Friday, August 6, 2010

    When Personalized Data Go Bad... And Go Right.

    Marketing and fundraising can use data to personalize the donor/customer experience, which can have a positive impact on the relationships of an organization's efforts. However, the quality of this impact is only as strong as your data and the systems you have in place to manage them. Two examples follow...

    Data personalization gone wrong occurred Friday when AT&T emailed my wife a happy birthday message and coupon. AT&T doesn't know that I manage both of our phone bills online w/ my email... so I don't fault them for emailing me the birthday message. I'll make sure she knows they cared enough to send their very best ;) However, take a look at the message, for context:


    The issues:
    • It came the day after my wife's birthday. Huge deal? No. But it makes AT&T look like they don't pay attention to the details. If AT&T has a system in place to send these out on Fridays (Maybe in hopes of weekend shopping use), they could simply change it to say "As our gift to you for your recent birthday..." or something similar. This error is one I probably would have overlooked, if not compounded by...
    • The "Participating stores near you" lists two stores in Ann Arbor which were near us... When we lived in Ann Arbor. I updated my address with AT&T a couple of months ago. Hmm... I think someone's data systems are not talking to each other as well as they could.
    These issues could just as well happened at a non-profit. In fact, I'm quite certain it happens more often at non-profits than places like AT&T. Why? Because the right and left hand are often failing to communicate at non-profits. Consider taking these actions:
    • Have a clear data management policy. When updates come in, where do they go? Does everyone understand this?
    • Make it easy for gift officers to email/share information. Can gift officers or volunteers send an email to updates@yourorg.org?
    • Review marketing and solicitation communications for language like the birthday message above to make sure your automated systems are worded accurately.


    On the flip side... My wife ordered some makeup from Sephora a couple days before her birthday via the website. Because she has an account with them via the website (that included her birthday information at sign-up), they prompted her as to whether or not she would like to include her birthday gift - which you normally receive when shopping at one of the brick & mortar stores - with the online order. And the receipt that came with the order even said "Happy birthday beautiful!" (Which honestly made me wonder if I had ordered it for her in her sleep or if she had actually sent herself a birthday message!).

    All great use of personal data. So I dug on Sephora's website and found this policy. Kudos Sephora!

    All Beauty Insiders are eligible to receive a get-gorgeous birthday gift from Sephora. Your gift will be automatically included with any merchandise order placed at Sephora.com within 14 days of your birthday. To include the gift with your order, simply place a check in the box on the Beauty Insider page of the checkout process.

    If you are within the correct timeframe, but you do not see the birthday gift as you are checking out, please call customer service at 877-SEPHORA before placing your order so that we can assist you further. If your birthday timeframe has passed for this year, rest assured, we will have another exciting gift next year. We regret that we are unable to send the birthday gift from Sephora.com without a merchandise order, and we thank you for your understanding.

    If you prefer, you can also pick up your birthday gift at a Sephora retail store during the same timeframe. When picking up your birthday gift at one of our retail locations, please make sure to let our Cast Members know that you are a Beauty Insider by presenting your Beauty Insider Card or referencing your registered email address. No purchase is necessary to receive your gift at a Sephora store.
    I never thought I would be bringing you my wife's birthday, AT&T or Sephora Through Non-Profit Eyes, but that's one of the reasons I blog ...to share best practice for non-profits from other media and industries!

    For more on data management and its importance, see Supporting Advancement's Prospect & Donor Records page.

    Topics for Non-Profit Blogs Addendum


    Heather Mansfield (
    @nonprofitorgs) has one of the leading non-profit blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. She recently posted ten blog content ideas for non-profits. Heather's ten ideas:
    1. Share breaking news.
    2. Post calls to action.
    3. Ask supporters to donate.
    4. Share stories, photos, and videos from events.
    5. Allow guest bloggers to share expertise and experience.
    6. Share stories from the field.
    7. Share resources.
    8. Highlight press coverage.
    9. Share your social media success stories.
    10. Interview experts, volunteers, donors and board members.
    Her list is great, but I think it could use two additional items:

    11. Impact stories.

    Some of the most powerful tweets are those that illustrate the impact an organization is having. This illustrates to your donors what their dollars have done and to potential supporters what they could do. A recent Tweet from the Richmond chapter of the American Red Cross:

    This would lend itself to an engaging blog posting about the fire and ARC's response, which would be even more powerful if it included quotes from the seven individuals being helped.

