A point I've been harping on for some time whenever I speak to groups of nonprofits is the importance of communicating to your supporters the way they want, not the ways you're used to. In other words, while some of your supporters may still be looking for that annual holiday letter in the mail, others want to hear from you on Facebook, or by email, at an event, or even by the old telephone. This is what we mean by multichannel communications.
This guest post is from Madeleine Hammond. Maddie is a marketing executive at Skeleton Productions - One of the UK's leading video production companies. Here’s what She has to say about managing multichannel communications...
Multichannel marketing is not a trend likely to end soon - and for good reason. With the constant evolution of new technologies, new social platforms, and new ways to communicate with your audience, nonprofits are currently able to enjoy a whole plethora of potential communication options. Managing these various outlets however is where things can get a little... messy, especially if you’re a charity doing this on the cheap.
To successfully manage all your data, you really need to understand the information you are receiving. So with that in mind, here are some tips that can hopefully help you in the management of your various channels…
1) (Social) Network, Network, Network!: Now, this one is a biggy. According to studies, email open rates are on the decline with more people of all ages switching to social media as their primary form of communication. This means organizations have to think about not only growing their presence in relevant social networks, but they also have to think about growing their “lists” in these environments—much like you think about growing your email list. The great thing about social media is that - mostly - it is free, and you can reach a ha-uge potential audience with some persistent marketing. Make sure to have Facebook, Twitter & Linkedin profiles for your nonprofit. Managing them is simple, especially if you make use of their mobile features - just don’t forget about them!
2) Don’t Forget About Emails!: Yes bringing emails into the equation after talking about social media’s superiority may seem like a contradiction, but just because it’s not 1999 anymore doesn't mean email appeals are no longer relevant. It does mean you have to get more creative however. An email blast to your entire list with the same plea won’t work - in fact, you’ll be lucky if it gets read at all & not marked as spam. Segment your database & create specific templates for those segments, matching the profiles of your supporters. Always test these groups with various content & measure the response. You can even create filters within your inbox so you can monitor responses more successfully. By creating filters & recipient segments, it is easy for you to keep on top of your email campaigns.
3) Keep Track: Tracking is a crucial factor in understanding how your channels are working for you - If you are not measuring what is working via unique tracking links for your petitions and fundraising pages or using Google analytics, you are not listening to what is working for you and what is working against you. As the ol’ social media saying goes; ‘measure, listen and adapt’. Remember its important to connect and communicate with your supporters based on what you know about them, so track and measure what is working and adapt and adopt appeals to suit your audience needs accordingly. It needn’t cost you much either, as tools like Google Analytics are free.
4) Have a Strong Profile: Creating a strong profile for your nonprofit is essential in targeting donors and audiences. Creating supporter profiles will also help target your audiences in different channels more effectively. Each customer profile has different needs, and your channel of communication should adapt to that. Different channels should be used to translate different communications to different audiences. This may take time (and some saint-like patience!) but it could make a huge difference to your campaign.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Friday, February 17, 2012
Doing Good... And Letting People Know About It!
You know your organization does great work that benefits your community, but unless you get that message out clearly, consistently, and publicly, you will be losing out on donations to those organizations that have mastered communications and marketing. Today I have two bits of marketing & communications news to share.
First, for those nonprofits who are using YouTube, or creating videos to showcase your cause, you can get even more exposure for your good work by entering the 6th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards. Presented by See3 Communications with support from Cisco, the Case Foundation and the Nonprofit Technology Network, the awards are "designed to recognize the creative and effective use of video to promote the work of the nonprofit sector in catalyzing social good."
Best of all, the awards are completely free to enter and open to any eligible nonprofit organization in the U.S., U.K, Canada, and Australia that created a video in 2011. The submission phase goes until February 29th, after which the public will have a chance to vote for the winning videos. Winning organizations will get their video on YouTube’s homepage on April 5th. To enter, visit the DoGooder Awards page on YouTube (click here).
Second, Nancy Schwartz, of the Getting Attention blog, has a new ebook for you: The 2012 Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide. The guide is an easy to ready and reference compendium of advice from your peers on everything from branding, to email asks, to social media strategy, to media relations, and everything in between.
Last December, Nancy surveyed her newsletter subscribers and organized the responses by category into these 219 nuggets that are sure to help even the most seasoned professional. You can download your copy by visiting the Getting Attention website (click here).
First, for those nonprofits who are using YouTube, or creating videos to showcase your cause, you can get even more exposure for your good work by entering the 6th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards. Presented by See3 Communications with support from Cisco, the Case Foundation and the Nonprofit Technology Network, the awards are "designed to recognize the creative and effective use of video to promote the work of the nonprofit sector in catalyzing social good."
