Philanthropy Is Evolving

Personal recap of Dr. Susan Raymond's (Executive Vice President at Changing Our World, Inc.) workshop at Fund Raising Day 2010, New York; Hope Is Not a Strategy: A Systems Approach to Revenue Diversification 

In the midst of all the statistics, the charts, the assertive tone, and the agreeing nods today at Susan Raymond's workshop at Fundraising Day - one message was clear: philanthropy is evolving. 

We're in an era of record unemployment rates and foreclosures. The "depression" that we endured (or are enduring depending on which newspaper or blog you follow) has traumatized us. Dr. Raymond calls this unique PTSD - "depression memory", because too many still remain afraid to be as generous, as trusting, or as engaged as they were years ago. Given all this, the way philanthropy is done urgently needs to evolve - or at least mutate in order to survive. In "Darwinian", the message is that it's survival of the fittest organization to compete and pro-create dollars that donors are holding much tighter. 

END OF DEFINITIONS

With the need to adjust in order to stay afloat, some organizations have accepted doing things differently. Cause-related marketing, for instance, has become an incredibly popular approach, in fact, it has quadrupled in the last 4 years. Also, mission related investments, where non-profits are aligning their missions with companies (clean energy companies for example) are beginning to be equally common. Basically non-profits, according to Dr. Raymond, have to take a more corporate approach. 

How? 

Think businessy.  

Create a business plan, not just a strategy. This involves thinking long term, rather than simply strategizing for the year (or - ahem - months). A business plan needs to "have legs", therefore, it's not just an applied plan, but something implemented with the idea that the organization is set for a few years. Additionally, non-profits should keep in mind their revenue base, their profit structure, and look towards diversification. 

Donors, while still remaining generous are looking at their money as an investment now. That is, donors are now more often looking to donate to organizations that can deliver a tangible return on their investment ("ROI" in business-ese). With respect to this, Dr. Raymond fears that philanthropy may become risk-aversive, but for now, "giving is not eroding".  

Holding to the old way of doing things will not work in the coming era. Accepting the business approach could help your organization thrive, so long as the mission continues to be your sail, and not viewed as an anchor (Dr. Raymond's analogy). You'll have to innovate, be more much more creative, accept technology and trends with a more open mind - otherwise, your organization will risk a fate worse than remaining unevolved - extinction.  

Three-O Bing-Oh: A 30-Day Bing Challenge

In recent technology news, Microsoft has been rolling out some pretty awesome things that are putting them in direct competition with long-standing brands. Consider:

• Microsoft released its own anti-virus and spyware program, Security Essentials.  Based on early reviews, McAfee and Symantec should worry.
• Sony and Nintendo have long been the most well-known names in gaming consoles; dominating the industry.  Microsoft however has been creeping up. They recently announced that the XBOX 360 passed the 30 million unit mark, making 2008 their biggest year – and that’s still not enough. They have a partnership with NetFlix, allowing movie rental on the console (oppose to purchasing/renting expensive blu-ray discs that play on the Sony PS3), and with Project Natal on its way in 2010, the Nintendo Wii will soon look as primitive as an Atari.
• Windows7, the OS follow up to Vista. Reviews have been very strong and almost as exciting as XP was when it was released and people were literally waiting in lines for it.  A stronger OS from Microsoft means less converts to Apple. Kylie 's too cute to be wrong.
• And there's the upcoming Microsoft Office 2010 which is said to have a strong online component to it. This move, I can’t help but imagine has to be a wink/nod/gotcha’ to Google’s Docs – a free online suite of Office-like tools.

Then there’s Bing, Microsoft’s new search, no - sorry, “decision” engine. I’m frequently coming across Bing-talk online.  Reviews thus far:

Bing Keeps Growing: Has Microsoft Finally Cracked Search?
The only thing that will make people switch from Google (or even Yahoo!) to Bing is noticeably better search results. We recently wrote about a site called BlindSearch that lets users blindly sample search results from Google, Yahoo!, and Bing and then choose the best results. The results of that test have been taken down to thwart users attempting to game the system, but at the time of our writing last week, Bing wasn’t doing so badly with people preferring its results about one third of the time. None of the top three search engines were preferred by users more than 45% of that time, which really indicates how close they are to one another in result quality.
http://mashable.com/2009/06/17/bing-keeps-growing/

Microsoft's Bing search engine in challenge to Google
Although it's important to note that the chances of Bing beating Google are slim, it's also important to note that through the help of several innovative features, Bing has been able to capture some market share away from the search giant. In fact, it now has about 10 percent market share. A few years ago, the thought of Microsoft achieving that kind of success online was unheard of. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article6837577.ece

Bing Growing Eight Times Faster Than Google
No doubt about it: More consumers are Googling with Bing. According to the latest stats from research firm Nielsen, Microsoft’s (MSFT) new search engine is growing faster than its archrival’s.
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090917/bing-growing-8-times-faster-than-google/?mod=ATD_rss

It’s talk like this that cannot, and given our industry, should not be ignored. However, I’m a slave to my habits, and my habits have revolved around Google for years. So I had to think up a way to make this interesting and keep me motivated through any bumps while trying Bing out - than it hit me, I decided to put myself through a 30-Day Bing Challenge, I’m calling it, “Three-O, Bing-Oh” (I’ll consider other titles in the comments section).

