Here are my replies to the five top questions I get about the lists that you find in the back of nonprofit annual reports. DONOR LIST: Do we need to list absolutely everyone who donated any amount of money? No. Many organizations set a minimum dollar amount for inclusion in the annual report to keep…
If you watch any late night TV, you’ve probably seen the American Express commercials with Sheryl Crow, Ellen DeGeneres and others promoting the new Members Project. For every card member who registers at MembersProject.com, American Express will donate $1 toward a $5 million grant to a single project, selected in part by member voting. How…
Searching for some good article ideas for your next nonprofit newsletter, blog post or website update? Here are 15 places you can look for article ideas. 1. At the receptionist’s desk. Ask whoever answers your organization’s main phone number for the top three questions they get from callers and turn the answers into newsletter articles.…
This question came in last week to AskKivi.com: “Should we include articles and photos of our fundraising events over the last year in our annual report? Based on your “Seven Easy Steps to Writing a Great Annual Report“, I would say no since it is an activity, not an accomplishment. What do you say?” —…
A few months ago, I got a bit huffy when I saw that my husband and I were listed in a local nonprofit’s annual report as “Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Miller” for a donation we’d made. I’ve been living in a small town in the South for five years, so I guess I should be…
Whether it’s a board meeting, a seminar, or a conference, the events your organization hosts or attends can provide great fodder for newsletter articles — if you highlight the most important points and forget about the rest.When you start writing an event summary, you may be tempted to regurgitate the agenda with a few extra…
Next week will be “Newsletter Week” at Nonprofit Communications, including a post with tips on writing the hardest kind of newsletter article, as determined by this blog’s readers (you!). Problem is, right now there is a four-way tie between “Donor or Volunteer Profiles,” “Program Updates,” “How-to Articles or Tips” and “Event Summaries.” Vote now and…
Copyblogger is showing people how he would rewrite some of their blog headlines, including notes on why he made the changes he did. I do a similar exercise in my newsletter writing courses and it’s always fun. So, let’s try it here. Either leave a comment or send an email to me at kivi *AT*…
A good newsletter will have several different types of articles in it, and some formats are harder to write than others. Which type of newsletter article is toughest for you to write? Take the poll, or add your own answer. You can also leave a comment on this post. In a week or two, I’ll…
Last week I received an invitation to a fundraiser from a local American Red Cross chapter, and it really turned me off. Here is what part of the invitation said verbatim (except for the italics I added). Fine Art Auction The Auction will showcase 5 artists, and we will have a live auction with a…
This week’s Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants is back at its birthplace here at Nonprofit Communications. Our topic this week is Nonprofit Newsletters and we have lots of opinions to share about what works and what doesn’t. If you are responsible for your newsletter, read on. If someone else in the office does it, forward this…
Including personal profiles in your newsletter is great way to tell an important story about your organization, while also recognizing the contributions of a single person. I write a lot of donor profiles, for example, that tell nice stories about the individuals and acknowledge their generosity, while highlighting the organization’s accomplishments — i.e. “Jane Donor…