    12. Impact photos.

    Heather touches on photos from events and stories from the field, but equally moving are photos of your organization's work. This can be very different from the "Impact stories" in that it is visual and, as Barnard said, a picture is worth a thousand words. See the example from charity:water:


    Which leads to this photo:


    Followed by the simple statement:
    In less than four years, charity: water has funded clean and safe water projects to serve more than a million people around the world.

    Join us. Just $20 can bring clean water to one person for 20 years.
    This is one of the shortest blog postings you will find on the web, but it is arguably as powerful as they come.

    Any other ideas for non-profit blog posts?

    Ad Execs, Part V: Craig Allen & Jason Kreher

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

    An Airplane Magazine, Through Non-Profit Eyes: Part 5 of 5: Craig Allen & Jason Kreher

    See all five posts here.

    I rarely read the airlines' magazines when flying because I'm generally doing one of the following: reading something I brought along for the flight, sleeping, or working on my computer. For some reason (even though I had the capability of doing any of these preferred activities), the July 2010 issue of Delta's Sky magazine caught my eye on a recent Baltimore-NYC-Boston trip. Well, not just "some reason," but the fact that the cover story was entitled The Mad, Mad World of Advertising. The magazine tied interviews with leading advertising professionals in with an article about the hit show, Mad Men.

    I found some great material from those interviewed in the magazine and bring you the following quotes, Through Non-Profit Eyes. The direct quotes are from Sky.

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

    Craig Allen, art director, & Jason Kreher, copywriter, Wieden+Kennedy (@WiedenKennedy)

    Sky: Two of the creatives who have helped transform Old Spice from the cologne your grandfather wears into the not new hipster scent, Allen & Kreher are two of the bright young minds at W+K.

    More Donors Blog: The firm has offices in Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New Delhi and Shanghai. It is widely recognized as one of the leading firms in the world and recently caused waves with the Old Spice Guy campaign.

    Some of the firm's work:


    Craig Allen: I think people buy things from brands they like. When a brand makes someone laugh, they like it more. They're more willing to listen to what the commercial is selling.

    MD: There have been many attempts by non-profits to be humorous... and many (probably most) have failed. Why? Well... selling deodorant & body wash lends itself to humor better than feeding the hungry, cleaning the gulf, sending students to college, etc. That being said, the non-profit industry often forgets the first part of Allen's answer: People buy things from brands they like. There are two ways to look at this statement through non-profit eyes:
    • People support causes they like.
    • People support non-profit organizations they like.
    I think the first is remembered by those marketing NPOs. The second interpretation, however, is often assumed to go hand-in-hand with the first. Just because someone believes in supporting efforts to bring clean water to those in Africa doesn't mean they necessarily like charity:water, The Water Project, or the African Well Fund. Your marketing materials & your staff must work to make your organization likable. It sounds very basic, but it is often forgotten. Check yourself: What has your NPO (or one of your faves) done lately to be personable and likable? Being personable is one of the reasons I encourage NPOs to give a personal face to Twitter accounts (like @humanesociety).

    S: How do you define "smart" humor?
    Jason Kreher: I don't think it's my place to define smart humor.
    CA: That is a tough one. I'm not sure there is an exact definition. I think humor is at its best when it makes a person think. Consumers are smart; they want to feel like they're in on the joke.

    MD: Try this translation: "Donors are smart; they want to feel like they're in on the solution." It also is not your place to define what they care about and what works at gaining support.

    You must communicate with your audience and conduct appropriate research to judge who your constituents want to hear from (your CEO, those you aid/support, a fellow donor, etc.), what they want to hear (the challenges, statistics, success stories, etc.), when they want to hear from you, and via what channel (email, mail, phone, events, etc.).

    Having this information will help fine-tune your fundraising and communication efforts and avoid falling into the trap of producing materials and solicitations that would work on you but not necessarily your audience.

    photos courtesy of W+K & Sky

    Thursday, August 5, 2010

    Ad Execs, Part IV: Linus Karlsson & Paul Malmstrom

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

    An Airplane Magazine, Through Non-Profit Eyes: Part 4 of 5: Linus Karlsson & Paul Malmstrom

    See all five posts in the series here.

