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Fostering High-Quality ConnectionsHow to deal with corrosive relationships at work

In 1981, Garrison Keillor, the popular host of Minnesota Public Radio’s satirical “A Prairie Home Companion,” offered listeners a free poster of his mythical sponsor’s “Powdermilk Biscuits.” To everyone’s surprise, more than 50,000 requests poured in; the station faced a $60,000 printing bill. To avert “financial disaster,” as MPR president William Kling later recalled, the station used the back of the poster to advertise products for sale, such as a Powdermilk Biscuits T-shirt. The idea worked. “I think we netted off that poster, which was really our first catalog, $15,000 or $20,000,” Kling said. “It instantly became clear that there were things like that you could do.”1

“Growing up was not so easy,” Alicia Erika Genisca told attendants of the Steppingstone Foundation’s 2004 fundraising gala. “My mother is a single parent, and at the time, she often worked two jobs just to put spaghetti and hot dogs on the table. She did all this while also attending college part time. But my mom saw the potential in me to excel beyond my surroundings.”

the Steppingstone Academy has shepherded underserved children in the Boston area from playground to capand- gown at top college preparatory schools, and then on to quality fouryear colleges. After completing Steppingstone’s 14-month-long academic program for elementary school students in 1993, Genisca went on to earn diplomas from Thayer Academy (Braintree, Mass.) in 1999 and from Johns Hopkins University in 2003. If her academic history is any indication, Genisca will march to “Pomp and Circumstance” once more in 2008, when she is slated to receive her M.D. from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Research Rules

In a preliminary online survey, we gathered simple demographic information like age and sex, while also posing deeper questions about interests and preferences. (Surveys can also be conducted via phone or snail mail.) We asked how often people visited the Web site, what they thought about Dr. Love’s work in the breast cancer movement, and how they liked to be contacted. We also asked questions about giving patterns, such as “Do you support other breast cancer organizations?” Picking the right – or wrong – questions is a sensitive business and central to a survey’s success, and we avoided specifics about giving amounts so as not to be too intrusive. (See sidebar for tips on survey research.)We supplemented these surveys with informal focus groups – small numbers of carefully selected individuals who share their opinions in a moderated roundtable discussion. Our focus groups were asked about their thoughts and feelings about Dr. Love, her foundation, and breast cancer organizations in general. (See sidebar at far right for tips on focus groups.)

Finding Focus With Focus Groups

This article demonstrates that there are substantial costs to employers caused by the stresses associated with poor personal financial behaviors of employees. Approximately 15% of workers in the United States are currently experiencing stress from poor financial behaviors to the extent that it negatively impacts their productivity.

The Negative Impact of Employee Poor Personal Financial Behaviors on Employers

A Business Planning Guide to Developing a Social Enterprise Forth Sector

Big Idea National Children's Bureau practical guide focusing on the participation of children and young people

Evaluating Community Projects: A practical guide