Starting today, I’ve made Bing my IE7 homepage, and I’ve made it the default search engine on the engine toolbar.

In 30 days, I’ll put together my ideas, general impressions, unique offerings and “decision” helpfulness of the search results on this blog. Should be fun!

See you in three-oh-days.

"Good News" Gets More Coverage

Two philanthropy-minded websites caught my attention this week. The Philanthropy Project and Tonic focus on "good" news and feature video reports and news stories about people and projects that are helping charity or making positive change.

The Philanthropy Project, with a "Give and Glow" tagline includes a quiz to measure your philanthropy "glow" with a helpful tie into Network for Good to connect you with local organizations that match your charitable interests. The site is part of the AOL.com news network and tweets @feeltheglow. Visitors have the option to submit a story.

Tonic bills itself as "the place where good lives - good news, good style, and good deeds". Rather than supporting the site through advertising, visitors can purchase store items that "do something good for the world" -- think designer goods that give back. Tonic tweets too at @tonicnews.

Tonic is more of a feel-good news site and Philanthropy Project includes news and a bit more profiles of people making change in their communities.

If you like Tonic and the Philanthropy Project, you'll also like Good Magazine, Happy News, and Good News Network.

ps. I'm glowing a 63.06... measure your wattage.

Is Your Org Really About "Social Change"?

I'm only half-joking when I say that every nonprofit should put the term "social change" in the subject line of their online appeals. The term is hot right now. Google returns more than 16 million records for the phrase "social change" and Twitter brings back too many return pages to count. The Obama campaign's call to action has rallied thousands of people to make a difference under the term social change". But, should you get on the bandwagon and reframe your mission with the term "social change"?  Does it work for your organization? 

Social change is defined on Wikipedia as "when behavior pattern changes, in large numbers and is visible and sustained' and "any event or action that affects a group of individuals that have shared values or characteristics." OK, good starting point. Does your organization affect the behaviors of thousands of people? Over a period of time, probably. Your organization's outreach can span across channels with direct mail, magazines, online marketing, and events. Can you tabulate whether people have been affected by your outreach?  Sure, look at the number of donations or constituents you have in your database. Look at how many emails you send out each year and how many people take an action based on your communications. Finally, look at your organization's beneficiaries and programs to gauge how your organization has affected social change. 

To this end, every organization can make the argument that they're about "social change." Should your organization reframe itself and start up on the "we're about social change" nomenclature? Well, first think about it. Look at why constituents sign up for your online newsletter or donate to your group in the first place. They must like you for your existing mission and vision, your current programs and goals, and because of who or how you help. Don't feel the need to change your homepage banner to read "creating social change." Be yourself, but maybe stick that word "change" in your next online appeal. It can't hurt, right?

Using your website to “go green” (and make green)

Let’s face it. The troubled economy is not making it easy for fundraisers this year. And this St. Patrick’s Day we could all use a lucky leprechaun to lead us to the pot of gold.

While the economy is getting most of the news coverage these days, “going green” has had its share of the limelight as well. Here are a few easy ways to build lists and raise money while going green this year.

1. Create online-only constituents and publications
From banks to cable companies, there is a growing trend to get rid of mailed, paper statements and to interact exclusively online. While you shouldn’t entirely do away with offline newsletters and direct mail, there are some constituents who may appreciate receiving online-only communications from your organization – particularly if it is coupled with a “going green” message.

Consider emailing a segment of your list and asking them to help you save money and trees by opting in to online-only communications; include a tell-a-friend feature here as well. (Alternatively, segment recent online donors who have never given offline, and keep them out of offline mailing lists.) Target these constituents differently in the coming months by reinforcing your appreciation of their online-only status. You may be able to send more frequent emails to this group as well, since you are not balancing online and offline calendars.

A more drastic but not unheard of measure is to take a regular publication out of print, and create an online-only version in its place. Proceed with caution, but since you can learn much more about your donors through their clicks – and since a reader is more likely to forward to a friend than they are to drop off a few hard copies with friends and family – the right analytics and segmentation could make an online-only version even more profitable.