Best of all, the awards are completely free to enter and open to any eligible nonprofit organization in the U.S., U.K, Canada, and Australia that created a video in 2011. The submission phase goes until February 29th, after which the public will have a chance to vote for the winning videos. Winning organizations will get their video on YouTube’s homepage on April 5th. To enter, visit the DoGooder Awards page on YouTube (click here).
Second, Nancy Schwartz, of the Getting Attention blog, has a new ebook for you: The 2012 Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide. The guide is an easy to ready and reference compendium of advice from your peers on everything from branding, to email asks, to social media strategy, to media relations, and everything in between.
Last December, Nancy surveyed her newsletter subscribers and organized the responses by category into these 219 nuggets that are sure to help even the most seasoned professional. You can download your copy by visiting the Getting Attention website (click here).
Friday, July 23, 2010
Now Tweeting ...
First, a quick reminder that there's still a few days left to enter the 2010 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Each year I'm pleased to help promote this fun approach to encourage and recognize great marketing by our nonprofit community. This year - for the first time - organizations can enter a tagline for their program (product or service), fundraising campaign and/or special event, in addition to their organizational tagline. But hurry, the entry deadline is July 28 - See http://bit.ly/cQjUsw to enter now.
Since my posting here a couple of weeks ago, taking a nonprofit to task for "over-tweeting," it has come to my attention that I am not "practicing what I preach" or modeling proper twitter behavior or, frankly, even tweeting at all from an account associated with my consulting practice. I've been on Twitter for a few years with a personal account, but I've kept that separate from my professional life.
Well, that is being corrected. I have opened a second twitter account - #NonprofitKenG - for professional purposes. I will be tweeting about nonprofit issues, news, and ideas, as well as linking back to this blog when new posts are added.
To see if I follow through on my own tweeting advice, simply go to twitter.com/NonprofitKenG and click on the "Follow" button.
Since my posting here a couple of weeks ago, taking a nonprofit to task for "over-tweeting," it has come to my attention that I am not "practicing what I preach" or modeling proper twitter behavior or, frankly, even tweeting at all from an account associated with my consulting practice. I've been on Twitter for a few years with a personal account, but I've kept that separate from my professional life.
Well, that is being corrected. I have opened a second twitter account - #NonprofitKenG - for professional purposes. I will be tweeting about nonprofit issues, news, and ideas, as well as linking back to this blog when new posts are added.
To see if I follow through on my own tweeting advice, simply go to twitter.com/NonprofitKenG and click on the "Follow" button.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
"I had to unfollow because..."
From time to time I've used this space to encourage nonprofit organizations to use social media to help get their message out, connect with supporters and community, and engage in conversation. A good social media strategy can include all or any of blogging, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or any number of other platforms.
Last year, to the question of "Should Your Nonprofit be on Twitter?" I answered an enthusiastic, "Yes!" But in that posting, I emphasized that "Twitter requires listening, as well as frequent posting," and that ignoring that warning could cause your social media strategy to backfire. Yesterday, it did backfire for an organization I was following.
This organization had always had a habit of tweeting in spurts, posting five to ten links or comments at a time, then nothing for 24 hours. I understood this, as the person doing the tweeting has many other duties as well, and she did a good job of listening and responding to others.
But what happened yesterday was a spurt of several hundred tweets within a three hour period before I had to click "Unfollow."
Regardless of how useful and valuable the information in a tweet might be, and regardless of what other benefits such a promotion might bring, she forgot to consider the effect it would have on those who are already their supporters and followers.
For me, it rendered Twitter useless for those several hours before I pulled the plug. Within the hundreds of messages from that organization, I lost messages from other groups and individuals, and there was no possible way to read all the tweets this one group was sending - nor could they have been paying any attention to replies during this period.
Overwhelming is not informing, and drowning out is not communication. Even well-intentioned tweets or emails can become spam when the tools are abused.
This morning, they have posted an apology and explanation, promised a return to "normal tweeting," and I have re-followed. But if my loyalty to this person and this organization had not been so strong, I would have un-followed quicker, and not come back.
So, how often should you tweet? As far as spurts, I'd say that if you need to tweet more than five times in a 30 minute period, or more than twenty tweets per day (not counting replies), you should have written a blog post instead.
A handful of useful tweets each day, plus responding to supporters tweets, keeps you part of the conversation and relevant, and - most important here - not annoying.
