Selfish Giving

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

When I was a kid charity was for chumps. Despite the fact that my family, and most of our neighbors, got all types of government and public charity, we saw how carelessly and unevenly it was spread to the deserving and not so deserving. After church, where everyone put a buck or two in the basket, charity was sporadic and sometimes exploited. Every Labor Day weekend the neighborhood kids went door to door collecting money for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

Governance 275

Governance Associations Marketing Marketing 275

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Today at Shelter’s Edge , the blog by ASPCApro (for animal sheltering professionals and volunteers), they ask, “ Can we save more lives simply by taking better pictures? ” ASPCApro is considering whether or not to do formal research on this question, but the anecdotal evidence is pretty striking. Show us cute, in-focus photos of cats and dogs and they are more likely to get adopted than when we see out of focus, poorly posed photos of the very same animals.

Marketing 228

Marketing Marketing Nonprofits Communication 228

Nonprofit Tech for Good

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

The following is an excerpt from the newly released Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits and was published in the September 2011 edition of Fundraising Success Magazine (@ frsuccess ). However, do to word count constraints the content below is not in its full entirety. In the book, this section (taken from Chapter 2 ) is twice the length seen below.

Management 110

Management Public and Nonprofit Management Technology Poverty 110

Fundraising Coach

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Every other Tuesday, I send out my free email newsletter. I’m amazed that next year will be it’s tenth year in publication! I bet that makes it one of the oldest email newsletters in the industry. (10 years ago we called them “Ezines&# so this is still called The Extreme Fundraising Ezine !). Looking over this past year, I’ve sent out articles like: how to get donations through mobile phones. why fundraising is like a Waldorf salad. speaking tips for the theatrically timi

Fundraising 100

Fundraising Fundraising Public and Nonprofit Management Management 100

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

Finance

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

I’m a BIG fan of Charity: Water. But then I saw this video, reporting on what they have accomplished to date and hope to achieve next. The 2011 September Campaign. Our 5-year-anniversary video from charity: water on Vimeo. The video itself is great. It tells an inspiring story about what average donors — raising money in every way from lemonade stands to birthday gifts to dance marathons — can help accomplish, and shows the concrete results in dramatic fashion.

Finance 88

Finance Governance Fundraising Fundraising 88

Fundraiser Ideas

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

The goal of any college fundraiser should be to maximize both fun and profitability for your group. Because there are many stakeholders associated with any college fundraising event, when choosing among the many possible college fundraising ideas, simplicity is often the key to success; your group can achieve outstanding results with even the easiest, most basic ideas.

Fundraising 88

Fundraising Fundraising Food Activism 88

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

When I sat in a room of public relations officers for colleges and universities and suggested that, in certain situations, they might want to let their students know about events happening on a rival campus across town, they all looked at me like I was a complete idiot. When I suggested to a Girl Scout troop that they might want to mention other leadership and community service activities targeting school-age girls in their city on their own Facebook page, there was an uncomfortable silence on t

Participation and motivation 225

Participation and motivation Universities Leadership Education 225

Nonprofit Tech for Good

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

Facebook has been making a flurry of changes to the functionality of Facebook Profiles, Facebook Pages, Facebook Community Pages, and Facebook Places Pages over the last two months. And though some individual users are upset over the changes, most of the them are good news for nonprofits. That said, technology is now constantly in flux. If the changes below leave you the least bit confused, then you may want to consider taking my upcoming Facebook and Facebook Apps webinars because you might not

Nonprofits 101

Nonprofits Universities Activism Education 101

Fundraising Coach

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

A few months back, I offered 12 travel tips for the flying fundraiser. Christina Attard left a list of her own in the comments. Her suggestions were so good, I wanted to make sure you saw them! So here they are! (You can follow Christina on Twitter @GPtekkie.). by Christian Attard. I travel a lot and here are some tips I’ve picked up: Always bring at least one thing you can wear in front of a donor in your carry-on as well as an emergency pack of ultra-basic accessories.

Fundraising 94

Fundraising Fundraising Management Nonprofits 94

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Our last two posts have talked about growing use of social nets amongst older cohorts. And while it’s great that nonprofits might be riding this wave to build ‘fan’ bases of one kind or another, the real challenge is to harness these fans, and the technology they’re getting comfortable with, to reach even more people. That is, converting fans into ambassadors.

