Tuesday, September 28, 2010

    Something Is Technically Wrong. Again. And Again.


    This is getting really old, Twitter.

    Monday, September 27, 2010

    Be Our Guest: Gene Takagi

    Please welcome our latest Be Our Guest participant - Gene Takagi. Gene is a lawyer focused on nonprofit organizations and the man behind the Nonprofit Law Blog & @gtak. He is an alum of the University of British Columbia (B.Sc.), the University of San Francisco (Masters in Nonprofit Administration) and UCLA School of Law.

    Thank you Gene for taking part! Please add your thoughts and questions in the comment section below.

    What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts (or those you consult) currently face – from a legal point-of-view?

    Compliance with registration requirements, charitable trust laws, and substantiation and disclosure requirements (e.g., written receipts to donors).

    What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

    I provide counsel to managers and boards about their legal duties and responsibilities, certain “best practices” that may fit with their organizations, and how to implement policies and procedures to improve the way their organizations further their missions.

    What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role (or as a consultant to others)?

    Through a series of consultations and an on-site training session, I helped the directors of a nonprofit board understand their legal duties and responsibilities and catalyzed their increased support and participation in the organization. Their heightened involvement created additional connections and opportunities for the organization and helped them come out of a difficult financial situation with a set of solid policies and practices to further strengthen their organization. Unleashing an active, productive board that partners with its executive positively impacted its fundraising, supporter morale, and services.

    Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising/legal advice for NPOs?

    Sharing of valuable resources, best practices, and avoidable/correctable missteps. Educating the public about the NPO’s work, its solid infrastructure, and its commitment to making effective and efficient use of charitable resources.

    What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to in order to further develop their skills?

    - Fundraising Law Made Easy by Bruce Hopkins.
    - IRS Charities & Non-Profits website (frequently updated) and State Attorney Generals websites devoted to charitable organizations.
    What question would you find most useful for the readers to answer?

    What resources have you allocated to legal compliance and risk management in your organizations, and do they adequately protect and strengthen your organization’s ability to do its valuable work and protect your directors and officers from personal liability?

    Follow: @Cookies4Kids


    So an old summer camp friend of mine - yes, those friendships can last! - emailed me last week about a campaign for @Cookies4Kids. After doing some research, it was evident that C4K should be this week's #FollowOfTheWeek.

    Back story: My friend's husband is Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN), ESPN's lead NASCAR guy. While I have to admit I don't follow NASCAR closely, I do appreciate their marketing efforts. This cause is close to Marty's heart and tied to NASCAR via a competition between non-profits. @Cookies4Kids is up against others in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation's & Samsung's Helmet of Hope campaign. Enjoy the information below... and GO VOTE!

    Twitter: @Cookies4Kids
    Name: Cookies 4 Kids
    Web: www.cookies4kids.org
    Bio: Cookies for Kids' Cancer raises funds through local bake sales to support research for new and improved therapies for pediatric cancer.
    Followers: 775 + you!
    Why Follow? Clearly this is a worthy cause. But it is also worth following because they do a good job of using social media to promote a cause. Plus - if you read the "Kids Who Inspire Us" page below... you'll be moved to follow!

    @Cookies4Kids is also on: Web / Facebook
    Jimmie Johnson Foundation is also on: Web / YouTube
    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some screenshots and examples follow - enjoy!

    Twitter Page:


    Kids Who Inspire Us page:


    Facebook page:


    The competition:


    The other charities in the competition:


    And here's a video from Jimmie Johnson regarding the competition:



    Saturday, September 25, 2010

    ISO: iPhone Photos of Nonprofits' Impact


    UPDATE: Flickr group created so you can upload your pics here.

    So there are plenty of lists of iPhone photos, including the recent 15 Incredible iPhone Dog Photographs from Mashable. But there is at least one list that is missing:

    The best iPhone photographs of nonprofit impact / events.

    Send them to me here so that I can highlight the best in a future post. The only rule is that you use iPhone applications to do any picture doctoring, etc.

    Need inspiration? Here is one from @Surfridersotx (via @Surfrider) of the great turnout for their beach cleanup:


    And here are some good ones on other topics...