Last year, to the question of "Should Your Nonprofit be on Twitter?" I answered an enthusiastic, "Yes!" But in that posting, I emphasized that "Twitter requires listening, as well as frequent posting," and that ignoring that warning could cause your social media strategy to backfire. Yesterday, it did backfire for an organization I was following.
This organization had always had a habit of tweeting in spurts, posting five to ten links or comments at a time, then nothing for 24 hours. I understood this, as the person doing the tweeting has many other duties as well, and she did a good job of listening and responding to others.
But what happened yesterday was a spurt of several hundred tweets within a three hour period before I had to click "Unfollow."
Regardless of how useful and valuable the information in a tweet might be, and regardless of what other benefits such a promotion might bring, she forgot to consider the effect it would have on those who are already their supporters and followers.
For me, it rendered Twitter useless for those several hours before I pulled the plug. Within the hundreds of messages from that organization, I lost messages from other groups and individuals, and there was no possible way to read all the tweets this one group was sending - nor could they have been paying any attention to replies during this period.
Overwhelming is not informing, and drowning out is not communication. Even well-intentioned tweets or emails can become spam when the tools are abused.
This morning, they have posted an apology and explanation, promised a return to "normal tweeting," and I have re-followed. But if my loyalty to this person and this organization had not been so strong, I would have un-followed quicker, and not come back.
So, how often should you tweet? As far as spurts, I'd say that if you need to tweet more than five times in a 30 minute period, or more than twenty tweets per day (not counting replies), you should have written a blog post instead.
A handful of useful tweets each day, plus responding to supporters tweets, keeps you part of the conversation and relevant, and - most important here - not annoying.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
One Week Left to Tagline Victory!
Yes, you have one more week to enter your nonprofit organization's tagline into the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Yes, the tagline awards! Nancy Schwartz of the Getting Attention blog hosts these online awards each year to recognize the best taglines as means of motivating nonprofits to focus on the basics (e.g. powerful, distinctive, succinct messaging) in their marketing efforts.
A strong tagline does double-duty -- working to extend your organization's name and mission, while delivering a focused, memorable and repeatable message to your base. It's one of your most basic, and effective, marketing tools, but the 2008 GettingAttention.org survey showed that 72% of nonprofit organizations don't have a tagline or rate theirs as performing poorly.The deadline for entry is July 31 - just over a week from now - so put this on your to-do list for today! (And be sure to follow the selection process on Twitter, too).
Take 3 minutes now to enter your nonprofit's tagline here (http://is.gd/19skW). All entrants will receive a free copy of the fully-updated 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report in late 2009. It's the only complete guide to building your org's brand in 8 words or less -- filled with how-tos, don't-dos and models.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Should Your Nonprofit be on Twitter?
By now, I'm sure you've all heard of the micro-bloggging platform, Twitter. In a nutshell, micro-blogs - or "tweets" - are posts of 140 characters or less, typically answering the question, "What are you doing now?" Twitter is also the hottest thing going right now in terms of web 2.0 / social media. But is it right for your organization?
First, some of the criticisms of Twitter: "It's shallow." "It's vapidity to the point of depravity." "Who cares what you're doing right now?" And, when users take the "What are you doing now?" question too literally, those criticisms can be very valid. Posts of "Waiting for the bus," or "Just finished lunch, need to burp," are hardly useful or inspirational to anybody but the person who posted them.
On the other side, a few months back when a US Airways plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, Twitter got out the news quicker than any official media and carried the first photo of the evacuation of the plane. The presidential campaign of Barrack Obama demonstrated to community organizers worldwide how Twitter could be used to promote events, get out a message, and raise money for causes. But, again, is it right for your organization?
I personally love Twitter, and previously on this blog I've encouraged all nonprofits to use blogs and other social media as a communications tool. But on Twitter, I have to say that it may not be the best choice for smaller organizations who don't have staff dedicated to either outreach or public relations.
This is because the best use of Twitter requires listening, as well as frequent posting. One of the simplest, but most powerful, tools within Twitter is the reply post. Beginning a tweet with @(username) makes it a reply to that user.
If you're not prepared to quickly read and follow-up on replies to @yournonprofit, your use of Twitter could backfire. Rather than be seen as involved in the community and wanting two-way communication, you risk appearing out-of-touch or as putting yourself above your supporters.
For those organizations who have staff whose primary role is public communications, and who are tech-savvy, Twitter can be a great way to connect with potential supporters, organize activities, and (yes) raise needed funds.
