Selfish Giving
APRIL 12, 2010
The majority of calls I take on cause marketing are from budget-conscious small nonprofits raising anywhere from a few hundred thousand to a few million a year. They have a small staff and one or two development people, who usually have other responsibilities like marketing or public relations (or sometimes everything!). They also have limited resources and can’t invest in new staff, advertising or training.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 24, 2010
This very long post has been a long-time coming for so many reasons. Some of the opinions I express below I have had for a while and speak to them in my webinars and trainings, but some are so recent that I am still in the stage of “Seriously Facebook? Really?&#. That said, people love Facebook. The vast of majority of nonprofits love Facebook too.
The Agitator
APRIL 29, 2010
Back when the Haiti disaster struck, and $35 million was donated via mobile text, I was castigated by various Agitator readers (including my esteemed colleague Roger Craver), for questioning: " But is this really fundraising? " Today I rest my case. I urge you to read the entire post by Kristin Ivie on Social Citizens blog from which I’ve taken this excerpt: "It seems none of the organizations employing mobile giving campaigns have figured out how to promote continued engagemen
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 20, 2010
Q: My organization is building an endowment fund and several people have made generous donations in the past few months. Of course, we’ve thanked them personally, but we want to find a more “public&# way of recognizing them. We will include them in a special list in our Annual Report, but you have any additional recommendations or resources on donor recognition categories, donor recognition events, donor recognition memorabilia (like a big plaque with their names on it!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 20, 2010
One of the best tactical sessions I attended at NTEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference week before last was “Optimizing Your Site for Search Engine Performance: And We Ain’t Talkin’ Just Keywords.&# Here is the slide deck. It’s a mouthful, but it boils down to this one simple idea: Getting Google and other search engines to point people to your website.
Care2
APRIL 28, 2010
"It is always with the best intentions that the worst work is done," observed Oscar Wilde. And so it goes with an unfortunate entry on Snopes.com (a site usually quite good about debunking urban legends), that characterizes "internet petitions" as "slacktivism", a pejorative suggesting that activism is worthless if it doesn't require considerable effort.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 27, 2010
I’ve scheduled the first part of my Six Figure Cause Marketing webinar for June 10th from 2pm to 3pm EST. The four following parts will be held on June 15, 17, 22 & 24 at the same time. All the information you need about the program can be found here. This program will be hands-on, practical and each hour will be jam-packed with advice (All delivered with a thick Boston accent that will undoubtedly make you exclaim, “Huh?!
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The Agitator
APRIL 8, 2010
I could easily spend a couple of hours each day reading articles (and books) on customer loyalty and loyalty programs in the commercial space. Here’s a typical example from DM News about companies like Target, Hilton, Best Buy etc and what they’re doing to capture more share of wallet from existing customers. I guess the first point to make is that they’ve "found religion" in focusing more than ever (in a down economy) on existing customers and leveraging the informatio
Getting Attention
APRIL 19, 2010
I was shaken by new stats on a crucial shift in online user behavior– only 5 to 15% of your website users are coming in through your home page. Tip of the hat to Gerry McGovern’s take on the decline of the home page for clarifying what works now for nonprofit marketing online. As a result, your site users: Won’t be “introduced&# to your organization (as happens when they enter via the front door, or home page).
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 14, 2010
Last week at the Day of Service at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Atlanta, I met with Executive Director Megan Anderson and Volunteer Coordinator Courtney Hodges of the Furniture Bank of Metropolitan Atlanta. Each year, the NTEN community helps scores of local nonprofits in the conference’s host city , and this year I signed up to assist the Furniture Bank.
Care2
APRIL 6, 2010
If your nonprofit is not developing yearly benchmarks for its fundraising program, website visits, email and e-newsletter open and click-through rates, start now. Establishing benchmarks helps organizations better leverage supporters, engage activists and keep websites dynamic with compelling content that drives people to take action. While benchmarks should be set realistically based on each organizations goals and year-to-year metrics, it’s always important to know what the average bench
Selfish Giving
APRIL 14, 2010
Before you read this post you and I have to agree on some basic things. You should be doing cause marketing. (And not knowing what cause marketing is isn’t an excuse.). If you’re doing cause marketing, you should be discussing and promoting your program online via a website or blog. It’s good for you, for your corporate partners and for business development.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 6, 2010
First there was 10 Nonprofit Text Alert Campaigns. Then 10 Nonprofit Mobile Websites. Now 10 Free Nonprofit iPhone Apps. I thought it was important to lay the foundation of group texting and mobile websites for nonprofits before moving into examining how nonprofits are using iPhone Apps: 1. National Public Radio :: Download. App Name: NPR News. Updated: March 4, 2010.
