Selfish Giving
JANUARY 4, 2010
It’s the beginning of a new year so let’s start fresh by defining what exactly cause marketing is.**. Keep in mind that this is my definition of cause marketing. (There are other definitions out there.). Cause marketing is a partnership between a nonprofit and a for-profit for mutual profit. A few things about my definition. First, my definition is focused on cause marketing, not the marketing of causes.
Sea Change Strategies
JANUARY 8, 2010
This was a tough year-end for a lot of fundraising organizations. Time for some sober reflection and some self-honesty. Let’s start by admitting that the fundraising pyramid is a lie. Most major donors at most organizations do not rise up through the ranks of $15 donors, who become $100 donors, and then ultimately become $100,000 donors. Most major donors come to organizations via other major donors.
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Fundraising Coach
JANUARY 19, 2010
Q: Do you know of the best way for my web site www.aidsadvantage.org to come up on search results when people type in the words “Aids, South Africa, Africa”? I wish to increase traffic to my web site and since this is unfamiliar territory I thought you could help me with this. A: Great question! I’m not an SEO expert, and I’ve never played one on TV.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 17, 2010
FourSquare is definitely starting to catch on with enterprising techie folks that love to be early adopters. That’s a good a sign. Most check-ins revolve around restaurants and cafes, but below are five simple ways you (and the nonprofit techies) can also use FourSquare to promote the nonprofits and causes your care about: 1) Add Nonprofit Venues.
Get Fully Funded
JANUARY 13, 2010
Today’s post is provided by Lynda Lysakowski, ACFRE, President of Capital Venture. As a consultant to nonprofits, my blood just boils when I am asked by executive directors or board members, “So, we are thinking about hiring a development officer, how long it will take before this person is raising more money than the salary we pay them?” This question indicates that these leaders really do not understand development or the role of a development officer in their organization.
The Agitator
JANUARY 21, 2010
Last week we reported some data from online firms Blackbaud and Convio regarding 2009 online fundraising. To refresh you on the highlights: Online fundraising revenue was up 46% over 2008 for all groups in Blackbaud’s universe (over 1,700 nonprofits), with 35% of groups reporting no increase in online revenue. According to Blackbaud, fully 46% of all online revenue was raised in the last three months of 2009 (not a dissimilar pattern from previous years), 30% in December alone, while only
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 11, 2010
Two articles last week, one in America Public Media the other in the WSJ , bemoaned the incessant requests at store registers for a dollar or two for causes. You should read them. It’s a real bitchfest. I’m not saying they’re wrong. These constant requests can be annoying. Although what they think is kind of immaterial considering that supermarket giant Safeway alone last year raised $50 million for breast cancer charities and the Special Olympics with register programs.
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Care2
JANUARY 15, 2010
83% of adults have cell phones or smartphones. 35% of users have accessed the Internet via their phone, according to a December 2009 report by Pew. So in times of natural disasters like the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti and affected more then two million people, can a mobile strategy help raise money in times of crisis? Shortly after news spread about the devastating earthquake in Haiti the American Red Cross launched a “text to donate&# campaign where individuals in the US can te
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 12, 2010
I like Facebook. Mostly to stay in touch with close friends. It’s great for that. I don’t play Farmville or Mafia Wars. I don’t invite people to Causes. But I am a fan of my favorite nonprofits on Facebook. I do see their status updates. I do occasionally give thumbs up, and sometimes I’ll even comment. I have donated to nonprofits that I have seen on Facebook (on their website).
Get Fully Funded
JANUARY 20, 2010
I’ve just returned from a short trip to New York and I wanted to share an amazing adventure with you. Part of my travel required a flight from Philadelphia to Newburgh, NY. Everything up to Philly was uneventful. But when I arrived in Philly, I found out they had cancelled my flight to Newburgh and it was going to probably be 9 am the next morning before I could get on another flight.
The Agitator
JANUARY 14, 2010
We’re departing from our pre-announced “schedule&# today to express our own concern for the people of Haiti … and our gratitude to the millions of people — including, we suspect, our readers — who have responded to this disaster with financial aid. The initial reports we’ve seen indicate that humanitarian organizations are receiving record amounts of contributions, amounts exceeding Katrina, with the earliest gifts being made online at an astounding rate.
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 6, 2010
Beth Kanter recently wrote on CauseWorld , which is essentially a “cause version&# of Foursquare. Like foursquare and gowalla, you open the application on your phone and see local businesses (instead of showing everything around you, CauseWorld only shows businesses that you can check into for karmas). Enter the store, check in, and get the karma points offered to you.
