#FUNDRAISING: Maximizing Your Organization’s Return on Fundraising Events
We are pleased to welcome back Susan Emfinger of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. For her previous posts on institutional fundraising, please click here.
In today’s post, I ask readers to imagine a world in which fundraising staff and programmatic work closely together with a variety of “programmatic” events in order to expose the organization to those very individuals who have the financial capacity to enhance and/or to ensure the organizations’ future. My prediction: your fundraising results will surprise you.
Given how much time, energy and effort tends to go into organizing fundraising events, I thought we might start with one question: Just what is a “fundraising” event?
Popularity: 1% | Category Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications, Community, Conference/Congress, Development, Events, Fundraising, Gala, How-to, Marketing, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Planned Giving, Planned Giving, Public Relations, Resource, Sustainability | | 0 Comments
Written by: Susan Emfinger
#COMMUNICATIONS: Make Your Next Fundraiser An Online Conversation Too
A Twitter Wall adds dynamism to even the smallest event
Though weather in the mid-Atlantic continues to flirt with spring while staying surprisingly loyal to winter, it is the season to be planning summer festivals, fundraisers, and rallies. And if you really want to stay on top of your nonprofit’s schedule, start planning your end-of-year banquet as well (and use Tungle). But in this day and age, a nonprofit’s fundraising festival should be but one component of a multi-media plan to engage constituents, volunteers, and supporters both at the event and in the social networks of those attending.
We have recommended ‘Tweet Tables’ in previous posts, and today we draw on a really useful compendium of ideas from Trevor Jonas at Mashable.com.
Popularity: 2% | Category Advertising, Blogs, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Events, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Gala, Geo-Location, How-to, iDevice, iPad/Tablet, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Media Review, Mobile, Newsletter, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Public Media, Public Relations, Reviews, Site Administration, Social Media, Social Networks, Storytelling, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Twitter | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Kony 2012 Covered The Night. Did It Jump The Shark?
Youth cover some of the evening
The sensation that is/was ‘Kony 2012′ has been a part of the nonprofit social-media landscape for six-plus weeks now. The hundreds of millions who made the original video a viral sensation in March were not all supporters of the message, though, and challenges to the drive launched by the San Diego nonprofit ‘Invisible Children’ continue to be made. The original and ostensible goal is to have Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) brought to justice by making Kony ‘famous’ enough that world leaders will be inspired or shamed to dedicate the resources to get him. The effort to make him famous has been done and the culmination of the effort was this past weekend’s ‘Cover The Night’ campaign. How well did it go? Whether the night got ‘covered’ probably depends on where you are and what you want ‘covered’ to mean, but Invisible Children have ratcheted up their campaign with, frankly, the oddest video yet.
Popularity: 3% | Category Blogs, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Event Review, Events, Fundraising, Marketing, Media Review, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Opinion, Politics, Public Media, Reviews, Social Media, Social Networks, Storytelling, Video, YouTube | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SM4NP: Kony 2012 Will Get A Sequel & More Context Today
Today is the day. Probably.
As any Hollywood mogul will confirm, when your movie is watched by 100 million people, you need to make a sequel. That market is just too big to pass up. And the renown viral video Kony 2012 has been viewed well over 100 million times. Nevertheless, the reasons the San Diego based firm ’Invisible Children’ will be releasing a sequel to their 30-minute wunderkind seem not really about tapping a market so much as explaining the phenomenon. It has not been released as of this posting, but one can’t help but wonder if we need the prequel/context-setter any more than we needed Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
What do we know about a movie that has not yet appeared?
Popularity: 3% | Category Campaigns, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Crowdfunding, Design, Events, Fundraising, Marketing, Media Review, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Opinion, Politics, Reviews, Social Media, Storytelling, Video | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#TECH: Latest iPad Shifts Mobile Toward Creative Productivity
Apple unveiled the latest iPad this past Wednesday, and though the third generation, Apple will not call it the ‘iPad 3′. Indeed, one of the interesting sideshows of the product’s history has been the sturm und drang over its name.
