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This blog is all about do-it-yourself nonprofit communications and marketing. I love helping small and medium-sized nonprofits communicate more effectively with their members, donors, volunteers and other supporters, so that together, we can all make the world a better place. I do that as a blogger, trainer, speaker, coach and consultant.
I believe that even the smallest nonprofit staffs with the most modest budgets can achieve tremendous results through savvy marketing and communications. I hope this blog and my online marketing training and other resources encourage you to do just that, while helping you grow personally as a nonprofit marketer and communications professional.
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me with your questions and comments. You can also learn more about hiring me to speak at your conference or workshop and to assist you as a coach or consultant.
Check out my calendar of events for upcoming webinars, live broadcasts of Magic Keys Radio, online office hours, and more.
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Posted by Kivi Leroux Miller on Nov 14, 2008 in
Nonprofit Communications Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but I have so many people to thank this year that I want to get started now.
At the top of the list are all of you who read this blog and participate in Nonprofit Marketing Guide’s webinar series. You make it possible for me to live my life the way I want to live it, and in some ways, there is no greater gift than that. Thank you so much for your support, and for letting me know how much you value what I’m offering.
Thank you Katya Andresen and Nancy Schwartz for being two of the greatest cheerleaders, business partners, and blogging buddies a girl could have. Katya and Nancy have both provided wonderful words of encouragement and wisdom after listening to me blather on, referred great clients to me, and challenged me to think harder and more creatively about many of the marketing predicaments that nonprofits face.
I owe a huge thank you to Community IT Innovators, especially an old friend from my D.C. days, Scott Williams, and PHP wiz Phil Jones, who saved my veggie-bacon when another programmer suddenly quit on me in the middle of a client’s project, very close to a major deadline. Scott and CITI came through in a big way, on budget and on time. My thanks to Scott actually go back even further: He helped me realize just how much I enjoyed teaching communications workshops to nonprofits when he was running the Social Action & Leadership School for Activists in DC. Some of the original workshops I taught in that program have morphed into what I offer today.
About a year ago, I was matched with Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago through the Nonprofit Blog Exchange. We were supposed to blog about each other in some way. Well, Tutor/Mentor Connection followed through and I apparently spaced it. I recently found the email about it when searching for something else. Thank you, T/MC for not posting something mean about me when it became clear my Nonprofit Blog Exchange post was not forthcoming! (Sorry – better late than never?)
And finally, for this post anyway, thanks to all of you who participated in the tagline challenge for my HIV/AIDS prevention fundraiser (I’ll be sending an email to all of you soon) and to everyone who contributed. We raised $280 to pay for a free condom program in the rural county in NC where I live. I’ll be sending all of you an email soon too.
THANK YOU.
Tags: thanks
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You can get some good free advice from me and a couple of other smart nonprofit marketing gals this week.
Free webinar on social media listening, Thursday, November 13. Register now. |
On Thursday, November 13 at Noon Eastern (9:00 a.m. Pacific), I’m hosting a free half-hour webinar with Lindy Dreyer called “What’s the Buzz? Find Out Who’s Talking about Your Organization and Issues Online.” It’s free, but you do need to register.
On Friday, November 14, media maven Claire Meyerhoff and I will host another edition of Magic Keys Radio at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Pacific). This is our live half-hour show where you can call in questions. Then it’s immediately available as a podcast.
Now, I admit, Claire and I have had a wee bit of Magic Keys scheduling trouble. We really wanted to do it on a regular schedule, but our personal and professional lives keep getting in the way. Drats! So, our current plan is to try to do it twice a month and we’ll let you know when exactly as far in advance as we can. Here is the current schedule, including this Friday’s show:
Friday, November 14 – Writing personal profiles, including how to interview people to get good quotes. This is the prelude to next week’s webinar, “How to Write Moving Personal Profiles about Donors, Clients, and Other Supporters.” Claire will share her vast knowledge from years as a radio talk show host where she had to interview really famous important people AND your average Joes. I’ll add my spin from years of writing donor and volunteer profiles for client newsletters and websites. Listen to the show
Friday, November 21 – The “Give Thanks” Edition. We’ll be talking about what we and other nonprofit communicators should be thankful for. Come share what you are thankful for, whatever that may be . . . certain people, resources, situations, trends, you name it. Listen to the Show
December 5 - Got an End-of-Year Giving Plan? People give away lots of money at the end of the year, looking for those tax deductions. We’ll talk about some easy ways you can throw a plan together and put it in motion, even if you don’t have a clue right now. Listen to the Show
December 12 – 2008 in Review – We’ll talk about some of the best nonprofit marketing stories of the year. Listen to the Show
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Online Writing: Dos and Don’ts of Writing for the Web and Email
Webinar This Wednesday,
November 12, 2008
1:00 pm Eastern (10:00 am Pacific)
Learn More and Register
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Maybe not, if you believe what Jakob Nielsen says about writing styles for print versus the web.
