In This Edition:

• Enlist For-Profits To Lobby For Your Cause
  
  
• Management ...
  Is your nonprofit made of straw, sticks or brick?
  
  
• Online ...
  There is a method to generating Google Grant traffic
  
  

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 Enlist For-Profits To Lobby For Your Cause

By Michele Donohue

Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) promotes wellness in school environments -- from using non-toxic cleaners to proper nutrition. And while the Chicago-based nonprofit swings its clout on important issues and legislation, HSC Deputy Director Mark Bishop admits, “Hearing the same mantra from the same people over and over again -- it sometimes can sound like white noise.”

So, when HSC helped to get state legislation introduced in 2007 requiring schools to use non-toxic cleaners, it was surrounded with a coalition that included labor unions and companies.

To read the complete article click here...

Management ...
Is your nonprofit made of straw, sticks or brick?

Remember that childhood story about the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf? Well, think about your own organizational infrastructure. Is your nonprofit made of straw, sticks or brick?

If your nonprofit isn’t fortified with bricks, it might be time to strengthen your organizational infrastructure, according to Amy Coates Madsen, program director at The Standards for Excellence Institute in Baltimore, Md.

Madsen explained why your infrastructure should be solid during the recent Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) international fundraising conference in New Orleans.

A Big Bad Wolf might come in many forms, such as financial losses, fundraising rations or questions about program administration. You have to keeping mind what may affect ideas about your infrastructure before problems huff and puff and blow your organization down:

• Public trust. Your organization depends on public trust whether you want to admit it or not. Your public image will sometimes impact foundation grants, as well as recruitment of volunteers, donors and board members.
• Competition. There is competition for funding, volunteers, quality staff and capable board members within the sector. If your organization doesn’t seem strong enough, funders, donors and others will find another organization that’s concrete.
• Form 990. The new Form 990 is chock full of more information requirements about different policies -- gift acceptance, conflict of interest, compensation and reimbursement to name a few. The Internal Revenue Service is keeping its eye on the nonprofit sector.
• Watchdogs. Evaluation groups, such as watchdog organizations and accreditation programs, are expanding as fast as the sector. From the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance to the Standards for Excellence Institute, these organizations are keeping nonprofits under a microscope.
• Power to the people. The Internet helps people leverage information -- including details about your organization. Donors who want to make an educated decision before making a donation have a plethora of sites to analyze your nonprofit.
  

Online ...
There is a method to generating Google Grant traffic

Having a Google Grant AdWords account takes time and effort. You won’t get far if you just set some words and let it roll, explained Kristie Ferketich, senior strategist at Google Grants.  She explained that organizations should think of AdWords as another channel that needs to be optimized at NTEN’ s 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference.

Here are some of her tips:

• Ads run, but is traffic crawling? Some organizations set the AdWords and never log-on afterwards. The ads might run, but Ferketich explained that they might not be as successful as they could be if you were constantly reevaluating.
• Identify your goal. It will help if you determine what you want the account to do. There is no point in driving traffic to your Web site if you do not have a call to action.
• Evaluate your account. If you’re not meeting your goals, change things around. Your first choice might not always work. Test and then evaluate again.
• Why is this important? Active account management is now required by Google AdWords. That means if the AdWords team emails you – answer. Remember, Google can terminate your organization’s participation at any time.
  

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