But if Twitter is going to be an after-thought to an over-worked staffer who's focus is elsewhere, it's probably best to stick to traditional blogging for now. But, what you can do is encourage your supporters who are on Twitter to give you plugs (with links) on their Twitter feeds.
First, some of the criticisms of Twitter: "It's shallow." "It's vapidity to the point of depravity." "Who cares what you're doing right now?" And, when users take the "What are you doing now?" question too literally, those criticisms can be very valid. Posts of "Waiting for the bus," or "Just finished lunch, need to burp," are hardly useful or inspirational to anybody but the person who posted them.
On the other side, a few months back when a US Airways plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, Twitter got out the news quicker than any official media and carried the first photo of the evacuation of the plane. The presidential campaign of Barrack Obama demonstrated to community organizers worldwide how Twitter could be used to promote events, get out a message, and raise money for causes. But, again, is it right for your organization?
I personally love Twitter, and previously on this blog I've encouraged all nonprofits to use blogs and other social media as a communications tool. But on Twitter, I have to say that it may not be the best choice for smaller organizations who don't have staff dedicated to either outreach or public relations.
This is because the best use of Twitter requires listening, as well as frequent posting. One of the simplest, but most powerful, tools within Twitter is the reply post. Beginning a tweet with @(username) makes it a reply to that user.
If you're not prepared to quickly read and follow-up on replies to @yournonprofit, your use of Twitter could backfire. Rather than be seen as involved in the community and wanting two-way communication, you risk appearing out-of-touch or as putting yourself above your supporters.
For those organizations who have staff whose primary role is public communications, and who are tech-savvy, Twitter can be a great way to connect with potential supporters, organize activities, and (yes) raise needed funds.
But if Twitter is going to be an after-thought to an over-worked staffer who's focus is elsewhere, it's probably best to stick to traditional blogging for now. But, what you can do is encourage your supporters who are on Twitter to give you plugs (with links) on their Twitter feeds.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Zone
I am pleased to announce that as of today, the Nonprofit Consultant Blog is part of the Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Zone. The Zone is a topic hub started by Katya Andresen, Nancy Schwartz, and Kivi Leroux Miller for collecting and organizing information around these topics.
I'm honored that my posts will be in the company of posts from some of my favorite nonprofit blogs, including Donor Power Blog, Getting Attention, Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog, Studio 501c3, and several more.
You will find a link to the Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Zone in the sidebar to the right, along with a search form to find articles on that site compiled from this blog and each of the other participating blogs.
I'm honored that my posts will be in the company of posts from some of my favorite nonprofit blogs, including Donor Power Blog, Getting Attention, Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog, Studio 501c3, and several more.
You will find a link to the Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Zone in the sidebar to the right, along with a search form to find articles on that site compiled from this blog and each of the other participating blogs.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A winning dozen
The Getting Attention blog of nonprofit marketing guru Nancy Schwartz has today released its list of twelve "Exceptional Tagline Honorees."
Earlier this year, Nancy asked for "great tagline" nominations and received over 1,000 submissions. After 62 finalists were carefully selected, the 12 award winners were chosen by 3,062 nonprofit professionals who voted in an online poll.
The entire list of submitted taglines, details on finalists and award winners, and additional survey findings will be featured in The Nonprofit Tagline Report, to be published in September.
The awards, which Nancy expects to be conferred annually, represent the best taglines in all nonprofit sectors. Check out this year's winners circle at the Getting Attention blog and see how your tagline compares. What's that? You don't have a tagline?!? Then you better see Nancy...
Earlier this year, Nancy asked for "great tagline" nominations and received over 1,000 submissions. After 62 finalists were carefully selected, the 12 award winners were chosen by 3,062 nonprofit professionals who voted in an online poll.
The entire list of submitted taglines, details on finalists and award winners, and additional survey findings will be featured in The Nonprofit Tagline Report, to be published in September.
The awards, which Nancy expects to be conferred annually, represent the best taglines in all nonprofit sectors. Check out this year's winners circle at the Getting Attention blog and see how your tagline compares. What's that? You don't have a tagline?!? Then you better see Nancy...
Thursday, December 06, 2007
What's your tagline?
Does your nonprofit have a tagline? Most small organizations that I'm aware of don't, and have never even considered the need for one.
Nancy Schwartz, of the Getting Attention nonprofit marketing blog, believes taglines are essential ingredients to success. According to Nancy:
Nancy Schwartz, of the Getting Attention nonprofit marketing blog, believes taglines are essential ingredients to success. According to Nancy:
In today's competitive marketing (including fundraising, of course) environment, nonprofit taglines must be strong enough to get attention and provoke questions.You can help Nancy with her research project on nonprofit taglines by taking this short online survey (click here).
