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It’s been feeling a little like spring here…I know we are not there yet, but a nice thought considering it is the first week in Feb This week’s theme seems to be fundraising.

1. 9 Ways Board Members Can Raise Money Without Fundraising from Social Velocity, By Nell Edgington

The good news is that there are lots of other things board members can do to bring money in the door. And remember, if you are financing not fundraising your organization, your definition of “bringing money in the door” should be very broad.

Here are 9 things you could ask your fundraising-shy board members to do

2. 5 Ways Your Brand Can Destroy Your Fundraising Results from Fundraising Fundamentals by AndrewOlsenCFRE

I’ve been talking about nonprofit branding a lot lately with organizations all over the country.  Seems brand strategy is top of mind once again for organizations trying to raise their community profile and generate more money for their causes.

There’s only one problem.  Brands  and fundraising don’t always mix.  In fact, often when a nonprofit makes changes to their brand strategy, it ends up killing their fundraising results.

Don’t let this happen to your organization.  Watch out for these five ways branding can kill your fundraising results.

3. 5 Tips for Successful Nonprofit Fundraising in 2012 from Marital Solutions

…there are steps nonprofits can take – regardless of size and scope – that will optimize their engagement and contribution opportunities in 2012 while remaining true to their cause and keeping their mission at the forefront. I have compiled the following 5 tips through my ongoing research of the latest studies, reports, podcasts and webinars relating to nonprofit and (to a lesser degree) for-profit business and marketing strategies that are worth considering.  

4. Nonprofit Governance: What Are Your Three Duties? from scHammond, by Susan Hammond:

True of all nonprofit boards our legal responsibilities can be defined as:

• Duty of Care
• Duty of Loyalty
• Duty of Obedience

5. Just in case you haven’t heard:  Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers [INFOGRAPHIC] from Mashable

The site’s popularity is quickly growing. Pinterest’s traffic increased more than fourfold between September 2011 and December 2011, bringing in 7.51 million unique visitors in December alone, data from Compete indicates. The amount of traffic Pinterest sent elsewhere has risen accordingly, becoming a top five referrer for several apparel retailers, according to internal data from Monetate, which provided the infographic below.

Related articles

• Around the Web Jan 27 (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
• Around the Web Jan 21 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)

Practical seems to be the theme for today:

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1. Board Governance Resources great list of eight resources from Susan Hammond, sc Hammond Advisors

2. Free nonprofit tools from 10 different experts! from the Fundraising Coach

10 of us have gotten together to offer:

• 5 free ebooks including the Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising and my own Ask Without Fear!,
• 2 free workbooks,
• 2 free trainings, and
• one free Donor Map.

On the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway site there are tools to help with your major gifts, annual fund, grant fundraising, storytelling and presentations. There’s even a training to help you with your benefit auctions.

But hurry these goodies are only available until January 31!

3. 22 Must-Circle Nonprofits on Google+ from Non-Profit 2.0

To me, the Google+ Stream  feels like a mixture of Twitter and Facebook. Like Twitter, you have to post or share content frequently to get exposure in the feed since there is no Edgerank-like algorithm to filter out (boring) posts/tweets.

4. Facebook Timeline Apps are Ultimately About The Future of Mobile Devices from John Haydon

Last week, Facebook announced the release of more than 60 new Timeline apps which allow Facebook users to automatically share application actions on their timeline.

5. 7 Totally Surprising Brain Tricks to Sell Your Cause from N-Ten:

Neuromarketing experts like Roger Dooley (author of the new book Brainfluence) want to change all that. They have studied how to appeal to the massive subconscious mind, and there are some interesting and sometimes bizarre takeaways for those of us engaged in social good. Here are seven of the most surprising ways to sell your cause.

Related articles

• Around the Web Jan 21 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)

Greetings from a light snowy Northeast…it has been a while.

1. Does Your Nonprofit Need Legal Counsel About Using Social Media? from Beth’s Blog:

“CYA – Consult Your Attorney!”

