Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog » Nonprofit Blog Carnival

Ideas to Boost Your Creativity

Kivi Leroux Miller — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:54:53 +0000

This month at Nonprofit Marketing Guide, we presented a series of webinars aimed at helping you get more creative with your nonprofit communications, including using metaphors and humor. I heard from many people who want to guest blog for me, so you’ll see more creative ideas here in the coming months.

For now, here is a roundup of some recent blog posts to get you thinking more creatively. This roundup is also the August edition of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival.

Creative Uses of Technology

Many nonprofits are contemplating creative ways to use mobile technology. Jason Dick presents Mobile Giving Research and Opinion posted at A Small Change- Fundraising Blog, along with How Does Mobile Giving Work? and Text to Give Pricing.

You should also check out Pew’s latest report on the use of social media by older adults and keep an eye out for a report coming next Thursday (September 9) on Pew’s first-ever look at “apps culture” – who has apps on their cell phones, which ones, and how they use them.

Jennifer Saksa presents IVR at the Museum posted at NCH Software Blog, sharing a look at the creative way museums have started using Interactive Voice Response telephone software systems to help teach and spread information to people, with less staff or volunteer time required.

Toying with using more personalization of your email communications? Read what Devin T. Mathias has to say about When Personalized Data Go Bad… And Go Right posted at through non-profit eyes.

Creative Content Ideas

The Agitator suggests you listen to your donors for your best creative ideas in Who Made Your Best Ad?

Looking for some creative ways to connect your blog to the greater blogging world? Woman Tribune presents Blogging is Activism — 6 Blogging Events to Get Involved In.

Community Media Workshop urges you to look beyond the typical, tired ways you frame up stories for the media in Reframing Stories of the Great Recession. (Thom Clark from Community Media Workshop is doing a webinar for us next week on being a good spokesperson for your cause.)

Marc Pitman reminds us to stay curious if you want to be a good fundraiser.

When to Play it Straight

Jake Seliger at Grant Writing Confidential cautions you against creativity when grant writing. When writing grant proposals in response to RFPs, Jake says, “Most of the time, you’ll be given a box, and if you step outside it, you’re not going to be praised like a precocious high school student. You’re going to be treated like a cat who’s decided to show its creativity by ignoring the litter box. The RFP is your litter box. Ignore it at your peril.”

Maybe doing things the same old way works just fine . . . or does it? See what Katya Andresen says in ‘Old” donors give more – so do we stick to the same ‘old’ fundraising?

Read a blog post lately that got your creative juices flowing? Share it in the comments.

Want a quick consult with Kivi Leroux Miller? All-Access Pass Holders to Nonprofit Marketing Guide can now reserve 30 minutes on Kivi’s calendar for only $75. Fast, affordable way to get answers and advice. Get the Details.

Mixed Links: Goodies for Nonprofit Communicators

Kivi Leroux Miller — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:23:41 +0000

Here’s some great information — a tasty cocktail of mixed links — that I’ve saved to share with you . . .

Fundraising

I was one of 10 guest speaker’s in Gail Perry’s 2009 Year-End Fundraising Strategy Telesummit. It’s full of advice on what you can be doing right now to make sure that you raise as much money as possible in the next 8 weeks. While it’s focused on year-end giving, most of the advice will apply well beyond December. Well worth the $125 for the complete package of recordings and transcripts.

Gail is also doing a free webinar called Asking for Major Gifts: How to Never, Ever Get Turned Down this Friday, November 13.

End-of-year fundraising was also the topic for last month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival, hosted by Joanne Fritz at About.com. Joanne will be taking over management of the Carnival from me in January.

Idealware has published a nice case study on friend-to-friend fundraising, showing how pre-school staff raised money from friends online rather than hosting yet another fundraising event.

A new study proves that donors give more when they are asked in person, by a friend, for the gift.

Great Marketing Ideas You Should Steal

Nancy Schwartz has updated her already amazing advice on getting and using testimonials from your supporters in your marketing. This is really, really good stuff that every nonprofit should be doing. Read parts one and two.

The Sarasota Community Foundation is running a storytelling contest for local nonprofits. I love this idea, because it emphasizes the importance of telling your story and gives nonprofits a little incentive to share ($500 cash prize). The foundation, and the nonprofit community as a whole, also get all kinds of wonderful stories to use when raising money and support in the coming year. I’m honored to be the contest judge!

Here are 50 online games for social change. Can you create a fun game that also teaches?

Odds and Ends . . .

If you work for an association (or are on the board of one) and you don’t know about AssociationJam, you are missing out.

Gayle Thorsen shares some great advice on making presentations based on the book, Own the Room.

Studio Orange Design, Subtle Technology and Tiffany Manning Photography will be donating a full year of design and marketing services to one nonprofit organization, located anywhere in the United States, valued up to $75,000. Apply here by January 15.