Effective taglines complement an org's name, convey the unique value its delivers to its community and differentiates it from the competition? (Americorps' "Getting Things Done" is a great example of a tagline that works on all three fronts.)
But more often, nonprofit taglines are vague, ambiguous, over-reaching, too abstract or simply non-existent.
Unfortunately, there’s little available guidance for organizations striving to strengthen their taglines. That's why I'm making a special effort in 2008 to help nonprofit orgs craft better taglines.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Is your nonprofit blidgetized yet?
What's a "blidget"? It's a widget to syndicate a blog. Huh?
Basically, if you've got a blog, and you'd like to allow other web sites, blogs, profiles (MySpace, FaceBook, etc.) to embed your blog, a blog widget is an easy way to do it. What's in it for a nonprofit organization? Viral marketing made easy, that's what. Imagine each of your supporters embedding your headlines on their blogs, on their MySpace profiles and on their Facebook pages. It's a great way to get your message out there for a total investment of about ten minutes of your time.
Using the tools found at widgetbox.com, creating the initial widget was very quick and easy. Creating a Facebook application out of the initial widget was a little more complex and time consuming, but the instructions offered by widgetbox got me through that as well.
Here's what my two main blogs look like when widgetized:
(Note: If you'd like to use either of these blog widgets on your page, just click the "Get Widget" button at the bottom of each one.)
Basically, if you've got a blog, and you'd like to allow other web sites, blogs, profiles (MySpace, FaceBook, etc.) to embed your blog, a blog widget is an easy way to do it. What's in it for a nonprofit organization? Viral marketing made easy, that's what. Imagine each of your supporters embedding your headlines on their blogs, on their MySpace profiles and on their Facebook pages. It's a great way to get your message out there for a total investment of about ten minutes of your time.
Using the tools found at widgetbox.com, creating the initial widget was very quick and easy. Creating a Facebook application out of the initial widget was a little more complex and time consuming, but the instructions offered by widgetbox got me through that as well.
Here's what my two main blogs look like when widgetized:
(Note: If you'd like to use either of these blog widgets on your page, just click the "Get Widget" button at the bottom of each one.)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
YouTube ups the ante for nonprofits
In the past I've talked about web sites like CharityDocs.org and DoGooder.tv as "YouTubes for nonprofits." Of course, all this time, many nonprofits have also been posting their videos to YouTube as well, although many felt that their clips were being lost among the millions of videos there.
Starting today, YouTube is upping the ante for nonprofits, to encourage them to use their site as means of communicating their mission and message to the general public. YouTube's standard slogan of "Broadcast Yourself" has now officially morphed into "Broadcast Your Cause". In addition to the regular channel features that any YouTube member has access to, nonprofits will now get:
What? Your organization doesn't even have a video camera? Well, as a special bonus, the first 300 nonprofits to sign up will receive a free video camera.
To sign up for your YouTube Nonprofit account, go to youtube.com/nonprofits and follow the proper links.
Now, my excitement about this news doesn't mean I'm no longer interested in following CharityDocs.org and DoGooder.tv or that these sites are no longer relevant. I believe you should be producing and posting videos in as many venues as you can. These other, specifically nonprofit focussed sites are also tied to production services if you don't have the ability to produce a video in-house or know anybody who can do it for you.
Online video has become a vital communications tool. With today's technology it doesn't take much to get started telling your story in moving images. YouTube makes it easy to post and host your video on their site using their servers and then easily embed it into your web site with no additional server load.
So, what are you waiting for?
(BTW, if you're a small Silicon Valley or Santa Cruz based nonprofit and you'd like to explore some video ideas, drop me a line at ken at goldstein.net.)
Starting today, YouTube is upping the ante for nonprofits, to encourage them to use their site as means of communicating their mission and message to the general public. YouTube's standard slogan of "Broadcast Yourself" has now officially morphed into "Broadcast Your Cause". In addition to the regular channel features that any YouTube member has access to, nonprofits will now get:
- Premium branding capabilities and increased uploading capacity.
- Designation as a "Nonprofit" on YouTube that clearly identifies organizations as a nonprofit to the YouTube community.
- The ability to embed a Google Checkout donation button on their channel and video pages, allowing people to quickly and securely make a contribution directly from YouTube.
- Rotation of your videos in the "Promoted Videos" areas throughout the site.
What? Your organization doesn't even have a video camera? Well, as a special bonus, the first 300 nonprofits to sign up will receive a free video camera.
To sign up for your YouTube Nonprofit account, go to youtube.com/nonprofits and follow the proper links.
