Listen Up!

More from the guys over at For Impact!  I guess it probably feels like my blog is just a repackaging of what the guys at For Impact! are saying in their daily insights - but they just hit on such important points!  I am often asked by clients what they should say at a meeting with a foundation or other donor and my number one piece of advice is to say less and listen more.  Ask questions and listen to what the answers are - that will really help you determine the best project to pitch and how best to bring this donor into the fold.  This is a great post that highlights that point.

http://www.forimpact.org/2011/03/vocabulary-wars.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+forimpactnotebook+(For+Impact)

Are your online communication efforts successful?

It used to be just a website and maybe an e-newsletter that non-profits had to keep up with - but now we are deluged with a variety of other opportunities to communicate and connect with prospects and donors. Facebook, twitter and youtube are standards now and more social media opportunities are coming online each day.  Already short-staffed non-profits need to have a visible presence, but they also need to have an effective presence.

Measuring the Effectives of Your Online Communications from IdealWare is a great article on how to measure not only your reach but your impact and engagement with prospects and donors.  Remember - you get what you measure!

Words of Wisdom for Non-Profits from For Impact

I haven't had much time lately for original blog posts lately, but I consume so much information in a given day through other blogs and resources that can be incredibly helpful to non-profits that I thought I could at least share those links.  Here are a few from a great resource:  For Impact. 

Before giving any type of presentation or even going into an important meeting I always recommend thinking about what the three key points you want your audience to remember are as well as a final call to action.  For Impact Group talks about that in this blog post:  Giving a Speech?  Talk about three bullet points instead

More from For Impact, one of my favorite resources on fundraising.  11 Big Ideas for College and University Advancement Teams.  Although this piece is aimed at universities, the steps work for any non-profit.  They get right to the core of fundraising.

OK - my last plug today for Tom Suddes and For Impact.  This post is about something that I often have a hard time getting non-profits to understand or incorporate, but it so crucial for long-term organizational success.  I'm going to print this in its entirety, it's short, and I don't want anyone to miss it.

Involvement Begets Investment
via For Impact Daily Nuggets by Tom Suddes on 1/13/11

I was reminded again this week of the power of this simple idea/action: INVOLVEMENT BEGETS INVESTMENT.

• INVOLVING your Leadership, Board and Top Prospects is a great way to MAXIMIZE RELATIONSHIPS

• INVOLVING and ENGAGING your STAKEHOLDERS is a great way to guarantee much greater INCOME.

• INVOLVEMENT can be in (what we call) the Leadership Consensus Building Process. It can be attending a MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE. It can be as simple as sitting down one-on-one and having a great CONVERSATION.

• No More Feasibility Studies. No More 5-Year Strategic Plans. No More Internal Case Statements. No More Visions in a Vacuum. No More Promises in Private. No More Decisions in the Dark.

Get your absolute best Champions and potential Investors INVOLVED!!!

INVOLVEMENT BEGETS INVESTMENT.

Technology Resources for Non-Profits

The Non-Profit Leadership 601 blog has a great list of technology resources for non-profits today.

Overall great nonprofit technology websites

• Tech Soup
  offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs by providing free information, resources, and support.
  
• Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network
  is the membership organization of nonprofit technology professionals whose members share the common goal of helping nonprofits use all aspects of technology more effectively.
  
• NTEN has Affinity Groups groups.nten.org where anyone can post nonprofit technology questions, find technology consultants and learn great technology tips.
  
• My favorite groups are: 501techclub-sf@groups.nten.org (there are groups for practically every metropolitan area) nten-discuss@groups.nten.org & accidentaltechies@groups.nten.org. There are also groups about blogging, social media and other np tech topics.
  
• NPower
  a network of locally based nonprofit organizations that provide comprehensive, high-quality and affordable technology assistance to other nonprofit groups nationally.
  

Selecting hardware for your nonprofit

• Tech Soup's Healthy and Secure Computing Program Use this workbook to find steps and recommendations for creating a healthy and secure computing environment and establishing a sound technology infrastructure at your nonprofit.
  
• PC Magazine Computer Hardware, Software Reviews, Downloads, News and Opinions
  
  

Selecting software for your nonprofit

• Tech Soup Stock A site that provides donated software for your nonprofit organization
  
• Idealware
  provides candid Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software of interest to nonprofits.
  
• Social Source Commons a place to share lists of software tools that you already use, gain knowledge and support, and discover new tools.
  
