What is nonprofitbuzz?
It's a great resource for anyone who leads, manages, staffs or volunteers for a non-profit organization.
- Click on buzzresources to acquire all sorts of needs.
- Got a problem and want a solution? Click on buzzus.
- Click on buzzspace to network with other people doing the same job you're doing across the country.
- Click on buzzsubscribe for a free subscription to the latest and greatest, "need to know," non-profit news.
E-BuzzNews
Thank you for your tremendous support of nonprofitbuzz. With as many as 48,000 hits per month, loads of requests for advice and great feedback from our readers, providing free resources to our non-profit friends has been extremely satisfying and worthwhile. For reasons beyond our control, this will be our last newsletter before our website becomes inactive on June 30, 2010 and becomes unavailable on November 1, 2010. All the best to you. Keep on doing what you’re doing! In the words of the most inspirational of coaches, John Wooden, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
Click here for a list of 139 ways to say thank you.
Using social media and online networking sites as a nonprofit’s larger communication or marketing strategies raises a number of potential legal risks and associated liability exposure. With advance planning, these risks can be managed effectively. Here is a non-exhaustive list of legal tips and issues to consider in connection with using social networking sites or social media either to create/manage content or to send or sponsor content.
Would you like a picture that attracts the eye and helps your readers to see at a glance what your newsletter, blog or website is about don’t have the time or opportunity to go take a photograph? Your site can look as slick as you like with free pictures you can access, legally. Click here to find good sources for free or public domain images. Click here to find three free online image editing tools. And if you’re looking for an easier, more organized way to help your team work together on a better website, have a look at Notable.
Analyze This: A Nonprofit's Guide to Event Fundraising Analytics is a truly useful free ebook for nonprofit event fundraisers, written by Jono Smith (formerly of Network for Good) for Convio and Event360, that shows, step by step, how you can use the data collected from your fundraising events to create more successful events in the future.
This international directory of resources for non-profits is free. Scroll down to the United States and find almost anything you need!
If you are finding that you need to try to do things more efficiently and cut back your spending and save money if possible, check out these free tips. There are probably some things you have already changed within your non-profit to either save money, or to work more efficiently, or both but there is always room for improvement. Check it out!
Webinars
- June 22, 2010 at 11:00 PST Social Media and Volunteer Engagement
- June 23, 2010 at 2:30 ET What is a brand and why does it matter to non-profit organizations?
- June 23, 2010 at 1:00 ET How to approach a foundation
- June 24, 2010 at 1:00 ET Proposal budgeting basics
- June 24, 2010 at Noon ET Cause marketing basics
- June 24, 2010 at 11:00 PST New Volunteer Manager's Toolkit
- June 28, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PST Develop an internet strategy for your non-profit
- June 29, 2010 at 3:00 ET Developing a fundraising plan
- June 30, 2010 at 3:00 ET Proposal writing basics
- June 30, 2010 at 2:30 ET Major gift strategies that work
- June 30, 2010 at 1:00 ET Measuring performance: linking money to mission.
- July 14, 2010 at 2:00 ET Before You Seek a Grant: A checklist for new non-profits
- July 20, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PST Managing your liability as a nonprofit board member.
- July 20, 2010 at 2:00 ET Proposal writing basics
- July 22, 2010 at 2:00 ET How to approach a foundation
- July 26, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. PST Develop an internet strategy for your non-profit
- July 27, 2010 at 2:00 ET Proposal budgeting basics
- July 28, 2010 at 10:00 PST Develop an internet strategy for your non-profit
- August 5, 2010 11:00 PST Develop an internet strategy for your non-profit
- These workshop "webinars" are available to you anytime if you need help finding or writing grants.
- Most of Guide Star's webinars are offered at no cost to the participant. Click here to get on their mailing list for upcoming webinars
- These archived seminars, on boards and funding, are always current.
- These podcasts focus on fundraising from donors to consultants to tightening the budget.
- Volunteer Webinars - loads of dates and times for many different topics. Go to this link and scroll down to see choices.
Should you, as Executive Director, offer to take a pay cut? Read this article.
If your agency provides service to people in crisis, transition and homelesness, let them know about free voice mail to help them stay connected to the very tool they need most - a constant telephone number. Case managers can stay in touch with their clients who cannot receive calls at work. It's great for survivors of domestic violence and for people who are homeless looking for jobs. Read more about it here and see how to sign up.
Trying to keep your sunny side up? Trying to be optimistic with a pessimistic board or staff or when the people your agency services are losing their jobs and having more difficulties to cope with? C heck out this article which lists 25 good things that non-profits are doing. Save them up and post one a week for staff and supporters to see the glass as half full!
If you have time to listen but no time to read, check out these FREE podcasts that include topic areas such as: communicating with volunteers online, text messaging to raise money, turning online friends into fundraisers, how NPR uses social media and more. It is also worth your time to look at this list of over 50 FREE podcasts that were gathered from non-profit boot camps. Believe us, there are some really good finds here.
Microsoft Office offers non-profits a bunch of FREE tools and tips.It is worth looking it over because there's something here for you. Could you use a newsletter template and other templates, a media kit, a way to create a newsletter or greeting cards? They also have a lot of fundraising and staff development tools. Check it out.
Is your organization struggling? Have you heard water-cooler conversations about merging? What does a merger mean? Is it in your organization's best interest? Read this article for some insight.
SlideShare is a really good way to share and find presentations. You can share publicly or privately. You can add audio to make a webinar and there’s probably more you can do, too. Check it out here or take a tour here.
A lesson that you can learn from the Obama campaign is that you need to focus on making sure everyone feels good about what they're achieving by interacting with your agency. Read more.
You aren’t still using a typewriter, are you? No, of course you aren’t (we hope). Life goes on and we must move along with it or we will be lost in the past floundering about. If Obama could win the presidency on the campaign slogan – CHANGE, then you must shake out the cobwebs and CHANGE this year. If you are not on the internet then you are losing donors, publicity and much more. Check out this article that tells you the benefits of going online. And then click here to follow easy instructions to put up a FREE website with FREE hosting, FREE templates, FREE email accounts and FREE support – with no hidden costs.
This is the NBC version of goodsearch.com and goodshop.com. It’s a quick explanation of how you can make money for your agency by getting your staff and supporters to use goodsearch.com instead of Google. With every search, you get $$$. Check it out.
John Haydon's prepared a FREE Twitter Guide for small non-profits to get you started. It gives great tips including how to get folks to visit your website and stay interested and how to automatically post news.
The Economy - How to Cope
Did you know that donors, over the age of 70 ½, can now contribute up to $100,000 from their IRA to charity, tax free? It’s part of the rescue plan for banks. Read the full story.
According to Doug Sawyer, CEO of the United Way, nonprofits must identify ways to do more with less. He has said it is not enough to bring in more money; we must ensure that those resources are used strategically. In the nonprofit world, strategic alliances, partnerships, back-office consolidations and possibly even mergers should be on the table – just like they are on Wall Street. Read this article written by Nancy Jamison, the CEO of San Diego Grantmakers, who encourages everyone not to forget about philanthropy.
Are you beginning to see” the glass as half empty?” Well, here’s an article that will perk you up. There’s actually some good news for non-profits in the bail-out plan.
Are you worried about keeping your non-profit above water through a possible recession? Christopher Penn lists and explains five strategies for a non-profit to incorporate in this article.
It seems we are all asking the same questions. How do I convince donors to donate in such bad economic times? What do we do now that we’re in the middle of a capital campaign (or building an endowment)? These and many more such questions are answered in a discussion held by The Chronicle of Philanthropy which they aptly titled: Weathering the Financial Storm.
Hard times survival guide.
Tax rebate checks lift the spirits of charities who are letting their constituents know that making a donation is tax-deductible. Read entire article.
Have you noticed how the world has changed so much in ten years, even in five years? I guess! But it’s amazing how we get used to the same old, same old. If your agency’s still using the same old clip art or you just need new graphics for any situation, take advantage of these offers for FREE graphics to spruce yourself up. For free clip art, photos, animation and sounds, check out these three sources – source number one, source number two, and source number three.
What are the characteristics of a social entrepreneur? Is your agency a social entrepreneur? David Boorstein wrote the book How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. Read the article by Joanne Fritz that summarizes it fully.
If you need some help finding donors when they are paying way too much for necessities such as gas and milk, and our economy has taken a dive, take a moment to read this article. Hershell Gordon Lewis tells you how to state your case. There seems to always be something happening in our world that gets our donors to redirect their contributions, but we must continue working for the good of our agencies. Here are not one, but two articles to help keep you focused:
Ignorance is bliss, except when it may threaten the tax-exempt status of your organization.
Just as we all have to do our taxes, our nonprofit organizations are all responsible to keep current with new IRS regulations. The most recent changes effect proper donor acknowledgements, public inspection rules on your 990-T, and what method to use for your public support test. Go to our Finance Compliance page for more detail.
Is it time for you to go green? Perhaps going green goes hand in hand with your mission. Whether or not it does, you cannot be an agency who provides services to children, teens, adults, animals or the environment without addressing the issue of saving the planet, to whatever degree your agency can do it. It may mean that the most your agency can handle is putting a recycling bin next to the trash bin, but that’s okay. It shows that you are building good will with grant makers and other donors. Did you know that going green could save you money?
A panel of experts got together for the Chronicle of Philanthropy and held a discussion that answered questions such as: What approaches can charities take to become more environmentally friendly? What are the costs of these efforts and how can your charity get access to funding? How should they publicize them to donors and the public? What should they consider before adopting "green" policies? This is definitely worth the read to get you started on a plan for your own agency. Another article that we found very helpful is Charity Goes Green. Read them both and you’ll be on the road to green.
Are you feeling like non-profits get no respect from your city and/or state? Get a load of this:
A 2007 report by the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington found that about 7,600 local, national and international nonprofit organizations served the greater Washington area. According to the report, sponsored by the World Bank, those nonprofits combined provided about 218,000 jobs and $9.6 billion in annual wages and taxes.
And in Massachusetts, the nonprofit sector,made up of more than 36,000 organizations, employs 447,000 people, almost 14 percent of the working population, about twice the national average.
Find these statistics for your own city and use them as leverage to prove what a major impact non-profits are making, not only for the people they serve, but for the city and state itself. You go, non-profits!
quick links:
Planned Giving/Gift Planning – Somebody has to do it.
Mike Patterson, associate vice president of planned giving for the Arthritis Foundation in San Antonio, TX, questions whether or not the staff is getting the job done in this article. He also talks about what makes a good planned giving officer.
Primer on what is a non-profit, tax exempt organization
Outlook for fundraising in 2010
Grants from donor advised funds grow
Rethinking how organizations can work together
Here's a non-profit toolbox of suggested best resources
How to create RSS feeds for webpages
How to create the story that will sell your agency.
How to overcome barriers in recruiting more volunteers to your agency.
Consider on the job training and how important it is when hiring.
Build donor loyalty to meet your long term goals.
Passing it forward is what so many of you do in your non-profits, without ever having labeled it such. Here is a website that wants to support your agency for passing it forward. Click here to ask an experienced consultant to contact you with fundraising ideas.
To be the risk-aware non-profit that you should be, you will find this article extremely helpful, easy to follow and a good tool to bring to your board.
Do you need to re-visit or rewrite or actually write your first ever case statement? If you don't know what a case statement is, or if you answered yes to the above question, then click here for some really great advice.
If your non-profit is using social media (Facebook and/or Twitter, etc.) consider how it adds value to your corporate sponsors. Now, as you're listing incentives for their sponsorship, you can tell them you will put them on your Facebook page - Facebook which claims a readership of over 200 million! Sound pretty good? Listen to this brief video. And if you want to know how to create a powerful and engaging Facebook page, read this.
This survey of almost 1,000 non-profits examines the use of social networking for marketing & fundraising.
What's the point of having a non-profit board?
Good tips on things to avoid with direct mail
Tips for a good fundraising letter.
Questions to ask yourself before you start asking anyone for a donation.
Self-coaching questions for fundraisers
Fundraising Hint #36 Keep it simple
Lots of top level jobs need filling in 2009; baby boomers are retiring; be careful who you hire!
Non-profit compensation in trying times.
Here are five clues to let you know if your special event is in trouble.
How to write the best thank you letter that's going to seal the deal!
Non-profits really have to know their donors better.
Review your agency's potential when it comes to securing grants
Six things you can do to get your proposal funded.