Production 88

Production Technology Activism Marketing 88

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg

Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.

Retention

Get Fully Funded

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Donor-based fundraising is a key to raising big money and it’s a critical factor in the Get Fully Funded system. Here’s a short video where I talk about donor-based fundraising.

Fundraising 77

Fundraising Fundraising 77

Selfish Giving

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

Facebook made some interesting changes last week that may help evolve how nonprofits and businesses use Facebook “likes” for cause marketing. The change should shakeup how organizations weigh the meaning/worth of a Facebook “like.” All of us have seen Facebook cause marketing programs before. If you “like” the nonprofit’s (or sometimes the businesses’) page the company makes a donation to the nonprofit.

Marketing 267

Marketing Marketing Management Activism 267

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

On Tuesday, September 13, I’m teaching a webinar called “ Making the Ask: Getting People to Give, Volunteer, and More &# where you’ll learn ways to avoid sabotaging your nonprofit’s communications with wimpy, confusing asks. Here are five frequent problems with the way nonprofits ask for support, whether it’s donating money or time or some other valuable. 1.

Nonprofits 203

Nonprofits Communication Marketing Marketing 203

Nonprofit Tech for Good

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Date: Thursday, October 27. Time: 1-1:30pm EDT. Cost: Free. How to Register: Sign up! Presented By: Heather Mansfield. This mini-webinar begins with an introduction the Mobile Web and then moves on to highlight the importance of utilizing mobile social networking tools to empower your nonprofit’s social media practitioners to report live, on-location from anywhere at any time.

Technology 100

Technology Nonprofits Communication 100

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Management

Fundraising Coach

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

I am thrilled to announce that Blackbaud’s Frank Barry will be joining the 501 Mission Place hosts for September’s webinar. The webinar is about recent research that shows Social Media Increases Fundraising. And to celebrate our 501 Mission Place relaunch, we’re opening this webinar up to everyone! On Monday, September 26 at 1 p.m.

Fundraising 91

Fundraising Fundraising 91

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

In what it spun as good news, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, in the latest report of its Fundraising Effectiveness Project, has released findings indicating that nonprofits lost fewer donors in 2010 than in 2009. Yeah, I guess that’s good news. But here’s the bottomline, as AFP reports it: For every $5.35 that organizations gained in gift dollars in 2010, $5.54 was lost through donor attrition, for an average net loss of -1.9 percent.

Retention 88

Retention Recruitment Associations Fundraising 88

Getting Attention

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

I’m thrilled to welcome Holly Ross, our newest guest blogger. Holly has spent seven+ years at the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), working with community members to identify technology trends – from ubiquitous access to technology leadership — that will reshape the nonprofit sector. Full Disclosure: I’m an NTEN board member and a huge fan. “Social media is not a megaphone, it’s a conversation.&# You’ve doubtlessly heard this phrase uttered at dozens

Technology 77

Technology Leadership Law Nonprofits 77

Selfish Giving

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

The gang over at For Momentum had a great post yesterday on a new cause marketing program that Better Homes and Gardens is launching on their website this fall. Of course, I’m a self-professed Halloween junkie (along with David Neff ) so I love stuff like this. Every fall, pumpkins and pumpkin stencils are the most popular content on BHG.com.

Marketing 260

Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 260

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

Foundations

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

I originally wrote this article as a guest post on the Nonprofit Technology Network’s blog , but just realized I hadn’t shared it with you, so here it is! Your website is out there for all to see. You never know who’s going to end up visiting. So how can you create website content that all kinds of potential visitors will find interesting and engaging?

Food 201

Food Technology Marketing Marketing 201

Nonprofit Tech for Good

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits is now fully released to the public in both print and digital format. You can now also “Look Inside!&# to preview the first 11 pages. For those new to e-books, it’s also worth noting that Amazon offers a suite of free Kindle Apps that allow you to download the book in digital format to most smartphones or tablets, or as a.PDF to a PC or Mac.

Education 96

Education Education Technology Nonprofits 96

Fundraising Coach

SEPTEMBER 18, 2011

Yesterday, I got an email from Red Box asking me to take a picture of myself hugging a Red Box. Hugging a huge DVD dispensing box. Why haven’t I done this with my nonprofit?! This is a simple tactic of creating buzz. And it’s really easy! If you’re Western Kentucky University , you could have a contest of alumni hugging red towels.

