Selfish Giving

APRIL 10, 2013

'This post has a companion post at Razoo’s Inspiring Generosity blog: Dollars for Doers: The Money Nonprofits Don’t Want? To learn more about Dollars for Doers - company grants that reward employee volunteering with cash for nonprofits – I knew I had to speak to a nonprofit that worked with a lot of volunteers. If it’s really true that only 7 out of 100 employees apply for this money, I needed an organization that had so many volunteers that they’d be sure to have exper

Volunteerism 258

Volunteerism Volunteerism Children Nonprofits 258

Nonprofit Tech for Good

APRIL 22, 2013

'Until recently the nonprofit pioneers of the Social Web had to mostly rely on their intuition that their social media campaigns were resulting in more dollars raised online, an increase in brand and cause awareness, and higher rates of volunteer recruitment and retention. However, as LinkedIn, Blogger and Myspace all celebrate their 10-year anniversary this year, nonprofits have now had a decade to study and experiment with social media and create systems for successfully launching and tracking

Advertising 111

Advertising Fundraising Fundraising Recruitment 111

Fundraising Coach

APRIL 15, 2013

'I’ve been a fan of Jay Love for years. I even interviewed him for my radio show back in 2008! He gets both databases and effective fundraising. So I asked him if he’d write a post on donor retention. Jay is a serial entrepreneur, the creator of eTapestry and now the creator of Bloomerang a web-based donor database focused on helping your nonprofit retain donors.

Non-Profits 110

Non-Profits Retention Insurance Food 110

The Agitator

APRIL 8, 2013

'“What differentiates great fundraising from the average, good or poor?” “What are the factors that allow an organisation to double, treble or even quadruple its income ?” These are the questions Professors Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang set out to answer in a year-long study aptly titled: Great Fundraising. Released yesterday, the study was briefed and commissioned by the UK consultancy Clayton Burnett and is available free of charge on the firm’s website.

Fundraising 109

Fundraising Fundraising Culture Retention 109

Getting Attention

APRIL 16, 2013

'Like you, my heart and head are heavy in the wake of yesterday’s bombings in Boston. Especially since I feel so helpless. I had a completely different post planned today, but wanted to respond a.s.a.p. to the questions, worries and just totally-wrong communications I’ve seen going out since the bombings yesterday afternoon. Most of this outreach was harmless, but simply a mismatch with what’s on our minds right now.

Communication 108

Communication Children Health Marketing 108

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

APRIL 30, 2013

'For the month of April, I’m hosting the nonprofit blog carnival. A carnival is a mix of contributions from bloggers and readers on a shared theme, and I chose the theme, “best advice.”. I asked you the following question: What was the one, best piece of professional advice you ever got and why? How has it transformed your work? I also invited readers’ best single piece of advice for people who work at nonprofits.

Non-Profits 97

Non-Profits Nonprofit governance and management Nonprofits Public and Nonprofit Management 97

Selfish Giving

APRIL 18, 2013

'I’ve started a board on Pinterest to keep track of some of the giving opportunities to support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Please check the board out and give generously! Also, please let me know if you seen any other events, products or services that are supporting the victims. This t-shirt created by students at Boston’s Emerson College has already raised $40,000!

Production 253

Production Marketing Marketing 253

Fundraising Coach

APRIL 20, 2013

'Last night my flight home to Maine was cancelled, presumably due to the manhunt in Boston. So I got to spend more time in NJ. While there, I turned on WDHA, a rock station in New Jersey. In the midst of a commercial break, I heard an add about an organization that helped people get employment. It was a compelling story and when they said, “Your generousity makes this possible”, I realized the organization was a nonprofit.

Fundraising 110

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 110

The Agitator

APRIL 3, 2013

Each week a river of press releases, proposals and other propaganda flows past our desks, and frankly it’s time to blow the whistle on the puffed up propagators of prolix. Specifically, I’m singling out those fundraising, branding and communications consultants whose misuse of words and aversion to simplicity and clarity only serve to muddy the waters with their confusion.

