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.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 25, 2012
Tomorrow, I start teaching a two-webinar series on nonprofit storytelling. This Thursday (4/26/12), I’ll explain how to tell good nonprofit stories, and next week (5/2/12) we’ll work through editing some real stories submitted by participants. Want to join us? Grab an All-Access Pass and you are in! Kathy Swayze is a great nonprofit storyteller — it’s the core of her consulting business at Impact Communications.
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Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 15, 2012
Date: Wednesday, June 6, 2012. Time: 1pm-2:30 EDT. Cost: Free. How to Register: Sign up! Presented By: Heather Mansfield. The Social Web has dramatically changed how nonprofits communicate with supporters, donors, and volunteers. In fact, most nonprofits in the United States now regularly use social media in their communications and development campaigns, but few nonprofit social media practioners have been properly trained how to best utilize sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Link
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 22, 2012
Lots of us will be thinking about how to be more “green” since today is Earth Day. But how can we make our nonprofits more green? As in taking in more dollars? Ask! You knew that was coming, didn’t you? Asking for money is where the magic happens! The 3 Best Times to Ask. There are 3 optimum times to ask for a major gift: Before you meant to ask.
Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker
Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.
The Agitator
APRIL 23, 2012
I’d like to say “Thank you” to all the readers who commented on my controversial No “Thank You” post of last week. I do so noting there’s no empirical evidence that thanking you will make you more likely to comment again! For suggesting that maybe “Thank you’s” to donors don’t matter, some of you concluded I’m the rudest of cads, brought up in a home that instilled no values of reciprocity, gratitude or mere good manners.
Get Fully Funded
APRIL 12, 2012
You know you need a fundraising plan, but if you’re like most, you don’t know where to start. . Although planning can seem overwhelming, it’s not really a difficult process, yet it makes all the difference in the world in the success you will enjoy in raising big money. You want that, right? Let me make it simple for you and share the 9 steps to creating a powerful fundraising plan.
Nonprofit Leadership Zone brings together the best content for advertising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 17, 2012
I love to hear about others’ experiences at conferences I am unable to attend – especially when they gain as much knowledge as Kim McCleary, president & CEO of the CFIDS Association of America, did from this month’s AFP conference in Vancouver. (And yes, Kim is the brilliant person who used the Ryan Gosling meme , as you might recall.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 2, 2012
UPDATED 4/3/12: If your nonprofit has yet to start using Pinterest , then hopefully new data released for March 2012 revealing that Pinterest now generates more referral traffic than Twitter will motivate you to start pinning – or at the very least to sign up and reserve your first choice of usernames (hint, hint!). To get started, here’s a step-by-step tutorial for nonprofits , a list of nonprofits already using Pinterest effectively , and the Nonprofit Organizations Pinterest Profile.
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 9, 2012
As the one-person development office at a rural hospital, my CEO kept asking me: “Why are we going back to the same people? When are you going to find new people?” He wasn’t impressed by all the statistical and logical answers about donor retention and most of the money coming from those who already love us. He glazed over like I was trying to trick him with smoke and mirrors.
The Agitator
APRIL 5, 2012
You’ll recall that yesterday I did a post on the NTEN conference. The purpose of the post was NOT to draw attention to the conference itself, but to the research released around it that might be helpful to FUNDRAISERS. A number of Tweets signaled that we’d hit a nerve, but for the life of me I can’t see that it’s a nerve that matters. What does interest me is that I now see why, so far, the use of social media is virtually worthless as a fundraising channel.
Speaker: Dave Sackett
Traditional budgeting and forecasting methods can no longer keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Static budgets, rigid annual forecasts, and outdated financial models limit an organization’s ability to adapt to market shifts and economic uncertainty. To stay ahead, finance leaders must leverage a future-forward approach—one that leverages real-time data, predictive analytics, and continuous planning to drive smarter financial decisions.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 9, 2012
If you are promoting a cause (or even a product), it needs to resonate with what people already seek. Remember: Don’t tell someone to value your cause. Show how it relates to their values. I just finished reviewing a very interesting study, Brands: The New Social Reformers , which provides some useful insights into those values. The research by Onesixtyfourth focused on early technology adopters and news-engaged Millennials and Baby Boomers in the US and UK.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 2, 2012
I have a lover affair with Twitter. But it has too end. So sorry, Twitter. I give you way too much time and attention. I have a business to build and can’t give you more time than you deserve. Of course, Twitter isn’t the real problem. It’s not where I hang out that’s the issue. It’s all the people I meet there with their yummy conversations, insights and links.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 19, 2012
On Wednesday, I shared how nonprofits are using social media according to reports released over the last few weeks. Today, we are going to take a look at email marketing and fundraising using data from these reports: Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012 (Sage). 2012 Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study (Convio). 2012 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study (M+R and NTEN).
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 8, 2012
Date: To accomodate all schedules, this webinar will be presented twice – Tuesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 26. Time: 12-1:30pm Singapore/Kuala Lumpur. (10-11:30am New Delhi; 2-3:30 Sydney; 4-6:30pm Auckland). Cost: Free. How to Register: Sign up here to attend on Tuesday, April 24 or Sign up here to attend on Thursday, April 26. Presented By: Heather Mansfield.
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand
Do you really know your donors? Not just what they give, but who they are? 👥 In this interactive session, we’ll break down how nonprofits can use behavioral indicators (affinity, recency, frequency, and monetary value) to build prospecting segments that go beyond wealth screening and actually align with donor identity. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to move beyond basic demographics and cultivate supporters based on how they already engage with you!
