Branding used to connote something done with a hot iron to mark ownership of a steer. If there was a relationship quality to this it was only in the fact of being an owner of the thing possessed. It was certainly not about building a relationship, or any important social bonds, with your livestock. In…
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The fact that development and marketing are charged with making the same relationship-building and communications decisions means that it is time, once and for all, to actively align these functions. Yesterday in Part 1 we discussed the natural linkages between these functions and that, first and foremost, everything we do is about the customer experience. Today,…
DetailsThere’s no difference. There’s never been a difference. It’s time to call a spade a spade. When the term “development” came to be used in fundraising it was at a time when folks working in nonprofits wanted little to do with the world of “business”. Since marketing was a business term, nonprofits invented their own…
DetailsYesterday I asked if you or your Executive Director are writing your own fundraising letters. We discussed the fact that you and your key staff are simply too close to the organization to write effective, persuasive copy. And we talked about the fact that the lion’s share of your supporters – let’s call them the…
DetailsAre you writing your own fundraising letters? Worse still, is your Executive Director writing them? According to Jeff Bros “insiders” like you and your key staff are simply too close to the organization to write effective, persuasive copy. Why? Because over time you/they have developed a certain way of thinking, and a certain proprietary knowledge,…
DetailsI just read an eye-opening Harvard Business Review blog article about the Six Attitudes Leaders Take to Social Media, demonstrating how business leaders are beginning to embrace the real opportunities social media offers. Most, however, are still on the wrong side of the fence (the article includes an assessment tool link to help you figure…
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This morning I opened the newspaper and read about how the Occupy movement can take advice from marketing and branding gurus. They’ve been criticized for being all over the place, and not having a distinct message or rallying cry. Too often, businesses – nonprofit or otherwise – do the same thing. The inevitable result when…
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My original title was: Asking the Questions; Doing Something with the Answers. A corollary would be “plan the dive; dive the plan”. In other words, we shouldn’t be diving into things (think about what you’re doing with your brand, website and social media in particular) without first asking some critical questions. I added “clueless” to…
DetailsSo powerful. So sobering. I just watched “The Girl Effect” video for the “n”th time; it never loses its potency. A simple story. Rapidly told. Presenting examples. Playing to our emotions. Offering a solution. Messaging doesn’t get compelling than this. In cased you’ve never seen it, The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking is…
DetailsMuch of philanthropy occurs during holiday seasons. These sacred days – often shared with family and friends — encourage us to lo deeply at our lives, our actions, our blessings, our challenges and our dreams for the future. We think about being a better person… reaching out generously… sharing our blessings… giving back. Recently,…
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