Nonprofit Sacred Spaces and Technology

In the last few years technology has impacted our engagement with our leaders. We are emailing Board members instead of calling them. We send information, Board minutes, agendas, updates electronically. Some nonprofits have established intranets for their Board members to give them access to information any time they want. Question is: Is this helpful to deepening our engagement with these important advisors, donors, leaders and communicating effectively?

Recruiting Nonprofit Board Members to Fundraise – Q&A Continued

Continuing the questions and answers from the Pursuant Ketchum webcast Creating a Fundraising Board: Recruitment, Engagement and Fundraising. This post focuses on fundraising expectations from the nonprofit Board.

Did Toyota’s cause marketing pass the test?

Guest post from Nathan Hand – From the Pepsi Refresh Project to the American Express Members Project, big brands everywhere are jumping on the cause marketing bandwagon.  The problem is many dive in without truly thinking though the road hazards and missteps that can be avoided. Sure, you’ll never please everyone but I think Toyota got close.
This summer they embarked on their “100 Cars for Good” program. They selected 500 finalists from a short essay. Each day for 100 days, 5 like-sized organizations competed for Facebook votes. Here’s more on how it worked.

Assessments for the Nonprofit Board – Q&A

Continuing from posts last week – more great questions get answers from Pursuant Ketchum webcast on Creating a Fundraising Board. These center on nonprofit Board nominations and how assessments can help enforce Board terms limits or remove disruptive Board members.

Creating a Board that Fundraises – Part 1 – Q&A

I was honored to facilitate a webcast on this topic. As a follow up, we took the questions from the session and I have answered them here. This is the first installment of Q&A from the webcast. Look for more in future blog posts. The big question is how to engage and empower Board members to fundraise? This begins with a solid recruitment, orientation and on-boarding process.

Giving USA 2011 Report – How will you use it?

Fundraising professionals and some savvy donors know this report is published every June and adjusted in October. This year the report has received much press coverage from front page to page 2 in newspapers nationwide. Our donors and volunteers are reading about this report RIGHT NOW!

I know the statistical analysis is filling the blogs and news. While the statistics, look backs and information are interesting – it is how you use the information that really makes it a useful cultivation and solicitation tool. Here are some ideas…

Baby Boomers Giving Back [via AARP]

Have you thought about how you engage Boomers? Are you communicating effectively? Offering volunteer opportunities that allow them to use their skills and experience? They digital users, want to share their ideas and skills and make a difference.

Investment Follows Involvement – How to Engage Donors

A recent report by the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at USC says philanthropic training and immersion encourages donors to give more money and spend more time volunteering. Investment follows involvement. Partners identified two of the SVP activities – serving on the committee that makes collective giving decisions, and volunteering with the organizations they support – as the most beneficial socialization experiences.

Social Media Free Agents – Crashing into Nonprofit Walls

What’s a free agent? They are volunteers in your network (or maybe outside who found you). Free agents are passionate about your work, issues and want to make a difference.

Network Weaving – Story Telling – Crowdsourcing – Oh My!

We can use social media, storytelling, the media to grow effective networks. These activities work best when we are collaborating and building networks/relationships using old and new tools. I know the control freak attitude still remains at many nonprofits. We can and must engage with our constituencies to be successful in sharing our message, meeting community challenges and making social change.