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Welcome to the Nonprofit Partnership E-News In this Issue 
Visit our website Contact Us: Robert Wooler, |
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This edition of the The Nonprofit Partnership e-news is sponsored by Malin, Bergquist & Co.
If it’s August, your entry must be on its way Here’s a quick reminder that August 28 is the deadline for entries for two Nonprofit Partnership contests: • Our Annual Report awards will recognize the most effective annual reports for both large and small organizations - $2,500 will go to the winners who will be announced at the Nonprofit Day conference on October 21. • The Bracken Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Governance will be given to the organization whose application best reflects the best-practice performance of its Board of Directors. The winning organization will receive a $5,000 award on Nonprofit Day. Application forms and further information is available on our website at www.thenonprofitpartnership.org And Speaking of Nonprofit Day.... Registration is now open for this full day conference, “Finding Your Way in the Storm: A Compass for Today’s Nonprofits.” The event will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at the Bayfront Convention Center. It will feature a keynote address by Peter Brinckerhoff, award-winning author of “Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime for Your Nonprofit,” plus twenty compelling workshops on management, governance, marketing, and fundraising topics. A vendor fair will round out the full day of learning and networking. A special half-day Pre-Conference institute on E-Marketing will be held on October 20. For details, visit the NPP website at www.thenonprofitpartnership.org and use the online registration form to secure your place at the conference today.
The New Realities of Marketing That You Need to Know 1. Marketing is much more of a conversation, much less of a soapbox. The dynamics of communication today are most definitely two-way. 2. Your audience is not the general public. You need to focus on specific groups and work toward communicating with them in ways that connect with their particular needs and values. 3. Build your own media empire with online tools. It’s more reliable and targeted than trying to rely on mainstream media. 4. Old people are online. Everyone is online, and their expectations for communicating online with their favorite nonprofits are very high. 5. You are a virtual community organizer. Social media tools in the online channel bring people together just as you have brought them in person with live fundraising events. 6. Good online marketing is personal. The staff have to present themselves as real human beings in communications to create the emotional connection to the cause. 7. Good nonprofit marketing takes more time than money. While the dollar cost may be essentially zero, managing profiles on several social network sites and writing several blog posts each week is more time-consuming than sending out a print newsletter. 8. The new reality of two-way communication is that you’ve lost control of the message. The vast majority of comments people make online about nonprofits are positive, but you have the power to respond to the negative when and if you see it. 9. The conversation you have through marketing is a key ingredient of fundraising. It’s what puts new people into your pool of donors and what keeps current donors informed and pleased so they will give again. 10. Sweat the important stuff first. Don’t worry about Facebook until your website is in good shape. Focus on the basics first and do them well. For more detail on the new realities, see www.nonprofitmarketingguide.org. For step-by-step tools to use to get started or get refreshed in the online channel, The Nonprofit Partnership’s new E-marketing Specialist Rebecca Howe has posted an e-marketing toolkit on our website. If you have questions, please contact Rebecca directly at (814) 454-8800 x 4. “We should have an attorney on the board.” This is one of the most enduring pieces of conventional wisdom nurtured by nonprofit boards, but it is rarely explored for truth. Is it really a good idea? The advantages of having an attorney on the Board include: 1. They bring professionalism, conscientiousness, and attention to detail. 2. They bring legal knowledge and skills in analyzing information. Disadvantages may include: 1. The law is an increasingly specialized field, and the chances are great that an attorney you find may not bring the right specialties to the table. 2. The “smartest guy in the room” phenomenon. Some board members may be intimidated and not get in on conversations where the attorney has weighed in. 3. Confusion over role and limits. An attorney on the board is no substitute for independent counsel, as the duties required in each role are different. Tips on how to proceed: 1. Do reference checks with boards on which the attorney has served before. 2. Seek an attorney with expertise in the areas that are particular to your organization. For more information on this topic, see www.blueavocado.org.
Getting the Most From Nonprofit Partnership Education Sessions In an effort to make sure the education and training sessions offered by The Nonprofit Partnership are as productive as possible, we are going to be emphasizing some new dimensions of learning to make sure that key lessons are learned and implemented in to improve management, governance, communication, and fundraising at your nonprofit. From now on, watch for us to: 1. Clearly articulate the learning objectives for the session. 2. Ask participants to identify the ways they plan to implement what they’ve learned. 3. Conduct evaluation sessions immediately through an online survey. 4. Follow-up with participants to see how they are doing with planned implementation. 5. Refer any requests for additional one-on-one assistance to Bob, Gary, or Rebecca for immediate attention. Remember that our mission is to help you be as effective as you can in your organization. These changes are made to more effectively pursue that goal. Looking forward to moving the needle with you!
Glenwood YMCA Welcomes NPP Members The Glenwood Park YMCA's $6 million expansion is now complete. The Y is hosting an Open House for members of The Nonprofit Partnership (all employees and families of member organizations) on August 26 and 27 from 9 am to 9 pm. The Glenwood Paryk YMCA is located at 3727 Cherry Street. The Open House offers an opportunity to:
If you decide to join as a Nonprofit Partnership member, the Y will waive the joining fee, saving you up to $100. For more information, call (814) 868-0867 or visit online at www.ymcaerie.org. Why You Should Be Thinking About Bequests Conventional fundraising wisdom in a time of scant giving leads us to the subject of bequests. Here are some thoughts from Rick Schwartz to help you along. 1. Since most people have no idea what charitable bequests are, you have to introduce the concept in full. 2. You are promoting the concept of a legacy consistent with the donor’s values. 3. Make all your appeals very personal because this kind of giving is as personal as it gets. 4. To succeed in this arena, you have to invest money that you will not get back for a while. 5. Until the dollars come in, measure your success by the relationships being built. You have to stick with it. 6. Understand the power of this experience, as your organization is the keeper of the donor’s last charitable wishes. For more, see www.schwartztalk.com
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