Selfish Giving

AUGUST 3, 2011

The Foursquare check-in for Cause Marketing for Dummies in this city is at the landmark that inspired one of the first cause marketing promotions. Are you in Boston, New York or Los Angeles today? Well, it’s your lucky day! Check-in to “Cause Marketing for Dummies&# on Foursquare in Boston, New York and Los Angeles– today only –and one person in each city will win a copy of my first book Cause Marketing for Dummies.

Marketing 255

Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 255

Nonprofit Tech for Good

AUGUST 24, 2011

The number of low-cost or free, web-based resources and tools available to nonprofits today is astounding. So much so that many nonprofit professionals are overwhelmed by the all choices – and as the Mobile Web and related start-ups continue to grow, prepare to be mind-boggled by all the new technology options available to your nonprofit in coming years. 1. 2dCode :: 2d-code.co.uk.

Technology 111

Technology Nonprofits Energy Activism 111

Fundraising Coach

AUGUST 9, 2011

Tweet It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Clover Frederick. Clover is a marketing consultant, speaker, and blogger specializing in nonprofits. As director and founder of nonprofit marketing network in Lincoln, Neb., she helps connect nonprofits with the marketing professionals they need. She’s also the American Marketing Association Lincoln 2011 Marketer of the Year.

Associations 103

Associations Marketing Marketing Activism 103

The Agitator

AUGUST 29, 2011

One of The Agitator’s Aussie readers, Jane Coombs, sends this auto-reply message she received from Global Corporate Challenge. Thanks Jane! From: noreply [mailto:noreply@gettheworldmoving.com]. Sent: Saturday, 27 August 2011 6:17 PM. To: Coombs, Jane. Subject: Automatic reply: GCC 2011 Milestone. Thanks so much for your email. The only problem is that you’ve emailed noreply@gettheworldmoving.com which is an unattended inbox…well apart from me of course, but I’m just a computer and I

Health 87

Health Nonprofit Management Management Communication 87

Fundraiser Ideas

AUGUST 15, 2011

One of the most effective ways to raise money for your cause or group is by organizing and hosting fundraising events that are designed to attract a crowd. The most successful fun fundraising ideas are those that engage and appeal to a large percentage of the community. By planning and presenting original and fun fundraising ideas, you can raise money and awareness for your organization in your local area.

Fundraising 87

Fundraising Fundraising Children Food 87

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

AUGUST 31, 2011

I’m hosting this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival , where the theme is quirky, kooky, and off-beat nonprofit marketing and fundraising ideas. It’s time to get creative, people. I promise, you really can do something a little different that grabs people’s attention, while still staying true to your mission. We’ve got plenty of examples to prove it!

Marketing 86

Marketing Marketing Non-Profits Fundraising 86

Selfish Giving

AUGUST 30, 2011

I get lots of good questions about cause marketing from people who are new to the field. Most of them are about where to start. It’s not always an easy answer as people are at different points in their development. Here are three strategies for cause marketing newbies, regardless of where you are in the journey. 1. I’m a big fan of cause marketing, but everyone else in my office knows nothing about it, including my boss.

Marketing 246

Marketing Marketing Retail Education 246

Fundraising Coach

AUGUST 30, 2011

One of the most common questions I get is some variation of: We’re a small nonprofit without any fundraising program. Are there ever any conditions where it makes sense for us to hire a fundraiser that gets paid a percentage of what they raise? It’s an understandably seductive question. It seems to contain the promise of great financial gain with limited or no cost.

Fundraising 100

Fundraising Fundraising Ethics Associations 100

The Agitator

AUGUST 15, 2011

Here’s some elegantly simply advice from biz guru Seth Godin. It’s quite succinct, so I’ll reproduce in full … Dig yourself a hole. Make big promises. Burn your boats. Set yourself up in a place where you have few options and the stakes are high. Focused energy and serious intent will push you to do your best work. You have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Energy 86

Energy Nonprofit Management Management Nonprofits 86

Getting Attention

AUGUST 4, 2011

Welcome to our newest guest blogger, Valerie Lambert. Valerie is an award-winning fundraiser, specializing in Annual Giving, with several articles published on her successful methodologies. She has spent 20+ years working for a variety of nonprofits as a staff member, a board member and as a volunteer. She blogs at Bilou Enterprises on topics related to Annual Giving and career counseling.