Now, I have another great resource to share,   Good Counsel:  Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits by Lesley Rosenthal, the astute General Counsel of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.   It is an thorough guide for the most common legal, governance, and fundraising compliance issues facing nonprofits.     Her writing style is less lawyerly, and well, human.   The book is filled with stories, practical resources, and tools.      The book is written for staff and board members.      While the advice in the book does not replace an attorney,  having this on your reference desk can help you be more efficient your attorney’s time because you’ll come to meetings educated.

2. Nonprofit Governance: How Small All-Volunteer Organizations Can be Successful from Susan Hammond, scHammond Advisors:

This all prompted me to think about what it takes to run an all-volunteer organization.  Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. Mission. All board members need to agree and be able to articulate to the public what the purpose the organization serves.
2. Vision. We all need to agree on the value the organization will provide to the public
3. Strategy.All decisions and activities then need to be driven by what the shared vision and mission is. The two most important questions to answer are:
   1. How does this decision, be it an expenditure or activity, further the organization’s mission & vision?
   2. Is this the mosst resource efficient and impactful way to approach this expenditure or activity?

3. I put this in because it happen to us at The Non-Profit Toolbox… No, You Can’t Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much from Forbes: Adrienne Graham, Contributor

I can’t tell you how flattering it is to be approached by representatives from major companies seeking my wisdom and advice. It shows they are listening, and like what I have to say.

But often I find the road ends when they are just on a fact finding mission. That mission is to pick my brain to gather as much free intel and knowledge they need to make their jobs easier.

4. 12 ways to use Pinterest for your nonprofit from John Haydon a guest post from my good friend Noland Hoshino. Pinterest is the hottest, newest thing…with many people writing about it…

There is a new darling in the social media world and her name is Pinterest. A virtual, interactive bulletin board where individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations can pin their interests and drive traffic to their website.

What is Pinterest?

Pinsterest is basically a vision board or scrapbook that you put together while surfing the internet. According to the website, “Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

Other Pinterest articles:

• Steal these 42 Creative Pinterest Ideas for Nonprofits
• HOW TO: Get Your Nonprofit Started on Pinterest
• Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr Today: Inspiration from Pinboard

5. How to Turn Your Super Bowl Party into a Fundraiser from by geofflivingston on Inspiring Generosity:

Winter isn’t the best time for fundraisers, but it’s sure great for football! Why not do both, and turn your Super Bowl party into a fundraiser?

The key to turning a successful Super Bowl party into a winning fundraiser is fun. You have to make your fundraiser fun, something people can enjoy. It should fit within the larger context of the Super Bowl party.

Some suggestions to build an event around your cause:

 

“One person can make a difference, and every person should try.” ~ John F. Kennedy

This fall (2011) our daughter decided to quit her job, and spend the next year volunteering. She went to Cuzco, Peru, and did work for Fair Play, and will probably continue to help them through the year, researching ways for them to collect donations from the US.

In the last month she found out she was accepted into the Kiva Fellowship program, and she just found out that she will be serving in Vera Cruz, Mexico for 4 months starting in February. The Fellows Program with Kiva is an unpaid, volunteer position, and she will need to fund her trip herself, and with the help and support of others…you can help…she has set up a site on Indiegogo, her contribution site is: http://igg.me/p/55811 (any amount will help her out, $5, $10 or more) so please consider helping her with her work. She has just started her fundraising…so even if you can’t support her with cash, please help her spread the word about Kiva and her fellowship:

KIVA is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Learn more about how it works.

You can follow her travels at: KiyomiBeach.com and learn more what she is doing or join to her Facebook Group Support Kiyomi, Support Kiva

Related articles

• Back in the USA – Reflections on Peru (Part 2): The Culture (kiyomibeach.com)
• Volunteering and my daughter (thenon-profittoolbox.com)

Charity How to is helping you get your year started off right!Marc Pitman (one of our Non-profit speakers at Tech Day Camp)  is offering two webinars that I thought you’d be interested in:

• Thursday, January 5, 2012 - Ask Without Fear! a simple guide of ideas for connecting donors with what matters to them most.
• Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - Who is Telling Your Nonprofit Story?