    I rarely read the airlines' magazines when flying because I'm generally doing one of the following: reading something I brought along for the flight, sleeping, or working on my computer. For some reason (even though I had the capability of doing any of these preferred activities), the July 2010 issue of Delta's Sky magazine caught my eye on a recent Baltimore-NYC-Boston trip. Well, not just "some reason," but the fact that the cover story was entitled The Mad, Mad World of Advertising. The magazine tied interviews with leading advertising professionals in with an article about the hit show, Mad Men.

    I found some great material from those interviewed in the magazine and bring you the following quotes, Through Non-Profit Eyes. The direct quotes are from Sky.

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

    Linus Karlsson & Paul Malmstrom (@motherNY, but with only one tweet!), Co-founders and executive creative directors, Mother New York

    Sky: The art director (Malmstrom) and copywriter (Karlsson) team known as "The Swedes" (they met in school in Sweden) are co-creative directors of Mother New York, which they launched in 2003 as an offshoot of Mother in London. They've hatched campaigns for the likes of Target, the NBA and Dell.

    More Donors Blog: The firm was awarded the Creative Agency of the Year award by AdAge earlier this year. Malmstrom & Karlsson were also listed in the Creativity 50 by AdAge & Creativity.

    Some of the firm's work:





    The Swedes: (speaking on changes impacting the advertising industry) ...You'll find something more meaningful going on - the corresponding swing of the brand-building pendulum from persuasion to the influence of trusted sources, as seen, for example, in the proliferation of social media. Again, if you seek to drive change, it's essential to grasp not only the "whats," but also the "hows" and "whys" of new media.

    MD: This is a topic you likely have thought of if you're taking the time to read this post, but th"hows" and "whys" - and I would add the "whos" - of new media are critical to advanced non-profit communications. Along those lines:
    • How does social media fit into your overall message and communications plan?
    • How does your NPO's work impact the people on ?
    • Why would someone want to follow you on Twitter? Do you provide something useful to the conversation?
    • Who among your followers, fans, donors, supporters, volunteers, etc. have the greatest influence on others? ...And will they speak on your behalf?.
    TS: ...Finally, I think the wise agency realizes that the phrase "creative talent" encompasses left-brain, analytical thinking, too. This is especially true in today's incredibly interactive marketing world, where consumers tell us so much about their preferences, lives and actions - if we know where to look and how to listen.

    MD: Do you have this talent on your team? If you need to know about your constituents preferences for giving, how you impact their lives, and what actions they take to support other NPOs, where do you look?
    • Analyze your data to see patterns in giving in terms of timing (time of year/month/day), frequency (annual/monthly/quarterly/etc.), channel (mail/phone/web/email/social-media) and amount. Look at the same for event attendance and volunteering.
    • Plan future appeals accordingly - asking for the right amount at the right time via the right channel. Save your NPO resources and respect your constituents by not inundating them with mail appeals when they have only responded to email in the past.*
    • * That being said... I'm a strong believer in campaigns in one channel helping fuel the success of campaigns in another. For example, the success of your year-end email appeal may be due in part to the case you made for support in your newsletter. Pay attention to results and analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly.

    photos courtesy of Creativity & Sky

    Be Our Guest: Diana Keim

    Diana Keim, Senior Director of Development with City of Hope for the previous five years is our latest Be Our Guest participant. Diana is a University of Southern California alum who also spent ten years working in development for her alma mater. She also happens to be a wonderful person, should you get the opportunity to get to know her!

    I thank Diana for taking part in the Be Our Guest series. Enjoy her answers and provide your thoughts in the comments

    What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?
    Acquiring new donors. 2008 and 2009 were lower fundraising years for everyone, and 2010 has been incredibly good for us, revenue-wise. However, acquiring new donors for the health of our donor file has been increasingly difficult. It's the only area of our annual giving fundraising efforts that hasn't recovered to a level I'm comfortable with. Not being in higher ed fundraising anymore, this is an area that is more difficult to tackle. We don't get new graduates every year. :)