• Downloads.com Free Software
  
• The eNonprofit: A Guide to ASPs, Internet Services and Online Software
  

Web Presence & Using Technology to Fundraise

• General Technology Fundraising Resources Robert Weiner provides fundraising resource links about donor databases, e-mail marketing, newsletters, online fundraising, online privacy, social media, spam, technology planning and more.
  
• The 2008 Online Fundraising Survival Guide: 12 Winning Strategies to Survive and Thrive in a Down Economy
  
• Online Fundraising Handbook: Making the Most of the Web and E-mail to Raise More Money Online
  

Nonprofit Technology Events and Conferences

• Nonprofit Technology Conference
  The event to learn about nonprofit technology hardware, software, professional development and to connect with nonprofit techies.
  
  
• Penguin Day is a day long conferences where non-profit organizations explore the range of issues and options involved using Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS). The host of Penguin Day, Aspiration also organizes a variety of other nonprofit technology events including the Nonprofit Software Development Summit, Managing Technology Projects, eAdvocacy trainings and more.
  
• Netsquared is a two-day meeting that brings together the minds of unlikely allies from different professional fields including: leaders in philanthropy, corporate philanthropy, engineering, media and world-class innovators driving the development, distribution and use of social technologies for progressive change.
  
• Other Nonprofit Technology Events listed on Tech Soup's Website
  

Helpful Nonprofit Technology Books and Reports

• Accidental Techie: Supporting, Managing and Maximizing your Nonprofit's Technology by Sue Bennett
  
  
• Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders eds
  Katrin Verclas, Holly Ross, Allison Levine
  
  
• Nonprofits and Technology: Emerging Research for Usable Knowledge eds. Kevin Rafter and Michael Cortez.
  
  
• NTEN has a variety of reports available for download on their website My favorites are the IT Staffing Reports, and Nonprofit Social Network Survey
  
• Idealware and Tech Soup also have a variety of articles and reports available for download on their websites.
  

Social Media for your nonprofit

• An Overview of Social Media for Nonprofits presentation by Beth Dunn
  
• The Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits: We are Media
  
• Social Media as a Fundraising tool presentation by Emily Davis
  
• How much time should nonprofits spend on Social Media? (Slide 18 & 19) presentation by Beth Kanter
  
• Return on Investment for Social Media blog post by Beth Kanter. Beth also writes about everything you ever wanted to know about Social Media on her blog.
  
• Using Social Media in Your Nonprofit: Overcoming Objections by Debra Askanase
  
• Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age book by Allison Fine.
  
  
• Blogs in the Nonprofit Sector: Should your nonprofit launch a blog? Overview by Nancy Schwartz
  
• The top nonprofit technology bloggers listed on twitter, these bloggers provide amazing technology tips and resources: John Kenyon, Michael Stein, Beth Kanter, Michelle Murrain, Laura Quinn, Rebecca Leaman, Allison Fine, Michele Martin, Peter Campbell, Holly Ross, Britt Bravo, Deborah Elizabeth Finn & NetSquared Blog (please forgive me if I forgot someone).
  
• 26 Charities and Nonprofits on Twitter
  
• A beginners guide to Facebook for Nonprofits by Wild Apricot
  

Are you getting Impact Philanthropy Group's e-newsletter? Subscribe now for fundraising tools and tips that will help you make a greater impact for your organization.

Raising Money in Hard Times: What Charities are Doing Now

This week's Chronicle of Philanthropy reports on the new edition of Giving USA, released last week. They point out many similarities between the current recession and the one experienced in the mid-1970's. If that holds true, donations may not rebound until 2012. However, they give some very specific and useful suggestions on what some charities are doing now to deal with the current financial reality.

RAISING MONEY IN HARD TIMES: WHAT CHARITIES ARE DOING NOW

- Asking donors to give money to replenish endowments wiped out by the financial crash.

- Sparking a sense of competition among donors.

- Soliciting small sums, such as $25 to finance 30 minutes of a scientist's research.

- Toning down lavish galas.

- Letting donors earmark money for specific purposes, like scholarships or employee salaries.

- Urging donors to make monthly donations by credit card or automatic bank withdrawal.

- Using blogs, Twitter, and other online tools to connect donors with the people their contributions aid.

- Focusing on building ties to loyal donors.

- Working with other charities to apply for grants.

Making a Professional Impact on Your Organization

Like every other person I know who works in the fundraising field, I fell into the career. My first job was at a computer peripheral manufactuer, working on ISO 9000 implementation and Total Quality Management. After more than five years there I decided I wanted to further my education and decided to look for a job at a University where I could get a deal on tuition by working there. I responded to an advertisement in the paper for a job in the fundraising department for a School at a major University. I remember leaving the interview thinking that with as much money as this university charged per unit, why in the world did they need fundraising? This was how little I knew. For some reason, they hired me anyway and opened me up to an incredible career opportunity.