But for its form factor, the changes are both incremental and market-shifting – typical Apple, really. In one of our earliest tech reviews, we discussed how the iPad will pretty much create a mobile computing market – and it has. The device has opened up consumption of digital materials in ways more convenient and lucrative for publishers, game-makers, and app developers.
Whether the new iPad is worthy of a purchase or upgrade for you personally, we defer comment. But what you need to think seriously about is how the iPad is going to move your nonprofit’s workflow and communications strategies – whether you use one or not – because the latest iPad puts the stress on your productivity, not just consumption.
Popularity: 4% | Category Apple, Communications, Events, Hardware Review, iDevice, iPad Apps, Marketing, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Press Release, Reviews, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#INTERVIEW: Sherry Truhlar, President of Red Apple Auctions, Conducts Benefit Auctions for Nonprofit Organizations
Sherry Truhlar, President of Red Apple Auctions, conducts benefit auctions for nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. She founded the company after more than a decade in corporate sales, marketing and event management. The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: Did you grow up wanting to be an auctioneer?
SHERRY: No, not at all. I decided, wouldn’t it be fun to do that fast talk, the chant? I took a week of vacation from General Electric, where I was a global marketing manager, went out to auction school, and learned the chant. But I realized very quickly that only a small portion of school is devoted to learning the chant. The rest is teaching someone how to run a business. I thought maybe this was something I could do part-time. So I became a licensed auctioneer.
Popularity: 5% | Category Blogs, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Donor Acquisition, Event, Events, Fundraising, Gala, Grants, Interview, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Perspectives, Perspectives | | 0 Comments
Written by: Don Akchin
#HOWTO: Time Those Tweets To Test And Build Impact
Earlier this week we introduced and reviewed a few social-media dashboards to help tame your organization’s streams of updates pouring in. Many platforms (like Hootsuite, TweetDeck, and SproutSocial) also offer the ability to schedule a series of tweets to go out over days, weeks, or months. This feature is obviously handy if your charity has a similar message or link that it wants to send on a regular basis (enter it once, schedule it for Tuesdays over the next month, done!).
But how does that timing feature work, and how could your nonprofit use it to your advantage?
Popularity: 4% | Category Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Crowdfunding, Dashboards, Desktop Apps, Events, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Site Administration, Social Media, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Twitter, Web and Print | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Tech: CES 2012 Shows Off The Flat Entertainment Coming Post-Recession
Each mid-January, while much of the country is struggling to get through wintery weather and get kids back on a school-day schedule, the brash, bold, and bright world of near-future technology is shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not the back end of the financial crisis/Great Recession, not the fact that Apple has not attended in over a decade, or that Microsoft is attending this year for the ‘last’ time could stop the show from breaking attendance records at over 153,000.
Yet those 153,000 did not include the consumer, per se. The show is invitation-only and those are sent to hardware and software companies, to news agencies, to retail-chain buyers, and to tech reviewers. Alas, despite the strong numbers and expansive and loyal readership of the MKCREATIVEmedia blog, we did not seem to warrant an invitation this year. Or it got lost in the mail. Thankfully, the names we trust to write about technology were there to help.
Popularity: 3% | Category Campaigns, Communications, Design, Event Review, Events, Hardware Review, iPad/Tablet, Marketing, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Public Relations, Reviews, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#ProAging: CES Highlights Tech For Boomers On-The-Move
This past 10 through 13 January saw the annual International Consumer Electronics Show present some of the up-and-coming technologies for the next year(s). The CES “is owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $186 billion U.S. consumer technology industry.” Most of the news pertains to the latest smartphone or smart TV, but for the past three years the CES has also supported the ‘Silver Summit.’ This exhibition-within-an-exhibition focusses on technology for older citizens. It also awards ‘Silver Choice Awards,’ a couple of which we wanted to relay to our readers – along with video access to a round-table on the future of technology for retiring Baby Boomers.
Popularity: 5% | Category Aging, Apple, Boomers, Community, Design, Events, Health, iDevice, Independent Living, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Nonprofit, Reviews, Seniors Life, Software Review, Strategic Marketing, Technology, Technology for Aging | | 2 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Tech: SOPA Inspiring Blackouts & Lobbyists – Should Nonprofits Care?
Could SOPA chill free speech?
On the surface, not much seems to be of relevance in the ‘Stop Online Piracy Act’ (SOPA, H.R. 3261) because nonprofits aren’t really in the business of selling digitized content, much less pirated content. Nevertheless, nonprofit organizations and consumer protection groups are decrying the bill and calling for an internet ‘blackout’ on 18 January as Congress discusses the bill. AnonymousIRC, Reddit, and even the many Cheezburger sites are all participating in the blackout while encouraging others to do the same.
The blackout is meant, in part, to call attention to the powers SOPA offers internet service providers (ISPs) and media corporations to shut down sites they believe are dealing with copyrighted material. The blackout is also meant to act as a counterweight to the quarter of a billion dollars these companies have pooled to lobby Congresspeople for their votes in favor of SOPA.
The stakes are high for media businesses and service providers, but nonprofits apparently outside the bailiwick of the act are also starting to get involved. Why?
Popularity: 5% | Category Advocacy, Blogs, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Copyrighting, Events, Marketing, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Opinion, Politics, Public Media, Site Administration, Social Media, Technology | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SocialNetworks: Videos Demonstrate The Power Of Storytelling For Nonprofits
Image by Mike Rohde via Flickr
Perhaps making a series of videos for your organization seems a bit too daunting. Making them certainly will require a bit of planning about the stories to tell, the shooting and editing of the material, and the advertising of the great results. But the return on investment can be huge. And what better way to appreciate the impact of video outreach than to watch a couple of videos that explore the impact nonprofits like yours have made with such outreach?
The first one comes from the South By Southwest Festival‘s Interactive Program (SXSWi) from a couple of years ago. The participants of a panel presented their recent successes on ROI thanks to social media generally and thanks to video outreach specifically. And in the spirit of the music and arts festival, they introduced their projects in a brief poetry slam.
Popularity: 3% | Category Advice, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Events, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Media Review, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Public Media, Social Media, Storytelling, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Philanthropy: Livestrong Bucked Economy & ROI Expectations Via SM
The Great Recession hardly seems over, though most are confident that we have worked through the deepest part of the proverbial woods. Nonprofits, whose work is even more vital for many thousands of people during an economic downturn, suffered as well. But a few were able to fight the long dark night by sticking to a simple strategy that proved effective before the recession and even helped them expand their Return On Investment (ROI) through the downturn..
The case before us: Livestrong, the cancer-survivors’ organization and network that provides support for those getting treatment and help staying fit while living with cancer.
The yellow bracelets raised millions at $1 a pop, but the support stream from the bracelets was already slowing before the economic crisis hit. Instead of retrenchment, Livestrong went on the attack: it hired a full-time social-media ‘evangelist,’ Brooke McMillan, who remains the voice of the organization’s Twitter feeds.
Click image to visit the site
She has since expanded her team and coordinated their outreach with that of Lance Armstrong himself. And millions of followers later, the community amplifies the voices of anyone who participates in the programs.
The result? According to analysis by SocialMediaExaminer.com:
- The 2009 LIVESTRONG Challenge raised $10.8 million – a record for the 13-year event in a down economic year.
- Online store sales set a new record in the rough 2009 holiday season.
- LIVESTRONG collected 70,000 signatures for a healthcare petition.
- Twitter matching challenges have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The recession feels for most of us like it continues. But so does the sale of $1 wristbands, perhaps the icon of microdonations having a macro impact. FastCompany reports that some 7+ million were sold last year.
The scale of success of Livestrong is perhaps unique, but the strategies are not: Develop an authentic social-media voice as part of a larger outreach plan. Find little innovations that capture the spirit of your nonprofit and broadcast them to the world. Do not shy away from the challenges of a tough economy. Thousands are ready to follow your lead.
Popularity: 4% | Category Blogs, Branding, Campaigns, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Development, Events, Facebook, Fundraising, Health, Healthcare, Marketing, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Social Media, Storytelling, Strategic Marketing, Twitter | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#ProAging: Celebrating The Senior Games As Winter Approaches
Doctors, teachers, and athletes encourage us all to get more exercise. For many of us, our springtime means the energy to start a program to get fit and overcome the initial discomforts. As we enter our summer months, the foundation of better health has been set, and we begin to push some of our boundaries. The shortening days of fall might dissuade some of us, but the weather remains warm enough to keep us moving. Besides, winter could prove a notable setback, so we better give an extra push now.