    What are you doing to overcome these challenges?
    Instead of solely relying on direct mail acquisition, we are going to be entering the "digital media" arena. We will begin these efforts, in test capacities, in Fall 2010.
    Current Campaign:
    What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?
    More mailings hitting our donors, believe it or not. My first full year in FY 2006, we went from 11 mailings per year to 17, including the creation of a donor-focused newsletter. We spent the same amount of money to run the direct mail program, but raised another $600,000+, all net revenue.
    Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?
    I truly don't know. I see it as as an advocacy media, instead of true fundraising. But I'd love to be proved wrong.
    City of Hope on: Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr / MySpace
    And check out the great social media landing page:


    Wednesday, August 4, 2010

    8 Common Social Media Mistakes

    There are numerous lists of social media mistakes and rules for managing a social media presence. This list attempts to be different by providing things that are relatively easy for you to fix and/or are non-profit specific. Please add more mistakes/thoughts/guidance in the comments section.

    1) Not getting a custom Facebook URL
    Once you have over 25 fans for a Facebook page, click here and you can select the "Set a username for your pages" link... and pick something that is easy, makes sense, and will always translate well to your marketing materials. This is much easier than using something like:



    2) Making it hard to find your social presence on your websites.
    When someone visits one of your primary landing pages (home page, event page, information page, etc.), it should be easy to see the social media links - using icons - without having to dig and find them. I have seen various NPOs who do not have a link to any of their social media accounts anywhere on their website. Use the icons because people's eyes are trained to notice the Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. icons, but may quickly look past the words "Twitter" or "Facebook" if mixed in with other links.

    A few good examples:



    3) Not considering other Twitter accounts you should "own"
    If you are having trouble thinking of what other usernames people may anticipate your org using, ask your constituents - "What are some usernames for Twitter you think we could use?" You may be surprised at some of the ideas that come to mind, particularly from the more experienced social media users.

    4) Leaving one person in charge of monitoring everything "social media"
    When I worked at the University of Florida and at the University of Michigan, each institution had some very wise staff members with extensive knowledge of every inner-working-detail of somewhat antiquated databases. The good news was we had the wise staff members... the bad news was that if and when they leave, a lot of understanding leaves with them. The same applies to throwing everything social media on one person's plate. You do not want your Twitter account to die the day Joe or Jane Employee leaves.

    Using the same examples, from Florida & Michigan, some key policies of the databases were constructed with ease of data management in mind. However, when it came to pulling and slicing the data for strategic marketing appeals, the data provided significant challenges. That was because the data managers were in charge and simply did not have the perspective on what might be useful when pulling the data. Nothing malicious, just certain things had not crossed their minds.

    Again, same parallel with your social media accounts - As comments, tweets and questions start to flow, your single social-media-designee may not have the perspective or knowledge to best represent your NPO. Consider having representation from across various departments work together on social media response and management. This actually can be a catalyst for better collaboration on non-social-media projects.

    5) Having a long list of people who must sign-off on every tweet, Facebook post, etc.

    At the other end of the spectrum from having only one person in charge of social media is having too many. This is a trap I have seen many non-profits fall into, mainly because NPOs have a history of having more red-tape than the for-profit sector.

    There has to be some freedom to work and respond within social media. An old annual giving adage states "No letter should be written by committee." The same goes for social media communications. Too many people involved will stifle the benefits of quick, intelligent and even (gasp!) fun replies. You must find the balance between too little and too few staff participants. Not unlike...

    6) Doing too much... or too little.
    A tweet every twenty minutes will quickly turn off the casual follower. Nothing for months and you're likely to be unfollowed through tools like UnTweeps or Twit Cleaner. Strike the balance. Here is an example of expectations from university alumni:

    And a poll... How often do you want to hear from your favorite NPO on Twitter?




    7) Failing to learn about the world of social media B.Y. (Before You)
    "Join us for the first ever Twitter Fundraiser!" Sounds like a pretty bad tweet, doesn't it? Well... it happened within the last few months because an organization either didn't think before tweeting or didn't realize it had been done a few (thousand) times before. When you or your organization are new to social media, take the time to review what your peer organizations and industry leaders have done on social media so that you can build upon their success rather than look silly.

    8) Making it hard to learn about your organization's case for support.
    This reaches beyond social media to the overall communications and management of an NPO. As I state in many of my presentations and client meetings, you have to have a clear case for support before you dive into the deep-end of social media. Make it compelling and easy to find online via your website, Facebook page, and in the Twitter description of your account.

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

    Other mistakes for an NPO to avoid via social media? Let us know via the comments section.

