Selfish Giving
MARCH 12, 2012
Point-of-sale programs are the backbone of cause marketing, raising the majority of consumer donations each year. The dominating point-of-sale tactic is pinups. One question I get all the time after I present on the different types of cause marketing tactics is “What’s a pinup? And where do I get them?”. The second question always cracks me up because I envision people searching for pinups in the aisles of Target or Walmart.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MARCH 23, 2012
Each Friday through the end of 2012 I am going to donate $10 to one of my Favorite Nonprofits in the hopes of inspiring others to donate more often. It’s true what Walt Whitman said… giving does inspire more giving. If you are a nonprofit, please help me get the word out about #FundraisingFriday to your supporters. Hopefully you’ll be able to convert a few fans, followers, and friends into donors.
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Fundraising Coach
MARCH 13, 2012
Every week or so, I get a question like I did last night. It was basically, “ How do you convince your boss to let me use social media? ” So being a social media geek, I immediately posted the question on LinkedIn’s “Answers” tool. You can see the question and the answers here: [link]. Three basic approaches. The answers are boiling down to three basic categories: If they need to be convinced, they’re too stupid/old/out-of-touch, Ask for forgiveness rather tha
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 8, 2012
Ryan Gosling: Actor and Nonprofit Communicator? While most of us realize that Ryan Gosling is an attractive man and a good actor, who knew he would be so good at nonprofit communications? We came across the Ryan Gosling memes while updating our March edition of our free Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts , so we added this to our pop culture and news section of the email: Ryan Gosling is very popular in several memes right now that could be a lot of fun to customize for your org.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MARCH 22, 2012
My favorite nonprofit, A Wider Circle , set me a thank-you letter this weekend. It started with the following quote. “I truly appreciate everything you have given my family. The household items aside, it’s the hope, the faith, the trust, and the reassurance that kind, caring and loving people still do exist. I used to be the one that donated the clothes, the canned goods, and volunteered my time.
The Agitator
MARCH 20, 2012
Two announcements that go together. According to comScore , about 179 million web users watched nearly 38 billion online videos in February, a level that’s holding relatively steady. That’s an average of 21.8 hours per viewer! A medium you must master. And here’s an opportunity … YouTube has started a new feature that will allow all nonprofits to broadcast live events through their own video channels.
Selfish Giving
MARCH 28, 2012
“The future of nonprofit marketing is connecting with supporters where they are and when they care. QR Codes are a link to that future.” I’m really excited about my new book, QR Codes for Dummies. I’ll finish the final edits this week and the book will be out in June. To celebrate finishing the book, I’m throwing a party of sorts over at CharityHowTo.com , the #1 web site for nonprofit webinars on every topic you can think of – sponsorship, auctions, Facebook,
Nonprofit Leadership Zone brings together the best content for advertising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Fundraiser Ideas
MARCH 20, 2012
Sports teams often have to raise money for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they need new uniforms or new equipment. They may need to raise money for travel expenses to go to a tournament. Whatever the reason your team needs to raise money, here are 10 exciting fundraising ideas for sports teams: Fast Pitch Fundraiser – This is a great fundraiser for baseball teams.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 15, 2012
Marta Lindsey. You know what they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” A good photograph captures your audience’s attention in ways that words can’t. And using pictures you took with your cell phone can’t do as much as professional looking photos. But who can afford a professional photographer? Marta Lindsey with TransForm shares how she handled this dilemma in a two-part guest blog post.
Fundraising Coach
MARCH 5, 2012
The Nonprofit Telesummit. Tomorrow is the beginning of a free three day nonprofit training event. Happening from March 7 – 9, it’s called the Nonprofit Telesummit. Nine nonprofit and fundraising experts will be sharing sessions on things like: How to get your board members over their fear of fundraising. 4 simple things that can bring quick (and big!
The Agitator
MARCH 6, 2012
Here’s your chance to strengthen your nonprofit fundraising results with tested strategies shared by 219 of your peers around the world. Download your free copy of The Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide to capitalize on their smarts, effort and experiences for your organization. Edited by our friend Nancy Schwartz at Getting Attention. These are not big essays or articles, just pithy bits of advice Nancy compiled by surveying frontline fundraising practitioners.