Recruitment 81

Recruitment Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 81

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

AUGUST 2, 2011

Ceci Dadisman. This week, you are hearing from four guest bloggers about nonprofit events. Guest Post by Ceci Dadisman, Palm Beach Opera. Social media is an important piece of the event marketing puzzle. Unlike most nonprofits that are marketing one product all year long (a charitable cause), a performing arts organization markets multiple different products (performances and events) throughout each season.

Marketing 83

Marketing Marketing Production Technology 83

Selfish Giving

AUGUST 31, 2011

I came across this appeal at my local Whole Foods Market. These types of cause marketing promotions are common at Whole Foods. I call them passive cause marketing because they don’t involve an ask from the cashier, unlike active cause marketing. The signage is strategically placed right where you swipe your credit card. This is the first time I’ve seen a QR code at the register at Whole Foods.

Food 243

Food Marketing Marketing Activism 243

Nonprofit Tech for Good

AUGUST 17, 2011

Hot off the presses and just delivered via Fed Ex! It’s a surreal moment, exciting, nerve-racking, but it’s great to see the words off the screen and onto paper. Tangible, in my hands. There will be an e-book version of course, but I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to publish a book while books are still printed on paper.

Technology 103

Technology Nonprofits Fundraising Fundraising 103

Fundraising Coach

AUGUST 16, 2011

Tweet Every so often, like last spring, I get calls from potential clients desperately hoping I will give them donors. It’s like they think I have some sort of “magic Rolodex&# that I’ll offer them, a list of people anxiously looking for worthy causes to give to. I’ve never found that Rolodex. Fundraising is a long game of building relationships and proving your impact.

Associations 100

Associations Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 100

The Agitator

AUGUST 16, 2011

Convio has just released its latest Integrated Multi-Channel Marketing Study and it’s well worth a careful read. Using online survey data from 123 nonprofits, backed by 15 in-depth interviews, the Survey explores key success factors for organizations of all types and sizes that are already engaged in integrated, multi-channel marketing. The Study employs an interesting and helpful filter that focuses on the practices of Novice, Junior, Intermediate and Advanced practitioners.

Retention 84

Retention Marketing Marketing Management 84

Fundraiser Ideas

AUGUST 30, 2011

Recent financial downturns have taken a toll on many charitable and nonprofit organizations. Many administrators are left wondering how to raise money in this difficult economic environment. The secret to raising money is really no secret at all; in general, persistence and commitment are essential elements of success in the fundraising world. Here are 10 tips on how to raise money even when the economy is at its worst: Make your presence felt.

Nonprofit Administration and Development 79

Nonprofit Administration and Development Charitable Organizations Activism Advertising 79

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

AUGUST 17, 2011

You know I am a fan of the “new and improved&# nonprofit annual report — which I define as anything that is shorter, clearer, and easier for donors to understand than traditional annual reports. I especially like two- and four-pagers and videos. I’m collecting samples of “new and improved&# nonprofit annual reports on this wiki , and encourage you to add examples too!

Nonprofits 81

Nonprofits Communication Marketing Marketing 81

Selfish Giving

AUGUST 24, 2011

I’ve always been interested in how state and national parks– and green spaces in general –can use cause marketing to raise money. These popular places are a national treasure, but government funding is bottoming out. They need to diversify to raise more money. The Los Angeles Times agrees with me. And I agree with them that while adopting cause marketing “options might conjure up a mountain range’s worth of slippery slopes, they’re better than the alternative.

Marketing 241

Marketing Marketing Nonprofit governance and management Environmental 241

Nonprofit Tech for Good

AUGUST 7, 2011

Most nonprofits don’t even know that they have a Facebook Community Page , and those that do have primarily been annoyed by their presence and perplexed by their purpose. That said, the vast majority of community pages are created when you or someone else adds your nonprofit to their personal Facebook Profile under Edit Profile >Education and Work: The good news is that apparently Facebook has changed its mind about its initial intentions for community pages and now allows nonprofits t

Education 101

Education Education Nonprofits 101

Fundraising Coach

AUGUST 23, 2011

Tweet I get the opportunity to work with a lot of faith-based organizations. I love helping them get excited about raising money and showing them that others in the Bible did too. But I’m amazed by a persistent cop-out so common among Christian causes, I’m adding it to my “ Fundraising Myths &# category. The cop out is: this ministry is so important, God will fund it.