The blog titled "What if Susan Boyle was a charity?" is worth reading. It will re-energize you to look at how you can communicate better with your donors.
The "if we build it they will come" theory may have worked for Kevin Costner, but it is not the norm. Do you have a website but you don't have people logging in (and if they're not visiting the site, they're not making donations)? Here's an article that tells you what to do to get people to want to check out your website daily.
Here are some of the things non-profits are doing to cut back, specifically to avoid layoffs.
Sharing web space with political advocacy groups is a no-no according to the IRS, and non-profits doing so will be fined. Here's the actual memorandum from the IRS.
To improve your non-profit during this economy, here's ten best practices that surviving non-profits are using.
This is a tool to help you manage and maintain your power
Six ways that email blasts miss the point and damage relationships with donors.
Bullet points to guide you as you write or edit. This is a really good PR tool.
You don't need a web techie. Here's an inexpensive way to take control of your own website!
Nine things you should avoid in fundraising.
One in five visitors to an np website wants to make a donation, but many websites are not user friendly. See statistics.
Four things to be sure to do when writing a fundraising letter.
Questions answered about classifying a worker as an employee or contractor.
Four errors to avoid in the ticket procedure.
Guidelines for using grant money
If there was a reality show called Finance Fear Factors, these four ratios would be highlighted-Payroll Ratio, Change in Accounts Payable, Revenue to Date Ratio and Restricted Ratio. Click here to get a quick idea of whether you need to be asking more questions and take some action.
It may be time to supplement your grants and gifts with earned income. What has your agency got that you can charge for - a large room? certain equipment? vans? Click here to find out how some agencies are doing it.
Here is the law of opposite results at work again. First, we read a bunch of information about how non-profits are raising all kinds of money on Facebook and Twitter. Then the Washington Post comes out with this article, saying it ain't so. But before you start tearing your hair out, click here to read why those "in the know," are saying the WP article is inaccurate.
Why send online surveys.
Ideas that will grow your website
Make the right media contacts to position your agency for positive media exposure
This article analyzes the integration of effectiveness, logic models, and good program planning in program evaluation.
The best grant writers are good readers - learn why and what you must do.
A very funny analogy that shows why investors choose to put money into your agency.
Credit card processing options - 3 choices
How to quickly build your email list
What is a leadership donation and how to get them.
This is one of those pick-me-upper articles for fundraisers when you need a boost. You know what it takes, so get out there and go for the yeses!
By-laws guide for Booster Clubs
Is the cost of having a fundraiser (if you're selling a product) worth it?
To keep your agency safe, and for a lot of other reasons, you need policies. Here's a pretty comprehensive article that will help you put together a social media policy.
Do the changing demographics of charity mean that you may need to expand your mission or change your message? Take a look at what's happening and see if you can take advantage of these helpful hints.
More tips on running an effective meeting. Quick read.
Here's a volunteer retention tip sheet.
Tips on treating your volunteers right.
Read it from the volunteer's point of view and learn!
This is a complete guide for small non-profits on how to get onto and use Twitter
More proof that marketers are getting results using social media
Add a video to your site.This article tells you what the content should be and how to do it.
This is almost TMI (that's how much good info there is) on how to get free traffic to your site through ad swaps.
Take the test to find out if you are ready to hire a development director.
Tips for increasing women's giving.
Make an easy $1000 in just six weeks. This is really quick and easy, but don't waste your time if you need way more than $1000.
Lessons in working on major gifts.
How to do the 'ask'.
This philanthropic study shows that you should pay attention to donors and do not over solicit, and more.
How to write the organizational description.
Interested in what Obama's first 100 days meant for nonprofit organizations? Read this report.
Another thing you don't really need to spend money on at your special event
Make your next event GREEN and more profitable.
Best tips for organizing an offline/online special event.
Before you recruit volunteers, make sure your agency is ready for them.
Recruiting Volunteers - Three Approaches
Make marketing a board priority.
Excite your donors when you communicate with them.
Develop an elevator speech.
How to work with a graphic designer.
Sometimes you only have to give a little to get a lot.
The most important PR tip.
Website basics for nonprofits.
Still wondering if you should be on Facebook? Need justification as to why you're on Facebook? Here's the facts.
If you've "got it," get your supporters to flaunt it.