    On The Train... by Photocritic:


    Lilly by Marc Bibby


    Pool On The Beach by Craig Melville:


    And Cecilia by yours truly:


    Friday, September 24, 2010

    Interesting, Unexpected Appeal

    When getting my groceries at a local grocery store while vacationing in Northern Michigan earlier this summer (Northport, to be exact... it's heavenly), I found a surprise appeal in my grocery bag. I do not know how successful the piece is at raising funds, but I imagine it does well at building community awareness and the case for support for Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Have you ever tried one like this? How well did it work at raising money? Awareness?


    Since the image quality is low, here is the text:

    This little bag could change a life.

    Dear Friend,

    Sam is deaf due to his parents' medical neglect. Crystal's mom is drug addicted and cannot parent or maintain a safe home for her children. Jake was sexually abused by a family member he trusted.

    These are just three of the children in our community who were abused or neglected. They deserve better. They deserve to be safe, and happy.

    In the last year, more than 400 children were served by Child and Family Services' foster care program. Many arrive on our doorstep with their belongings - the few they have - in a brown or plastic bag.

    Children shouldn't have to live with abuse and neglect. Please help us provide them with all the services they need by taking three easy steps:

    1. Place a check, payable to "Child and Family Services" in this bag.
    2. Fold the open end of the bag on the dotted line and tape or staple closed.
    3. Place a stamp on the bag and mail.
    Child and Family Services is a private, nonprofit organization that has been serving children in need in northern Michigan since 1937. Your contribution stays in our community.

    Learn more about us: 1.800.538.9984 www.cfsnwmi.org





    Monday, September 20, 2010

    Follow: @JoinRed


    Did you know Social Good Day is in three days? Well Mashable & (RED) are sponsoring the event to coincide with UN Week and the Social Good Summit. I received the following email and decided that @joinred was perfect as a #FollowOfTheWeek. Not only because it is a good cause... but because they are an example of a non-profit using social media well. It also ties in well with last weeks' #Follow. Enjoy!


    Twitter: @joinred
    Name: The (RED) Campaign
    Web: www.joinred.com
    Bio: Bringing people and brands together to help fight AIDS in Africa. Join us! Follow (RED).
    Followers: 1,027,016 + you!
    Why Follow? Clearly this is a worthy cause. But it is also worth following because they do a good job of using social media to promote a cause.
    Celebrities on board? (Not a reason to follow... just interesting) Bono and many others...

    @JoinRed is also on: Web / Facebook / YouTube

    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some screenshots and examples follow - enjoy!

    Web site:


    Facebook pages - Shopping


    Facebook pages - About the campaign


    Facebook pages - The Lazarus Effect (documentary)


    Facebook pages - Main Page


    Twitter page:


    Video (Lazarus Effect):


    The meetups near you:


    Timing is everything...

    I'm an avid soccer fan (also known as "proper football"). That is one of the reasons I am on the United States Soccer Federation's (@ussoccer) email list. On Sunday I received the following email:


    While I appreciate the idea of having a USSF avatar, the first thought I had was Why didn't they send this out before and during the World Cup earlier this year? Okay... in the interest of full disclosure, my real first thought was When will the US Men's National Team finally get a red jersey? However, my second thought was about the timing. Sure, you can say that this avatar promo is better late than never, but considering the USSF got more media attention than ever during the recent World Cup and the last-minute winner against Algeria caused more soccer-related-excitement than this country has ever seen... why wasn't this in place to build upon the success? Just a thought. I'm sure there are reasons - resource limitations, nobody had thought of the idea before, etc. Just a reminder that if you can figure out a way to be ahead of such opportunities you will be your organizations Rock Star!

    All of which leads to the question: What lies ahead in the next month, 6 months or year that you could piggy-back on or build a campaign around?

    Since I don't want to end this without giving USSF some positive press... please take a moment and sign the petition to bring the World Cup back to the USA in either '18 or '22:



    P.S. Just in case you haven't seen the world's reaction to the goal v. Algeria I mentioned above:


    Saturday, September 18, 2010

    A Few Email Best Practice Examples

    I receive quite a few emails from non-profit mailing lists - some I subscribe to out of interest in the cause / organization. Some I subscribe to simply based on the org's reputation for strong use of email. Some I received during the past week are below, with strengths noted.

    From the 1GOAL folks comes this brightly colored email with attention grabbing images and graphics. It also has a significant number of calls-to-action without being annoying.


    PETA has been ahead of most organizations when it comes to the integration of email and web 2.0 into their marketing campaigns. This email also has eye-catching imagery, well-placed Facebook/Twitter/Text links and an easy link for sharing the email.