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Aha, December is in full swing.

1. 3 Nonprofit Lessons from The Princess Bride a fun post from Marc Pitman

But did you know there are nonprofit lessons embedded in the story? Here are three I’ve identified

Read the comments for more

2. Why your nonprofit needs a personality and NOT a brand from John Haydon

People are friends with people, not brands

Most of the people you connect with on Facebook and Twitter are your friends. They’re people. They have personality. And I bet that you spend 95% of your time connecting with people – not companies.

3. Social Media for Social Good: 3 Secrets to Raising Big Bucks Online from Frogloop: Frank Barry

In fact, 87% have raised under $1000 on Facebook since they began using the platform. Yet despite the lack of wide spread fundraising success, social media is clearly a hot topic in the nonprofit space.

4. November’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival | The quintessential guide to giving thanks from Pamela Grow

This month we asked bloggers to offer up knock-your-socks-off ideas that they’ve used to thank donors.  The entries poured in

5. Best Web analytics tools for nonprofits from Socialbrite By Laura S. Quinn and Kyle Andrei Techsoup article courtesy of Idealware

…which Web analytics tool should you use? Data-tracking needs are similar for all organizations, including nonprofits, libraries, small businesses, and corporations. But given the vast array of analytics tools out there, selecting the right package can be overwhelming.

Idealware talked to six nonprofit experts about the Web analytics tools they’ve seen work well. We also consulted postings on a number of nonprofit listserves and scoured reports on the topic. In this article, we summarize what we’ve learned to help you understand what to consider when choosing an analytics package and identify free tools and applications to help you better monitor your site’s visitors.

via Flickr”]

Image by UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL

So here are some of my pick to get you thru:

1. From Marc Pitman, The Fundraising Coach: There’s still time! (suggestions on how and what to do):

And if we’re honest, as fundraisers we’re tired. It’s been a long year. Wouldn’t it be easier to coast through December and get a fresh start in January.

No!
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR EXCUSES…AND GET TO WORK FUNDRAISING ANYWAY

2. How Are You Inspiring New Givers? from Inspiring Generosity and Socialbutterfly:

“Individuals today are no more generous than their predecessors were over four decades ago,” according to a new report released by Blackbaud titled Growing Philanthropy in the United States. The report outlines 32 recommendations for nonprofits on how to increase overall giving organized around the following four themes:

1. Enhancing the quality of donor relationships
2. Developing public trust and confidence in the sector
3. Identifying new audiences, channels, and forms of giving with strong potential for growth
4. Improving the quality of fundraising training and development

3.  From Susan Hammond, of scHammond Advisors: something that we often don’t think about: Nonprofit Governance: Twelve Elements of Good Board Minutes.

Board minutes are legal documents of the organization and subject to discovery in the event of a lawsuit.  Someone reading the minutes should be able to tell what decisions were made and why.  It is not necessary to record the meeting verbatim however.  Too much detail and you put individual directors at risk.

4. Beth’s Blog: How non-profits become experts at Social Branding Guest Post by Simon Mainwaring, Founder/Author WE FIRST

There are two elements critical to the success of any branding effort, non-profit or otherwise. The first is compelling brand storytelling, and the second is fluency in social technology. Unfortunately few brands effectively master both, as veteran storytellers struggle to deeply understand social technology, or digital natives rush to emerging technology only to overlook the importance of storytelling. Here’s how a non-profit effectively combines them both.

5. 3 Paradigm Shifts That Will Boost Your Nonprofit’s Social Media by John Haydon on Inspiring Generosity:

Regardless of where you’re at in becoming a Networked Nonprofit, you can always improve how your organization uses social media.

Here are three ways you can dramatically improve your results by changing your perspective.

Related articles

• Around the web 11/18 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
• Around the web Nov 11 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)