Get ideas from your competition!
Take care of yourself in stressful times. Here's some suggestions.
More stats on online giving.
Sometimes minor tweaking can improve your website. Better websites get more donors.
Make the most of email marketing.
How to turn your website into a fundraising machine!
Increase your impact; collaborate.
Non-profits can get fined for not following the CAN-SPAM Act!. Read the rules you should be following here.
Watch this fun video that makes the point that fundraisers are not listening to their donors.
The sun will come out tomorrow and that's how you should function in this economic downturn. Here's a great article, on finding opportunities in crisis, that gives you tools you can use. You can go in the closet and do a primal scream if you must, but no whining in public. Read this brief summary of Mal Warwick's book on fundraising in tough times.
Are you taking care of yourself? You must be healthy (mind, body, spirit) if you are going to keep your organization healthy.Read this article for some good suggestions for how to deal with stress.
Marketing on mobile phones is becoming the new thing.
According to a study, fundraisers who stay in one place are more successful at raising money than those who move from job to job. Other advantages, too.
After recruiting board members, help them to become effective immediately.Good suggestions here.
What you should know about dealing with a disgruntled donor.
Here are some examples of non-profits who have turned to business-like ventures to sustain themselves through the recession
Ten ways for nps to cut costs
An explanation of the types of liability insurance a np should carry.
Top 11 online sources for finding grants and funders
What is a non-profit? Read this before you set up a 501(c)(3). There are other easier options to consider.
Conscious efforts to make to be certain that your np's reputation is secure.
This is about conflicts that occur when two mission like organizations work together.
Program Related Investments (PRIs) provide needed relief to many non-profits - an explanation.
Show your appreciation for planned gifts. Here's how to do it.
Top ten truths about direct mail fundraising.
You may benefit from the lessons learned from this veteran fundraiser.
Six fool proof ways to make money on your website
Some statistics and benchmarks about online giving; you can compare your agency to the top 25 non-profits
What you should know about securing sensitive data.
Audits for small non-profits
The Nonprofit Capacity Building Act of 2009 bill would create a $25 million fund in the budget of the Corporation for National and Community Service to make matching grants to intermediary nonprofit training and technical assistance entities. Read more here.
We thought this was a cool way for non-profits to make a statement, in this economic crisis, and support a declaration claiming that we must move forward together. It's inspiring. You may enjoy reading it and if you want to add your agency's name to it, you can do that, too.
What you need to know about credit card processing, you can find in this white paper. It is put out by a company that would like you to buy their software, but it's a pretty comprehensive paper worth your time, especially if this is new to you.
You know how there seem to be no rules anymore about what you say in front of others? Honestly, the lady in front of me waiting in line for the cashier, was telling her friend (on her cell) the intimate details of her date the night before. There is no Emily Post for cells and the internet, but IBM has come up with some guidelines on the social network that may work for your organization. Check here to "borrow" some things to get some guidelines started.
This is a good article that will help you conquer your fears during the recession. Norm Brodsky's two main points are (1) You can't borrow your way out of debt; and (2) At the end of the recession, the winners will be those who have taken advantage of their most important resources -- imagination and creativity. If you care to read a case in point, click here.
HR-590 is a bill that's in congress now to provide that reimbursements for costs of using passenger automobiles for charitable purposes will be excluded from gross income. We'll let you know if it happens, but here's the bill if you want to read it.
Unfortunately, to make ends meet, many charities are laying people off. Read the stats here. With this in mind, it couldn't hurt to strengthen your non-profit skills, especially in this market when who knows what can happen when.Read this to find out why.
Are you faced with fear everyday from your donors, staff, board and volunteers and/or the people you serve, but you're trying to put on a happy face? Read this article and it will save you several hundred dollars in therapy bills.
Online videos increase conversion rates. Conversion is when you can turn the traffic that comes to your site into the action you seek. Get more information here.
It seems that some charities are seeking bankruptcy protection. Read all about it here.
How to perform background checks
Screening for background checks
Safety Net's Manual on Screening Mentors, includes application form
Performing background checks on potential mentors
Criteria for mentor selection
It seems like there's a non-profit,daily, that is having legal problems and much because they're not complying with the law. This is an article on Sarbanes Oxley.
How your non-profit can reach baby boomers.