Getting Attention
APRIL 17, 2012
Congrats to the American Library Association for designing this 5-star message for National Library Week, brought to my attention by an NBC correspondent who saw it on his way to work and shared it on Facebook. Here are the three elements that generate an instant “aha:” 1) An 100 m.p.h metaphor : The message here links something most viewers are familiar with (and many probably just got off of)—Facebook— with something they’re far less familiar with (or just plain rusty on) and
The Agitator
APRIL 12, 2012
Tom’s post yesterday, Nonprofits and the Customer Experience not only warrants reading a second time, but I also feel compelled to pile on some more emphasis and detail because it goes right to the heart of retention and donor value. Tom writes: “In the commercial marketing arena, there’s heaps of chat about the ‘customer experience’ and how to improve it in the interest of retaining and up-selling customers.”.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 2, 2012
Do you have a print newsletter? An email one? Both? Should you keep one, both, neither? What if you want to re-purpose the print version for email? Or vice versa? If you have ever asked any of these questions, Network for Good and Kivi Leroux Miller have all the answers. Because we hear these questions so often, we created a free Guide on the topic.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 26, 2012
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]. Don’t Miss an Episode! Subscribe to Cause Talk Radio in iTunes. In this episode of CauseTalk Radio , Megan and I talk to Chad Royal Pascoe , Vice President, National Strategic Alliances, March of Dimes about its new cause marketing platform Imbornto (I’m Born To). This is an interesting new endeavor as it reflects a growing trend among nonprofits to own a particular month or season and to bundle advertising and other promotions for maximum impact.
Speaker: Jennifer Hill
Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 18, 2012
Last week, I wrote an article detailing 3 big reports recently released on nonprofit marketing and fundraising. There is a ton of information in these reports and it can be a little overwhelming trying to sort through it all. I thought it would be helpful to break those reports down based on certain topics. Today we are going to tackle social media.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 22, 2012
Soaring tablet use and an online commons increasingly battling information overload has fundamentally changed web design as we know it. Bigger pictures, less text, larger fonts, and easy-to-tap and click buttons and navigation are the new Web design aesthetic. That said, consistency in Web design is becoming more complicated with each passing day. Do you attempt to create one website that looks good on desktops and laptops, tablets, Internet TVs, and smartphones using responsive Web design – or
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 2, 2012
I just received this question: When is there an appropriate time to ask someone on twitter to follow you? My quick answer is “never.” Asking people to follow you on Twitter makes you sound a bit whiny and desperate. Following is a personal thing. People follow others that seem to provide them value. Value can be measured in any number of subjective ways: insights, humor, comments.
The Agitator
APRIL 18, 2012
We have met the Wizard of Oz, and not only is he just another poor slob, he wears no clothes! Here is a ‘must read’ blog post by Chuck English at Marketing That Works … regarding Thank You’s. Chuck started out by posing what I know he expected would be a question with a very straightforward and conclusive answer: “Does saying thank you really make a difference?
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.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 17, 2012
I devour books on writing much the way I imagine amateur chefs devour cookbooks. I get inspired, informed about the craft and smarter about the essential ingredients of a masterpiece. And I can’t put them down. I’ve recently become a zealous fan of Lisa Cron, who blogs on storytelling and is author of the upcoming book, Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence.
Selfish Giving
APRIL 5, 2012
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]. In this episode of Cause Talk Radio , Megan and I talk with Frank Barry , Director of Digital Strategy at Blackbaud , about this week’s Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) in San Francisco. We discuss what the hot topic is this year at NTC – mobile technology – and surprisingly what’s not – Pinterest!
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
APRIL 23, 2012
I’m headed to Austin, Texas today to teach a workshop I’m calling “So What and Who Cares? Getting Your Communications Right in 2012″ for the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations. You answer the So What? question by making your messaging as relevant as possible to the people you are communicating with. But what does that mean?
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 5, 2012
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 6 of the recently released book Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits. These basic LinkedIn Profile tips for nonprofit professionals serve as a foundation for when and if your nonprofit is ready to utilize LinkedIn Groups and Company Pages. That said, I do not cover personal LinkedIn Profiles in my upcoming webinar How Nonprofits Can Successfully Use Twitter and LinkedIn , but LinkedIn Groups and Company Pages are covered in det
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Getting Attention
APRIL 25, 2012
Guest bloggerRobert J. Rosenthal (@volmatchRobert) is VP of Communications & Marketing at VolunteerMatch, the Web’s largest network for volunteer engagement. Their new guide (free), 101 Volunteer Recruitment Secrets , showcases the insights of dozens of volunteer recruiters to share what works. If you know the fundamentals of your work but it still feels like you’re missing out on a secret to effective volunteer engagement, we understand.
The Agitator
APRIL 30, 2012
Grey Matter Research has put out some survey findings regarding why people don’t support nonprofits. Most of you have seen research like this, and overall the findings don’t contain any surprises. Nevertheless, one finding did stand out to me, even though I’ve seen it replicated numerous times … Four out of ten non-donors agreed with this statement: “Any gift I could afford to give to a non-profit organization really isn’t enough to make a difference.”.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 6, 2012
It’s the week of studies! First we had the eBenchmarks study , then the Convio benchmarks study , and now the Blackbaud social media benchmark study. It’s an opportunity to see how you stack up in all different ways online. The Blackbaud study shows despite limited budgets and staffing, nonprofits continue to find value in their growing social networks.
Care2
APRIL 12, 2012
Creativity is an under-celebrated superpower. You hear a lot in nonprofit circles about the importance of telling stories, of measuring our impact, collecting data on relevant metrics and learning from experience. You hear a lot about the importance of having a coherent strategy, experimenting and having a better attitude towards failure, about giving up control, engaging your community.
Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System
Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, 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.
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