Nonprofits

The last time I did a donating experiment was after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. At that time I donated a small amount to several charities working on disaster relief. I was particularly interested in how they thanked me after my donation.

But, to my surprise, I often ran into difficulties just making a donation. One donation page did not load so I left; another required a registration process before I could donate so I left; and one organization did not have a donation page dedicated to Japan relief specifically, even though it had promoted that very thing.

Big abandonment issues for me on these sites. I wrote about my experience in How Not to Thank a Donor During a Disaster.

Fundraising experts continue to test donation pages and more best practices have emerged.

DonationPay, a crowd sourcing donation site, attended the recent NTC conference and presented the 20 Most Important Components of Your Donation Page, using examples of what works on their site.

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Nonprofit Blog Carnival

Write a Letter to a Nonprofit Board. The Nonprofit Blog Carnival is accepting submissions until May 27th. Erik Anderson, at Donor Dreams, is asking for "Dear Board" letters. What would you like to say to a nonprofit board if you could? Of course, if you have a blog post about best practices for boards, but it isn't a letter, you can send that in too.

Issues

• New Study: Low Nonprofit Overhead Does Not = Greater Efficiency - Nonprofit Quarterly. Welcome new light shed on the eternal battle over overhead. Maybe this new info will help free nonprofits from the tyranny of efficiency.

• What a week in Washington! And the biggest issue is all about the IRS and nonprofit organizations. For some insight and background on the 503(c)(4) conundrum, check out these posts:

  • How the IRS's Nonprofit Division Got So Dysfunctional - ProPublica.
  • Trouble at the IRS: What Were They Thinking? - Philantopic, Foundation Center.

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I've been reading the most recent book by Jeff Brooks, The Fundraiser's Guide to Irresistible Communications: Real-World Field-Tested Strategies for Raising More Money (Emerson & Church, 2012).

I'm not surprised that I agree with him about everything.

I follow Jeff's blog religiously, and you should too. It's Future Fundraising Now. Jeff's blog is infuriatingly plain. So is his book. Really, his core advice for direct mail fundraising, "make it plain, make it corny, make it obvious," is a sort of mantra for everything he does and writes.

That's because it works. How does he know? Because he tests everything! That's the difference between someone who really knows what he's talking about when it comes to fundraising and lots of other so called experts who just "theorize."

By the way, Jeff walks the talk. He is the creative director at TruSense Marketing and has been helping nonprofits for over 20 years. He's worked with some of the biggest nonprofit brands.

Jeff says that our biggest mistake in fundraising is thinking that what we like is what works. We're self-centered, rather than donor-focused. And, frankly, we are soooo off the mark.

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There is a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth when it comes to the subject of nonprofit boards. And it's true that many nonprofits have woefully inadequate boards that don't understand their fundraising duties nor even want to engage in helping with fundraising.

This month's Nonprofit Blog Carnival host, Erik Anderson of Donor Dreams, challenged us to write a letter to our board members (or a fictional board) that expressed all that we ever wanted to say...good or bad...to them.

I am lucky. The boards I've worked with have been pretty terrific, especially that first one when I was new to nonprofit work and was still learning the rules of staff/board relationships.

I have decided to put my gratitude into a love letter to that board for teaching me so much.

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May is Older Americans Month (its 50th anniversary!), a great time to thank your older donors and volunteers, and to simply appreciate the rich diversity that older people bring to our organizations.

This year's slogan for the month-long celebration of older people is "Unleash the Power of Age." How will you do that? Check out the official website (sponsored by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Community Living) for lots of ideas that you can jump into immediately.

Volunteerism is one of the hallmarks of aging. People simply do more of it as they age. Plus, volunteering is steadily becoming more popular for this age group as we learn about its benefits to our physical and mental health.

AARP, the premiere advocacy organization for older Americans, has become an ardent promoter of volunteering by older people. AARP, which does significant surveying, found that volunteering is becoming steadily more popular, In 2003 62% of older adults volunteered. That number rose to 69% in 2009, and in 2012 stood at 76%.

Why? One reason is that volunteering just keeps older people in the pink. A recent study by Volunteer Canada incorporated much of the research on this topic from recent years and found that volunteering does these things for older people:

• improves physical functioning
• enhances emotional health
• provides social advantages, and
• is good for brain health.

All of those factors are turning out to be key to longevity, and not just existing but living an energetic and engaged life well into old age.

So what are you doing to recruit, engage, and grow your nonprofit or charity with the help of older people?