The Agitator
APRIL 4, 2010
Over Easter, I had a chance to read The 8 Online Fundraising Changes You Must Make in 2010 , an excellent e-book by Katya Andresen at Network for Good. If you are looking for very practical tips in terms of techniques and best practices, you won’t be disappointed. But this guide is much deeper and richer than "tips." For me, the special contribution Katya makes revolves around this observation: "You can have a huge donate button on your home page – or a snazzy Facebook pa
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 26, 2010
If you subscribe to my bi-weekly fundraising email newsletter , you know I’m a big fan of 501Videos’ Movie Mondays. These short, free movies, are timely training tools and wonderful weekly reminders. Plus, they give you an inside look at how other fundraising professionals are approaching their work. I’ve even been privileged to be in a couple of them: 2 Stories of Fundraising Success in this Tough Economy and.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 22, 2010
I’m putting together a new webinar called Creating a Social Media Policy for Your Nonprofit (it’s on Wednesday, April 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET). As I’m thinking about the variations I’m seeing in social media policies, I’m measuring them up against what I’ve been using as the “good nonprofit marketing through social media&# yardstick: Does the policy encourage staff to be genuine, generous , and grateful ?
Getting Attention
APRIL 21, 2010
I'm blown away by the news — blogged by cause marketer Joe Waters — that Komen has made a huge nonprofit marketing mistake. The famed Race for Cure has undermined its own brand by partnering with KFC to cause market one of the most unhealthy foods there is — fried chicken in a pink bucket. Pink buckets for the cure? You must be kidding me.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 6, 2010
I love how Boston-based New Balance is attacking the Boston Marathon like I wish I had attacked Heartbreak Hill when I ran the great race in 2005. They’ve outpaced the official shoe sponsor of the marathon, Adidas , and come up with a strategy to leave their mark on the hometown run. They’re doing everything that will connect their brand with the world’s greatest race–except pay the sponsorship fee.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 13, 2010
I was just getting ready to add “Create a Facebook Page for a campaign in addition to your organization’s Facebook Page&# to my Facebook Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations when I read that Facebook had launched “Community Pages&#. I have yet to see one live, but they are Facebook’s response to a growing trend on Facebook where individuals launch and run Facebook Pages like: Can this pickle can get more more fans that Nickelback?
The Agitator
APRIL 25, 2010
Not every Agitator reader has a multi-million dollar fundraising and communications budget to work with! So we keep an eye out for fundraising advice that’s especially relevant for smaller nonprofits. Here’s an example from Doodig Blogs. This article — 5 Top Fundraising Mistakes Made By Small Nonprofits — stresses five points … all essentially about donor communications: Not thanking donors.
Care2
APRIL 25, 2010
Whether you're a large organization with brand awareness through the roof and a budget to match or a small nonprofit makeing do on a shoe string budget, you can't afford to waste resources. Not even on your Facebook page. Whether people became your fans, or, in the new Facebook parlance, "like" you, you invest in your presence on Facebook to build relationships with current or potential donors, volunteers, and activists to move them to take action that support your mission.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 26, 2010
Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now is hosting the next Nonprofit Blog Carnival with an April Fool’s theme, so I decided to share with you those times during my week when I am most likely to think, “This is a joke, right?&#. This happens several times a week, as I review the email that comes from my blog’s contact form. Here are the three most frequent requests that make me think, “Seriously?
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 23, 2010
Now here’s a home page for you. Be sure to click on it for the full effect. What to say? First off, I have to credit Webpagesthatsuck.com for tipping me off to this splash page, which won the dubious honor of one of the worst nonprofit websites of the year. Second, I hope it made you laugh. It is the month of April Fool’s Day, after all.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 29, 2010
I’ve always liked Boloco , the burrito restaurant chain with 16 locations throughout New England. They have great, reasonably priced food, and, as a special bonus, are tops in giving back and social media. Boloco is active on Facebook with close to 4,000 “likes&# , and have over 3,000 followers on Twitter where the CEO himself, John Pepper, tweets for the company.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 12, 2010
In January 2010, I was quoted by Association & Nonprofit BizNow for saying: “[Heather] envisions a mobile app with a GuideStar database of nonprofits that would make it possible for people to donate to any organization at any time. A receipt would automatically be e-mailed along with a customized thank you letter. At year’s end, givers could print out all their donation info on one page for tax purposes.&# To add to that today, I would also love to see an App that allows me to ma
The Agitator
APRIL 12, 2010
Awhile back I saw this LA Times article about a new website/organization (is there a difference these days?) launched by Chris Hughes, one of Facebook’s co-founders and online organizing whiz for the Obama campaign. But as I read about the site — Jumo, promoted as a venue for connecting causes/charities and interested volunteers — I thought to myself … Who needs this?
