I use so many metaphors in my writing and presentations that it is always fun to see which ones really resonate with people. At the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Minneapolis two weeks ago, it was definitely “The Broccoli and the Cheese.” People told me that they heard it brought up in sessions after mine, and even in…
Greetings from Alaska! Here’s your edition of Mixed Links for the week . . . Here are a few posts in response to the terrible events that happened in Boston earlier this week. Our hearts are with those families affected by the tragedies in Boston and in West, Texas. Nancy Schwartz: How to Communicate in the…
Have you ever had to answer the question, “What percentage of my donation goes to the cause?” Or what about, “How much do you spend on overhead?” Last Friday, Dan Pallotta was the plenary speaker at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. Dan is the author of Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential and thinks those are the…
While at the Nonprofit Technology Conference last week in Minneapolis, we were on hand to see the winners of the 2013 DoGooder Video Awards announced. Four finalists were chosen for each category and then the winners were selected by the public. The winner of the Best of Nonprofit Video Award was the Rainforest Alliance’s “Follow the Frog” video.…
I really, really appreciate everyone who took the time to answer my recent survey questions about email newsletter goals and metrics — more than 600 of you! When I was listing choices for e-newsletter goals as I wrote the survey, I tried to come up with some choices that were pretty specific and some that…
Your nonprofit wants to be known as a go-to organization on a certain list of topics, right? So if someone in your community, or a reporter, or a legislator has a question about that topic, you want them to think about your nonprofit first, or you want your website to come up first in search…
I get a lot of questions about how I run a successful online training, coaching, and consulting business. How I produce a popular webinar series. How I write so much content, including a daily blog and two books. How I make enough money to live the life I want from a nonprofit clientele. In other…
Later this week, I’ll be attending the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Minneapolis. Aside from the fact that I will be leaving 80-degree, Spring-Has-Finally-Sprung weather in North Carolina for a snow storm in Minneapolis, I am really looking forward to the big show. I take my reputation as a prolific creator of high-quality content for nonprofits…
Our latest survey is on nonprofit email newsletter strategy (please take it if you haven’t already!) and one of the questions asks if you are happy with the performance of your email newsletter. Here’s how the results shake out so far, based on answers from 484 people: That’s about a quarter who are happy, a…
I often advise people who are writing email newsletters, for example, that if you highlight everything by overusing bold and underline, you end up highlighting nothing. I should have followed my own advice when reading The Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications: Real-World, Field-Tested Strategies for Raising More Money by one of my favorite bloggers and direct mail…
How do you send out your print donor newsletter? Is it a self-mailer or do you use an envelope? When Tom Ahern joined us for the Donor Newsletters That Raise More Money e-clinic last September he caused a little bit of a ruckus with something he said during our first training webinar, The Formula for Success. He…
I’m putting together a new webinar on nonprofit email newsletter strategy that I’ll present at CharityHowTo on April 16 and again on May 2. I’m also working on a new free download for you. Can you help by completing this quick survey on your email newsletter’s goals? When you complete the survey, you can enter…