2. Be less “printer-friendly”
Ever received an email that includes in the signature a request to “consider the environment before printing this email”? In a few easy steps, you can add a similar message near printer-friendly links on your website and in email stationery.

3. Offer seasonal ecards
Use holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day as timely reasons to publicize your organization through e-cards. Free e-cards help grow your house file, and allow the sender to give an eco-friendly online greeting to a loved one. Tribute e-cards raise funds by allowing the sender to make a donation in someone’s name rather than purchasing a tangible present. Both varieties can help build lists and raise money, without any need for paper.

Going green and making green don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Offering more unique opportunities for online communication will help save trees and money, and may also be seen as an effort toward responsible spending of donor dollars.

Go green, and you might just find that pot of gold after all.

Be Seen: 2009 Conferences

One of my 2009 resolutions is to network, get out there, meet some people -- both online AND in the real world. So far I've found and followed a few dozen more people on Twitter, renewed my DFWIMA and NTEN memberships, and registered to attend an event with speakers who worked on digital solutions for presidential campaigns.

If you are also seeking new connections, consider these conferences and events. Chances are you will find something in your area and you might actually enjoy a real-time conversation that doesn't involve a webcam, phone, internet connection, or LOL. Really, when was the last time you looked someone in the eye while you discussed best practices for online fundraising or the latest benchmarks for email. 

NTEN

April 26-28, 2009 in San Francisco, CA

NetSquared

May 26-27, 2009 in San Jose, CA

DMA 2009 Nonprofit Leadership Summit

June 15-17, 2009 in Naples, FL

Bridge Conference

July 21-23, 2009 in Washington, DC

Blackbaud

November 15-18, 2009 in Charleston, SC

Convio Summit 2009

November 16-18 in Austin TX

More Events

• TechSoup Community Calendar
• NTEN Events

Making Facebook’s “25 Things” Phenomenon Work for You

By now we’ve all seen the “25 Things” notes circulating on Facebook – the one where your friends write 25 random things that you may or may not know about them, and then tag you in the note asking you to do the same.

If you’ve completed the note yourself, did you find it easy to do and wish the note asked for 50 Things? Or did you have trouble coming up with enough interesting tidbits to share, and worry about friends commenting on some?

If your nonprofit were tasked with coming up with an interesting 25 Random Things list, would it be difficult to do? (Or difficult to get approved?)

As a nonprofit professional, consider the information your organization shares regularly with its supporters. Your mission statement. Details on an upcoming event. Maybe some photos or videos from a successful recent program. Do you ever take a risk and share a little more with your supporters?

Social media allows nonprofits to open doors and share behind-the-scene details and little-known facts about their causes. And by doing so, it engages supporters and helps identify key followers.

Get inspired by the 25 Things phenomenon. Think creatively and share more stories about your cause. What are the most important things your organization wants its supporters to know? What creative ways are you using to communicate these stories to them?

More about Facebook’s 25 Random Things:

• Getting To Know Each Other: Facebook's '25 Random Things'
• MTV Newsroom: 25 Things About MTV News
• Wall Street Journal: Facebook Mystery: Who Created “25 Random Things About Me”? 
• Time Magazine’s 25 Things I Didn't Want to Know About You and 25 More Things I Didn't Want to Know About You

Why Linking Works

A website without links is like a bicycle without a chain (or a million other metaphors): nonfunctional and pointless. The Web was created for hyperlinks; seems like a given. However, some organizations worry about sending away traffic to other organizations and groups. So, they want to remove links on their website-- a few links or even all of them.

Creating and managing external links is an important part of building and maintaining any website. Organizations want to maximize their links to corporate partners, other NGOs, and other online resources without losing traffic and driving potential donors and registrants to other websites. Many organizations struggle over how to prepare and manage their external links. However, few organizations devise programs or best practices to help with this process.

The Internet is a web because of how links are put together; to simply ignore linking takes away for the dynamic qualities of this medium and can hinder Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices.  A website needs to connect to other resources to be part of that connected web of sites that string together the Internet. Ignoring link opportunities or removing them from a website leaves a very flat experience and does little to ensure that visitors stay longer on the website. It also gives the appearance of an organization with few connections to other resources.

Your organization can devise a simple list of best practice or link policy to build and maintain external links and maintain a navigable and well-connected online presence:

Reciprocity: Ensure links to corporate partners, other organizations and NGOs, foundations, or any other resources will feature reciprocal links. Linking improves SEO and helps market the organization to other resources.

Open New Windows: Links to resources not affiliated directly with pertinent content can open a new browser window with the "target="_BLANK". For example, a link to other organizations can open a new window. Be very careful with opening new windows, as it makes for poor accessibility for visitors with impairments.