Fundraising Coach
JANUARY 5, 2010
With the first blog post of 2010, I’m starting a series of posting questions I receive and my answers to them. Sort of a “Dear Abby&# for fundraising. I’m calling it “ Question Marc &# — pun fully intended! It’d be great to have you take part. If you have a question about nonprofits or fundraising that you’d like considered for Question Marc ?
Care2
JANUARY 14, 2010
Going to the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen (COP15) was the closest I've come to a good strong punch in the gut -- the type that makes you question much of what you once believed to be true. But it was also one of the best wake-up calls I could have asked for. My time in Copenhagen reminded me that for all the money and good intentions in the world, we can't make a bit of difference if we don't fully appreciate, understand, and react to the political landscape we're playing in as o
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 6, 2010
The use of iPhone Apps that benefit the nonprofit sector is going to explode in 2010. Hundreds of iPhone Apps created by nonprofits and nonprofit service providers are quietly preparing for an early 2010 launch. That said, there are three iPhone Apps currently live and available for download that give us a good picture of how iPhone Apps can be utilized by nonprofits, activists, and donors: 1) Geolocation Activism :: CauseWorld.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 11, 2010
I’ll share my three predictions for nonprofit marketing in 2010 with you in just a second, but here’s one prediction that I know for a fact will come true: I’ll keep referring you to Beth Kanter for all questions social media that are too difficult for me to answer. You all have a lot of great questions, so it feels like not a week goes by where I don’t send someone off to Beth’s Blog for answers.
The Agitator
JANUARY 13, 2010
Blackbaud’s Steve MacLaughlin recently published this slide show reporting the 2009 online fundraising figures for 2,335 nonprofits (all transactions processed by Blackbaud). The report also provides year-over-year comparisons based upon returns for 1,703 organizations. It’s a "must view" presentation. Some highlights: 65% of nonprofits enjoyed year-over-year (YOY) growth in online revenue comparing 2009 to 2008; 35% did not grow their online revenue in 2009.
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 20, 2010
I think they can, but it needs to be done appropriately and with sensitivity. As we learned in my post What is Cause Marketing? cause marketing isn’t philanthropy first, it’s marketing. And the situation in Haiti requires philanthropy first. And any company that tries to swap that with marketing will be duly punished by consumers. But just because the recipe calls for a pound of philanthropy doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a teaspoon of cause-related marketing.
Get Fully Funded
JANUARY 31, 2010
Here are several resources I thought you might be interested in. The January edition of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival is up at IssueLab’s Footnotes. You’ll find several posts on the topic of ‘online outreach on a budget.’ Check it out here: [link]. There’s a great post on the “A Small Change&# blog about making your fundraising efforts go viral.
Care2
JANUARY 6, 2010
Think your friends spend too much time on Facebook? They're not alone. According to comScore , 5.5% of all time spent online in the US during the month of November was on Facebook. That's a lot of time. As Facebook expands past 300 global million users , the online giant is also adding new services to keep people on its site. Facebook's Gift Shop has recently been expanded to offer music, e-cards, real gifts, as well as a charity gift section.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 10, 2010
FourSquare has received quite a bit of buzz over the last few months. Some have even declared it to be the “ Twitter of 2010 “ I am not so sure about that, but it is fun. It is Different. Addictive. And as of last week, FourSquare has gone global. Thus, now all nonprofits worldwide have a good reason to get FourSquare on their radar screen.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 4, 2010
The first week of a new year is always one of my favorites. there is something so hopeful and fresh about it. In addition to the typical resolutions about doing more of this and less of that, I also like to pick a theme for the new year. Sometimes it’s a few words, or a personal tagline, or even a song. This year, I’ve picked three words that popped out at me when I read What Matters Now , a series of short essays each on a different word.
The Agitator
JANUARY 24, 2010
Mark Rovner at Sea Change Strategies recently wrote that the "fundraising pyramid is a lie." He argues that most major donors are recruited into a nonprofit on a peer-to-peer basis, rather than being cultivated up the donor pyramid from initial small gifts. From my experience, I think Mark is dead wrong on this. Lawrence Hence, managing director of Target Analytics, does a terrific job of rebuttal in this "must read" article.
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 25, 2010
For some time Hannaford Supermarkets has been a friend of local providers of eggs, fruits, vegetables and other goods to its customers. Hannaford’s program, Close to Home , spans five states, aids local businesses and reduces its carbon footprint. The grocer saw the opportunity to extend their work with local growers with Keep Local Farms , a broad effort to stabilize and enhance milk income for dairy farmers in the Northeast.