Here are some resources about older adults and volunteering:

• Last year's info about Older American's Month
• 6 Tips for How Nonprofits Can Reach Baby Boomers as They Turn 65
• How Encore.org Encourages Older Americans to Give Back
• Experience Corps, AARP, and How Older People Help With Literacy
• Facts about Older Americans from the Census Bureau

Image: Courtesy of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs Newsletter
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Benevolent's mission is simple. Help people who just need a modest helping hand to dig out of a tough spot. And do it through online crowdfunding.

There are so many crowdfunding sites that have sprung up in recent years that it is truly daunting to keep up, but this one caught my attention almost instantly.

So what's so special about it?

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Most of us would never think of passing up our employer's matching contribution to our 401(k) or other retirement account.

Yet, many people never apply that reasoning to their charitable gifts, even though many employers offer a match for our donations to our cherished causes.

There are many reasons why this happens, and we may all wish that companies did a better job of publicizing their matching gift programs in house. But the fact remains that sometimes charities themselves must take an active part by identifying companies in their areas that do match and then reminding donors to take advantage of that opportunity.

The Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona knows how important it is to promote matching gift opportunities. See its instructions above and at its site.

Adam Weinger of Double the Donation, has resolved to help educate both donors and nonprofits about the money (one estimate is that $10 billion in matching funds go to waste each year) we all, donors and charities, leave on the table, untouched.

Weinger's latest guest article for About.com explains just what your charity can do to remind your donors of matching gift programs. Don't miss How to Promote Employee Matching Gifts to Your Donors - 5 Strategies That Work.

Read more about matching gifts:
7 Types of Corporate Giving Programs
Employee Matching Gifts - What They Are and How They Work

About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs Newsletter
Sign up for my free email newsletter and keep up to date with the latest nonprofit news, trends and tips.

That awkward set of letters actually stands for "The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration." It's a British thing I think. Kinda awkward, a little bit frumpy, but James Bond sharp.

If you've been into recent British dramas such as Mr. Selfridge, Call the Midwife, and The Bletchley Circle, then you'll love SOFII.

SOFII is the swipe file of all swipe files, where people who work in fundraising spill their secrets like foreign spies shot up with truth serum by MI-5.

And the content isn't all British. SOFII is really global, with only one idea -- to make fundraising better, smarter and, I'll say it, more fun.

What I love the most is the history. Ever wonder where the adopt-a-pet idea started, or what the great fundraising campaigns of yore looked like? SOFII is the place.

Using SOFII and not promoting it enough has been nagging me forever. So here is my make up. Go check out SOFII, sign up for the emails, and start swiping.

Image: The cartoon above is actually part of a downloadable bookmark that SOFII uses for promotion.

Other Resources I Like:

• Best Publications for Nonprofits
• Best Nonprofit Job Search Websites
• Guide to Volunteer Opportunities Online

About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs Newsletter
Sign up for my free email newsletter and keep up to date with the latest nonprofit news, trends and tips.

I don't even think we're waiting for the verdict on this question. It's been in for a while. Facebook and other types of social media do work well for nonprofits.

But smaller organizations that are pressed for time, money and know how still resist setting up a Facebook Page for their organizations. Are you being left behind?

I won't say that Facebook is easy for nonprofits or for anyone setting up a brand page. But I do think that we are at the same point we were some years ago when there was still considerable doubt about setting up websites.

The fact is that social media is not going away, and it's likely that the major players we see today are going to be around for a while. Plus, in a multichannel world, where people get their information from a variety of sources, playing the social media game is just as important as setting up a website, sending out press releases, and mailing out fundraising appeals.

But Facebook should be your first stop if you have to choose where to start your social media journey. That's because your supporters are probably already there.

If you're not already convinced, maybe 7 Reasons Your Nonprofit Should Be on Facebook, by guest author Julie Welles, will help tip the balance.

If you do take the plunge, be prepared for a long road of hard work, learning, and experimentation. But it will be worth it and maybe even pretty exciting.

Photo: Getty Images

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Every year "The NonProfitTimes" comes up with a list of the Best Nonprofit Employers to Work For. The list is not only a wonderful benchmark for other nonprofits, but it also provides excellent guidelines for anyone who desires a long-term career in the sector.

The annual list of best nonprofits is the result of a competition by "The NonProfit Times." After being nominated for Best Nonprofit Employer, NPT gathers information about that organization's benefits and employment practices.

Then a confidential survey is provided to the nominated organization's employees. That survey covers eight categories ranging from leadership and planning, to work environment, to employee engagement.

Each organization is assigned a score based on the data gathered. The top 50 nonprofits are ranked, irrespective of size; and then sublists are compiled for small, medium and large employers.

Check out the cover story about the 2013 list that appeared in "The NonProfitTimes" in April. It provides a quick glance at who placed where and includes intriguing specifics about some of the top-ranked organizations.

So what are the characteristics of great nonprofits? Here are three that pop out from this year's report:

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