Universities 90

Universities Marketing Marketing Fundraising 90

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

OK wise guy … yes, it’s ‘writing wrongly’ But that doesn’t make for as intriguing a headline. Or so I thought. Last week, writing in Fundraising Success , Pamela Barden offered three wonderfully simple cautions regarding fundraising copy. I thought they deserved further airing now that we’re all back at our post-summer desks.

Communication 87

Communication Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 87

Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand

Is your organization ready to build a recurring giving program that not only sustains but also propels your mission forward? 🚀 In this new webinar with industry visionary Tim Sarrantonio, we’ll guide you through the critical steps to establishing and scaling a successful recurring giving program. Whether you’re starting fresh or enhancing an existing program, this session will provide the strategies you need to deepen donor relationships and secure long-term support!

Nonprofits

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

We usually say too much. It makes us less persuasive. We should not saddle people with the burden of becoming an expert on our topic before asking them to do something about it. A little information goes a long way, and too much can be counterproductive and unconvincing. The brilliant social psychologist Elliot Aronson has written about the dilution effect, which describes how neutral or irrelevant information can weaken people’s opinions or impressions.

76

76

Selfish Giving

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Real success in cause marketing happens when you become a trusted advisor , a person who is sought out for his advice and support. This happened for me when companies started calling me between cause marketing programs for all sorts of cause marketing, social media and giving advice. I was happy to help them. Being a trusted advisor solidified and grew my relationship with these companies and led to new cause marketing opportunities.

Marketing 234

Marketing Marketing Communication 234

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Kristina Leroux. I get this question so often, that I asked Kristina if she would re-post this tip she shared on her blog last week. She’s tailored this version to nonprofits for us. ~Kivi. Guest Post by Kristina Leroux. Before I get started, let’s establish a few definitions as I know Facebook terminology can be a little confusing. Your Facebook page is that thing on Facebook you set up for your nonprofit.

Health 199

Health Nonprofits Marketing Marketing 199

Nonprofit Tech for Good

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

For all the buzz about new media in the nonprofit sector, it is somewhat surprising how few nonprofits have integrated their new media campaigns into one of the most important pages on their website – the “Thank You for Your Donation!” landing page. That is, the page your donors land on after making a donation. Donors pay a lot of attention to this page because it confirms their donation has been processed, so as we enter 2011 fundraising season, strategically adding some fresh conte

Fundraising 82

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 82

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Adri Glover

The world of work has fundamentally changed. The series of waves that the pandemic began have rippled through the Great Resignation, quiet quitting, the Great Regret, and other eloquent phrases that boil down to the same thing: people aren’t engaged at work or enabled to perform at their best. The truth is that engagement and enablement is more important than ever, but how we do it is the critical differentiator for many organizations.

Activism

Fundraising Coach

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Today, Joe Meehan pointed me toward’s the article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy about President Obama’s new bill limiting charitable deductions. As expected the outcry was fast and strong. At the risk of being a bit controversial: Who cares if deductions are limited? I mean, really. Are nonprofits just another special interest, complaining about government debt but crying foul when attempts at fiscal management impact us?

Nonprofit governance and management 90

Nonprofit governance and management Governance Philanthropy Management 90

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Pew Research is reporting strong usage of social networking sites by US online adults. Says Pew in its latest study : “Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social networking sites.&#.

Fundraising 86

Fundraising Fundraising Activism Communication 86

Getting Attention

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Thanks to guest blogger, Kimberlee Roth, one of our team’s valued writers. Kim has written for the Chicago Tribune and The Chronicle of Philanthropy among other publications, and provides writing and editing services to universities, health systems and other nonprofits. I harbor no ill will toward opening messages. In fact, I believe they can be an important component of a nonprofit’s annual report.

Universities 76

Universities Philanthropy Health Values 76

Selfish Giving

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

This is a guest post from my friend and fellow cause marketer Geri Stengel. Visit her website Ventureneer. LinkedIn is rising to the top of the social media heap when it comes to finding people, partners or causes. LinkedIn is basically a huge database with all sorts of information about people and organizations as well as who they know and what they care about.

Associations 203

Associations Education Education Values 203

Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader

In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a

Finance