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News Update:
Tips of the
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Social Networks Are Red Hot, Web Sites Are
Diddlysquat
By Mark
Hrywna
Nonprofits have plenty of room
for improvement to their Web sites while their presence on
online social networks is growing and expect to continue,
according to two surveys released during the Nonprofit
Technology Conference in San Francisco this week.
A survey examining nonprofit
use of social networking as a marketing and fundraising channel
was co-sponsored by Atlanta-based ThePort Network, Inc., NTEN in
Portland, Ore., and Common Knowledge in San Francisco. A survey
by Ann Arbor, Mich.-based ForeSee Results gauged visitor
satisfaction to a variety of nonprofit Web sites.
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the complete article click here... |
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Grants ...
The
funder/grantee relationship has many
angles
The
conventional wisdom that people donate to people is still a
fundraising cornerstone. And the same adage works between
nonprofits and funders, according to Cynthia L. Bailie, The
Foundation Center director of Cleveland office and special
online initatives, and Michael J. Parry, president of Community
Health Partners Regional Foundation in Lorain, Ohio.
Fundraising is all about relationships, and Bailie and
Parry explain how to start building with potential funders:
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Let’s do lunch. Ask if the funder’s paid
staff can meet with you for a breakfast or lunch meeting.
It’s always easier to get acquainted and brainstorm over
ham sandwiches and potato salad.
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Make a match. Get a list of the
foundation’s trustees and try to match them with your own
trustees based on hobbies or social circles. Try not to pair
your activist vegan trustee with the foundation’s top buck
shot trustee.
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Be transparent. You can
investigate what the funder is looking for without snooping. Be
upfront that you are trying to see if your organization can be a
fit for the funder.
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Where everybody knows your name.
Get acquainted with the funder’s staff, trustees and the
larger circle of contacts within the organization. Try and
support the funder when possible – and they might decide
to support you.
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Follow instructions. Bailie and
Parry explained that when it says “Unsolicited Proposals
Not Accepted,” it usually means just that. Once
you’ve built a relationship, ask how your organization can
make the invitation list next time.
-
This
just isn’t working out. Sometimes your organization may
fit all the qualifications and the funder still might not be
interested. Step away for a year or so and then try
again.
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Online ...
There’s more than one
channel on TV, too, right?
No matter what you’ve
heard, direct mail and online are not moral enemies. Street
fights haven’t broken out about whether a non-machinable
flat can trounce a green “donate now” button -- yet.
Actually, direct mail and
online fundraising are best when integrated. And one way to
effectively nudge donors online would be to incorporate links
into your direct mail, according to Valerie Lambert, assistant
director of development at Johns Hopkins University Center for
Talented Youth in Baltimore.
Lambert presented her tips
about moving donors online at the 46th annual Association of
Fundraising Professionals (AFP) international fundraising
conference in New Orleans:
-
Email addresses. Ask donors
for email addresses on direct mail reply cards. That way you can
continue conversations with them online and offline.
-
Links. Try to create unique
links to help track what communications are working the best to
drive donors online.
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Placement. A donor’s
eye might be drawn to the online link if you place it close to
the suggested donation amounts or payment information. You may
even want to try placing online link information on the outer
envelope. Test where links work best on your direct mail
pieces.
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Boards ...
5 tips for breaking
through
Ever feel like you hit a brick wall with
your board? Or maybe, you want to hit your board with a brick
wall? Either way, something has to give, according to Dionisia
Hanson, chief philanthropy officer at Charlton Memorial Hospital
in Fall River, Mass.
There are big differences between
aggravations and obstacles when dealing with your board Hanson
explained at the 46th annual Association of Fundraising
Professionals (AFP) international fundraising conference in New
Orleans.
An aggravation can frustrate or interrupt
what you want to do. But an obstacle will stop you dead in
your tracks. Hanson tells you how to get moving again with your
board:
- Don’t ignore obstacles. They will not
magically go away if you ignore them – and it may actually
be worse for you to turn your back on problems. Identify what
needs to change.
- All obstacles are different. Figure out if
you have a communication, organizational or political obstacle.
- Direct or indirect? If no one is
threatened, approach the problem head on. If you think someone
will be offended or feel attacked, try to handle the situation
indirectly.
- Find allies. See if you have anyone
influential that can stand with you, such as a board member.
Sometimes it just takes another voice to nudge others
along.
- Best people, specific tasks. Play up to
board member strengths. That will make them more inclined to
help out.
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