    Ad Execs, Part III: Miles Nadal


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

    An Airplane Magazine, Through Non-Profit Eyes: Part 3 of 5: Miles Nadal

    See all five series posts here.

    I rarely read the airlines' magazines when flying because I'm generally doing one of the following: reading something I brought along for the flight, sleeping, or working on my computer. For some reason (even though I had the capability of doing any of these preferred activities), the July 2010 issue of Delta's Sky magazine caught my eye on a recent Baltimore-NYC-Boston trip. Well, not just "some reason," but the fact that the cover story was entitled The Mad, Mad World of Advertising. The magazine tied interviews with leading advertising professionals in with an article about the hit show, Mad Men.

    I found some great material from those interviewed in the magazine and bring you the following quotes, Through Non-Profit Eyes. The direct quotes are from Sky.

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

    Miles Nadal (@milesnadal), Chairman and CEO, MDC Partners

    Sky: Nadal is founder, chairman and CEO of the Toronto-based MDC Partners, an advertising, media and marketing holding company that includes the hot shop Crispin Porter + Bogusky (the firm behind Burger King's "Creepy King" and Best Buy's "Buyer be Happy" campaigns). Nadal also founded First Asset Management, one of Canada's largest asset-management firms.

    More Donors Blog: It should also be noted that Nadal is a generous and dedicated philanthropist. He has given millions of dollars to organizations such as the UJA Federation, Reena Foundation, and the Jewish National Fund of Canada. Nadal also was honored as the 2004 Volunteer of the Year by Toronto's chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

    Some of the firm's work:




    Nadal: (speaking on changes impacting the advertising industry) ...You'll find something more meaningful going on - the corresponding swing of the brand-building pendulum from persuasion to the influence of trusted sources, as seen, for example, in the proliferation of social media. Again, if you seek to drive change, it's essential to grasp not only the "whats," but also the "hows" and "whys" of new media.

    MD: This is a topic you likely have thought of if you're taking the time to read this post, but the "hows" and "whys" - and I would add the "whos" - of new media are critical to advanced non-profit communications. Along those lines:
    • How does social media fit into your overall message and communications plan?
    • How does your NPO's work impact the people on Twitter & Facebook?
    • Why would someone want to follow you on Twitter? Do you provide something useful to the conversation?
    • Who among your followers, fans, donors, supporters, volunteers, etc. have the greatest influence on others? ...And will they speak on your behalf?.
    N: ...Finally, I think the wise agency realizes that the phrase "creative talent" encompasses left-brain, analytical thinking, too. This is especially true in today's incredibly interactive marketing world, where consumers tell us so much about their preferences, lives and actions - if we know where to look and how to listen.

    MD: Do you have this talent on your team? If you need to know about your constituents preferences for giving, how you impact their lives, and what actions they take to support other NPOs, where do you look?
    • Analyze your data to see patterns in giving in terms of timing (time of year/month/day), frequency (annual/monthly/quarterly/etc.), channel (mail/phone/web/email/social-media) and amount. Look at the same for event attendance and volunteering.
    • Plan future appeals accordingly - asking for the right amount at the right time via the right channel. Save your NPO resources and respect your constituents by not inundating them with mail appeals when they have only responded to email in the past.*
    • * That being said... I'm a strong believer in campaigns in one channel helping fuel the success of campaigns in another. For example, the success of your year-end email appeal may be due in part to the case you made for support in your newsletter. Pay attention to results and analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly.
    Quotable Tweet:


    photos courtesy of Twitter & Sky

    Monday, August 2, 2010

    Ad Execs, Part II: Lynn Power


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

    An Airplane Magazine, Through Non-Profit Eyes: Part 2 of 5: Lynn Power

    See all five posts in the series here.

    I rarely read the airlines' magazines when flying because I'm generally doing one of the following: reading something I brought along for the flight, sleeping, or working on my computer. For some reason (even though I had the capability of doing any of these preferred activities), the July 2010 issue of Delta's Sky magazine caught my eye on a recent Baltimore-NYC-Boston trip. Well, not just "some reason," but the fact that the cover story was entitled The Mad, Mad World of Advertising. The magazine tied interviews with leading advertising professionals in with an article about the hit show, Mad Men.