Now, my excitement about this news doesn't mean I'm no longer interested in following CharityDocs.org and DoGooder.tv or that these sites are no longer relevant. I believe you should be producing and posting videos in as many venues as you can. These other, specifically nonprofit focussed sites are also tied to production services if you don't have the ability to produce a video in-house or know anybody who can do it for you.
Online video has become a vital communications tool. With today's technology it doesn't take much to get started telling your story in moving images. YouTube makes it easy to post and host your video on their site using their servers and then easily embed it into your web site with no additional server load.
So, what are you waiting for?
(BTW, if you're a small Silicon Valley or Santa Cruz based nonprofit and you'd like to explore some video ideas, drop me a line at ken at goldstein.net.)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Ethics
Today's blog post is in the form of a video.
When should a nonprofit refuse a donation? When does an association with the wrong donor reflect poorly on your nonprofit's brand?
Please watch the video (click on the big arrow on my nose to start it) and respond with your answers...
(BTW, "kenrg" is my nom de 'Tube)
When should a nonprofit refuse a donation? When does an association with the wrong donor reflect poorly on your nonprofit's brand?
Please watch the video (click on the big arrow on my nose to start it) and respond with your answers...
(BTW, "kenrg" is my nom de 'Tube)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
More nonprofit video
About a year ago I wrote a post here called "A YouTube for Nonprofits?" about the site DoGooder TV from See 3 Media. I've recently been introduced to a new web site and production house focused on making videos for nonprofit causes: Charity Docs (dot org).
I've been very impressed with the short films I've seen on their demo site so far, and look forward to seeing more from them in the future. They see their mission as helping to connect worthy organizations to potential donors through exposure on the website and by creating a product (the video) that the organization can use in presentations, meetings, mailings, etc. Their fee for a produced video is $2,500.
Personally, I think these "Charity Docs", mini documentaries focusing on the human need and client's story more than just the organization, are a great idea. Too many of the nonprofit promo videos I've seen elsewhere focus too much on the agency and not enough on the cause. This is the type of storytelling that gets signatures on checks.
I'd like to hear from you now - Has your organization produced a video? If so, were you satisfied with it? How have you used it? Use the comment area below or send me an email telling about your experience.
I've been very impressed with the short films I've seen on their demo site so far, and look forward to seeing more from them in the future. They see their mission as helping to connect worthy organizations to potential donors through exposure on the website and by creating a product (the video) that the organization can use in presentations, meetings, mailings, etc. Their fee for a produced video is $2,500.
Personally, I think these "Charity Docs", mini documentaries focusing on the human need and client's story more than just the organization, are a great idea. Too many of the nonprofit promo videos I've seen elsewhere focus too much on the agency and not enough on the cause. This is the type of storytelling that gets signatures on checks.
I'd like to hear from you now - Has your organization produced a video? If so, were you satisfied with it? How have you used it? Use the comment area below or send me an email telling about your experience.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Dot-Org Pride
Nearly a decade ago, when I was working for HandsNet, we put on an annual conference with our partners, CompassPoint and CompuMentor, called something like, "Surviving as a Dot-Org in Dot-Com World."
By the third year of the conference (and as I continued my involvement with the conference as CompassPoint employee) the bust had come, and it was no longer a Dot-Com world. But the Dot-Org world, it seemed, was still a few years away.
Now, TIAA-CREF has taken up the call for taking pride in our nonprofit Dot-Org status. The nonprofit financial services provider's latest ad campaign is all about "the Power of Dot-Org" (powerof.org).
But where our conference so long ago was aimed at other nonprofits (who else would have even understood what Dot-Org meant back then?), the TIAA-CREF campaign is aimed at the general public. Their point? That in the post-Enron world, nonprofits are more trustworthy than their corporate brothers.
This theme is summed up in one of their print headlines, "Ever heard of a .org crash?"
Of course, we know that our nonprofit sector is not entirely scandal-free, and I'm sure the public realizes that as well. But I like this campaign never-the-less, and I think it's good for all of us to take up this calling to Dot-Org pride.
By emphasizing the "power of .org" to the public, TIAA-CREF not only advertises their business, but gives us all a good publicity boost.
By the third year of the conference (and as I continued my involvement with the conference as CompassPoint employee) the bust had come, and it was no longer a Dot-Com world. But the Dot-Org world, it seemed, was still a few years away.
Now, TIAA-CREF has taken up the call for taking pride in our nonprofit Dot-Org status. The nonprofit financial services provider's latest ad campaign is all about "the Power of Dot-Org" (powerof.org).
