Selfish Giving
MAY 2, 2011
I’m always finding good examples of cause marketing on Twitter. I have a few open searches on Tweetdeck that capture most of them. The great people I follow on Twitter send me the rest. I had these seven cause marketing promotions saved in my “favorites.&# They offer something for everyone. Pay attention! Toys “R&# Us Speaks Up for Autism.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MAY 3, 2011
Based on more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit communications and 15,000+ hours spent utilizing social and mobile media, Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits, written by Heather Mansfield , is a comprehensive 270-page hardcover book packed with more than 100 best practices covering Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 nonprofit communications and fundraising.
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Fundraising Coach
MAY 12, 2011
I was in a service club meeting, hearing an extremely compelling story of a nonprofit outreach. The people were passionate, the results were impressive. And then they ruined it. They said something like: “We’ll be seeking sponsorships because, well, we’re a nonprofit so we have no money.&#. For the record, that type of fundraising appeal sucks.
The Agitator
MAY 23, 2011
Interesting new research on causes and social media from Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication, reported in Philanthropy Today. While four in ten Americans get involved with groups working on social and political causes, 17% of women and 12% of men do so through social media sites, by joining a cause group, posting a logo to a social profile, or contributing to a blog.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 6, 2011
When I ask staff at nonprofits to describe their organization’s public personality, I often get blank stares, or something like “Ummm. we don’t have one, so I guess, well, how about ‘boring?’&#. I admit, it’s a tough question, especially if you’ve never considered that an organization could even have a personality in the first place.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MAY 26, 2011
Eight in ten American women strongly believe in the power of individuals to make a difference by supporting causes, while their male counterparts are more likely to view supporting causes as a fad. This is according to new data from Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication. In addition, American women are more likely than men to believe that supporting causes creates a sense of purpose and meaning in life, makes them feel good about the
Selfish Giving
MAY 18, 2011
Mistakes are part of life. And over the past seven years as a director of cause marketing, I’ve made more than my share! Here are five mistakes you don’t have to make, and I’ll never make again. Thinking that cause marketing can build brand. We started our cause marketing program seven years ago believing that cause marketing could have a transformative impact on our brand (i.e. what people felt and experienced when they came into contact with our nonprofit).
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Fundraising Coach
MAY 11, 2011
After my post about mobile giving apps , I learned about a new free app called TexTango. The idea isn’t specifically for nonprofits. This app pays you to text. You download it for free and there is no monthly fee. By using this app instead of your phone’s native SMS service, you see an ad when you text and the person you text sees an ad.
The Agitator
MAY 31, 2011
Target Analytics released its 2011 Benchmark Study of Internet and Multi-Channel Giving yesterday. I suspect their findings will be like playing Mozart to a cow … expecting appreciation and receiving only blank stares. But, more on that in a minute. In a nutshell, here’s what Target Analytics found in their benchmarking of the online/offline — and supposedly integrated — world experienced by the largest direct response nonprofits in America, involving 15+ million donors and more than
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 2, 2011
It’s a big nonprofit world, and it can get a little overwhelming and intense, especially if you work in a small nonprofit. That’s why I was really intrigued when Darian Rodriguez Heyman, former Executive Director of Craigslist Foundation, told me he was bringing together 50 of the sector’s leading experts to create the newly released guide book, Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals (Amazon).
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MAY 17, 2011
I just finished reading Trust-Based Selling , which was recommended by my friend and nonprofit marketing blogger Jocelyn Harmon. I posted on it two days ago, but I want to include one more post on how author Charles Green’s reflections on trust apply to the world of nonprofit marketing. Green lists the six toughest questions customers ask salespeople: 1.
Selfish Giving
MAY 16, 2011
I’m curious what you think about this cause marketing program between Urban Outfitters and National Public Radio. As originally reported by Fast Company , Urban Outfitters offers a specially branded NPR tee on the public radio station’s website for $20. Profits support NPR. Nice cause marketing (purchased-triggered donation, by the way).
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MAY 9, 2011
Finding your Twitter voice is an accomplishment only earned through a process of trial and error and conscious experimentation. Even the best social media managers often go through an initial period of puzzlement and frustration as they try to figure out how Twitter works and what to tweet. That said, the nonprofits below have discovered a nice balance of tweets, retweets, and mentions.