    I love this UN Foundation email - simple, letter-like piece that includes a video and an excellent social media engagement link group at the end of the letter.


    While this Penn State email lacks in other departments, the sentiment of sending out the State of the University videos to email groups is a good one. Also, breaking the videos up based on audience type is genius - that way an alum can focus on the one message, rather than all four.



    Friday, September 17, 2010

    12 Rules for New Non-Profit Administrators


    Dr. Michael J. Bugeja (@Michael_Bugeja), director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University, recently contributed an article to the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled 12 Rules for New Administrators, aimed at faculty chairs.

    Though there are many differences between running an academic department and a non-profit, there are also many similarities. Given the parallels, I bring you his list, Through Non-Profit Eyes. There are two items on the list (#'s 2 & 12) that do not translate well to non-profits, so I have added #'s 13 & 14 to ensure you get a full dozen! Enjoy...

    1.
    Start serving others. While reaching this role may be the culmination of a career or an exciting promotion of which you are rightfully proud, you must remember that your job is to serve the organization and its constituents. It is not for you to make yourself look good or gain power.

    Connect with those benefiting from your organization. Praise employee accomplishments in e-mails, newsletters, and meetings. Host brunches and awards banquets, as applicable. Greet everyone when you arrive in the office, and thank everyone when you leave.

    2.
    Stop loving students.

    3.
    Get organized. No matter how passionate you are about your organization, if you are confused in thought, word, or deed, you will create problems for yourself and fail in fundamental tasks. Organization is critical for you to meet all of your objectives and to serve as a good example for your employees, volunteers & donors.

    Stay on track by updating a calendar that reminds you of deadlines and tasks on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. Create a timeline of recurring activities and events, from scheduling annual reviews and honoring deadlines for promotions to event planning and sending solicitations.

    4.
    Appoint a leadership team. This will vary based on the size of your organization and staff. Ideally, you will appoint a leadership team that represents the operations (budget, facilities, HR etc.), fundraising, marketing and the service component of your organization. Review current and upcoming tasks and donor relationships with the team. This will allow the various key members of your team to weigh in with thoughts, opinions and differing perspectives.

    5.
    Be transparent. Transparency is one of the most desired traits in today's non-profit. If a potential donor does not believe an organization is being transparent, he/she is much less likely to support the NPO. When writing memos, keep in mind that anyone may read it. This will help you write more concisely and factually. Keep such memos in a public place - even online. This you will send the message that you've got nothing to hide.

    When you can, pass along messages from key stakeholders and board members. Let your staff know that you will share as much as you can with them, without violating confidences.

    6. Learn how to run a meeting. There are many non-profit employees who complain about the time wasted in meetings. Some important rules that you should set for staff meetings:
    • Call for agenda items one week in advance
    • Keep and approve minutes (post online)
    • Ask people to inform you about announcements or achievements and send them out as an e-mail or PDF rather than waste time reading them aloud at meetings.
    • Set a standing meeting time that does not conflict with others' schedules.
    • Limit meetings to once a month, and keep them under 90 minutes.
    7. Create an advisory committee. This is similar to your leadership team, but can include non-payroll stakeholders who help you fine-tune projects and objectives. The advisory committee should be used for advice, whereas the leadership team can be used to make decisions.

    8.
    Honor governance policies. Seek out any internal policies or guidelines under which your organization has operated. Gain an understanding and appreciation for these policies, but do not let them box you into a corner. If any of these guidelines are preventing your organization from reaching its potential, review your concerns with the leadership team & advisory committee.

    9.
    Resist the natural tendency to play favorites. Little explanation is needed - this can divide a team and create undo angst on your staff. That being said, you need to be self-aware enough to ensure you are treating the team fairly.

    10.
    Become an advocate for civility and diversity. (Unchanged from Bugeja's piece:) Inclusivity should be at the top of your administrative agenda. Devise a diversity plan with professors if your department lacks one and refer to it in routine e-mails or meetings, when occasion allows. Insist on collegiality in employee reviews. Act immediately to deal with stereotyping, harassment, and incivility in others. Especially important is the nurturing of a climate welcoming to women and members of underrepresented groups. Respect for differing viewpoints is essential in any learning environment, and yours should celebrate that as a benchmark for success.

    11.
    Make sure faculty members have mentors. I could not agree with this more. If you replace "faculty" with "staff," you have a critical tool for improving your organization. This is particularly essential with your fundraising staff, where having a mentor for working with potential donors can be invaluable. You will also find great personal reward as those you have "grown" on your team move on to executive roles.