But where our conference so long ago was aimed at other nonprofits (who else would have even understood what Dot-Org meant back then?), the TIAA-CREF campaign is aimed at the general public. Their point? That in the post-Enron world, nonprofits are more trustworthy than their corporate brothers.This theme is summed up in one of their print headlines, "Ever heard of a .org crash?"
Of course, we know that our nonprofit sector is not entirely scandal-free, and I'm sure the public realizes that as well. But I like this campaign never-the-less, and I think it's good for all of us to take up this calling to Dot-Org pride.
By emphasizing the "power of .org" to the public, TIAA-CREF not only advertises their business, but gives us all a good publicity boost.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Carnival of the Nonprofit Consultants
It's my honor once again to host the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. This is always a pleasure because I get to take some out to really read what some of my colleagues have been writing and select a handful of the best posts for the Carnival.
With as busy as we all tend to get (I know I've been busy, and my lack of posting here is a result of that), it's important to remember that feeding our brain is an important part of being a professional. So, here you go with a variety of excellent brain food for the nonprofit professional...
Rosetta Thurman presents Founder's Syndrome: A Leak in the Nonprofit Leadership Pipeline posted at Perspectives From the Pipeline.
Katya Andresen presents Why I think gloom and doom backfire posted at Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog.
Kivi Leroux Miller presents How to Edit Yourself When You Write to Much posted at Nonprofit Communications >> Blog.
Edith Yeung presents The 7 Rules of Networking Made Easy posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..
Nancy Schwartz presents How Big is the Gap between You and Your Audiences? posted at Getting Attention.
David Brazeal presents The real top 10 reasons PR doesn't work posted at JournalMarketing.
I thank you for stopping by, and hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I have. This is a traveling carnival, with different hosts each week. You can keep track of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants, no matter which blog is hosting, by subscribing to the Carnival feed.
With as busy as we all tend to get (I know I've been busy, and my lack of posting here is a result of that), it's important to remember that feeding our brain is an important part of being a professional. So, here you go with a variety of excellent brain food for the nonprofit professional...
Rosetta Thurman presents Founder's Syndrome: A Leak in the Nonprofit Leadership Pipeline posted at Perspectives From the Pipeline.
Katya Andresen presents Why I think gloom and doom backfire posted at Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog.
Kivi Leroux Miller presents How to Edit Yourself When You Write to Much posted at Nonprofit Communications >> Blog.
Edith Yeung presents The 7 Rules of Networking Made Easy posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..
Nancy Schwartz presents How Big is the Gap between You and Your Audiences? posted at Getting Attention.
David Brazeal presents The real top 10 reasons PR doesn't work posted at JournalMarketing.
I thank you for stopping by, and hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I have. This is a traveling carnival, with different hosts each week. You can keep track of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants, no matter which blog is hosting, by subscribing to the Carnival feed.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Marketing? For Nonprofits?
Many in the nonprofit field don't like to talk about marketing. Marketing is sometimes considered a dirty word. It's all about selling, and we don't sell, we fix! Selling is considered crass, and therefore, we don't talk about marketing.
But how do you get patients in the door of your clinic if not for marketing? How do parents in the neighborhood find out about your free book give-away program if not for marketing? How does anybody know about your theater group if not for marketing? I can go on and on, but you get the idea.
Nonprofit marketing may not always take the flashy, glossy, expensive route that you might associate with a marketing campaign for a new car, but it is marketing never-the-less. And what does our disdain for sales and marketing get us?
The just released 2007 Nonprofit Marketing Survey gives us a glimpse, and it's not too pretty.
But how do you get patients in the door of your clinic if not for marketing? How do parents in the neighborhood find out about your free book give-away program if not for marketing? How does anybody know about your theater group if not for marketing? I can go on and on, but you get the idea.
Nonprofit marketing may not always take the flashy, glossy, expensive route that you might associate with a marketing campaign for a new car, but it is marketing never-the-less. And what does our disdain for sales and marketing get us?
The just released 2007 Nonprofit Marketing Survey gives us a glimpse, and it's not too pretty.
More than 55% of nonprofits are frustrated by lack of resources and leadership support for marketing, but only 37% do the tracking that generates increased budgets and confidence.For more information and the full survey results please see the Getting Attention blog.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Carnival of the Nonprofit Consultants
It is my pleasure, once again, to host the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. For those new to blog carnivals, they are a fun way to focus in on a topic and learn about new blogs. This particular carnival was founded by Kivi Leroux Miller of writing911.com.