List Resources: Post resources at the bottom of articles and pages, rather than link with copy. For example, list "Other Resources" at the end of a story or piece of content, then display a small message that the link will open a new window. 

Use Copy Links: When you link with copy, avoid phrases such as "click here" or "read more". Instead, make strategic links, such as "Visit XXXXXX's website". This linked copy will help boost search results for  related to that group or company can improve SEO ratings.
 
Use Logos and Visuals: Linking to corporate and nonprofit partners with their logos and visuals provides a very professional appearance and can be used as leverage to creating meaningful partnerships with other corporate or organization brands. Corporate branding offers a substantial link presence and can be leveraged for strong, reciprocal partnerships.

Make Your Website a Resource Center: Having a links page can provide a resource for anyone interested in hunger-related or global development-related issues and need to locate resources. This links page can be created with tools such as Delicious to combine online bookmarks, syndication feeds, and social networking tools. A good example of this resource can be found on the KnowH2O website.

Watch your Google Analytics or other web log reports and pay attention to your top exit pages. If these pages feature a lot of external links, you might want to revise how many links are on these pages. Check your referrer logs to make sure your partners are driving traffic your way, too.  Don't be afraid to be part of the larger whole; have confidence in your message and show the world that your organization is an important resource in the vast sea of websites.  

A resolution for change (and a chance to go to the inauguration)

 

There are plenty of resolutions being made right now (and some may have already been broken... did you skip the gym already?).

But here's a worthwhile mantra for the new new year: "Change begins with me."

The Case Foundation announced this new campaign to build on the election excitement and carry it through the inauguration and into Obama's presidency.

They ask you to complete this sentence... "Change begins with me. I commit to..." A winner will be chosen at random to go to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the Hawaii Inaugural Ball.

As someone who works to gain supporters for your cause, take this opportunity to make a promise to yourself, to those your organization serves, and yes, even to your boss: "In 2009, I commit to finding creative new ways to inspire our supporters, achieve our mission, and change our world."

First creative way to do it? Tell your constituents about this inauguration giveaway, and ask them to commit to making change by their support of your organization in 2009.

A few of our favorite things

Oprah shares her favorite things with her audience. While I'm nowhere near Oprah-status, I thought I'd take the opportunity to do the same. The best part about my favorite things is that they are all FREE and could help increase your productivity, enable you and your coworkers to work together more dynamically, or even reduce costs at your organization.

Basecamp (www.basecamphq.com)
Basecamp is a full-fledged project management tool and one of the few on this list that comes in different price plans. The free version lets you have unlimited users posting notes about one project. If you need one place to discuss a project and track who's saying what, Basecamp is a great tool. The other plans starting at $24/month also include To Do lists, milestones, and file storage. A shoutout to Matt for bringing us Basecamp.

FreeConferenceCall.com
Really, it is free. No commercials or advertisements. You sign up and receive a free conference call number that is yours to use whenever you want, no reservations or schedules. If you're looking for the downside, the only one is that the phone number provided is not an 800#. But really, with nationwide calling plans, this is almost no issue at all. After each call you receive a report of what numbers dialed in and for how long.

Compete.com
So you know your web site gets 10,000 unique visitors each month. The bigger question is, how does that compare to your competitors. Compete.com will tell you. The free plan gives reports on URLs you request for Visitors, Engagement, and more.

Tinyurl.com
There are times when you don't want to scare off a potential donor or constituent by posting a long and unmemorable web address. Tinyurl is a good choice if you're current CMS system doesn't offer something similar. Enter your long URL and Tinyurl gives you a much shorter version. You can customize it as well.

Firebug extension for Firefox (http://getfirebug.com)
Firebug is an amazingly useful tool for diagnosing HTML and CSS coding on a web page. After downloading and installing the extension to Firefox, you can view and edit the HTML or CSS for the page. If you're not sure which CSS is pushing that column too far left or why the spacing is way off between your navigation and your content, you simply start Firebug and roll over elements on the page. It will display the related code. Overall, this has probably saved hours of production time over the last year.

Bubbl.us (www.bubbl.us)
Use it for mind-mapping, org charts, or simply brainstorming. This handy website lets you create bubbles of your ideas. And the best part, you can allow others to also edit the same diagram. In less than 15 minutes I did an outline of online marketing concepts and then invited my coworkers to edit the outline. This is a great tool for outlining your organization's 2009 campaign plans, marketing plans, org structure, or any other concept that you need to quickly outline and review with others. You'll easily be able to export your diagram to a jpg or png file for use in other documents or insert the HTML into your page. You can see a list of my favorite things below.

Want to add your own favorite things to this bubbl.us list? Comment below with your email address and I'll invite you to be an editor of the file on bubbl.us.