind of leader that is building a rock-solid organization… or are you just organizing people?

The Leadership Double-Standard: How We're Failing Our Kids

I had a bizarre experience this weekend. A lesson in contrasts…

On Saturday, I ran my first 5K. Funny, but I’ve never been so excited to come in 142nd place for something. I was only slightly embarrassed that the person that came in 141st… was a 10-year-old kid!

I’m no great runner, but I enjoyed taking the race seriously. I trained, ran the route the week before, and set my own time goal. I even got up early and ate two pieces of toast with honey and drank some fruit juice so that my body would have natural energy it could break-down easily.

The race was organized well and at the finish line they had a bunch of water, fruit, and sports drinks for the runners to refuel. I was totally spent, so I immediately drank two bottles of water, a bottle of Powerade, ate a banana and a peanut butter sandwich for protein. I spent most of the day guzzling more water.

So here’s the weird part…

After the race, I rushed over to watch my 8-year-old boys play soccer. It was a tough game and both teams were running like crazy. The ref blows the final whistle and both teams come off the field. I was watching the other team… and the other kids walked over to the sidelines where the team parent handed the kids some kind of pre-packaged cookie treat or chocolate chip muffin thing along with a big old sugar drink.

The contrast almost made me laugh out loud.

This is a big pet peeve of mine. As adults, when we are leaders of sports teams, church groups, or school classes… we have to start paying the same kind of attention to our kids' bodies as we do our own. We need to demonstrate leadership with food choices so that kids can learn the proper way to take care of their bodies. Can you imagine the flack the leaders of my 5K would have gotten if they handed out ice cream cones as people finished the race? But for some reason, we never think that way when it comes to kids.

Now, I’ve been there… and I know… everybody wants to be the fun parent that brings the cool snacks to church or the game or school. No one wants to be the parent that hands out the raisin granola bars. But because none of us wants to step up with tough leadership… the sugar epidemic is taking a toll on this nation. I spotted an article in the Charlotte Observer this weekend. The CDC now estimates that ONE IN THREE adults will have diabetes by the year 2050. That really scares me… cause I’ve got four kids between 8 and 11. Statistically, at least one of them will have diabetes by the time they are 42!

I know that this is one of the toughest weeks to think about this issue. I’m not a food Nazi and I’m certainly not going to make my kids eat broccoli for Halloween or anything. It’s ok for kids to enjoy some candy now and then. But as leaders, we have to make sure that candy-events like Halloween are a RARE activity… not something that happens every single group party, every school event, every week at church, and every game on the soccer field.

I think that when we make those hard choices and start fueling our children well… there will be a lot more kids that will be beating out 38-year-old men in the local 5K!

The Leader's Creed

It’s October and fall groups are in full swing. If you’re a leader that spent the last month coordinating kick-offs and startup events, this might be your first chance to come up for air.

For me, each new season of activity I re-dedicate myself to better leadership. I can only hope that one day I’ll actually reach the level I aspire to. This year, I was thinking about all the leadership “traps” I continually fall into. Whether leading a small group ministry, coaching kids’ sports, or even leading my own family… certain “shortcuts” always tempt me.

So here’s my leadership creed for the year. Will you join me and make this year different? Let’s nail these principles to the Wittenberg door and start a new era of group leadership.

