[Update: We’ve released a free e-book based on this post, including graphics of alternatives to thermometers.] I’m not fan of those fundraising thermometers. Yes, they are an easy way to show progress, but they are so overused. And when you think about it, what does a thermometer and temperature rising have to do with 99%…
All this week, I’m celebrating the one year anniversary of the release of my first book, The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause. Daily Prizes for Blog Commenting With each blog post this week, I’ll ask you a question, and you can reply in the comments. Then I…
Happy Friday, everyone! Here’s this week’s Mixed Links… How happy are you with the consistency of your organization’s message? Not having a clear and consistent message can be a huge detriment to your nonprofit. A great tagline is a good place to start, but creating one is easier said than done. That’s where Nancy Schwartz’s…
This Monday, June 13th, is the last day to register for the Total Focus Nonprofit Marketing Plan Workshop in Seattle, taking place on Thursday, June 16. Nancy Schwartz and I will be spending the day with nonprofits from Hong Kong, Calgary, Missouri, Texas, Colorado, California, Oregon, and across Washington, taking them step-by-step through the process of…
If you work in the nonprofit world and have been on Facebook for awhile, you’ve probably received a request from a friend to donate to their Causes Birthday Wish. The idea is that when your birthday comes along, you use Causes (with or without Facebook — but ideally with) to raise money for your favorite…
I just love this photo and status update that Carolina Tiger Rescue posted on Facebook last week: The boring approach would have been to show us a picture of the old bald tires on the van, or to just simply whine about it. Not very interesting. But instead, they posed this great shot of keeper…
You don’t have much time or money to waste in marketing your nonprofit. That means you need to focus on two ways of doing business: little bets and best practices. You can put both concepts to work for you with your direct mail appeals. You can take a chance and do something a little different…
On Wednesday, I suggested a few ways that nonprofits can show their personalities, following up on a post where I listed a bunch of different personality traits and asked you to select three to describe your nonprofit. Personality is important, because it’s essentially your brand — what you are known for and how people perceive…
A few weeks ago, I asked you to describe your nonprofit’s personality in three words and I got some interesting responses. Several of you emailed me privately to say that you really didn’t think your nonprofit had much of a personality at all. If you are in that boat, here are 7 ways to show…
Thanks for joining me for another round of Mixed Links! We’ve got some good stuff on fundraising and social media this week. Network for Good recently released a free e-book called The Online Fundraiser’s Checklist 2.0 that covers everything from your website to throwing a great event. For more free fundraising goodies, John Haydon will…
Nonprofits have always had many content buckets that needed to be filled regularly, from print newsletters and other direct mail to reports for boards and funders. Then came along your website and email newsletter. And now, with social media, you may be producing content for a blog, video channel, Flickr group, podcast, Twitter feed and…
Happy Friday, everyone! Here’s another round of mixed links – good stuff for nonprofit communicators. Treating donors well so they keep coming back is something every nonprofit should be focused on. But donor retention rates could be misleading. Future Fundraising Now tells why you need to have all the facts in Donor Rentention Tells Half the Story.…