Neilsen (whose Alertbox e-newsletter is a must-read) writes:
In print, you can spice up linear narrative with anecdotes and individual examples that support a storytelling approach to exposition. On the Web, such content often feels like filler; it slows down users and stands in the way of their getting to the point.
Web content must be brief and get to the point quickly, because users are likely to be on a specific mission. In many cases, they’ve pulled up the page through search. Web users want actionable content; they don’t want to fritter away their time on (otherwise enjoyable) stories that are tangential to their current goals.
Instead of a predefined narrative, websites must support the user’s personal story by condensing and combining vast stores of information into something that specifically meets the user’s immediate needs. Thus, instead of an author-driven narrative, Web content becomes a user-driven narrative.
In my webinars and workshops on nonprofit websites, I talk about organizing your site around the answers to the top three questions visitors will have and the top three actions they’ll want to take. But in that same course, I also talk about the importance of telling stories on your homepage as a way to give people solid examples of exactly what it is you do.
So if we believe what Nielsen says (and I almost always do), how can good online writing and storytelling co-exist?
I believe the answer is through good page layout. Instead of throwing a story into the middle of an article that is otherwise very how-to oriented or full of bullets, put that story in its own column or box. Let the story support the fact-based article and vice versa, but don’t meld them into one.
What do you think? How do you blend the web user’s need for speed with emotional storytelling? Leave a comment to add your perspective.
Want more? Attend Wednesday’s webinar on how to write for the web and email.
More Goodies: Get Kivi's Nonprofit Marketing Tips E-Newsletter (2-3 times per month)
I received this question via email this week:
Our organization has gone through a huge transition in the last year. We are in a new neighborhood, with a new, beautiful building, new development staff (like myself, hired for the first-time by the organization) and a new, more sophisticated look – a rebrand.
Internal dynamics made the rebranding process a frankly, painful process. But, the process is almost now complete and I’ve come down to one last step: convincing staff to use the new rebranded look with their e-mail signatures.
We had the graphic design company design e-mail signatures for us, but only two staff (and one is me) have agreed to change over to this more formulaic signature. I personally think it looks more sophisticated and team-like. We have people use all sorts of fonts outside of our brand style guide and colors. Their argument is that to enforce from the top-down a mandate on something as seemingly petty as e-mail signatures is intrusive to the personal freedom of each staff member.
Any thoughts on this battle?
Here is how I replied:
I can see both sides of this argument — it’s good to be consistent, but you also don’t want to force the brand on people to the point where they rebel against it. A brand won’t succeed with the public if your own people aren’t behind it.
I would try to find some middle ground about using the brand overall — pick your battles. If you can get everyone to agree to use it consistently on all of the high-visibility pieces, I would be willing to let the email sig slide — within reason. Maybe you can come up with a range of options in fonts and colors that are still somewhat consistent with the brand look. That way, you aren’t all over the map, but you are also allowing some personal choice. Or is there a way people can customize the sigs provided to them with their own little messages about their particular programs?
I really do think finding some middle ground will be the best result long-term.
How would you have responded to this situation? Click on the comments link to add your thoughts.
Tags: branding
More Goodies: Get Kivi's Nonprofit Marketing Tips E-Newsletter (2-3 times per month)
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Free webinar on social media listening, Thursday, November 13. Register now. |
I’m offering a free webinar next week for fans of this blog:
What’s the Buzz? Find Out Who’s Talking about Your Org and Issues Online
Thursday, November 13, 2008
12:00 – 12:30 PM Eastern (9:00 a.m. Pacific)
Registration required, but it’s free!
If a blogger raved about how great your organization is (or ranted about something you did wrong), would you know about it? Who’s starting conversations online about the causes you care about and who’s talking back?
During this free 1/2 hour webinar, Lindy Dreyer (SocialFish.org) and I will show you how to use social media tools to listen to conversations taking place online about your organization and the issues you care about — and to keep track of the online movers and shakers in your field.
You’ll learn why you should be listening to online conversations and how you can use what you hear to improve your nonprofit’s programs and marketing. We’ll also walk you through how to set up several easy, free listening tools, step by step.
Register Now to Reserve Your Spot!
P.S. Weekly Webinar Series fans and All-Access Pass Holders take note: We will be using GoToWebinar for this event, not ReadyTalk like usual, so be sure to run the set-up test after you register so you’ll be all ready to go next week. Also, you can listen to the audio through your computer speakers or via the phone (your choice), but the phone option will be a toll call.
