Long ago and far away, the perfect cupcakes were ordered for a celebration at a convention. Since the cupcakes were expensive and the budget was tight, it was important to order just enough. Unfortunately, on the night of the celebration the staff person in charge looked out at the crowd and realized she had underestimated by at least a third.

She made her way to the microphone. “With this unexpected turnout,” she confessed, “there aren’t enough cupcakes for everyone. If you’re not hungry, don’t take a cupcake. Or, maybe you’d be willing to share a cupcake with a friend.”

Suddenly everyone in the room wanted a cupcake, a whole cupcake.

Don’t be cheap with the cupcakes is code for an important learned-on-the-job lesson: if you’re going to celebrate something, if you intend to be affirming, do it right or don’t do it. For example, there didn’t have to be any food at the celebration that evening, but since there were cupcakes, there needed to be enough of them.

You don’t need to be extravagant with cupcakes, either. To be affirming, celebratory or special, you just need to be classy and thoughtful. Consider the made-for-free certificate to honor an employee’s fifth work anniversary. One employee has her certificate presented to her by her boss’s boss. Another employee found her certificate stuffed in an interoffice envelope. Neither employee started the day hoping to get a certificate acknowledging five years on the job. At the end of the day, though, one employee went home feeling affirmed and the other went home feeling like an unappreciated cog in an organizational wheel.

—Sue Edison-Swift

Yippie Skippy! My nonprofit marketing and fundraising hero Katya Andresen features this blog post in her 4/30/2013 Advice Carnival. Please visit and share the link. For related posts, filter for the category “On-the-Job Lessons.” Blessings! Sue

When asked to create a unit brochure or report on the latest reorganization or when expected to communicate the inner workings of the central office, I find it helpful to note that the organization of an organization–its unit structure, its regional geography, its reporting hierarchy, its carefully crafted strategic plan–provides the foundation for getting things done. Another word for foundation is underwear, and while the support and structure of underwear is important, it’s best not to show your underwear in public.

Communicating about the organization of the organization to insiders answers their who-what-when-where-how questions. Communicating about the organization of the organization to outsiders–AKA constituents, clients, volunteers, donors–does little to answer their questions: So what? Why should I care? How do I get what I need? What difference do you make?

Organization = Foundation = Underwear. Keep it on the inside.

—Sue Edison-Swift  9/29/2011