Selfish Giving
MARCH 23, 2012
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]. Nonprofit contests are a dime a dozen, it seems. But which ones are the best? In today’s episode , Megan Strand and I highlight three great contests you can join. First, Ifdy Perez , Community Manager for Razoo.com , joins us to share Twive and Receive , a nation-wide fundraising campaign that pits city against city in a one-day fundraising effort on May 24.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MARCH 4, 2012
Most nonprofits have not yet upgraded to the new Facebook Timeline for Pages design, but as more and more admins begin to realize that the Timeline design and tool set is much more than just uploading a photo to the top of your page, I think we’ll see many of our favorite nonprofits take the leap and upgrade before the mandatory roll out of Facebook Timeline to all pages on March 30.
Getting Attention
MARCH 7, 2012
Welcome to our newest guest blogger, Kerri Karvetski. As owner of Company K Media , Kerri helps nonprofits communicate online. Email subject lines have one main job—to get your email opened. You have two seconds to grab your reader’s attention. That’s a lot of pressure. So avoid these avoidable mistakes. Writing subject lines is mostly art, but there’s some science to it as well.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 13, 2012
Brian Honigman. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of those things that a lot of nonprofits don’t want to think about, because they think it’s too hard to understand, or too difficult to keep up with. But it’s really important! In today’s guest post, Brian Honigman shares a few simple ways to boost your SEO through link building.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MARCH 1, 2012
Today my wonderful Network for Good colleague Kate Olsen guest posts. She blogs at Companies for Good , where she posts thoughtful reflections on cause marketing. When was the last time you were enchanted as a customer? As an employee? As a donor? What was it about the experience that so surprised and delighted you? According to Guy Kawasaki , former Chief Evangelist of Apple, enchanting experiences should be the norm, not the exception.
The Agitator
MARCH 19, 2012
Or should it be: “He had strong hands”? Here’s one for the copywriters and wordsmiths in our audience. In a NY Times article, Your Brain on Fiction , Annie Murphy Paul (author of Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives ) writes about neuroscience research on how word imagery affects our brains. She talks about how adjectives and metaphors stimulate areas of the brain outside the core language processing regions … making a deeper impact on th
Selfish Giving
MARCH 2, 2012
In this episode of CauseTalk Radio , Megan and I talk (online) platforms, Pinterest (again) and (motion) pictures. I’m bullish on Boston’s online content service Swoop and explain how it might be used for cause marketing. Pinterest is social media’s golden child but will legal concerns over terms of use preclude passionate pinners from sticking around?
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MARCH 26, 2012
On March 30 the new Facebook Timeline design will roll out to all Facebook Pages and one new function is the ability to post Milestones to your Timeline. I’ll be giving a comprehensive click-by-click tour of the new Facebook Timeline design and tool set in my upcoming webinars on Facebook and Facebook Apps for nonprofits , but a how-to get started with Facebook Milestones is posted below: 1) Select “Milestone” from your Posting Module.
Getting Attention
MARCH 29, 2012
Guest blogger Kim St. John-Stevenson is the communications officer at the St. Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland, and a dedicated advocate for funding nonprofit skill building in Communications. “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Most people recognize that as a classic Shakespearean quote, from Hamlet. But did you know the following quotes also come from Shakespeare’s pen?
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 5, 2012
You’ve accepted that “the general public” is not a target audience. Congratulations! Now’s the fun part: learning more about the groups of people who really are most important to your success. You can and should do some original research via surveys, interviews, and informal focus groups with people on your lists (which I talk about in Chapter 3 of my book ).
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MARCH 8, 2012
Just when you thought you had Facebook figured out, it’s time for the new Facebook pages. Since surveys show 90% of nonprofits are on Facebook , this news likely affects you. So I want to point you to the best resources I’ve seen this week on how to make a successful shift to the new format on Facebook. 1. Get oriented. First off, here’s a 101 on the new pages and what yours will look like.
The Agitator
MARCH 7, 2012
My answer would be: When I didn’t realize I gave you the information driving the personalization. Of course you know my giving history to your organization. Of course you know my particular areas of program interest. You should know where I live, since I gave first via direct mail. And maybe that’s relevant to the appeal. You might even know my pet’s name.