Fundraising Coach
MAY 5, 2011
Last week, Chris Brogan offered an extensive list of travel tips. He asked what we’d add here are some of mine. There are some duplicates, but that’s just how it is. Read Chris’ Tips for Flying post and the comments. There are some incredibly helpful tips in the post and in the comments! Dump pocket contents into a Ziploc bag when you park your car.
The Agitator
MAY 22, 2011
What percentage of your donors or members call your nonprofit … for any reason? What’s the overall volume? And what about ‘over-the-transom’ calls from people not yet connected to you? Naturally, the numbers vary hugely from nonprofit to nonprofit, and across types of nonprofits. Do you treat these calls as a cost (i.e., a nuisance) to be managed and minimized?
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 12, 2011
Is your process for creating and distributing your nonprofit’s content (you know, the stuff you put in your newsletter, on your website, etc.) non-existent or always done on the fly? The ad hoc approach can work, but it only gets you so far. That’s the conclusion that CompassPoint Nonprofit Services reached last year. Nelson Layag, project director at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, explains how they made the decision to get more organized, and what they are doing now, in our latest
Getting Attention
MAY 3, 2011
We’re thrilled to welcome back guest blogger, Kimberlee Roth , one of our tream’s valued writers. Kim also writes for the Chicago Tribune and The Chronicle of Philanthropy among other publications, and is author of Surviving a Borderline Parent. Still not entirely convinced annual reports present opportunity over drudgery ? Many nonprofits are bridging print and digital content in creative ways that make their annual reports interactive, engaging and attention-grabbing.
Selfish Giving
MAY 5, 2011
Side by side is the front and back of the Bruins' pinup. The QR code is on the back. Back in January I talked about Quora and how it could be a resource to consumers who had questions about a cause marketing promotions, and an asset to causes that wanted to be more transparent about their programs. This month my fellow Dummies writer Joanna MacDonald and I are putting Quora to the test with a QR code on our latest pinup that will be sold at iParty and Fuddruckers locations throughout New Eng
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MAY 19, 2011
While writing Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits , I visited over 500 nonprofit homepages looking primarily for links to their social networking communities. A rough guesstimate would be that less than 30% of those homepages included links or icons to their Facebook Page, Twitter Profile, YouTube Channel, etc., and of those, many placed them along the bottom of the page or on secondary “Connect with Us&# pages that were often not easily to find.
Fundraising Coach
MAY 10, 2011
This summer is my class reunion from Milton Academy. (A George Bush was president when I graduated but I won’t tell you which one.). All reunions have class gifts. As a fundraising coach, I figured fundraising from my classmates should be a cinch. It wasn’t! I found myself making all the mistakes I coach people not to make. Here are some things I had to relearn: Don’t delay making the ask.
The Agitator
MAY 11, 2011
For years I’ve been quietly steaming about two inventions that I suspect have done great damage to effective direct mail fundraising. Even calling them out will make me seem like a Luddite, a curmudgeon or worse. But truly, I haven’t lost my mind, so bear with me. The first technological culprit is Microsoft’s “Excel”, or for that matter any of the digital spreadsheet programs that preceded Excel going all the way back to Visicalc in 1979.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 4, 2011
Cygnus Applied Research is releasing its 2011 Donor Survey this week, and the executive summary alone contains some really interesting statistics and trends. This is a major survey by Penelope Burk’s team of over 17,600 American donors (there’s a separate report on Canadians). I’ll report on the full study once I’ve had a chance to digest it, but here are a few important highlights from the executive summary.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MAY 9, 2011
Causes.com recently launched a new Facebook Page tab that helps nonprofits inspire their online supporters to give. More than 700 nonprofits adopted the tab in the first week, indicating just how excited nonprofits are to tap into peer-to-peer fundraising on Facebook. Here’s a guest post from Susan Gordon at Causes, explaining how their tool can help your cause.
Selfish Giving
MAY 10, 2011
"I have great faith in a seed. Convince me you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect miracles." - Henry David Thoreau. After nearly seven years at Boston Medical Center , today is my last day. It’s been quite a ride. I could tell you all about my time here, but you can read about it for yourself on this blog, which I started shortly after I arrived at BMC.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MAY 16, 2011
Over the last 18 months I have subscribed to over 50 nonprofit text alert campaigns from a wide variety of organizations, but it wasn’t until this past April 28th that I finally received a text alert from a nonprofit that linked to a mobile website: That the text came from the Humane Society of the United States was not surprising. They were also one of the first nonprofits to utilize Myspace back in 2005 and Facebook Groups in 2006.
