Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Click it!
This week’s Clairity Click-it – your eclectic array of easy- to-“click-it” links to posts I’ve found thought provoking. With, of course, a few comments of my own.
Let’s begin:
Philanthropy
Click-it: What Peter Buffet Gets Wrong about Philanthropy. When I read Buffet’s New York Times op-ed on The Charitable-Industrial Complex I was troubled by it, though I wasn’t quite sure why. This article on Forbes gets to it I think. Bottom line: I have no problem with philanthropy that generates as a conscience salve — or any other reason. Philanthropy must be viewed from the perspective of the recipient. What matters is that they are helped. Their lot is improved. The world is repaired, if only a bit at a time. What the philanthropist thinks and feels is of little import. We don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because change is not happening on a massive scale does not mean we should stop trying. Of course, there are many inefficiencies in the current system. We need to reduce these, collaborate more and avoid duplicating infrastructures. The more we can focus resources — and philanthropy — to address root causes of problems, the better. But there will always be a need for band-aids too. It’s just part of the human condition. Tweet this!
Donor Retention
Click-it: How to Effectively Use an Email Welcome Series to Boost New Donor Acquisition. I found this great article, written by Ryan King, Blackbaud’s Sr. Channel Marketing Manager, on the npEngage blog. If you’ve just been dumping newly acquired online donors into your regular series of e-blasts, e-newsletters and e-appeals, you’ll be well advised to read this and change your practice. One great piece of advice to take away: Sit down with a cup of coffee and plan for how you can help recipients learn more about your organization over a six month timeframe. The article gives you suggestions. Tweet this!
Writing: Headlines
Click-it: Headline Writing: Three Core Factors That Trigger Off Curiosity. From Psychotactics comes this post, channeling advertising guru David Ogilvy, about the incredible importance of headlines – something most folks sadly think of for about 10 seconds. And they may be four times as important as the copy you spent two days writing! Notable quote: The headline isn’t just a nice little title. It’s a time bomb that you spotted three seconds ago, and is about to go off. Tweet this!
Nonprofit Marketing Transformation
Click-it: The Press Release that Made Me Cry. This comes from Kivi’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog, and it makes me cry too. I just sat in on an interview with one of my client’s “top two candidates” for a marketing position, and all the dude could talk about was getting out press releases. Folks… if you’re still doing marketing the way you did it ten years ago (even three years ago), just STOP. It doesn’t work anymore. Read this post to find out what to do instead. Tweet this!
Sales
Click-it: Incapable of Poverty. This one’s a teaser. I love Hugh MacLeod, whose cartoons come with a dose of wisdom and inspiration. This one is about why ‘sales’ should not be a dirty word. I’d say the exact same thing for ‘fundraising.’ So… watch for my post this coming Monday on this topic!
Content Marketing
Click-it: In yesterday’s ‘Think Inside the Box’ Clairification post I highlighted the need to think about your content delivery formats. I didn’t mean to imply that you don’t also need to think about the content – what’s actually inside your box. Content is king, content is king, content is king. Never forget this! All too often nonprofits have lackluster websites that fail to inspire or tell any sort of compelling story. If you don’t have the goods – what folks are looking for when they come to your website (or blog, Facebook page, etc.) – then you’re not likely to ever see them again. I do not want to hear from you that this takes too much time or that you can’t afford to create good content. Listen up: You can’t afford not to. Click to tweet!
Pinterest
Click-it: Five Creative Pinterest Board Ideas to Steal From This Dog Shelter. If you’ve been reading my posts of late you know I’m really excited about Pinterest for nonprofits. This post is from John Haydon’s blog, and he’s all about helping nonprofits tell stories people care about. He’s the guru of Facebook for nonprofits and now he too is touting the benefits of Pinterest. Honestly, it’s huge. You should seriously consider it. And if you need a little Pinterest help and inspiration, check out my new “Hop on the Boards’ eBook and Pinteresting Resources Guide. Tweet this!
The Clairity Click-it is a weekly publication linking to insights inspired by the 7 Clairification Principles that help you “clairify” your values, stories, branding opportunities, social marketing channels, support constituencies, engagement objectives and resources. Check out my 23-page Special Guide to Unlock Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Potential which builds on the 7 Clairification Principles. It’s practical, easy and useful. If you don’t agree, just let me know and I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy. I’m generally pretty nice.
I also have two new special guides for you: (1) How to Use Pinterest Sucessfully to Raise Money and Drive Engagement, and (2) Creative Ways to Use Thank You’s to Retain Donors for Life. Check them out here. To your success!
Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra
