Selfish Giving
OCTOBER 1, 2012
October is such a busy month for breast cancer fundraising that it’s called Pinktober because of all the pink ribbon products and events that benefit breast cancer causes. No other breast cancer organization is more wired to Pinktober than Komen for the Cure , which raises tens of millions of dollars from cause marketing promotions with such well known brands as General Mills, Old Navy, New Balance and Walgreens.
Fundraising Coach
MAY 8, 2012
I normally speak to large groups at conferences or to entire development teams, but I’ve been privileged to do a lot of one-on-one major gift fundraising training this year. One of the most common questions I am getting from nonprofit employees and board members alike is, “Ok, the ‘ Get R.E.A.L. ‘ formula is nice, but when it comes tom making the ask, what do I say?
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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.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JULY 17, 2012
I’m friends with many nonprofit program and research directors who confide in me about their various scuffles with communications or fundraising staff in their organizations. Nothing strange there. But what I do find a little surprising is how often I will meet a program or policy director, or even an executive director, for the first time, and upon learning what I do for a living, they will say, “Ugh.
The Agitator
OCTOBER 28, 2012
For nearly 20 years prognosticators have prematurely heralded the death of direct mail. After all, they argue, “online” is far cheaper and faster, plus donor demographics are changing, so it’s only a matter of time before direct mail is dead and buried. Only trouble with these dire predictions is that they’re not supported by facts or experience. So, as The Agitator begins exploring various acquisition channels, I want to start off by making certain everyone understands that the “Direct Mail Is
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
AUGUST 21, 2012
The Chronicle of Philanthropy yesterday published loads of data on giving patterns among American donors. You can search for your specific community giving here. The research is based on tax returns from people claiming charitable deductions. Among the most interesting findings: 1. The rich aren’t richly generous. Says the Chronicle, “Middle-class Americans give a far bigger share of their discretionary income to charities than the rich.
Get Fully Funded
SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
Did you know that most donors check out your website before they make a gift ?? And if your website doesn’t make a good first impression, you’ll lose the donor and the gift faster than you can say ‘goodbye online donation.’. Your website doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, the simpler, the better. It just needs to look professional, clean, and inviting.
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Mission Minded
DECEMBER 21, 2012
In the midst of the media storm of negativity surrounding the University of California’s new logo, a small voice of opposition to the opposition arose— one that disagreed with the anti-logo sentiment pervading public discourse. Graphic designer Armin Vit of Brand New, wrote: “It really baffles me that, all of a sudden, one day, all [.].
Care2
DECEMBER 9, 2012
My Facebook stream has been filled with nonprofits and businesses asking me to “like” photos, political statements, new products, petitions, etc. You name it, they have asked me to “like” it. And it’s not just nonprofits or small business with limited resources relying on this lame strategy, it’s big organizations and major corporations who have invested significant money, resources, and staff in social media.
Selfish Giving
OCTOBER 24, 2012
I’m writing this post in Kansas City where I presented at the Philanthropy Midwest Conference on How Mobile is Changing Nonprofit Fundraising and Marketing. I put a lot of work into this presentation, as I really wanted to share some useful advice with my listeners on how to get started with mobile. I had four main suggestions to get nonprofits started on mobile NOW without going broke or crazy.
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.
Selfish Giving
FEBRUARY 2, 2012
Nothing Komen for the Cure does surprises me anymore. They sell deep-fried chicken to raise money to cure breast cancer. They sue other nonprofits that use “for the cure” in any variation in their name. Now, they’re flexing their muscle and shutting off the funding to Planned Parenthood. For Komen, it’s just another day being a big, arrogant SOB that has swallowed too much of its own public relations and is drunk with power and eager to show its fight.
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 3, 2012
Enter the Pinterest “Causes I Love Contest” and you could win a $250 gift card! . One site I’m committed to spending more time on in the new year is the virtual pinboard Pinterest. It’s easy to use, powerfully visual, populated with cause marketing-loving women and growing like crazy. 4,000 percent in six months! That's growth!
Selfish Giving
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
I’m trying to learn more about volunteering and employee engagement initiatives for businesses that want more than the transactional cause marketing campaigns I specialize in. These are the days when I wish employee volunteering expert Chris Jarvis lived closer to me and not in the home of terrible baseball, Toronto. The employee engagement side of cause marketing is mostly new to me.
Selfish Giving
MAY 9, 2012
For Watch City Brewing Company’s owner Jocelyn Hughes and brewers Aaron Mateychuk and Kelly McKnight, it all started with a desire to help a family that had lost its husband, father and provider in a terrible fire. It was December 8, 2011, when firefighter Jon Davies ran into a burning building in Worcester, Massachusetts to search for a missing tenant.
Selfish Giving
SEPTEMBER 13, 2012
On today’s show, Megan and I talk to Jeff Freedman , Founder & CEO of Small Army & Small Army for a Cause. Jeff and his agency are behind Be Bold, Go Bald! , an effort that has supporters nationwide wearing bald caps to raise money for 25 local and national cancer organizations. Since its inception in 2009, participants have raised $500,000.
Selfish Giving
JULY 11, 2012
Sloane Bennett sent me this news on the latest campaign from beauty brand Elizabeth Arden that combines cause marketing with Pinterest. I was struck by how easy it is to execute a cause marketing promotion on Pinterest – and that Elizabeth Arden was a darn good teacher. This is how it works: Step 1: Recruit a Company Partner. Yeah, this is the hard part for most nonprofits, but not for Look Good Feel Better , which teaches beauty techniques to cancer patients that have appearance-related s
Selfish Giving
NOVEMBER 8, 2012
The great thing about having a guest like David Neff on CauseTalk Radio is that you’ll never run out of things to talk about! Dave is a futurist and the co-author of The Future of Nonprofits. For nine years he pioneered social media practices at the American Cancer Society. He’s the founder of Lights. Camera. Help. a popular Austin film festival that celebrates cause-related films.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 25, 2012
I write a lot about the important role emotion plays in cause marketing. If you don’t lead with emotion, you’re toast. I also talk a lot about mobile technology, which will be a key driver of cause marketing in the years ahead. But here’s the rub: emotion and smartphones may not be a good mix. That’s my conclusion after reading a post by Mediapost’s Steve Smith on research by A.K.
Selfish Giving
FEBRUARY 5, 2012
Nice Superbowl ad for rescue dogs. It ties into a Facebook Like promotion at Budlight’s page that rewards each like with a one dollar donation to the Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation , up to $250,000. I also think it was probably the best ad of the game, admitting that the other ads were pretty lackluster. You can watch the commercial here.
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,
Selfish Giving
DECEMBER 26, 2012
The top ten cause marketing posts on Selfish Giving in 2012! Enjoy and see you next year. 1. Why and How Nonprofits Should Use Pinterest. 2. Making People Cry Isn’t a Good Nonprofit Mobile Strategy. 3. CauseTalk Radio Ep02: Pinterest for Nonprofit Marketing. 4. 4 Steps to Launching a Fundraiser on Pinterest. 5. The Best Local Cause Marketing of 2011 (and 3 that Really Stunk). 6.
Selfish Giving
JANUARY 2, 2012
Here’s one last look back at 2011. Here are the top ten posts at Selfishgiving.com as ranked by PostRank. How Nonprofits Can Stop a Zombie Apocalypse. Nonprofit Uses QR Code, Quora to Make Cause Marketing More Transparent. 6 Cause Marketing Promotions You Can Learn From. 5 Cause Marketing Mistakes You Don’t Have to Make. What Facebook’s Changes Mean for Cause Marketing.
Selfish Giving
MAY 29, 2012
I’m in Chicago today speaking at the 10th Annual Cause Marketing Forum Conference today. My topic? The Lighter Side of Cause Marketing. If you’re at the conference, join me! But if you’re like most people and reading this post from your home or offices, here’s the thumbnail sketch of my speech and my 12 step program to lighten up!
Selfish Giving
DECEMBER 24, 2012
There’s a famous scene in A Christmas Carol after Scrooge has been visited by the three ghosts. Much to his surprise, he awakes in his bed and realizes he survived the night. Relieved, Scrooge pledges to “Live in the past, the present and the future.” It’s a lesson we could all learn from. Yes, each and everyone. While it seems like many nonprofits are stuck in the past, they’re there with good reason.