I loved everything about it. I loved the variety of activity – from project management, to writing, to meeting with committed volunteers and donors. I loved the way being in fundraising gave you entrance to all areas of an organization – you had to be an expert on everything about your organization. Having mastered all previous jobs in a six months or so, the ever-changing and responsive nature of non-profit management kept me engaged and interested in what was happening next. Different jobs, different organizations – the phones have not stopped ringing and the e-mails have not stopped coming since I started this career. I’ve rarely had a moment where I truly felt caught up.

It is because of the diversity and pace of our work in the non-profit sector, as well as a pretty universal lack of appropriate resources, hat it is so important to keep you focus on the big picture and your priorities as a fundraiser for the organization you represent and to be a professional. This post by Tom Suddes of the For Impact blog was a great reminder about what we need to be doing as development sales professionals.

A Development Sales Quiz

via For Impact Daily Nuggets by Tom Suddes on 5/7/09

This is a recycled note from last June. After a coaching call yesterday, I thought it was a timely reminder to be a PROFESSIONAL.

Are you a DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL?

(Answer honestly… and then take action!!!)

DO YOU:

Always appear on time with prospects/investors?

Know the difference between a legitimate question (objection) and an ‘excuse’?

Write down everything? (Take notes? Dictate a memo for the record after every call? Write out your goals, your numbers, etc.?)

LISTEN 3 times as much as you talk?

Follow-up on important things? (Pending requests, appointments, etc.) Special Note: FOLLOW-UP alone will move you to the top five percent of our profession today!

Constantly learn/grow via reading, listening, attending, etc.???

Create Win/Win partnerships and relationships instead of “taking orders”??

Know your own GOALS and PRIORITIES.

Schedule daily/weekly time for thinking and planning?

Spend a minimum of 50% of your time in front of prospects/ investors? (Go ahead, you can add in preparation and follow-up time… but you still need to be making 15 or 20 visits a month.)

Have some kind of personal contact with your Top 10/Top 33 investors weekly? Monthly?

Think of yourself as “PROFIT” and not as “OVERHEAD”? (What does your CEO think?)

Dress appropriately.

Have fun… and celebrate your success with family, peers, volunteer leadership and staff?

Are you getting Impact Philanthropy Group's e-newsletter? Subscribe now for fundraising tools and tips that will help you make a greater impact for your organization.

Animoto Gives Free Pro Accounts to Nonprofit Organizations

Animoto is quite possibly the easiest way to turn your photographs and music into a dynamic, DVD-quality video presentation without the need for special skills or expensive technology.

They have recently launched Animoto for Causes and have invited nonprofits to apply for free all-access professional accounts. Their most recent press release gives the details:

Animoto for a Cause will donate pro accounts to organizations and people who are working toward improving their community and the world at large. Community activists, large or small non-profits, humanitarian fundraisers, and college organizations are examples of the groups Animoto is encouraging to apply. The pro package includes:

• Unlimited full-length video creations.
  
• Free access to Animoto's commercial music library of 300+ songs, all of which are licensed for promotional purposes.
  
• A call-to-action feature that links a video to an outside website, perfect for driving traffic to a site and asking for donations or volunteers.
  
• Unlimited DVD-quality downloads, which are more than double the resolution of standard Animoto videos. DVDs can be burned, re-sold, or played during fundraising events.
  
• The ability to post videos to MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and other popular social networking sites.
  
• A text feature that allows relevant information and stats to be included in the video.
  

"Animoto is dedicated to helping any person or organization, no matter how large or small, with their cause - whether it's helping the homeless, saving the polar bears, or just getting people at your school to recycle," says Brad Jefferson, CEO and Co-founder of Animoto. "Animoto for a Cause is our gift to those people who are trying to make a difference, and we want to help empower them with a tool to reach their community in new and exciting ways. We're excited to donate our pro accounts to those who are trying to make the world a better place."

They partnered with 20 high profile nonprofits to launch the program Check out the case studies for inspiration.

I received this information from the Wild Apricot blog which is a great resource on web technology and social media tools for nonprofits. Tech Soup is another great resource for free or reduced price software for your organization.

Are you getting Impact Philanthropy Group's e-newsletter? Subscribe now for fundraising tools and tips that will help you make a greater impact for your organization.