    12. Relearn the promotion-and-tenure process.

    "Replacement rules" for those I crossed off:

    13.
    Know your budget. While having a budget officer is a wonderful luxury, it is important that you know and own your organization's budget. This will provide you with a much better understanding of the impact of all strategic decisions. It will also make you more comfortable saying "yes" and "no" to ideas.

    14. Know your mission. A few years ago, I was giving a presentation to a large number of non-profit administrators. I posed the question to the group "Without using any other resources, can you recite your organization's mission?" Fewer than 10% could. To which I followed up: "If we don't know what our mission is, how can we make a passionate appeal for support and how do we know we're heading in the right direction?"

    Knowing your mission may only illustrate that you are good at memorizing phrases... but owning it and being passionate about what your NPO does will be evident in your demeanor and actions.

    -------------------------------------

    I hope you find these tips useful... Are there any others you would add? Share them below in the comments section!

    Wednesday, September 15, 2010

    Be Our Guest: Madelyn Anetrella

    The latest expert to join us for the Be Our Guest series is Madelyn Anetrella, Director of Development with Kentucky Habitat for Humanity and the owner of the My Nonprofit Experience blog. Prior to joining Habitat in August, Madelyn worked with The Salvation Army as the Director of Volunteer Services, Grant Administrator, and Angel Tree Program Manager. She is a Western Kentucky University alum and also participated in many philanthropic activities as a student.

    Throughout her career, she has worked, interned, or volunteered with organizations such as the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Kentucky Humane Society, Girl Scouts, American Heart Association, USO, and her church. As Madelyn put it "I have been involved in some way, whether I knew it at the time or not, with the nonprofit sector since I was 5 years old!"

    After college, Madelyn moved to Louisville, Kentucky to attend graduate school. She had planned to get her Master of Arts in political science and then attend law school. In the last semester of her Master's program, a class in nonprofit management intrigued, challenged and inspired Madelyn. After following the intrigue to an internship with the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, she got hooked on the philanthropic world, withdrew from law school and embarked on her career as a nonprofit professional.

    My thanks to Madelyn for taking the time to answer these questions - share your thoughts and insights in the comment section below.


    Kentucky Habitat on: Twitter / Facebook / Web

    What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

    When I first read this question, two responses came to mind. Since one is general and the other more specific, I thought I would share them both:

    - The recessed economy is definitely the biggest challenge to my fundraising efforts, specifically frozen foundation funding and reduced individual giving.
    - I am the first Development Director at my organization, and there is no precedent or structure in place in regard to fundraising. I am building everything from the ground up, which is both challenging and exciting!

    What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

    - In response to the economy, we are trying to be creative in our fundraising by creating new partnerships with similar organizations in the community, exploring new funding streams, and using this time to steward our donors.
    - Fortunately, I am a planner. I will spend the next 3-6 months studying the organizational culture, meeting with Board of Directors members and coworkers, developing our development strategy. I do, however, have to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time and the more time I put into planning on the front end, the more organized, effective, and efficient I will be in the future.

    What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?

    I am new to my current position, but I think my careful, thorough, and extensive planning is my most successful contribution. When I am organized and prepared, I feel better equipped to participate in meetings, discussions, and maximize my contributions to the organization.

    Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?

    Social media has helped me engage individuals and corporations in the community who have not known about who we are or what we do. I use social media to distribute information, share good news, post pictures, stay in touch with donors and volunteers, and make special requests. I am currently using Facebook to collect ideas/contacts for potential vehicle donors for KyHfH's Sustainable Building Specialist so she can travel throughout KY and work with our affiliate chapters on green building.

    What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to in order to further develop their skills?

    Book: Currently reading the Networked Nonprofit (Editor's note: So am I - great stuff!). Like I said earlier, the distressed economy is forcing us all to be creative. Social media is one way to engage donors and disseminate information.



    Blog: Mine of course :) www.madelynteresa.wordpress.com


    Twitter: Definitely The Chronicle of Philanthropy @philanthropy


    What question would you find most useful for the readers to answer?

    As a young nonprofit professional, many of my peers are in the for-profit sector. I feel that I work harder but make less money. However, I am happy and confident with where I am in my career. I love my organization and what I do, but... Will the pay difference eventually catch up with me? Do we suck it up and accept the difference in compensation between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors? Is it our responsibility to work toward change to keep our fellow nonprofit professionals in the field to maintain the efficience, effectiveness, and future of the nonprofit sector?