    I found some great material from those interviewed in the magazine and bring you the following quotes, Through Non-Profit Eyes. The direct quotes are from Sky.

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

    Lynn Power (@LynnPowered), President, ArnoldNYC

    Sky: Power joined ArnoldNYC in 2005 and has helped build iconic brands such as Hershey's, Lee Jeans, Gillette, L'Oreal, Duracell, American Express and Pizza Hut. During her 20-plus-year career, she's worked at McCann, BBDO and O&M, among others, but says shes is thankful every day for the entrepreneurial idea-driven culture of Arnold.

    Some of the firm's work:


    Power: Don't try to manufacture coolness or try to be hip; consumers can see through that. Just be true to who you are, understand your DNA and make it relevant to people today.

    More Donors Blog: The Old Spice Guy caused a stir recently with the viral nature of the campaign. Now that reports indicate a spike in sales for Old Spice, everyone - many non-profits included - want to know how to plan such a campaign. As @geoffliving and I tweeted back-and-forth about last week, trying to mimic the campaign is not the best plan. What non-profits need to know, though, is:
    • "You don't win if you don't play." Obviously, you'll never have a successful non-profit viral campaign if you don't have content online.
    • Don't anticipate a campaign going viral just because you really, really want it to.
    • Have fun.
    P: Obviously, we want people to be inspired to go try and buy the product we're marketing. But often just a "Wow, I didn't realize that" can be just as effective for a brand that is a bit outdated

    MD: I think this is partially true for non-profits, but this is one of the areas where fundraising and advertising differ. Coke wants to beat Pepsi. The average non-profit wants to earn your support. Sometimes the tried-and-true practices will do just find for non-profits - direct mail appeals, newsletters, email campaigns, phone campaigns, etc. But to stand out with new campaigns will also help your cause. So:
    • Be original. What makes your organization unique? How can you promote in a way that is unique to your organization and its mission?
    • Ask your constituents to get creative on your behalf. Ask for videos and promotional material from your followers and supporters.
    Quotable Tweet:

    photos courtesy of Arnold, Twitter & Sky

    Sunday, August 1, 2010

    Be Our Guest: Sam Davidson

    Sam Davidson from Cool People Care is the latest Be Our Guest participant. Sam is a Samford University alum who previously worked with the Oasis Center in Nashville. Part of his role with the Oasis Center was teaching leadership to high school students through hands-on community service. This experience, coupled with his time working in the for-profit sector led him to found Cool People Care, a media and lifestyle company that seeks to pair people who want to save the world with local opportunities to do so. Since forming in 2006, CPC has helped over 2,500 non-profits advertise their opportunities to our loyal audience of socially-motivated young people.

    I thank Sam for founding CPC and for taking part in the Be Our Guest series. Enjoy his answers and provide your thoughts on his comments and question for the group.


    What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?
    Many nonprofits want a quick strike. They want to be able to say something quickly online, whether it's through social media or email, and reap huge donations. Very few understand that it takes time because people want a relationship. (DTM note: Amen Sam!)
    What are you doing to overcome these challenges?
    We're helping nonprofits craft social media and digital branding strategies in order to reach a younger audience with their message. We teach and then implement these plans so that nonprofits can see themselves as having a story to tell via specific tools, especially if they want to reach Gen Y.
    What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?
    Cool People Care has seen a lot of success with our own campaigns - our daily reach is well over 10,000 people at the moment. All of our nonprofit partners reap the benefits of this reach as we actively promote their work through our channels.
    Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?
    Social media is best for storytelling. People - particularly young people - won't give you money if they don't know you. Because it's low-cost, social media is a great place to start telling a story, attract a new audience, and then over time, develop a relationship with this audience.
    CPC on: Twitter / Facebook / MySpace / YouTube / LinkedIn
    What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to?
    Beth Kanter's blog, Rosetta Thurman's blog and Kivi Leroux Miller's book, The Nonprofit Marketing Guide.
    What question would you find most useful for readers to answer?
    What's the first nonprofit you donated to? (DTM: I remember donating time to Daffodil Days as a little kid, because the pic ended up in the local newspaper. The first for money was likely something like Penn State's Dance Marathon.)

    Editor's side note:
    CPC organized some great efforts to help people in Nashville after the recent floods. One of my favorites was the "We Are Nashville" campaign and associated t-shirts, etc. Click here for more.