More Goodies: Get Kivi's Nonprofit Marketing Tips E-Newsletter (2-3 times per month)
Posted by Kivi Leroux Miller on Nov 5, 2008 in
Online Courses In November, I’ll be teaching three webinars on nonprofit writing: writing a 4-page annual report, writing for the web and email, and writing personal profiles. I’ll also be doing a special freebie next week (details on that one coming tomorrow).
You can attend any one for $35 or get them all (and a whole bunch more) by subscribing to the All-Access Pass ($97).
How to Write a 4-Page Nonprofit Annual Report – A Crash Course Webinar
Learn how to write an annual report that highlights your accomplishments, explains your financials, and appeals to both hearts and minds — all in four pages. Thursday, November 6, 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Pacific)
Online Writing: Dos and Don’ts of Writing for the Web and Email
Learn the key differences between writing for print and for pixels, including the top three characteristics of good online writing. Make your online writing more appealing and improve your website or email’s performance. Wednesday, November 12, 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Pacific).
How to Write Moving Personal Profiles about Donors, Clients, and Other Supporters
Inspire others by telling great stories about the people you meet and work with everyday, including donors, volunteers, and clients. Escape the boring bio syndrome and write engaging, dramatic profiles. Thursday, November 20, 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Pacific).
More Goodies: Get Kivi's Nonprofit Marketing Tips E-Newsletter (2-3 times per month)
UPDATE: I’ve added two new articles to this post at the bottom.
In my various online marketing trainings this year, I’ve been saying that within six months, somebody from the Obama campaign will write a book about how they used texting and social media to build the campaign into something the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Just as the nonprofit sector learned all kinds of lessons about online fundraising from Howard Dean in 2004, so will we reap similar lessons from the 2008 campaign.
But until those books are written and interviews given, let’s look at what we’ve gleaned so far.
A linguistic analysis of the Obama and McCain websites by 7 Billion People found that they were preaching to the choir and missing opportunities to win independents over. They say: ”McCain’s site talks about risk avoidance, “trusting your gut”, and is organized very procedurally driving visitors down specific messaging and paths. Obama’s website focuses on hope and change, speaking to people that prefer to be thought of as a group, driving consensus. His site also offers a more varied set of navigation paths, emphasizing choice.” The sites feel good to the base, but do little to move new people in their direction.
Makes me wonder, how many nonprofit websites are giving their existing supporters what they need, but also answering questions that skeptics may have?
Jeff Brooks at Donor Power Blog has some questions for you if you are wondering how your nonprofit can learn from the Obama campaign’s fundraising successes:
“Is your organization a Barack Obama? Are you unlike all the others, or are you one of several similar organizations — distinguishable only by experts and insiders?
Is there urgency built in to everything you say?
Do you have the ability to reach out, grab people by the heart and actually make them feel differently from how they felt before they encountered you?
Are you fighting an enemy? (It needn’t be a person or people.)
If you can say yes to all those, then you can ask:
Are you really nailing your online fundraising techniques?”
In other words, says Jeff, your “offer” is more important than your “technique.”
My brilliant friend Nancy Schwartz at Getting Attention provided a great summary back in September of what she saw as the lessons in how to do good email marketing, based on what she saw from the campaigns, and more recently criticized the Obama campaign for not listening to what their supporters really wanted. Nancy is also looking forward to seeing what Barack Obama does with his massive online network, regardless of how things turn out tonight.
Advertising Age published “What Marketers Can Learn for the Obama Campaign.” The three take-home lessons are Simplicity, Consistency, and Relevance.
Ragan Communications has published “What the 2008 Campaign Taught Communicators,” with 15 lessons including Social Media Is Here to Stay, The Person Who Tries Something New Wins, and Write for the Sound Bite.
If you really want to be the first to know how all the election lessons shake out, follow Colin Delany’s blog at e-politics. He has even more posts for you to mull over on his Election Day summary. See the Essential Background section in particular.
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Posted by Kivi Leroux Miller on Nov 3, 2008 in
Nonprofit Blog Carnival,
Nonprofit Communications Michelle Murrain at Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology has posted the latest edition of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants, where she asked how the economy is changing the way we all work in the nonprofit sector. Read her post.
On the same topic, you might also be interested in these takes on the question . . .
The Chronicle of Philanthropy asks, “What do you do when you lose a grant?” Don’t whine about it. And should you talk about your financial woes on your blog? Only very carefully, I say. I’m all for transparency, but begging isn’t attractive and talking about being in the red isn’t particularly inspiring for donors either. Tread lightly.
JVA Consulting offers a few tips on how nonprofits can cope during tough times and GiftWorks talks specifically about how you should change your fundraising appeals (and not change them) given the economic crisis. Their last tip is to keep up with your continuing education (All-Access Pass to Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com anyone?)
More Goodies: Get Kivi's Nonprofit Marketing Tips E-Newsletter (2-3 times per month)
