What it takes to give a nonprofit an online presence
I just wrote a blog entry regarding what it takes to get a new business online for a venture my wife is starting. While this deals with a business, it is just as relevant to a nonprofit. And because her business is a step down from “small” — call it “micro” — this information applies [...]
Donation-seeking letter should reflect who you really are
If ever we come off as being something other than what we really are, it’s when we’re trying to impress someone. That’s true of us as individuals and true of us as organizations. And when is it more important for an organization to try to impress someone than when we’re asking for financial support? Sadly, [...]
What Makes Your Nonprofit Unique? A 7-Step Process to Determine Your Unique Selling Proposition
Perhaps more to the point, what makes the public care? What makes them want to send money? What about you makes them want to volunteer? A generation ago, business schools were promoting “competitive advantage,” or “comparative advantage.” An example was the “Chicago boys,” businessmen trained at the University of Chicago who in the early 1970s [...]
Deciding What Your Website Should Accomplish For Your Nonprofit — 8 Questions To Ask
If your organization is now preparing to create a website, you need to consider the following eight points. If you already have one, you still need to give them consideration, since your website, just as all aspects of your business, needs to be re-evaluated on a regular basis. Observe that there is no consideration of whether [...]
Video Isn’t In The Future For The Small Nonprofit – It’s In The Here And Now
There may have been a time when the use of video was something for a small nonprofit to think about — next year. That time is history. Many people expect video; almost everyone enjoys it. Without it, you will lose no small number of viewers on your website and you can expect your loss to [...]
Make Your Appeal Personal – Make It About Someone Your Audience Wants To Care About
A few weeks ago, I was at a banquet for Care Net, an organization that provides an alternative to abortion. The “program” was a young woman who had chosen to visit the local office a few years ago at the time of an unwanted pregnancy and had been counseled on how to chose to give [...]
It’s Wise To Separate Assumption from Reality When Doing PR
Basic assumptions: Everyone knows about the Anytown Dogooders Association and their work and will want to help. Everyone remembers the holiday food drive from last year and is just waiting to be asked for their contributions. Basic facts: Both basic assumptions are about 90 percent wrong. Remember that watermelon bust the Dogooders had at the [...]
Creating a “How-To” PR Handbook for Your Successor (And for Yourself)
Call it a “policy manual,” a “PR manual,” a “how-to notebook,” a “publicity notebook” or whatever you will, it’s something you wish your predecessor had created and it’s something you need to do for your successor. And for yourself. Face it. When you only prepare for a certain event once a year, you’ll forget a [...]
If You Can’t Write a Great Story, Let the Pros Do it Instead
You know that that the press release for your upcoming event needs to be compelling, and you know you need a good photo to go with it, but you’re not so sure you’re up to the task. After all, this is your small nonprofit’s most important event of the year. In the bad economy, your [...]
Why Small Nonprofits Should Use the Web
For many small organizations, the idea of using the internet for promoting themselves seems beyond reach. Without paid web experts on staff, it’s difficult for a small nonprofit even to develop a plan, much less to carry it out. There seem to be too many questions, too many choices, too many roadblocks for the average [...]