Fundraising Coach
JANUARY 11, 2010
Today’s the birthday of the amazing Beth Kanter. I love her passion for nonprofits and social media. I’m particularly grateful for her helping us in the nonprofit world articulate metrics and ROI. Not only is she a really smart teacher, she’s also doing the actual fundraising herself. A great combination indeed! When I’m doing a fundraising training and get a question on social media ROI that I’m not able to answer, it’s a great relief to be able to encourage
Care2
JANUARY 22, 2010
Guess what one of the biggest challenges nonprofits face today when adding a blog to their website or diving into social media? Giving up control. Does this sound familiar? Should blog comments be moderated? Should we even allow public comments on our blog? How do we handle negative comments? Just delete them? How do we deal with trolls? What if the opposition takes our tweets and twists our words?
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 25, 2010
As more and more nonprofits launch group texting and text-to-give campaigns in the coming months, we’re also going to see more and more nonprofits launch mobile websites – or at the very least breaking news, donate now and subscribe web pages that can be easily read on mobile devices. I’ll be covering that in more detail next week, but in the meantime take a quick browse through the sites below.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 22, 2010
This blog is all about helping small nonprofits and one-person marketing departments communicate as effectively as possible with their supporters. Sometimes the best way to do that is to outsource your content creation to a professional freelance writer. The problem is that there really aren’t all that many writers who specialize in producing the kind of content that nonprofits need.
The Agitator
JANUARY 12, 2010
Yesterday, in light of Target Analytics’ report on the continuing decline in both donor acquisition and donor giving, I asked “Why do so many organizations persist in doing the same old, same old year after year hoping that results will suddenly improve?&#. At a time when every fundraiser knows the world has changed demographically, psychographically and financially, the ‘global replace’ and ‘copy’ functions in Word and Excel seem to be still working well!
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 19, 2010
I didn’t go to Harvard University (or “Hahvahd&# as we call it locally), but last week I got a a Harvard education on Foursquare. Foursquare, which is accessible from smartphones and other mobile devices, enables students and visitors to explore the campus and surrounding neighborhoods while sharing information about their favorite places.
Get Fully Funded
JANUARY 12, 2010
1. The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. RALPH NADER. In other words, let your leaders lead. I worked as part of a five-person development team for a large organization for twelve looooong months. During that time period three development directors came and went, not to mention program staff, membership staff, the CFO and more.
Care2
JANUARY 19, 2010
In December, we held one of the first conferences devoted to the intersection of online and community organizing, with a special emphasis on the labor movement, local electoral campaigns and small organizations. It was gratifying to be able to discuss issues that weren't getting enough attention at other conferences we attend. What made Organizing 2.0 unique was the emphasis on organizational change, in contrast to tech tips and tricks that other conferences already explore.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 28, 2010
While there are a good number of tech-savvy hipsters out there that understand terms like “ Static Web ”, “ Dynamic Content ”, “ User-Generated ”, “ Cloud Computing ”, and “ Semantic Web ”, the majority of nonprofits don’t talk or understand such tech speak. So, to simply for the nonprofit masses, I present and frame very simple definitions and interpretations of Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 as follows: Web 1.0 = Websites, e-mail newsletters and “Donate Now” buttons.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 12, 2010
I’ve been asked to contribute a chapter to an upcoming book called “Nonprofit Management 101: A Field Guide for Social Sector Professionals” that Jossey-Bass will be publishing in early 2011. My chapter will be on crafting an effective newsletter strategy. I want to include lots of real-world anecdotes and lessons learned in the chapter. Do you have a story you can share about your newsletter experience, either print or email (or both)?
The Agitator
JANUARY 25, 2010
Yesterday’s Agitator post on the donor pyramid (Is it a lie?!) prompted quite a response, so we’ll stick with this debate a bit. Commented John Sauve-Rodd (a Brit): "Personally I find the donor pyramid of no practical use, but as seasoned US and Canadian fundraisers told me in my research, ‘It is useful to explain what we do to Board members who then leave us alone to get on with what we do’ But then fellow Brit, Tony Elischer responded in an email: "The latest Ag
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 27, 2010
You can read my latest post at Causeshift. Thanks to Brian Reich and Scott Henderson for inviting me to join the conversation! Tags: Causerants cause marketing cause-related marketing causeshift haiti.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JANUARY 26, 2010
Fast. Not as fast as some other massive humanitarian emergencies, but fast. It’s always that way with crises. Here is Network for Good’s data: The Internet and mobile are ideally matched to charitable giving at times of disaster, when technology can turn the impulse to help into a donation within seconds. But disaster giving online follows a “fast but fleeting” pattern.
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