Fundraising 109

Fundraising Fundraising Production Values 109

Mission Minded

APRIL 18, 2013

'In spite of the persuasive critiques of Dove’s 9-year old “Real Beauty” campaign, the most recent installation is clearly articulated and brilliantly executed from a branding perspective. There’s a lot to question in our beauty-obsessed culture, and Dove has clearly, positively differentiated itself in the beauty marketplace by relentlessly marketing a single, overarching message: we should [.].

Culture 93

Culture Marketing Marketing 93

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

APRIL 4, 2013

Today I’m answering a question from reader Deirdre, who asks: “As an organization with a mission that is a bit more abstract than, say, feeding hungry children or saving whales, we often struggle to make our work concrete. Are there any resources out there that are especially useful for organizations dedicated to civic engagement and/or research?

Education 93

Education Education Children 93

Selfish Giving

APRIL 1, 2013

Curt Weeden (shown above) is a corporate giving expert, speaker, author and founder of the New Strategies Forum. I first shared this post with my email newsletter subscribers last week. But I got such great feedback on it I want to share it with all my readers! Subscribers to my email newsletter receive unique content from me twice a month. Sign up for my Wicked Good Newsletter today!

Nonprofits 236

Nonprofits Marketing Marketing 236

Nonprofit Tech for Good

APRIL 3, 2013

Hopefully your nonprofit has grown accustomed to the fact that Facebook is a constant work in progress. That said, some recent upgrades to Facebook Pages have a big impact upon your nonprofit’s presence on Facebook and with the site-wide launch of the new News Feed and Social Graph Search coming soon, many more changes are likely to come. Before you fall behind, make sure that your nonprofit is current with these four recent Facebook upgrades: 1) Turn on “Similar Page Suggestions.&#

Nonprofits 110

Nonprofits Activism Management 110

Fundraising Coach

APRIL 9, 2013

'I run into so many nonprofit leaders who don’t “have time” for professional development. “I have so much to do I don’t have any time for myself.” One of the interesting things about self-talk: what we say over and over, especially with emotion, can hypnotize us. It may not change the world around us, but what we believe can definitely impact how we perceive reality.

Leadership 103

Leadership Nonprofit Leadership Associations Nonprofits 103

The Agitator

APRIL 11, 2013

'Courtesy of fundraising consultant Pamela Barden, writing in Fundraising Success , here are 12 principles that all fundraisers would do well to heed … You are NOT the target audience. So figure out who is. You have to spend money to raise money. You have to ask to receive. Use multiple fundraising tools for balance. Good programs need good fundraising.

Nonprofit Management 103

Nonprofit Management Management Fundraising Fundraising 103

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

APRIL 16, 2013

'We''ve Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: [link] Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. We''ve Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: [link] Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us.

Nonprofits 89

Nonprofits Communication 89

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

APRIL 11, 2013

'Photo via Green America. The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a fascinating interview with fundraising guru Penelope Burk , author of the upcoming Donor-Centered Leadership. Turns out it’s not just donors who grow weary of too many direct mail appeals and telemarketing calls. It’s apparently a frequent reason fundraisers quit their jobs—the relentless pressure to bombard donors.

Fundraising 91

Fundraising Fundraising Philanthropy Leadership 91

Selfish Giving

APRIL 30, 2013

'Register programs are similar to pinups in one important way and different in two distinctive ways. First, they are similar in that they fall under the umbrella of point-of-sale (POS). For me, POS cause marketing is anything that happens at a business’ register that raises money for a nonprofit. In addition to register and pinup programs, I would put round-up programs and donations boxes under the point-of-sale umbrella.

Food 209

Food Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 209

Nonprofit Tech for Good

APRIL 14, 2013

'My e-newsletter is by far the driving force behind Nonprofit Tech 2.0. Those 27,000+ subscribers produce more return on investment (ROI) in terms of bringing in new clients and webinar attendees than my 600,000+ Twitter followers and 40,000+ Facebook fans combined. And even though a recent report pointed out that email open and donor response are dropping in the nonprofit sector, I can’t help but wonder if current (yet old) e-newsletter design trends have a lot to do with the results.