When the media calls, be prepared!
People are conformists. Don't show people how to save the planet. Show them what their neighbors are doing...
Take your cause and get wired - that's how Obama's campaigners did it.
Really good summary of a webinar on social media and how it can effect your ROI
How to enter the world of social networks
Creating a timeline will really help you reach your goals
How the national wildlife association uses social media
Good advice: don't take something for free that you wouldn't pay for.
A good explanation of social media marketing
How arts groups can make the most of technology
This author contends that most non-profits make their communications boring!
Advancing your cause through the people you manage - a 28 page booklet
When layoffs are necessary, what the ED needs to do
When times are tough, get creative and strategic
Mobile phone fundraising is taking off. This article tells you how it works and evaluates its value at this time.
How to grow and cultivate your online list
Great information here on how to build a planned giving program
This is a podcast of how to work with a fundraising consultant
If you don't have a website, but want people to contribute to your agency online, here's a possibility
Here's some professionals who believe that your board is NOT responsible for fundraising.
Nonprofits are not happy about the charitable tax deduction reduction. If you want to understand what's going on, read what they're saying, click here.
Do you know how to handle Donor Advised Funds? Do you even know what the heck that means? Here’s a quick and easy explanation with suggestions on how it is best to deal with them.
Door to door canvassers? Are you up for that? Apparently, door to door canvassing is working really well for one organization, but the point of this article is that personal contact is more successful than anything when it comes to fundraising.
Would you like to get your agency on Facebook for once and for all but you have no idea how to do it? This article tells you how to do it, step by step. If you're freaked out about the commitment you'll be making to take this on, read this article that answers the question – how long does one need to spend on social networking?
Information you don’t need to know, but it’s interesting anyway:
Miami’s charities are growing the fastest, New York’s charities pay their CEOs the most, Denver’s charities spend the least on programs, St. Louis’ charities have the most substantial rainy day funds, and Orlando’s charities raised the least money. If you’d like to read the study, click here.
How's your elevator pitch?Read this article about how The Social Innovation Forum helps nonprofits connect with potential donors.
Jessica Biel began a social network that will match donors to your non-profit organization. Basic membership is FREE and what you get in that basic membership is worth it. Read more about it or go directly to their website.
Good2gether has been doing this for awhile. Again, it is FREE to your nonprofit and a way to link donors to your cause.
As many as 60% of those people who receive emails from non-profits, don’t open them! In the last three years the “open” rate has gone down. Read the article that summarizes the study that discovered this. You may need to re-evaluate the power of e-mail.
The bottom line is that it feels good to give. You get it; I get it. Now let’s get those potential donors to “give it.” Read the full article.
Why should a sponsor be interested in your non-profit? Read the advice that Valerie M. Jones gives by clicking here.
Check out UTube's Nonprofit Program here!
Could it be all hype about social networks being a must for media and fundraising? Who are your donors? Check out the stats to see if their composite is even on Facebook and MySpace, et.al.
Eight Online Fundraising Tools
Faith based organizations received the Obama’s administration stamp of approval with the recently renamed the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Such agencies are hopeful that support will be given as the continue to do their jobs with the increased numbers of people who are in need of homes, jobs, food, etc. This article will give you hope.
The Kennedy Center will provide planning assistance and consulting to struggling arts organizations in the areas of fundraising, building more effective Boards of Trustees, budgeting, marketing, technology, and other areas pertinent to maintaining a vital performing arts organization during a troubled economy. Sign up here to request services.
Postal cap saves non-profits. Want more info? Check it out.
Check this out – it’s 20 emergency funding sources for non-profits.
Want to raise $50,000 in six weeks? Kim Klein tells you how to do it here.
If you break out into hives just thinking about filling out the new 990 form, like I do, then you’ve got to check this out. This site offers you mini-courses that walk you through all the different sections of the re-designed 990 form. You’ll find it really helpful and it’s free.
Direct Mail
If are not utilizing direct mail AND the internet to raise funds, then you “are leaving money on the table,” according to Mark Mellman, CEO of the Mellman Group. Read about the different lifestyles of your donors and what makes them to donate.