1. I will arrive early for every event that I am in charge of.
2. I will fully prepare in advance rather than rushing things together the night before.
3. I will communicate and set proper expectations for meetings and events.
4. I will be mindful of people’s time and avoid scheduling unnecessary meetings.
5. I will end events on time.
6. I will plan events that take into account the current financial stress on families.
7. I will delegate and get others involved in leadership.
8. I will demonstrate leadership with food choices, providing healthy options and not using sugar as a performance reward for children or as a substitute for a well-planned relationship environment for adults.
9. I will reach out to newcomers, introduce myself, and facilitate community.
10. I will remember people’s names.
11. I will communicate the vision and purpose of the group frequently.
12. I will appreciate and thank volunteers.
13. I will do my best to have a diversity of gender and ethnicity in event participants and group marketing collateral.
14. I will value the excellence of events over the quantity of events.
15. I will work to make my group feel inclusive, not exclusive.
16. I will not try to be a “buddy” to any children that I lead but I will demonstrate and demand a proper respect for authority.
17. I will not “dumb down” my curriculum for children, but will challenge them to step up and use their minds.
18. I will accept constructive criticism and adapt my leadership when things aren’t working.
19. I will not “fade off” towards the end of the season or event period, but will be dedicated to quality leadership all the way to the end.

Am I missing anything that you would add?

Welcome to the Website for Lion-Beavers

I went on a leadership retreat this weekend.  As part of the training, we took a personality test. I like those kinds of tests... mostly because it is impossible to fail them.  This one happened to be the DISC model, which breaks down personality types into four categories:

• Dominance – relating to control, power and assertiveness
• Influence – relating to social situations and communication
• Steadiness – relating to patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness
• Conscientiousness – relating to structure and organization

There is also a similar test out there which instead labels the four categories as animals: lion, otter, golden retriever, and beaver, respectively.

So anyway... It was no big surprise to me (or my wife) that I ranked pretty high in the "C" category, with some elements of "D."  Here's the wikipedia description of the "C" personality:   "People with high 'C' styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High 'C' people are careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, and tactful."  

Basically, we "C's" are busy beavers -- hard workers that like systems and organization.  In addition, "D's" are leaders that like to organize others.

Does that combination remind you of a certain website? 

I had to laugh a little bit... because SignUpGenius is basically a website designed specifically for "C" and "D" personalities. All our sign up creators are people that organize, plan, and lead!  

I guess this explains why I always get along so fabulously with our users.  Lions and Beavers of the world unite!  Drop me a note if you're a "C" or "D" too!

Can you hear it?

Last night I was driving in the car alone… when I had one of those moments. One of those moments when God cuts through the clutter of life and sends a message. Just for me. And this one was through a song.

Now, I don’t talk too much in this blog about my spiritual beliefs, because I know there are many people from all walks of life that use our site. But one thing that is common to the coordinators and organizers that utilize SignUpGenius.com… is they are all leaders. Leadership is something I’ve been reading and thinking about and focusing on for the last year or so – and I know it is something that every event planner or church leader or teacher or sports coach that uses our site values. So whatever your spiritual beliefs are… maybe this was a message for you too.

So I’m driving in my car and a song from Sanctus Real comes on the radio that I’ve never heard. It’s a prayer from a husband and dad, who suddenly realizes how desperate his family is for his spiritual leadership. Powerful song. And I’m sitting there and I feel like God opened my eyes to all these moments in my day that showed how much the world around me was desperately crying out for me to stand up and lead. To protect, serve, shepherd, comfort, fight for what’s right – to show by example what’s important in life. I could suddenly see it in my sons’ eyes when I walk in the door from work and they rush to see me. I could see it in my daughter’s eyes when she asked me what I thought of her outfit. I could see it in my wife, who was exhausted from the day and asked if I could be the one to pick up the kids. And then I could see it at church… when I picked up my daughter from youth group and there was a mass of wild junior highers - all acting out – trying to figure out who they should be... and looking for someone… anyone… to show them.

Can you hear it too?

Our whole world is desperate for leaders.

For followers of Christ, leading involves pointing a hurting world to the answers found in a life of faith. That was a sobering challenge for me. But even if that’s not your belief… for all of us, it means recognizing the incredible responsibility that it is to be in charge of sports teams, school classrooms, small groups, and families. It is not something to be taken lightly. It is a task that requires our dedicated effort and attention.

So listen closely. Watch the faces of your group. Of your family. The cry for leadership is there.

Will you answer it?

 Follow Dan Rutledge on Twitter

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