But what about the seasons of our lives? Are we building a solid foundation in our earlier decades to encourage an active and engaged senior life? Many seniors are even competing in an Olympic-style festival that can inspire us all.
Popularity: 5% | Category Aging, Boomers, Events, Fitness, Health, Independent Living, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Silent Generation, Storytelling, Video Interview | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#ProAging: Bringing Ballots To Nursing Homes Via The iPad
iPad as Ballot in Oregon (Not Voting Machine)
When the people of Oregon needed to replace Congressional Representative David Wu this week, the state Board of Elections used the opportunity to develop means to get ballots to older citizens in nursing homes. The traditional means to do so were to send absentee ballots out, but such ballots waste a great deal of payer, any way – and many do not get returned anyway. As we have noted on this blog, the iPad is a convenient and stimulative way for retired Americans to access information. And now it is being used as a way for retired Boomers and those of the GI Generation to cast their votes.
The iPad was used to present the ballot to the seniors, who could use the touch screen to enlarge sections if necessary and to mark their votes with a touch. When done, the iPad printed the ballot for the senior citizen to mail in or to stuff into a ballot box.
The idea came from local activists, and we see a rare moment of Apple contributing to a nonprofit’s efforts: Apple donated five iPads to the Congressional district, and $75,000 to help develop the software that presented and recorded the ballots.
As of now, the feedback on this small-scale election is largely positive. According to a report on CBS News, election officials stressed the fact that the iPad is not recording the vote, simply offering access to the ballot and assisting the elder Americans’ abilities to mark it appropriately. The question remains, nevertheless, as to how scalable the pilot program is. Oregon officials seem convinced it will work statewide, and they are investing in more iPads and printers: “At $500 each, the state could buy the iPads for about $36,000. Portable printers cost about $50 each, Trout said, or counties can use existing printers from their offices. The cost of software is still unknown. In the last two-year budget cycle, Oregon spent more than $325,000 to maintain accessible voting tools.”
The portability and touch-screen simplicity of the iPad makes it an idea technology to assist citizens cast votes. Perhaps as the technology rolls out to other districts and states, it will inspire greater electoral turnout among the rest of us.
Popularity: 8% | Category Aging, Civics, Events, GI Generation, Hardware Review, iDevice, Independent Living, Internet, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Nursing Home, Politics, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Silent Generation, Site Administration, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Aging | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Enviro: Time To Plan Your Proposal For The 2012 Baltimore Green Week!
The fine folks at Baltimore Green Works have been putting on Baltimore Green Week for the past eight years, and they are calling for submissions for those individuals and organizations ready to make the ninth one the best yet.
The form required to propose your project, product, booth, or happening is available online, and is due on December 14th. The winning proposals will be announced in mid-January. GreenWeek 2012 will be April 21-28 at Druid Hill Park in northwest Baltimore. Green Week is part of BGW’s ongoing EcoFest.
If you are in need of some guidance, inspiration, or feedback, BGW is sponsoring a Q&A Meeting for 27 September at 6:pm at 2002 Clipper Park Road, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21211. The meeting is open to anyone even considering submitting a proposal, though GBW asks for an RSVP either to [email protected] or with a call to 410-952-0334.
But if you are not part of a greening organization or company, you can still take part as volunteers for any of the seven days are always wanted.
Check out BGW’s site if you are unfamiliar with it, and mark your calendars for these upcoming events. Finally, to give yourself the good and tasty nourishment needed for this level of community action, look for your local (MD) farmer’s market and support local farmers for the rest of the summer and fall.
Popularity: 8% | Category Advocacy, Communications, Community, Diet, eNewsletter, Environment, Events, Greening, Health, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Urban Farming | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Social Networks: Google+ vs. Facebook – Let The Debates Begin!
Were you invited?