Federal budget cuts
I have met a number of people, throughout the years, who work in hospice. I value them not only for the tough work they do, but because I know it is something I could never do. So it just irks me when I hear about President Bush’s budget proposal for ’09 that contains some $5 billion of cuts in hospice reimbursements. Although this article focuses on hospice, the lesson for all of us is how critically important the support of our congress men and women is to help our agencies when the tides may turn and impact us. Read it and weep.
Volunteer Screening
Holey Mackinoley! According to a recent report from The Atlantic Journal Constitution, many nonprofits lack volunteer screening. And ChoicePoint, which provides background-screening services for nonprofits, says at least 144 people with criminal backgrounds seek nonprofit employment or volunteer work daily. You’d better read this article and then find your agency someone who will do pro bono background checks for you.
YOU COULD BE ON U-TUBE
Like it or Not
Our philosophy of life has become, “Don’t Do or Say Anything in Public That You Wouldn’t Want Viewed on U-Tube.”
Case closed. Need we say more? Well, just in case you want more, look at what happened to the folks at Planned Parenthood by reading this article.
8 Steps to Strategic Planning
Carole V. Rylander, with 21-years experience helping nonprofits in funds development, planning and governance, explained “Eight Proven Strategies for Keeping Development Efforts on Target” at the Association of Fundraising Professionals international conference in San Diego, Calif. Read through the steps and her explanation of them and realize that if you do these things, you will be in very good shape!
Baby boomers
It won’t surprise you to know that a great number of Baby Boomers serve as the leaders (CEO’s and Executive Directors)of non-profit organizations. As Baby Boomers prepare to retire, the question is – who’s going to take over as leaders of our non-profits and how will our non-profits change as a result? You can see where you fit into this discussion by clicking here.
know your boundaries
It is so easy for the agency you serve to feel like it’s your own. You probably spend more hours there than you do with your family and if your lucky, the people with whom you work become like your family. It is great to have the passion that this feeling requires, but you’d better know your boundaries! Read this article and find out why you must have a system of checks and balances in your organization, like a Finance Committee and quite possibly an Investment Committee.
WHY GIVE?
The all important question is why do corporations donate money to non-profits? When you find out the answer, then your request to them for a contribution will tell them that they will get - whatever the answer to that question is – when they make you a part of their philanthropic program. According to the February 27, 2008 McKinsey Quarterly’s article “The State of Corporate Philanthropy: A McKinsey Global Survey,” the main reason corporations give is “to enhance the corporate reputation/corporate brand.”
You can help them do that. If they donate to your organization, you’ll put their brand on your website, on all your printed materials and on your t-shirts. You’ll write an article about them in your next newsletter that goes out to a gazillion people.
The second reason they give is to build employee and/or leadership capabilities and skills. Cool! You’ll invite someone from their corporation to sit on your board or finance or fundraising committee. You’ll encourage someone to speak at an upcoming event. You’ll ask the CEO to chair your major fundraising gala.
We encourage you to read this brief article and look at the survey before you write your letter of request. Then go to it. You can do this!
is your agency on mySpace &/or facebook yet?
Perhaps you have someone in your agency who knows www.myspace.com and www. facebook.com and can help you get started. Get started with what? Dude (or Dudette), get it together. Roll with the times. For lack of a precise statistic, let’s just say that eighty kazillion people are interfacing on social networks. If you put your organization on myspace.com or facebook.com, you have the ability to contact donors of the future.
Check out 12 Tips for Nonprofits on Getting Started With Social Media. And on this site, go to Resources, then Communications & Public Relations and look at the article on blogging and other related links.
It’s a sign of the times; social networking is another way to connect with potential donors!
Many Americans Say Charity Overhead Costs Are Too High
According to a new study, this February 14, 2008 article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, shows that many Americans believe that administrative costs are too high in nonprofit organizations. How can you let your donors and potential donors know the truth about your agency? FLAUNT IT! Tell them on your website home page, every time you give a speech, on your brochures and flyers that eighty eight cents of every dollar donated (or whatever it is) goes to (whatever it is your agency does). Be upfront and honest.
Embedded Giving
The New York Times raises several issues that concern non-profits. If people feel that they’re making donations during the year as they shop, will they be compelled to write the big check at the end of the year? Read more here.
Many of our readers send questions to BuzzUs. Click on BuzzUsto read their Questions and Answers or to ask your own.