Selfish Giving
DECEMBER 12, 2012
Oh, really. What portion of portion of proceeds? What scientific and educational endeavors? I saw this sign in the gift shop at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City last weekend. Someone in the state’s Attorney General’s Office needs to have a conversation with these folks. Last month, the New York Attorney General issued guidelines entitled “Five Best Practices for Transparent Cause Marketing.” It’s not the first time this issue has come up.
Selfish Giving
NOVEMBER 14, 2012
Beth Kanter’s first book, The Networked Nonprofit , taught us how to use social media tools. Her latest book, Measuring the Networked Nonprofit , which is co-authored by Katie Delahaye Paine , teaches us how to measure what we’ve done. The whole idea of measurement and insight has been on my brain for two reasons. First, During Pinktober Megan Strand and I interviewed the author of Pink Ribbons Inc. on CauseTalk Radio.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 20, 2012
Scott Pansky of Allison + Partners is one of the most knowledge guys I know on cause marketing. Not long ago I said he should write a book. The other day he sent me his bullet points for 5 Tips for Developing Cause Marketing Partnerships. Well, I guess it’s a start! Of course, Scott made some excellent points. To them, I’ve added posts I’ve written that elaborate on them.
Selfish Giving
DECEMBER 3, 2012
Last week on Razoo’s Inspiring Generosity , I wrote this post on using QR Codes to thank holiday supporters. My point was that you can make a thank you letter a lot more interesting and powerful by including a QR Code at the bottom that links to something visual. There are a couple good reasons to do this. First, for all the talk about people using their mobile devices and scanning QR Codes outside the home, research indicates that both these things are done primarily in the home.
Selfish Giving
NOVEMBER 5, 2012
Enter online by November 9th! This is guest from Phil & Co., a group of outstanding professional that I’m happy to support. Phil & Co. excels in creating campaigns that humanize brands and tell cause related stories in ways that are meaningful and compelling to consumers. The agency specializes in being a bridge between consumers, corporations, and nonprofits.
Selfish Giving
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
Massachusetts-based SCVNGR said last week that its mobile payment service, LevelUp , will allow users to donate their loyalty credits to one of five charities. Loyalty credits are what you earn when you use Levelup at a participating business. For example, if you spend $40 at a restaurant and use LevelUp to pay you could earn a $5 credit for your next visit.
Selfish Giving
JULY 9, 2012
Every nonprofit wants to recruit new corporate partners, but your best bet to raise more money is to find new ways to work with your existing partners. It just might lead to a new partner. Here’s how to turn an existing partner into a better partner. Be insanely helpful. Don’t take a one and done approach with partners. Share new ideas with them, even ones that aren’t relevant to your partnership but may be useful to their business.
Selfish Giving
AUGUST 16, 2012
This is a guest post from Erin Palmer. Erin is a writer and editor for the University Alliance. She writes about nonprofit and public sector topics relevant to Villanova University’s Master of Public Administration degree. The areas covered in the MPA curriculum help improve nonprofit management. Teenagers can be pretty apathetic. Adults may blame it on the technology that.
Selfish Giving
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
We have all these tools – computers, web sites, pinups, social networks, QR Codes, mobile technology – but we’re not sure how they work or what they’re for. Often times we expect them to do things they can’t do. A hammer doesn’t make a home. Its job is to pound in nail. It’s a tool. We need to set aside our tools and focus on what will truly build our success.
Selfish Giving
DECEMBER 16, 2012
A goal of mine this holiday season is to teach my kids more about generosity. You may think that since I write a cause blog I must have that area covered. But the blog is called Selfish Giving for a reason. The whole idea of true generosity is really kind of alien to me as I constantly focus on win-win partnerships. I live in a tit for tat world. I want to give my kids exposure to an unselfish world so they can see both sides.
Selfish Giving
SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
This was a fun segment I did with HuffPost Live last night. It was great to join Beth Kanter and Jack Ucciferri in discussing Chase Communtiy Giving and corporate giving in general.… Keep reading.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
OCTOBER 14, 2012
One of the most important lessons that all nonprofit social media managers need to learn is that social media is constantly in flux. Once you get accustomed to a tool, it changes in an attempt to reinvent itself. Rather than lamenting this new reality, a good social media manager will adapt quickly. That said, Facebook has made some recent upgrades – and more are coming – that nonprofits need to know about.
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