Care2
APRIL 29, 2010
Thanks to Allyson for inviting me to guest post. I’ll try to keep it short and just sweet enough to fill you in on everything you need to know about the new 2010 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study from M+R Strategic Services and NTEN. (This stuff fascinates me – which I guess is good since it’s my job. But I won’t be offended if you just want to skip straight to the report itself !).
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 6, 2010
I’ve been listening intently to all of the great ideas you’ve been sharing with me about the kinds of coaching programs you want on nonprofit marketing and communications. After much deliberation, I’ve decided to create three different coaching programs over the next three months (It’s just too much to cram into one month). In May, we’ll cover nonprofit writing.
Get Fully Funded
APRIL 22, 2010
I’m hearing lots of whining these days about how hard fundraising is due to the economy. People just aren’t giving, folks aren’t making their goals, blah, blah, blah. (Get ready – I’m jumping on my soapbox!). Too many nonprofit staff and volunteers have used “the economy&# as a crutch or a scapegoat. It’s easier to blame our fundraising failures on the economy than to take responsibility for it ourselves.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 7, 2010
Did you get that? It’s all about the ask at the register. The more people your cashiers ask, the more pinups you’ll sell, the more money you’ll raise. It seems simple, but motivating cashiers to ask everyone they meet can be challenging. We cover it at length in the Six Figure Cause Marketing program. A great team and asking every customer to support the cause is how this iParty store in Quincy, Massachusetts raised more money than any other ($2,800 to be exact).
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 1, 2010
A couple of times a year DIOSA Communications offers a webinar special for nonprofit organizations, and the month of April is now one of those times. From now until April 30, all social media and mobile technology webinars are 2-for-1. To clarify, two people can register for any webinar for the price of one as long as they register and pay for the webinars on or before April 30.
The Agitator
APRIL 15, 2010
Seth Godin raises a provocative question in his recent post, Fear of Philanthropy. Here’s the gist of it: “Marketers at good causes have a real challenge as they try to raise money from people who aren’t billionaires. As they approach people with $10,000 or $100,000 in the bank, this fear of not seeing a limit is very real, and if it’s not confronted, they will fail at both raising the money and generating satisfaction for the donor … What’s enough?
Care2
APRIL 13, 2010
The 10 th annual NTC conference ignited engaging discussions on just about every topic under the sun. From Beth Kanter and Allison Fine’s presentation on the importance of having a “Networked Nonprofit&# to Sarah Dijulio’s session on Super Heroes of Online Fundraising that dived into strategies nonprofits should consider using when testing fundraising messaging, nonprofit campaigners gained valuable skills.
Getting Attention
APRIL 21, 2010
Leveraging a news item or holiday by connecting your org to its theme is a tried-and-true nonprofit media relations strategy that succeeds at little cost. (See PETA case study ). But there's more than media coverage to be gained in connecting your organization's issues with a major news event or holiday. Doing so links your org to what's already in your supporters' minds -- like this year's 40th anniversary of Earth Day -- so works well to motivate them to give or sign a petition.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 9, 2010
Here at the NTC , Beth and Allison are providing a sneak preview of their new book out this June, the Networked Nonprofit. After a funny overview of their writing process, they are sharing some highlights of the book in their session, which I’m blogging in real time. The key points: -We’re looking at the largest ever living generation - the Millennials.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 5, 2010
You can read my latest post over at Philanthropy.com. Thanks to Peter Panepento (a Yankees fan no less) for inviting me to write it, and for posting it the day after a huge Red Sox victory over the Evil Empire! Fact or rumor: Jonathan Papelbon used Foursquare last night to check the Red Sox into first place in the American League East. Tags: Cause Marketing & Social Media boston red sox cause marketing cause-related marketing foursquare.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 29, 2010
The Web is going mobile. Faster than anyone thought. Smartphones are transforming the Internet and how individuals access the Web. One in five Americans now access the mobile Web daily. Some through Apps. Others through mobile Web browsers. This means nonprofits and their web communication strategies need to transform as well. One of the most – if not the most – important pieces of mobile web strategy is launching a mobile website [Re: Four Reasons Why Nonprofits Need a Mobile Websit
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