I write so much better and faster when I can identify the hook of the article or story early. When I mentioned this on a webinar recently, someone asked, “But what is a hook and how do you know it when you see it? Good question! Think of the hook as, well, the thing you…
We love hearing and sharing real stories from the world of nonprofit communications. So when Jen Charney, communication manager at Save the Redwoods League, said she would like to blog about how they redesigned their website in an effort to gain more potential supporters and online donations, I was all for it. The icing on the cake:…
On a recent webinar, I received this question, but wasn’t able to get to it. Can you help me answer it? “I am new and generating a lot of content at a small nonprofit, and not getting a lot of feedback/engagement from others. I think the Executive Director and Development Director are just relieved that now that…
Hope everyone had a good week. Let’s have some Mixed Links! Today is the LAST DAY the 2013 DoGooder Video Awards will take submissions. The DoGooder Awards recognize the creative and effective use of video in promoting social good. If you use Google Reader to organize the blogs you read the most, you probably know Google is killing…
I received a question this week about all of that state-by-state fundraising solicitation disclosure language and how that should be included within a fundraising direct mail package. This language is hideous, naturally, from a communications perspective. It’s our equivalent of those pages of fine print that no one reads on the back of our credit…
Yesterday I shared some “get ready to write” traditions. Today let’s take a look at where you find your writing ideas and story inspirations. Coming up with what to write about can be a frustrating process, but that gets a whole lot easier if you can spot the patterns in how you get your best…
Last week I talked about knowing the kind of writer you are and how that will help you write faster. I shared my good and bad writing habits as well as those of the attendees of my recent webinar, How to Write Faster. During that webinar we also discussed writing “traditions” that you do before…
Much of successful nonprofit communications today involves taking chances, trying something new, and tweaking and updating approaches that aren’t working quite so well anymore. I’ve found that as I coach nonprofit communicators, we talk almost as much about human nature and managing up the chain of command as we do about specific communication strategies and…
Happy Friday! I spoke this morning on communications planning in South Carolina at the SCANPO conference and am now back home in North Carolina, and ready for some Mixed Links. Nancy Schwartz helps explain the distinction between nonprofit marketing and organizational goals and why it’s important to know the difference. If your nonprofit is on…
An important part of being a more productive or faster writer is really understanding yourself and how you work. After writing a daily blog for a few years now, two full-length books, and tons of additional email and website copy, I’ve learned a lot about how I work. For example . . . I need…
I received an email from Lindsay B. Groff, executive director of Barth Syndrome Foundation after she attended my Writing Thank You Notes That Inspire Future Gifts webinar. Lindsay wanted to share the before and after with me, and then agreed to share her example with you too! Take a look below. Before: After: You should notice…
This is what the cover of my new book, Content Marketing for Nonprofits: A Communications Map for Engaging Your Community, Becoming a Favorite Cause, and Raising More Money, will look like. It won’t be out until sometime in August, but Amazon will start taking pre-orders a few weeks before it is released. If you’d like us…
