The seventh annual eNonprofit Benchmarks Study by M+R Strategic Services and NTEN has been released. This report examines the online performance of some of the country’s leading nonprofits, including American Red Cross, Sierra Club, AARP and the Human Rights Campaign to gauge the latest trends in online fundraising and advocacy. The results have a “It was the best of time,…
Happy Friday! Let’s have some Mixed Links. Voting has now opened for the DoGooder Video Awards. You can vote for finalists in the Best Nonprofit, Funny for Good, and Change Agent categories once per day. Check out the finalists in the Best Nonprofit category and visit the Contest website to vote for these and others. Voting closes…
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…
Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Waggener Edstrom conducted a study of more than 2,000 adult internet users who support causes and recently released their findings in a report, Digital Persuasion: How Social Media Motivates Action and Drives Support for Causes. Some key findings include: 54% of respondents indicate they are more likely…
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…
