This post was published simultaneously on http://rallythecause.com. To view the discussion it generated there, feel free to jump over there after you finish reading the post.

Two Things You Need to Learn from this Post:

1. Character is at your core, image & brand are what you project to others, and reputation is how others perceive you. While you can control the first two, you cannot control the third.
2. The human mind is continually seeking to identify discrepancies between what others say they are and what they actually are. If the image you project is different than your character, the gap between the two will buckle and collapse under scrutiny.

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MediaSauce is pleased to announce that we have been named a 2009 Indiana Company to Watch by the Indiana Small Business Development Centers, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and Purdue University in cooperation with the Edward Lowe Foundation.

The awards program celebrates high-performing, second-stage companies in the state. Known for their performance in the marketplace, innovative products, unique processes or philanthropic actions, these companies represent a wide range of industries from all corners of Indiana.

50 companies were selected from more than 500 nominations. MediaSauce is the only interactive agency and digital business consulting firm recognized among this year’s honorees (View the entire awardees list).

“We are ecstatic to be a part of this list and to be recognized to successfully transform businesses in a digitally driven economy,” said Bryan Gray, CEO of MediaSauce. “We have built a business where success is defined by our client’s growth and impact. This award is validation for the efforts of our staff and the client partnerships we’ve established.” more

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50 Indiana-base companies were named to the 2009 Indiana Companies To Watch list, including MediaSauce.  Read on for the complete list. more

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#1 Thing You Need To Know from This Post:

The single most important asset of any non-profit organization is its relationships with its volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders. If you treat these relationships like sacred data collections instead of an engaged community, you are at risk of becoming irrelevant.

A More Detailed Exploration:

I spend a good portion of my time traveling across the country to attend conferences and meet with clients and prospective clients. Even in this digital era, the custom of exchanging printed business cards is alive and well. As you can see from the photo to the right, I have quite the collection.

But don’t confuse that collection of cards for a robust network of strong relationships. Getting the card is just like adding a new person to your organization’s database. If you do nothing to build the relationship, that business card becomes an artifact proving very little other than that you once had contact with the person.

The Historical Role of the Database

Common wisdom says that you can measure an organization by the number of people who are in its database. Historically, a central staff maintained this database and treated it like a sacred collection of artifacts. In an era when information didn’t flow so easily and it was very difficult to connect with people you’d never met, protecting that collection of records at all costs was a self-evident truth. After all, these records had taken a great deal of work to assemble and represented the lifeblood of your organization.

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