Ethics 94

Ethics Technology Nonprofits Production 94

Fundraising Coach

APRIL 5, 2013

'Nonprofit’s love designing and redesigning their logos. Logos provide us with a sense of legitimacy. They give us an identity. Asking these three questions while you’re designing your logo will save you alot of time and money later. Will it work in 1-color? Graphic designers are great. They are creative and know how to make our world look beautiful.

Fundraising 102

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 102

The Agitator

APRIL 21, 2013

'The latest extension of Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign has generated buckets of attention. As Dove puts it, the mission of the campaign is “to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence and not anxiety” We first wrote about this campaign in 2006, applauding its focus on self-esteem. What’s creating the latest buzz is this video showing how an artist’s sketch based on a woman’s own self-description varies — i.e., is less flattering

Communication 99

Communication Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 99

Mission Minded

APRIL 24, 2013

'On May 19, Denver Art Museum will unveil its new exhibition, “Spun: Adventures in Textiles.” When helping to brand the exhibition, Mission Minded took a strategic approach, analyzing the Museum’s audiences, goals, and brand position. With the input and collaboration of Museum staff, Mission Minded helped create the name and designed the campaign that will [.].

Collaborations 80

Collaborations Communication Nonprofits 80

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

APRIL 5, 2013

'I’m a big believer in the positive effects of peer pressure (here’s one article on it ). Global Giving has proved this again - in an intriguing experiment focused on recurring giving. Last year, the organization experimented with a number of different calls to action to get donors to upgrade to recurring donations. They tested the messages on all donors who added a project to their giving cart.

87

87

Selfish Giving

APRIL 16, 2013

'Let review, shall we? Bad behavior: Good behavior: Got it? More: How to Help the Victims of the Boston Explosion … Keep reading.

Marketing 238

Marketing Marketing 238

Nonprofit Tech for Good

APRIL 29, 2013

'And yet another reason why your nonprofit can not ignore Google+… the Google Knowledge Graph which now prominently features information about nonprofit organizations on the right-hand side of Google Search results. Data is pulled from multiple sources including Wikipedia , GuideStar and of course Google+ Pages. As a result, nonprofits must ensure that their Wikipedia Page and GuideStar Profile are current and understand that simply being active on Google+ makes it more likely that your

Nonprofits 93

Nonprofits Activism Nonprofit Organizations Nonprofit Organizations 93

Fundraising Coach

APRIL 23, 2013

'Last week, in my weekly email to Fundraising Kick subscribers , I told them to stop talking about what percent of their budget goes to “overhead.” I won’t go into the entire message I sent, but here’s a summary. You need to know the percentage. People are talking about the percentage of a nonprofit’s budget that goes to “overhead.” Here in the USA, they can easily look at a charities 990 which publicly announces how much came in in donations and how muc

Fundraising 101

Fundraising Fundraising Advertising Marketing 101

The Agitator

APRIL 23, 2013

'Early this year the 100 year-old American Cancer Society (ACS) rocked the direct response ecosystem with its decision to stop all direct mail acquisition … stop the use of direct mail to non-dm acquired donors … and remove the ACS list of donors from all exchange universes. Judging from comments I overheard at the February DMA conference, you’d have thought rather than finding a cure for cancer the ACS had discovered an extremely virile form of stupidity.

Public and Nonprofit Management 98

Public and Nonprofit Management Retention Universities Management 98

Getting Attention

APRIL 24, 2013

'It’ll take you about two minutes to read this. Do you think you’ll make it? . It’s not likely. People usually read just 20% of any content that’s 100 words long or more. Since this post is longer than that, you’re most likely to scan it for keywords that are relevant to you, plus highlighted elements I showcase with bolding or italics.