Agriculture 92

Agriculture Fundraising Fundraising Food 92

The Agitator

AUGUST 8, 2011

Roger, old-timer that he is, and I (and many of our ’senior’ commentators, I might add) are always rattling on about the ‘eternal verities’ of fundraising. The well-established ‘truths’ in all aspects of fundraising — from technique to human nature — that prove out over and over, and endure. The truths we worry too few ‘next generation’ fundraisers don’t or won’t take the time to learn and appreciate and apply.

Recruitment 81

Recruitment Food Fundraising Fundraising 81

Getting Attention

AUGUST 3, 2011

There’s nothing more important than ensuring your website – your organization’s homebase online — is easy-to-use (a.k.a. usability). More specifically, your site has to be easy for your target audiences (not users in general, but the folks you need to engage to move your mission forward) to use to facilitate the type of actions/interactions you want – online giving, contacting your organization for more information, registering for a program or signing a petition.

Nonprofits 76

Nonprofits Values Marketing Marketing 76

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

AUGUST 3, 2011

Dawn Crawford. This week, four guest bloggers are teaching us a thing or two about event marketing. Guest Post by Dawn Crawford, BC/DC Ideas. Events are fabulous for the supporters in your immediate area, but what if your supporter base reaches far beyond a reasonable car ride? Social media can be the connection point to push your next event into the virtual space that brings in more donations and awareness for your cause.

Activism 76

Activism Recruitment Healthcare Communication 76

Selfish Giving

AUGUST 8, 2011

Cause marketing was a regular part of my hospital's partnership with Finagle Bakery & Cafe. They're at it again, but this time for the Musuem of Science. Finagle Bakery & Cafe is a doing a nice thing this week for Joanna and me, and a great thing for Boston’s Museum of Science. All this week Finagle Bakery & Cafe is donating $1 to the Museum of Science for every additional Like it gets on their Facebook page and for every retweet the promotion gets on Twitter up to $1,0

Marketing 235

Marketing Marketing Medical Children 235

Nonprofit Tech for Good

AUGUST 3, 2011

No doubt. I absolutely believe in the power of the Internet and social media to foster social good and create social change, and I’ve written plenty of blog posts that say as much, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge that the rise of the Social Web has created some very real and serious challenges for the nonprofit sector, such as: 1) The 24/7 bad-news-is-#BreakingNews cycle.

Disaster Relief 100

Disaster Relief Nonprofits 100

Fundraising Coach

AUGUST 4, 2011

Tweet I’m currently teaching a college course on internet marketing. This week I’m really pushing them to define their target market. Most of them are trying to say, “Really, my market is everybody.&#. Are you doing this with your fundraising? If you are, “marketing to everyone&# is a sure way to fail. Here’s what I posted in the class forum: You’ll find, when you market to “everybody&# you end up reaching nobody.

Marketing 80

Marketing Marketing Fundraising Fundraising 80

The Agitator

AUGUST 14, 2011

Most web folks regard Jakob Nielsen as the guru of website usability and human-computer interaction. As reported by Melinda Krueger on ClickZ Marketing News , here’s the first item I’ve seen regarding his insights on the usability of mobile sites. I wish it were more thorough, but it’s a start. Some of Nielsen’s thoughts … Mobile user has low commitment to any mobile content, so poor usability is even more of a killer than with computers.