Nonprofit Marketing Training

Just this morning I opened registration for five new webinars/calls . . . here is the Nonprofit Marketing Guide training schedule for the rest of the year:

November 12: Getting Media Attention for Your Good Cause

November 18: Quickie Annual Reports: Simple Ways to Share Results with Supporters

December 1: Procrastinator’s Special: Writing Your Year-End Appeal Letter

December 3: Writing for Social Media

December 8: Finding More Supporters Online

December 17: Writing Thank-You Notes That Inspire Future Gifts

Get access to all of these events with your All-Access Pass.

What do you want to see on the 2010 schedule? Take our quick survey now.

Mixed Links: Good Stuff for Nonprofit Communicators

Kivi Leroux Miller — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:21:25 +0000

Here are several announcements and links that I think you’ll find helpful.

Fundraising . . .

For this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival, Nancy Schwartz shares the path to year-end communications and fundraising success.

Network for Good has published a free guide called “25 Steps to Fall and Holiday Fundraising Success.”

America’s Giving Challenge is back on. In addition to the big prize, they are also awarding daily prizes, so rallying all of your supporters to give on one particular today could be fruitful. What counts is the number of donors, not the total amount raised. That means small gifts ($10 min) are just as meaningful as big gifts. It’s all being run through Facebook Causes this year, wrapping up November 6. Katya Andresen shares some great tips on doing it right.

Jeff Brooks, formerly of Donor Power Blog, is now blogging at Future Fundraising Now. Jeff is one of my favorite bloggers and when he left one job for another, the old employer insisted on keeping ownership of what always appeared to be a personal blog, at least to me. Weird. Anyway, change your blogrolls and your subscriptions to keep up with Jeff’s witty take on fundraising today.

Convio has ranked the most generous small and big cities, based on the $777 million dollars in online donations they processed in 2008.

Blogging . . .

Abny Santicola at Fundraising Success Magazine did a great job summarizing my webinar on nonprofit blogging.

Beth Kanter offers seven tips for measuring the success of your blog. I just signed up for PostRank’s Analytics package based on Beth’s recommendation.

Want to listen to some of the hot young voices in the nonprofit blogosphere? Check out the new Nonprofit Millennial Bloggers Alliance.

More on Social Media and Online Marketing . . .

Nedra Weinreich recently shared this link to a long list of social media policies on the Social Marketing listserv. If you are trying to create a social media policy for your organization, no need to start from scratch.

The Agitator is reviewing nonprofit online marketing strategies. Here is the review of Habitat for Humanity’s website, etc.

Upcoming Webinars & E-Clinics . . .

And finally, a quick reminder about our upcoming webinars and a special e-clinic on online fundraising:

October 15: On-the-Spot E-Newsletter Makeovers: Get Your E-Newsletter into Shape

October 28: Focusing on Photos: From Cool Composition to Rock the Stock

October 29: Better Ways to Use Statistics in Your Nonprofit Marketing

November 4: Special E-Clinic: Online Fundraising Bootcamp (only 13 spaces left!)

November 12: Getting Media Attention for Your Good Cause

November 18: Quickie Annual Reports: Simple Ways to Share Results with Supporters

Webinars are $35 each or included with your All-Access Pass. The Online Fundraising E-Clinic is $75.

Day in the Life of a Fundraiser

Kivi Leroux Miller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:23:36 +0000

Jason Dick at A Small Change is the host of this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival, a monthly roundup of goodness from the nonprofit blogosphere, where this month’s topic is A Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Fundraiser. Check it out and add to the discussion by leaving a comment about what your days look like. Thanks for hosting, Jason!

Next month the Carnival travels to Getting Attention with Nancy Schwartz. I’m sure Nancy will be putting out a call for posts soon on some interesting element of nonprofit marketing, so keep an eye out.

Nonprofit Blog Carnival, Other Cool Links for You, and a Question

Kivi Leroux Miller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:50:35 +0000

I need your advice on a question about this blog, which I’ve posted at the end, but first the good stuff . . .

Heather Carpenter at Nonprofit Leadership 601 has posted the current edition of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival on nonprofit leadership issues. Check it out for posts on how nonprofit organizations are dealing with change, turning around their organizations, and more. The next edition of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival will be hosted by A Small Change. If you are interested in having your blog posts included in the Carnival, join our contributors’ email list for reminders about deadlines, etc.

Here are some other links I recently found interesting, insightful or otherwise helpful. I think you’ll enjoy them too . . .

I Gave Your Organization $500 and All I Got Was This . . . (Sea Change Strategies)

Don’t Be Afraid to Tell It Like It Is (Big Duck)

First Step in Strategic Communications Planning: Communications Audit (IMPACTMAX)

Thought Leadership on the Social Web: Six Traits that Draw People to Your Ideas (Public Relations Society of America)

Six Online Fundraising Campaigns That Work (video from the Chronicle of Philanthropy)

Social Media Experts Don’t Understand Social Media (TippingPoint Labs)

You Probably Make These Email Deliverability Mistakes (Chief Marketer)

The Role of Email in Your Communications Mix (Idealware)

Making It Easier for Donors to Give Monthly (Chronicle of Philanthropy Chat Transcript)

And now this question I’m wrestling with. I receive many requests from various people, companies, and nonprofits to pass on information to you on this blog. I ignore most of them because they aren’t related in any way to nonprofit communications programs. But sometimes I get requests that do have a marketing angle. Here are two examples.