Nonprofits 78

Nonprofits Marketing Marketing Communication 78

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

APRIL 19, 2013

'At the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference, I was asked about donor premiums - those return address labels, mugs, etc. given to people in exchange for making a donation. From the research I’ve seen, premiums can work to boost giving in the short term but also create some problems long term, especially if the premiums are positioned as a quid pro quo for a gift and have limited resonance with the cause.

Children 83

Children Retention Technology Marketing 83

Selfish Giving

APRIL 26, 2013

'On today’s show, Megan and I talk to David Hessekiel , Founder and President of Cause Marketing Forum. David shares what’s on tap for the May CMF Conference in Chicago, including my session on Cause Marketing for Small to Medium Sized Businesses and Nonprofits. He also gives us a peak into keynotes by LIVESTRONG CEO Doug Ulman, Andy Goodman on storytelling and J.

Marketing 200

Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 200

Nonprofit Tech for Good

APRIL 1, 2013

The reports listed below are just a small sampling of the research available to nonprofits about online communications and fundraising, social media, and mobile technology. These reports are, however, some of the most valuable in terms of insight, useful and practical data, and how-to advice. If you would like to suggest a report be added to the list, please post the name and a link to the report in a comment below.

Communication 82

Communication Fundraising Fundraising Technology 82

Fundraising Coach

APRIL 2, 2013

I’ve been fascinated by the rise of successfully crowdfunded projects through sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. I think nonprofits can take lessons from them to apply to their own fundraising. So I when I read a thorough analysis of Brett Scott’s successful Indiegogo project , I invited him to share some of his lessons learned here. Brett is the author of the forthcoming book ‘The Heretic’s Guide to Global Finance’.

Finance 96

Finance Education Education Management 96

The Agitator

APRIL 7, 2013

'Three weeks ago, we reported that Bernard Ross and his UK Management Centre were launching the Big Mac™ Philanthropy Index. The purpose of this new Index? To offer, once and for all, some basic comparative fundraising stats and to settle, hopefully, frequently asked questions like: “What country is the most generous?” … ”Who is the highest paid fundraiser on the planet?

Fundraising 96

Fundraising Fundraising Philanthropy Universities 96

Getting Attention

APRIL 25, 2013

'Nonprofit Storytelling # 1-7. Stories are at the top of the format heap right now, because they work. Although they’ve been around forever (the Lascaux cave paintings in SW France are 17,000 years old), most of us still thrill to good stories on pages and screens. Why We Respond to Stories. Stories help us make sense of a world that can be hard to understand.

Psychology 78

Psychology Homelessness Nonprofits Communication 78

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

APRIL 16, 2013

'It’s the time of year when you’re packaging up your annual reports for 2012. Before you move forward with the same approach as last year, it’s worth asking: -Who is the audience? -What do you need to accomplish with this report? -Should we question the old approach? Here’s a great example of what happens when you ask these questions: The Children’s Bureau report - which takes the form of an interactive report online and a poster in its direct mail form - combines a

Children 82

Children 82

Selfish Giving

APRIL 4, 2013

'On today’s episode of CauseTalk Radio , Megan and I talk to Erik Darby , Vice President at Kanjoya , the parent company of the Experience Project. The Experience Project is the world’s largest living collection of shared experiences and the premier passions-based network. It’s a comfortable and supportive place for individuals to share and connect with others around the things that matter to them most.

Production 196

Production Marketing Marketing 196

Nonprofit Tech for Good

APRIL 23, 2013

'Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Time: 1pm-2:30 EDT. Cost: $50 or Spring Webinar Special. How to Register: Sign up ! Presented By: Heather Mansfield. View: All Webinars for Nonprofits. This webinar begins with a general introduction to Twitter and then quickly moves on to demonstrate how nonprofits can use the site to increase their supporter base, website traffic, e-newsletter subscribers, online donors, and overall visibility on the Internet.

Nonprofits 79

Nonprofits 79