If you’re a social-networks maven, you’ve probably heard a lot, perhaps even too much, about the exclusive/VIP/by-invite-only launch of Google+. As noted earlier, I am not on that A-List (either), but many smart people not on that list have already begun to handicap the fight between Google+ and Facebook. My goal is simply to introduce some of the issues they raise, offer some resources for you to read about the features of each, and provide a bit of context about the mother-of-all-social-media-battles.
Out of the trenches, Google+ conceivably could tie together what most of us do on Facebook (‘Friends,’ family, sharing holiday snaps, poking folks on their birthdays…) with what many of us do on LinkedIn (post resumes, create ‘networks’ of business peers, discuss developments in our industries…). True, one could do all this through Facebook, but given the millions of stories about Facebook flubs, few people are aware of the possibility of distinguishing social friends from work colleagues. Google+ has that distinction built in at the foundation.
So will that make Google+ powerful enough to deliver a knockout blow?
Popularity: 4% | Category Communications, Events, Facebook, Marketing, Measurement, Media Review, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Reviews, Social Media, Software Review, Technology, Web and Print | | 6 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Sustainability: The Ultimate Guide To Green Conferences
Image via Wikipedia
Kerry Given, a writer with Green Marketing TV, has published a very useful list of conferences focusing on sustainability and green issues that will take place in 2011.
Kerry writes that, “with [the] many different green conferences to choose from, how can you decide which are most important for your business to attend? Choosing wisely will not only save your business time and money, it will also reflect your commitment to green principles.”
Check out the comprehensive listing here.
Popularity: 4% | Category Climate Change, Community, Conference/Congress, Environment, Events, Greening, Nonprofit, Nonprofit, Research, Resource, Revitalization, Sustainability | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Enviro: Towsontown Spring Festival Rocks This Weekend
We continue our periodic series on upcoming festivals by directing you to the forty-fourth annual Towsontown Spring Festival, which runs this Saturday and Sunday (April 30-May 1) on the Towsontown Square north of Baltimore city. The festival began as an arts festival, but has branched into opportunities for local businesses, community associations, and charities to reach some 250,000 people who pass through the festival over the weekend.
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Nancy Hafford, who as been the organizer of the festival for a number of years, and we asked her about the ways the festival staff have sought to grow the attendance and participation. She stressed the many ways people can get involved not only in the festival, but with events and philanthropic projects throughout the year. Not surprisingly, social media has played an important role in spreading the word. Nevertheless, they faced some unexpected challenges.
Popularity: 5% | Category Audio Interview, Campaigns, Communications, Community, Donor Acquisition, Event, Events, Fundraising, Interview, Nonprofit, Twitter, Web and Print | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Enviro: Deepwater Horizon Disaster One Year Later
The explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico erupted one year ago today. Eleven workers on the Transocean/Halliburton/British Petroleum were killed, though BP has still managed to avoid investigation into their deaths. The terrible tragedy of 20 April 2010 became the ongoing ecological crisis of the largest oil spill in US waters ever. And the cat-and-mouse game BP and the US government played over the amount of old spewing from the damaged wellhead became the political story of the rest of the summer.
One year later, residents of the Gulf are still trying to recover the economic blow of a lost season of tourism and damage to beaches or wetlands. They also continue to struggle to get the promised compensation from BP. What is the state of the Gulf itself one year on?
Popularity: 5% | Category Blogs, Environment, Events, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics, Resource, Sustainability, Video Interview | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Enviro: 8th-Annual Baltimore Green Week Starts Tomorrow!
Download Emilio Martinez's poster here
It started with a handful of volunteers hoping to draw attention to some of the environmental efforts in and around Baltimore city. It grew in scope to include the business and nonprofit sectors, as well as scores of neighborhood-based organizations. And now Baltimore Green Works is poised to give us the biggest, funnest, most colorful, and most informative Green Week ever. It kicks of tomorrow with “Plant A Vertical Garden” at 2:pm at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute’s Greenspring campus: “Join Baltimore Contained as we plant organic vegetables started from seed by the horticulture students at Kennedy Krieger High School. Using Woolly Pockets planters, you can grow vegetables on any supporting structure, including a chain link fence!” Read on to see the other green goodness coming our way.
Popularity: 7% | Category Community, Environment, Event, Events, Greening, Urban Farming | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD