Sociologist and Author Chester Davis Offers Advice on Using Formal Problem- Solving Techniques to Improve Nonprofit Performance

Washington, DC, October 20, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Different nonprofits and citizens' groups are focused on different issues, but all have two things in common: a desire to create good ideas and a need to sell their ideas. Freelance writer and sociologist Chester D. Davis draws on several years of research and writing to offer advice on enhancing nonprofits' efforts to generate, refine, implement, and sell ideas.

Those concerned with solving the world's great problems can generate better ideas, implement them more effectively, and sell them more successfully by keeping six tips in mind:

1. Think Marketing – Learn about your audience, including how to reach them, what their needs are, what they want, and what specific problem sthey face.

2. Target Efforts – Identify and focus on causes of a problem rather than a symptom.

3. Think Design – The idea in question has to fit with the values, economy, politics, and lifestyles of the people you want to influence.

4. Find Leverage – Look for the idea that will give the most benefit for a given level of effort.

5. Be Scientific – Looking at data, patterns, trends, and expert opinions will give you a firmer basis for deciding what to do and how to do it.

6. Be Formal – Use a systematic process of defining the challenge, studying the social environment, brainstorming, evaluating ideas, and implementing an idea.

These tips, and the techniques needed to implement them, are described in Chester Davis' recently released book. The Creative Activism Guide describes techniques for exploring problems, generating ideas, evaluating ideas, selling ideas, and making better decisions. More information about the book and its author is available at http://www.chesterdavis.net.

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