Fundraising Coach
MAY 12, 2011
I took today as a reading day, and committed to reading the copy of Content Rules [amazon affiliate link]. What a great book! Share or Solve; Don’t Shill. My favorite chapter is called “Share or Solve; Don’t Shill.&# Ann Handley & CC Chapman talk about the importance of engaging with prospects and your community rather than always doing the hard sell.
The Agitator
MAY 5, 2011
I like this story-writing exercise recommended by Leah Eustace at Good Works. After reminding us why storytelling is so important to fundraising, Leah suggests four stories to write: Write the story of the people who founded your organization. Interview your favourite donor about why she gives so often and has given for so long. Interview the Chair of your Board and write a story about why she volunteers so much time and energy to the cause.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 16, 2011
I had a great conversation with Susan Gordon, director of nonprofit services for Causes , last week. If you aren’t familiar, Causes has built free, customizable fundraising pages that integrate with Facebook, Twitter, and other channels (and the Causes.com site of course). Causes recently overhauled its integration with Facebook, making it much easier for small nonprofits to use Facebook for fundraising right on your own Facebook Page.
Get Fully Funded
MAY 9, 2011
You’ve stuck your toe in the water to see how it feels, but you remain noncommittal. You don’t want to be left behind, but you either aren’t sure what to do or aren’t willing to invest the time (or money) to do it well. After all, everyone else is on Facebook, so you have to be there too, right? Here are some surefire signs that you are an amateur Fundraiser online: 1.
Selfish Giving
MAY 24, 2011
There’s social media, and social networking and then there’s social gaming. And they’re all growing like crazy and can be used for cause marketing. While my focus is generally on how social media and cause marketing can work together, social gaming is an uncharted area for me. Fortunately, I now have a good guide. Tony Morain of Direct Relief International (DRI) is a graduate of the Six Figure Cause Marketing program Joanna MacDonald and I teach.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MAY 3, 2011
Title: Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits. Dedication: This book is dedicated to all the nonprofit staff and volunteers worldwide who Tweet, Share, Update, Friend, Like, Check-in, Join, Connect, and Post for Social Good. The world is a better place because of you. Introduction: Integrating Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. PART 1.
Fundraising Coach
MAY 24, 2011
Forrest Gump could have said, Momma always said, ‘Fundraising’s like a Waldorf Salad. You gotta mix it up to get the right taste.’ He didn’t, but he could have. A couple weeks ago, I blogged about email fundraising tips learned from my work on my upcoming class reunion. Another thing we’ve relearned this spring is: mix it up.
The Agitator
MAY 24, 2011
Charity Wins Donors With Promise Never to Ask For Another Gift. When I saw this headline on Holly Hall’s Chronicle of Philanthropy article on Monday I groaned out loud, and added an expletive. What a recipe for fundraising disaster, I thought. No way direct response fundraising works without repeat gifts (i.e., repeat solicitations). Then I read the article, which is about the prospecting approach used by Smile Train.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 24, 2011
Nonprofits have always had many content buckets that needed to be filled regularly, from print newsletters and other direct mail to reports for boards and funders. Then came along your website and email newsletter. And now, with social media, you may be producing content for a blog, video channel, Flickr group, podcast, Twitter feed and Facebook page.
Care2
MAY 28, 2011
Fear of Missing Out. If you work in Communications, escaping the latest hype around social media can be tough. You may even find yourself obsessing about it and have a condition called FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) because you are not posting or monitoring the chat on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. The U.S. Population Does Not Spend Their Day Using Social Media.
Selfish Giving
MAY 31, 2011
Pre-Conference Update. I flew into Chicago today so I could be ready for the for the Hospital Corporate Development Summit tomorrow morning. This second year workshop is just one of three programs that will be held on Wednesday before the opening reception tomorrow evening and the full conference on Thursday. I had a long, expensive cab ride from O’Hare Airport as I arrived during morning rush.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
MAY 5, 2011
Nonprofits pioneered social media. They were on Myspace and organizing via Facebook Groups years before corporate brands, higher education, and broadcast and print media. That said, I am starting to worry a little bit that nonprofits are falling behind on mobile communications and missing out on some exceptional opportunities to tell their nonprofit’s story to the mobile masses.
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