The CTK Foundation Philanthropic Fund is running a project called the Heart and Soul Grant Award Program. Nonprofits submit a 4-8 line poem that represents the “heart and soul” of their mission. The winner will get $10,000 and have their poem put to song by Los Lonely Boys. GreatNonprofits is running Youth Thrive Awards. Youth-focused nonprofits with the most positive reviews in their category will be announced as winners and receive media coverage and promotion on GuideStar.

Do you want to hear about these types of contests and similar opportunities from me? I’ve leaned against posting most of them, but what matters most is what YOU want. Leave a comment on the blog and let me know if you want me to pass this kind of stuff on to you or not.

Nonprofit Tech – How, When, Why, and What to Consider

Kivi Leroux Miller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:15:50 +0000

Rebecca Leaman (aka Curious Apricot) at the Wild Apricot Blog has posted the latest edition of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival, with a nonprofit technology theme. Here it is. You’ll find not only some good how-to’s on social media, but also some posts that challenge you to really think about how you use technology within your nonprofit to collaborate and communicate with others (e.g. what’s the right mix of online and offline communication?).

The Nonprofit Blog Carnival is supposed to a monthly roundup of some of the best blogging on a particular topic of interest to nonprofits, and Rebecca has created a stellar example!

Next month the Carnival will be hosted by Heather Carpenter at Nonprofit Leadership 601, where the theme will be Nonprofit Leadership and Professional Development. Watch Heather’s blog for her take on what she’s looking for this month, and I’ll post the link for you once she’s published her edition.

Nonprofit Blog Carnival & More Goodies You Don’t Want to Miss

Kivi Leroux Miller — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:16:59 +0000

Here’s a roundup of nonprofit marketing items you don’t want to miss, which I affectionately called my Mixed Links.

First, you’ll find this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival at the Nonprofit Congress Blog. The next edition will be hosted by Wild Apricot and they are seeking great blog posts on nonprofit technology. Deadline is June 26.

Next, check out the new Nonprofit Email Marketing Guide from Network for Good. It’s free, and I know it’s an easy read, because I wrote most of it!

Nancy Schwartz (Getting Attention), Danielle Brigida (National Wildlife Federation) and Felicia Carr (National Parks Conservation Association) answered questions on how to use online social networks to promote your cause during a Chronicle of Philanthropy chat. These weekly chats are usually really, really good. Join the Chronicle’s group on Facebook and you’ll get regular reminders about them.

Fundraiser extraordinaire Gail Perry has a new free e-book out: Seven New Rules for Fundraising in Changing Times

So you are checking your web analytics, right? But not sure what the heck to do with them? FutureNow offers you some action steps. This is written for a commercial site, but nonprofits can still learn from these suggestions.

In the Cool Tools Department, we have KnowEm, which lets you check the availability of a username on 120 popular social media sites. Once you set up your presence on a few sites, you’ll see the merits of using the same username.

Gayle Thorsen asks you to move beyond the PDF for information sharing and think more creatively about how to get all that good information you are sitting on out to people.

That should hold you for awhile! I’m off to the pool . . .

Nonprofit Blog Carnival – Online Fundraising Edition

Kivi Leroux Miller — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:13:32 +0000

The Nonprofit Blog Carnival is back!

This month’s edition is on online fundraising, hosted by Get Fully Funded Blog.

Check it out for some great blog posts on how to raise money online.

A blog carnival is a roundup of recent posts on a particular topic. The hosts rotate to different blogs. This carnival used to be called the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants, but I changed the title to be more inclusive.

Next month’s edition will be hosted by the Nonprofit Congress Blog. They are looking for great posts related to anything in the nonprofit sector. Learn more about how to get your blog included.

Social Media for Nonprofits @ the Carnival

Kivi Leroux Miller — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:26:42 +0000

The latest edition of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants is now available at The Feed by The Hatcher Group. You’ll find posts related to how nonprofits are using all the major social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) and more.

The next edition of the Carnival will be hosted by Joanne’s Nonprofits Blog at About.com and will cover “New Year’s Resolutions for Nonprofits.” Have some you’d like share? Write a post on your blog and submit it to the Carnival. (You don’t have to be a consultant to participate; you only need to have good words of wisdom to share with nonprofits.)

Being Thankful @ the Carnival This Week

Kivi Leroux Miller — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:36:31 +0000

The current edition of the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants is now up at Social Butterfly where the theme is Giving Thanks.

The next two editions will be hosted by The Hatcher Group (theme is “best practices for nonprofits using social media” – deadline for submissions is December 1) and by Nonprofits at About.com around December 15. To submit a blog post for consideration by these hosts, send your post permalink to npc.carnival@yahoo.com or use the BlogCarnival submission form.

P.S. Claire Meyerhoff and I will be doing a “Give Thanks” edition of Magic Keys Radio & Podcast this Friday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. We’ll be talking about what we and other nonprofit communicators should be thankful for. Come call in what you are thankful for, whatever that may be . . . certain people, resources, situations, trends, you name it. Listen to the Show