Erek Ostrowski presents Creating a Culture of Productivity and Success posted at Verve Coaching.
Jeff Brooks presents Consumers shut the door - what can you do? posted at Donor Power Blog.
Colin Delany presents Learning About User Expectations - The Hard Way posted at e.politics.
Nancy Schwartz presents Japan Society Comes Clean at Time of Organizational Challenge posted at Getting Attention.
Paul Jones presents Cause-Related Marketing with Franchises posted at Cause Related Marketing.
Katya Andresen presents How to court a blogger posted at Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog.
Peter Brinckerhoff presnts Exec Pay posted at Mission-Based Management.
Thank you for joining us on this round-up of what's happening on the nonprofit consulting blogs.
Erek Ostrowski presents Creating a Culture of Productivity and Success posted at Verve Coaching.
Jeff Brooks presents Consumers shut the door - what can you do? posted at Donor Power Blog.
Colin Delany presents Learning About User Expectations - The Hard Way posted at e.politics.
Nancy Schwartz presents Japan Society Comes Clean at Time of Organizational Challenge posted at Getting Attention.
Paul Jones presents Cause-Related Marketing with Franchises posted at Cause Related Marketing.
Katya Andresen presents How to court a blogger posted at Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog.
Peter Brinckerhoff presnts Exec Pay posted at Mission-Based Management.
Thank you for joining us on this round-up of what's happening on the nonprofit consulting blogs.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Bay Area nonprofits score well, Learning from SPAM, and a Happy New Year
First off, I want to thank all of my readers and subscribers for your support in 2006. This has been a great year, and I've been very pleased with the reaction to this blog since starting it a few months ago.
Second, I apologize for having taken a slightly longer than anticipated break during the holidays, but there was a bit of family business that needed my attention. All is well and good now, and I am looking forward to a great and productive 2007.
On to the news...
According to the Mercury New, most large Bay Area nonprofits spend the majority of their funds on programming. Of course, that's what we expect them to do, but in this business, we all know how administrative and fundraising costs can creep upwards.
MediaNews researched and analyzed 100 large Bay Area nonprofits and found that 85 of them reported spending at least 75 percent of their annual revenue on programs. The benchmark the study looks in "healthy" nonprofits is 75 percent or more for programming, 15 percent or less for administration, and 10 percent or less for fundraising.
The warning signs for donors (according to the survey), and the reason why some nonprofits failed to meet their guidelines, was the use of high-cost telemarketing or other outside fundraising services. Companies that collect and sell used vehicles on behalf of nonprofits were also called out for passing too little of the sales price of the vehicles on to the causes they claim to represent.
Knowing that donors are looking at these reports, and are aware of the costs of outside services, do you need to re-evaluate how you're raising money for your organization? Would you have passed the test?
While we're on the topic, "a fundraiser" of the Don't Tell the Donor blog, asks, "What can nonprofits learn from spammers?"
No, he's not suggesting that we spam our donors or potential donors. But, he does point out the sophistication of some the spammers research and techniques and asks, "Are your approaches to fundraising emails this sophisticated?"
Just some interesting food for thought as we begin a new year.
Second, I apologize for having taken a slightly longer than anticipated break during the holidays, but there was a bit of family business that needed my attention. All is well and good now, and I am looking forward to a great and productive 2007.
On to the news...
According to the Mercury New, most large Bay Area nonprofits spend the majority of their funds on programming. Of course, that's what we expect them to do, but in this business, we all know how administrative and fundraising costs can creep upwards.
MediaNews researched and analyzed 100 large Bay Area nonprofits and found that 85 of them reported spending at least 75 percent of their annual revenue on programs. The benchmark the study looks in "healthy" nonprofits is 75 percent or more for programming, 15 percent or less for administration, and 10 percent or less for fundraising.
The warning signs for donors (according to the survey), and the reason why some nonprofits failed to meet their guidelines, was the use of high-cost telemarketing or other outside fundraising services. Companies that collect and sell used vehicles on behalf of nonprofits were also called out for passing too little of the sales price of the vehicles on to the causes they claim to represent.
Knowing that donors are looking at these reports, and are aware of the costs of outside services, do you need to re-evaluate how you're raising money for your organization? Would you have passed the test?
While we're on the topic, "a fundraiser" of the Don't Tell the Donor blog, asks, "What can nonprofits learn from spammers?"
No, he's not suggesting that we spam our donors or potential donors. But, he does point out the sophistication of some the spammers research and techniques and asks, "Are your approaches to fundraising emails this sophisticated?"
Just some interesting food for thought as we begin a new year.
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