Marketing 78

Marketing Marketing Communication 78

Getting Attention

AUGUST 9, 2011

I dug into VolunteerMatch’s recent annual report in video format the minute it reached my inbox. It hit my sweet spot — I’m intrigued by innovative use of video and also by the challenge of reinventing nonprofit annual reports to be vibrant and meaningful. VolunteerMatch’s video version is both — and holds great value as a model for other nonprofits — so I rushed to interview Robert Rosenthal, Director of Communications on the why, how and how much of this pro

Production 76

Production Participation and motivation Communication Technology 76

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

AUGUST 6, 2011

One of the classic mistakes we make when we try to interest companies in supporting our cause - or in joining forces in cause marketing - is to focus on what we want from the company. We forget we must make a case for what we can do for the company. Partnerships work best when each party gets a benefit. This isn’t simply about our winning funds - it’s about creating the proverbial win-win on both sides.

Marketing 75

Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 75

Selfish Giving

AUGUST 11, 2011

The excitement is growing for Cause Marketing for Dummies! (Okay, so these people are in line to meet Sarah Palin. But if Palin had crowds this big, just imagine the reception for CM4D!). Joanna and I will be busy online and offline over the next few months talking about all the great things that can be found in the newly released Cause Marketing for Dummies.

Marketing 231

Marketing Marketing Philanthropy Associations 231

Nonprofit Tech for Good

AUGUST 25, 2011

I tell ya. It’s a surreal feeling to know that someone could be reading your book right now… on the subway, in a cafe, or at a park in any city, anywhere in the world. And the fact that this books exists at all really is a testament to the power social media. All this began on a fateful day in February 2005 with the launch of a Myspace Page meant solely to promote nonprofits and foster social good.

Education 95

Education Education Technology Fundraising 95

Fundraising Coach

AUGUST 31, 2011

I’ll be speaking at the Social Media FTW conference on September 22 in Portland, Maine. The organizers have asked each of the presenters to do a quick video promoting why people should come to their session. Would you help me decide which video to send to the conference organizers? It would be great if you could click through to YouTube and vote by clicking the “like&# button on the one you like most.

Fundraising 77

Fundraising Fundraising Education Education 77

The Agitator

AUGUST 18, 2011

Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now can be pretty scathing when he blogs about nonprofit ads that don’t work. Here’s his latest diatribe , where he notes that World Wildlife Fund UK is a frequent ‘bad ad’ culprit. But redemption might be possible. As reported on MediaPost , here’s an ad from WWF that I think is pretty good.

Fundraising 77

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits Communication 77

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

AUGUST 1, 2011

Sandy Rees. I am on vacation this week, so I asked several friends to guest blog on a hot topic in our recent survey on what you wanted to learn more about: nonprofit events. This week you’ll hear from Sandy Rees , Ceci Dadisman , Dawn Crawford , and Gail Perry. Take it away, ladies! Kivi. Guest Post by Sandy Rees, Get Fully Funded. Special events have an important place in a good overall fundraising program.

Energy 75

Energy Recruitment Fundraising Fundraising 75

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

AUGUST 31, 2011

A new survey highlighted in the Chronicle of Philanthropy has some bad news: Two-thirds of donors said they will cut back on giving this fall due to economic woes. A pathetic 17 percent of donors believed the economy is recovering, while 43 percent said it’s going to slide further down. Only one in five donors said they’d consider giving to groups they’ve never before supported.

Values 74

Values Philanthropy Marketing Marketing 74

Selfish Giving

AUGUST 1, 2011

Order Now and Get Free Stuff! 316 pages of lessons, advice, inspiration and examples that will guide your cause marketing success. That’s the best way my co-author, Joanna MacDonald, and I can describe Cause Marketing for Dummies , a new addition to the For Dummies series. Joanna and I were clear on why we wanted to write this book. We wanted to share what we had learned developing a successful cause marketing program for a nonprofit that wasn’t a Komen or St.

Marketing 228

Marketing Marketing Technology Production 228

Nonprofit Tech for Good

AUGUST 14, 2011

Date: Monday, September 26. Time: 1pm-2:30 BST ( View Time by City ). Cost: Free. How to Register: Sign up! Presented By: Heather Mansfield. In the United States, Canada, or Latin America? Register here! Based upon the soon-to-be-released book Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits , this webinar begins with defining Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 communications and fundraising, and then quickly moves on to a discussion about the importance of integrating the tools from each

Technology 86

Technology Nonprofits Communication Fundraising 86