Selfish Giving
MARCH 15, 2012
In this episode of CauseTalk Radio , Megan and I talk with Chris Noble , CEO of Cause Media Group , and Mark Horvarth , Founder of InvisiblePeople.TV. We discuss the uproar at this year’s SXSW over one agency’s deployment of the homeless as human wifi for the technology laden hordes that descended on Austin. Chris Noble also shares the status of other cause ventures at SXSW and whether nonprofits should book their trips now to next year’s gathering.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MARCH 5, 2012
Many of you have probably already heard that Facebook Timeline for Pages will automatically go live for all brand pages on March 30. As admins, you can currently “ Preview Your Page “ to enable the new design in advance of the mandatory rollout. Many nonprofits are postponing upgrading their pages because the Default Landing Tab option is disabled in the new design, but I personally have never been much of a believer that Default Landing Tabs have resulted in high numbers of e-newsl
Getting Attention
MARCH 1, 2012
Directions for use: You know what I’m going to say, or a variant of it, and that’s why you’re reading this. But some fine-tuning may help you focus your marketing work. Most importantly, here’s a clear, compelling definition that you can use in your discussions (a.k.a. arguments in some cases) with your colleagues and/or leadership who just don’t see what marketing matters.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 2, 2012
Nancy Schwartz is celebrating a birthday today, but she’s giving out the goodies! Being a nonprofit marketer can be an overwhelming experience. Even the most seasoned of us need guidance now and then – a little inspiration to let us know we are on the right track, or a new way to look at an old problem. Nancy recently released The Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide 2012 at GettingAttention.org which contains tested, proven strategies shared by nonprofit marketers, consultants and fund
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MARCH 23, 2012
Network for Good’s friends at Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication today launch Communicating Via Imagery, a complete guide to telling your story with images that touch the heart and influence the mind. ”>. If you’ve been reading the blog lately, you know just how critical it is to have the right pictures in all your outreach.
The Agitator
MARCH 18, 2012
If I might please interrupt your reading of “What to learn from the Kony video” articles for a few moments … For a fundraising lesson. Here, from Charity:Water, is a terrific example of the way ‘Thank You” needs to be expressed to your donors. Click the screen shot ( or here ) to view the video and see its website context.
Selfish Giving
MARCH 30, 2012
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]. In this episode of Cause Talk Radio, Megan and I chat with John Ludlow , Chief Strategy Officer for Snoball.com about automated giving. We learn more about the Snoball platform, pontificate about why embedded giving is the wave of the future, dismiss claims of slacktivism, and speculate about ways that automated giving can become a cause marketer’s dream.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MARCH 14, 2012
With smartphones now outselling PCs and tablet sales surpassing even the most conservative of estimates, the majority of your nonprofit’s supporters will likely be browsing your website on mobile devices by 2013 – and unfortunately most nonprofits are not prepared for this dramatic shift in Web communications. That said, the following is a short excerpt from Chapter 9 of Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits.
Getting Attention
MARCH 9, 2012
Yesterday was International Women’s Day (IWD), an occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of women worldwide. I was thrilled (and, frankly, amazed) to see the creativity and diversity of nonprofit campaigns linked to IWD this year, from IRC’s Wake Up campaign to Doctors Without Borders’ four-part IWD video series. But today, I want to share with you the particularly compelling, creative and all-inclusive campaign launched by Oxfam America(OA) around its International Women’s Day 2012 Awa
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 29, 2012
Sean King. Video may not be the most widely used marketing channel, but it is definitely one of the fastest growing. Video, when done right, can grab your audience’s attention and make a lasting impression. Sean King, who is also participating in our Nonprofit Marketing Guide Mentoring Program , shares some takeaways from his organization’s recent video campaign.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MARCH 16, 2012
According to Guy Kawasaki , former Chief Evangelist of Apple, you need an enchanting website to pull people to your story. Kawasaki’s most recent book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions , offers 11 ways to do so. I’m sharing them here. And if this topic enchants you, I urge you to consider Network for Good’s upcoming training on turning your website from ick to slick.
The Agitator
MARCH 27, 2012
Consider this…. …the average nonprofit has a 60 to 70% chance of getting an addition contributions from existing donors; …a 20 to 40% probability of getting a gift from a lapsed donor; …but less than a 2% chance of receiving a gift from a prospect. YET… day in day out thousands of nonprofits pour the bulk of their marketing and fundraising dollars into a leaky retention bucket, seemingly oblivious to this gigantic waste that endangers their very future.
Selfish Giving
MARCH 8, 2012
In this episode of CauseTalk Radio , Megan and I talk with Geoff Livingston , author and Vice President at Razoo.com. We discuss a new Case Foundation report on Giving Days, and the success small nonprofits in Washington D. C. have had with the program. Up to 40 U. S. cities may roll out Giving Days in 2012. We also talk about The Nature Conservancy’s partnership with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue that has created a firestorm of controversy – especially among staffers ̵
Care2
MARCH 19, 2012
We talk to a lot of people who want to improve the way their organizations use technology, but who feel innovation is a luxury that limited staff time and budgets won’t allow. Can their nonprofits take better advantage of available technologies to improve the services they deliver and the ways in which they deliver them? Our new research shows that they can.
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