    Tuesday, September 14, 2010

    How Not to Use Twitter Week, Part III


    I had not intended on making this "How Not To Use Twitter Week," but while checking out some of my new followers, I came upon one of them who "...has protected their tweets." Protecting your tweets is fine if you are only intending to communicate with friends or a select audience. However, if you are a nonprofit (or, in this case, a company offering consulting on technology in fundraising), by blocking your tweets, you simply take an opportunity for engagement with potential donors/customers away. D'oh!

    P.S. - I hope this post doesn't insult or drive away this follower... but rather is a catalyst for the follower to change this setting!

    100 Words: Living Life w/Passion

    I didn't come up with it... and it does score high on the "Cheesiness Indicator Score" detector... but it is good, nevertheless. Thanks to @SamDavidson for sharing it and @holstee for creating it (at least, I think they did!).



    Monday, September 13, 2010

    Another "How Not To Use Twitter..."

    It's not fun to point out substandard work, but from time-to-time such examples can provide valuable learning for others. That being said, this is a screenshot from an "annual giving & social media expert" who provides consulting services and... just in case you can't figure it out... also does webinars.


    It is critical to remember some basic pointers on using Twitter and other social media:
    1. It's not just about you.
    2. You will gain more credibility and more information from the conversation if you realize it is a conversation. Promote others and engage in conversations.
    3. If you just promote yourself, you will quickly drive followers away.
    4. If you're going to offer social media consulting (like 428,940,311 other people), make sure you know how best to use it before promoting yourself.

    Just my two cents...

    Follow: @WeCanEndPoverty

    So I was reviewing who I follow on Twitter to see if there were any bogus accounts, etc. I inadvertently followed. Well, I found one account that had one of my favorite Twitter backgrounds ever: @WeCanEndPoverty Therefore, it is the latest #FollowOfTheWeek:


    Twitter: @WeCanEndPoverty
    Name: The UN's 2015 Millennium Development Goals
    Web: www.un.org/millenniumgoals
    Bio: End poverty by 2015. This is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people. World leaders have agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
    Followers: 6,550 + you!
    Why Follow? Clearly this is a worthy cause. But it is also worth following because they do a good job of using social media to promote a cause.
    Celebrities on board? (Not a reason to follow... just interesting) Antonio Banderas, Angelique Kidjo, Zinedine Zidane, Maria Sharapova and Annie Lennox
    Additional tid-bit: The UN's summit on these topics is later this month. Visit this site to learn more.

    @WeCanEndPoverty is also on: Web / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some screenshots and examples follow - enjoy!

    Twitter Page - background is simple, distinct and makes its point. It also generates interest in what the images on the left represent.


    YouTube Page - well branded, great background, good information and kept up-to-date. All critical components to an engaging account.


    Website - Note the immediate presence of Facebook & Twitter logos, as well as the continued theme of the goals.


    Two great aspects of the Facebook page - First, a page dedicated to the goals:


    And a wonderful landing page (that may need to be rescaled due to recent Facebook changes in column widths):


    And another one of the websites:


    And a great example of the use of video in nonprofit work:


    Sunday, September 12, 2010

    How Not To Promote Your Social Media Presence...

    So I was with some of my family today and we wandered into a favorite bakery/restaurant in town to get a sandwich (I had a yummy hummus, roasted red pepper, avocado, cucumber & sprout treat on a salt bagel, in case you were wondering). While sitting and eating I noticed this sign:


    Not the best, but certainly not the worst sign ever. It does still use the old Facebook language of "become a fan," instead of "Please like us!" But I don't really mind, because I still like fan better. Yes, some cynics may say "Oh, you're so far behind the times! It's like not fan!" but oh well. The sign also gives the Twitter handle (hidden so that my next sandwich doesn't include undesirable ingredients not listed above) and even pokes a bit of fun at any and everything being on Facebook & Twitter: "We couldn't resist..."

    That being said, what caught my eye was the sign's location:


    Unless the clientèle of this eatery are much more likely than average customers to drop creamers and sweetener packets on the ground, I do not think this is the best target-marketing of the year.

    Just a reminder that social media is not an "If you build it, they will come," endeavor. Be smart and promote your efforts. ...Preferably where people can see the promotions!