TODAY'S BUSINESS CHALLENGE:

Patrick is the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization which delivers support services to people with AIDS. His dedicated staff is overworked, underpaid, and stressed out beyond belief. Because of political pressure from the AIDS community, Patrick's agency is trying to keep administrative costs to a minimum. This means working with a skeletal staff to avoid the appearance of being a nonprofit that is top-heavy with management.

The agency's Board of Directors is an extremely aggressive group of men and women who work very hard to support Patrick and his staff. At last week's meeting, the Board of Directors agreed to share responsibility for the massive amount of correspondence that must reach the donors, corporate supporters, and foundations that help to keep the organization afloat.

The agency's Board of Directors can't afford to let Patrick hire another full-time administrative aide. They don't want to lose valuable time training a steady stream of temporary workers. Meanwhile, each Director owns a business which, like this nonprofit agency, is minimally staffed and run by crisis management. With their own employees woefully overcommitted, how can they possibly get the work done?

TOMORROW'S BUSINESS SOLUTION:

Angela is a gastroenterologist who sits on Patrick's Board of Directors. Since she already uses Alert & Oriented Transcription Services for her professional correspondence, Angela suggests that each Director be given a separate ID# to access Alert & Oriented's digital dictation system. This will allow each Director to dictate his or her correspondence at any hour of the day or night.

All work regarding the nonprofit agency's business will be uploaded to Patrick's e-mail account on America OnLine. Prior to each board meeting, Patrick will download and print out all the files on plain white bond paper (as opposed to expensive letterhead). A volunteer can then address the appropriate envelopes so that each dictated letter -- with a customized signature block -- can be signed and sealed during the agency's weekly board meeting.

Since Angela already has a working relationship with Alert & Oriented Transcription Services, she offers to foot the bill for transcribing the Board's correspondence as part of her ongoing financial commitment to the success of the nonprofit agency. Angela's accountant really likes this idea because transcription services are a fully deductible expense for her practice. And this year she is going to need some more deductions.