Generations
Monitoring the ups and downs of the baby boomers and the various interpretations of the Millennial generation seems to be required for any nonprofit these days. So I found the New Retirement Rules: Caught Between the Dow and the Tao, by age expert Ken Dychtwald, writing for the Huffington Post, very pertinent. There are good insights here that any nonprofit will find applicable to its fundraising and volunteer recruitment.
Then there is the recent NY Times article, What Is It About 20-Somethings?, a thought provoking piece about a new stage in life...maybe. That article deserved a response and got one at Social Citizens with Kari Dunn Saratovsky's blog post, Who's That Talking 'Bout My Generation.
Bringing the generational discussion directly to fundraising is Katya Andresen with her post, 'Old" donors give more - so do we stick to the same 'old' fundraising?; while Andrew McAfee, blogging at the Harvard Business Review, finds the transparency of younger people refreshing in How Millennials' Sharing Habits Can Benefit Organizations.
Social Media
Sean D'Souza, of Copyblogger, explains the 5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter. Mistake #1 is "Your newsletter isn't helpful." This post doesn't pull any punches and is equally applicable to nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
Did you miss the highly discussed article from Wired this month that "The Web Is Dead"? Well, Brett at NTEN has pulled out the salient points for nonprofits in The Web Is Dead? What Does that Mean (to Nonprofits)?
Fundraising
Are you wondering what to do with mobile? Karen Zapp, writing at Frogloop, has the answers in How to Engage Donors with Mobile. Laying out the many ways you can use mobile, this post is bound to get your creative juices flowing.
Noel Beebe, at Connect Cafe, has tips about getting the most out of your fall "Thon" in Runners, Take Your Mark. From giving your event a personality to what metrics to gather, these five ideas are specific and doable.
Best Opportunities
There are two conferences coming up in September that are particularly attractive for nonprofit folks. The first, on Sept 15, is the Women Who Tech Telesummit for Women in Technology. I like this conference particularly because it is all online and the registration fee is only $20. Check out the terrific line up of speakers, which includes several nonprofit tech experts, and topics.
The other conference, on Sept 20, is the Social Good Summit, sponsored by Mashable and 92Y. What is juicy about this conference is that it is teaming with the United Nations Foundation to discuss the UN's Millennium Development Goals. You can attend the conference in New York City, or enjoy the livestream right at your computer. There is a stellar lineup of speakers, with the livestreaming free and on site registration at only $85.
Photo by Getty Images
Comments
I particulary found the “‘Old’ donors give more – so do we stick to the same ‘old’ fundraising?” and the “5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter” articles really interesting, especially the news letter article.
Newsletters are something which I don’t think enough people give enough attention to. Newsletters are a way of building a relationship with people, reminding them that you are there, and calling them into action to help your cause out.
But your newsletters need to be good, for them to be effective!
The mistakes outlined by Sean are extremely important factors to consider when writing your newsletter.
The first mistake is for me the most important factor about any newsletter. But how, as a non-profit, do you make your newsletter helpful and beneficial to your subscribers?
What do you have to write about that they will enjoy and be pleased about receiving?
First of all you need to consider the reason why people have signed up to your newsletter. Are they wanting to find out what your organization has been doing recently? Do they want to know about the progress of your projects, or do they want to hear about people/animals etc that need help and how they can help out? So first of all decide what your audience wants from you.
Then I would say that the third mistake becomes an important part of the first mistake. For me people want to hear about the good that is going on in the world and how, through their donations etc., that good is being done. They also like to hear about the reverse, what needy (or even shocking and disasterous) things are happening and how they can help out. And you do this by telling stories.
Pull your readers in emotionally by making them apart of whats going on. A story helps bring someone into the actual situation, it makes them a part of it. And now you are starting to make your newsletter useful and beneficial to your subscribers.
Anyways that is my opinion, I would like to hear what you think about it Joanne. How do you think non-profits can make their newsletters “helpful”?
Thanks.