I have some really smart friends. I get the most amazing stuff in my email box from them. Take this email I got this morning from Claire Meyerhoff, who many of you know as our media relations expert at Nonprofit Marketing Guide. She spent many years in the broadcast news business, including writing news copy…
In the last 24 hours, two of my favorite nonprofit marketing bloggers who I admire as colleagues and love as friends had the same experience: a reader admonished them for using examples from pro-choice organizations in their blogs and e-newsletters. The readers threatened to unsubscribe in both cases to protest what they saw as abortion…
During my recent webinar on new and improved nonprofit annual reports (recording available to All-Access Pass Holders), I said that I would love to see a nonprofit do its annual report as an oversized postcard (think that big size popular with political candidates). This format has lots of advantages: The small space forces you to…
Nothing seems to elicit deeper sighs from the small nonprofits I talk to these days then how to best use social media. They know they need to “be there” and they understand the basics. But they are often troubled by the lack of strategy, and the lack of control. What staff, volunteers, and clients might…
Welcome to this week’s Mixed Links! Tuesday, February 22, I am presenting a webinar hosted by my good friends at Network for Good called 9 Tips to Improve Your Small-places Writing: How to Compose Better Microcontent and Social Network Updates. This is part of Network for Good’s Nonprofit 911 training series and registration is FREE.…
During the Writing to Raise More Money webinar last week (recording available to All-Access Pass holders), I talked about four ways to improve your fundraising copy: 1. Cue an Emotional Response 2. Make the Request Feel Personal 3. Convey Urgency 4. Ask Clearly At the end of the webinar, I asked participants which of the…
Over the last month or two I’ve received lots of questions from communications and development directors about third-party fundraising applications like Jumo and Crowdrise. The same question came up this morning at the Nonprofit Marketing in 2011 workshop I did this morning for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits. I’m personally taking a wait and see…
I came across 17 Email Marketing Terms Every Business Should Know last week and it’s a nice summary written in plain English. We included a plain English glossary of online marketing terms at the back of The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause (Amazon). If you’ve been afraid…
Here are five common questions I get about nonprofit annual reports, along with my answers. If you are still trying to figure out how to produce your 2010 nonprofit annual report, join us tomorrow’s webinar (2/8/11 at 1:00 pm Eastern, 10:00 am Pacific), where I’ll explain how to create a “New and Improved Nonprofit Annual…
Welcome to this week’s edition of Mixed Links! Social Media While many nonprofit professionals use LinkedIn for their personal use, not many organizations are using yet. But that may be changing. Joanne Fritz asks, “Are Nonprofits Warming Up to LinkedIn?” and highlights a few nonprofits who have jumped on the LinkedIn bandwagon. NTEN, Common Knowledge…
When I was in Jacksonville, NC last week, which is home to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, a woman who works for a women’s center that does educational programs on domestic violence asked me this question: How can you make them listen? She described her predicament this way. If you have a big room full…
Tomorrow (Thursday, 2/3/11) I’m presenting a webinar I call “Writing Thank You Notes That Inspire Future Gifts.” I firmly believe that the thank-you note after the first gift is the first step in getting the second gift. The standard, boring, impersonal form letter or email receipt doesn’t cut it. During the webinar, I’ll share lots…
