Saturday, March 5, 2011

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)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

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!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

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.