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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:

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

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

So here are some of my pick to [...]]]>

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)

Fall is creeping in, today in New England is a bright crisp day! We are about to announce the schedule for Tech Day Camp, and we have a whole series for NPO directors, staff and volunteers!! Hope you can make it Saturday, Oct 22! Now on to the picks for the [...]]]>

Image by lu2shoot via Flickr

Fall is creeping in, today in New England is a bright crisp day! We are about to announce the schedule for Tech Day Camp, and we have a whole series for NPO directors, staff and volunteers!! Hope you can make it Saturday, Oct 22! Now on to the picks for the week.

1. From our favorite  advisor, Susan Hammond: Advisory Boards Can Improve Fiduciary Boards

Many problems in governance start with uneducated people getting onto a board, corporate or nonprofit.  They are asked by a trusted colleague because they are successful in business or some other endeavor.  That success in turn is seen as preparing you to serve on a board.  Wrong!

One of the easiest ways to get familiar with board service is serving on an advisory board.

2.  Are you on Facebook? Christine Pilch, one of our fantastic speakers at Tech Day Camp: Facebook compromised your privacy this week, and you probably didn’t even notice it Thanks for watching out for us Christine!!

In the way of a great illusionist, this week Facebook got so many users worked up about the loss of easy access to recent posts that they were able to slide in much more significant changes that altered the privacy control that every Facebook user had over his own information.

3. More about changes on Facebook and Pages from Beth Kanter about: Facebook Changes for Organization Pages: Focus On Results

The discussion about the recent changes on Facebook has focused mostly around what it means for individuals, particularly the tension between openness and  privacy.    Many people are wondering what it means for nonprofit brands  using Facebook as one of their marketing channels.   So are people like me who do coaching and training on how to use Facebook effectively.     It makes no sense to freak out.

4. From another presenter, John Haydon, a regular here on Friday: The most important question you could ask a new donor

What made you donate to our organization?

5. What we all want to know: 5 Tips to Make Donating Easy from Inspiring Generosity

A few weeks ago we asked our Facebook friends what obstacles they saw in online fundraising. One friend noted that some nonprofits make it hard for donors to donate on their website, with too many clicks in the middle.

There are simple solutions to this, so if you’re thinking about revamping your nonprofit’s website, take these tips into consideration…

Related articles

• Around the Web Sep 23 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
• Around the Web Sep 16 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
• Non-profit people don’t miss Tech Day Camp (thenon-profittoolbox.com)

Well, yesterday it felt like summer, and today fall is definitely in the air here in MA.  Say good-bye to the lazy days of summer and back to business with this brisk weather.

1. Let’s start with the changes (again) to Facebook: At Long Last, Facebook Adds Twitter-Style Following, [...]]]>

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Well, yesterday it felt like summer, and today fall is definitely in the air here in MA.  Say good-bye to the lazy days of summer and back to business with this brisk weather.

1. Let’s start with the changes (again) to Facebook: At Long Last, Facebook Adds Twitter-Style Following, Calls It “Subscribe” from All Things Digital:

Users can choose to post a Subscribe button on their profile. Once they do, any visitor can choose to subscribe to receive one of three options in their Facebook news feeds: all updates, most updates (what you’d see normally) or important updates (like getting married or having a kid)….On the flip side, brands can’t have subscribers. The Subscribe button is only for people.

More:  What the Facebook Subscribe Feature Means to Nonprofit News Sharing (Frogloop)

2. Events Are a Means to an End: Collecting Data that Will Help You Raise More Money from NTen:

Chances are, your organization has one or more special events that are part of your fundraising portfolio. You know events are a great way to engage your constituents in an immersive and impactful way. But are you using your events as an opportunity to learn more about your advocates and better focus all of your fundraising efforts?

3. 11 Qualities of an Effective Social Media Manager from NonProfit Tech2.0

Despite all the buzz about social media, the reality is that your social media campaigns are only as good as the human being(s) behind them. Going “viral” on social media sites is extremely rare, and instantaneous success is a myth. Being an effective social media manager is both an art and a skill.

4. Give2Gether, Rally, Razoo, Fundly offer nonprofits a new way to support causes from Frogloop:

There’s a new breed of fundraising tools out there that can help organizations with “social fundraising.” These tools leverage the social networks of donors, supporters and organizations to substantially increase the revenue raised as well as the long-term benefits of becoming a part of the fabric of your donors’ social media networks. They focus not just on large donations but on the collective power of micro-donations, which are often repeated and shared with friends.

5. Using an Advisory Committee to Transform a Founding Nonprofit Board from Susan Hammond

A young executive director (ED) I’m advising is working to change the founding board by way of an advisory committee.  The three-year old organization has a board comprised of family members.  The organization is at the point where it needs a board made up of members more representative of the community served and with greater expertise and experience. The organization has only one employee, the ED.  So the board of directors will be a working board for the foreseeable future.

Have a great, productive week!

Here in New England, there is fall in the air, thinking I need to put away my shorts, as it has been a bit chilly…Hope everyone is ready for the businesses to get back into gear! Here are my picks for the week.

1. Why isn’t anyone sharing your nonprofit’s content? by [...]]]>

Image by renedrivers via Flickr

Here in New England, there is fall in the air, thinking I need to put away my shorts, as it has been a bit chilly…Hope everyone is ready for the businesses to get back into gear! Here are my picks for the week.

1. Why isn’t anyone sharing your nonprofit’s content? by John Haydon: trust, caring, boring, “coolness”…find out more, and join the discussion.

2. Helping nonprofits master the art of grant writing from Socialbrite & JD Lasica

It seems that many of the 1.5 million nonprofits in the land still have not heard of the Foundation Center. And that’s too bad, because the venerable nonprofit organization, which has been around for more than 50 years, offers a wealth of information about U.S. philanthropy and helps people learn how to apply for grants through a rich foundation database.

Best of all, it’s free — just like a public library!

3. Embracing Next Generation Philanthropy from NTen:

Recent economic forecasting suggests that traditional fundraising is not going to get easier any time soon. While it’s tempting to focus on scarcity, a new generation of philanthropists is coming of age. They are young community builders, driven by a DIY ethic, and empowered by social media. They are leveraging the lowered costs of coordination provided by the web and mobile net, and they are stepping up to meet the challenges facing their generations.

What are you doing to find them now and cultivate relationships with them for the long haul?

4. 7 Tips for Better Fundraising Emails from Inspiring Generosity by geofflivingston

For most nonprofits, email has been and remains the heart and soul of their online strategies. Even social media-heavy programs seek to engage more loyal supporters through email programs like newsletter, petitions, pledges, advocacy and more. The purpose is to build a house file.

5. Measuring the Return on Relationships from Beth’s Blog and Claire Diaz Ortiz

I explained that while researching my new book, Twitter for Good (http://ht.ly/4RirJ), I took a long, hard look at fundraising on social media and came to a new, startling conclusion: it’s not about the money. As I asserted, the real ROI (return on investment) of fundraising on new media is the relationships.

Have a great weekend!

Related articles

• Around the Web Sep 2 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
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