In addition to raising money, your event is an opportunity to forge strong bonds with your donors and turn them into advocates for your organization. Here’s how.
Continue readingThe 2009 Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Conference
I urge you to attend the 2009 Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Conference on Wednesday, 9/16/09. My friend Darian Rodriguez Heyman will be presenting alongside Ralph Nader, and it promises to be be an exciting, fruitful event.
This confrerence is designed to help executives from nonprofits, social enterprises, and small and medium-sized businesses better understand important trends and key factors for success as they seek to grow their organizations in these challenging times.
The program will feature presentations from:
- Ralph Nader, former U.S. presidential candidate, consumer advocate and founder of The Center for Study of Responsive Law and Public Citizen
- Darian Rodriguez Heyman, advisor to the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development and former Executive Director at Craigslist Foundation
- Dick Sweeney, co-founder of Keurig Coffee
DETAILS
DATE: September 16, 2009
TIME: 8 am – 12 pm
LOCATION: Rothman Institute at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, one of the top 20 entrepreneurship centers in the nation (Princeton Review)
NONPROFIT ADVERTISING: Taxi Ads
In our media-saturated world, nonprofits are stepping up their advertising to remain competitive.
Have you noticed the increase in nonprofit advertising in New York City recently? It seems that everywhere you look – on bus shelters, in the subways, in magazines – you see ads promoting various causes. The latest – ads in cabs.
One organization, NY Cares, known for advertising its winter coat drive in the subways, takes advantage of a captive audience with their spot on a taxi cab network promoting volunteerism. Not only does it get their message out, but it builds their brand by increasing their visibility. This helps them reach more people, enhances their reputation, and shows donors that they mean business. Despite how you feel about advertising, it’s one more way for nonprofits to build their brand.
WAKE UP CALL: How serious is your nonprofit about building its brand, and what steps are you taking to build it?
FREE WEBINAR: Words Matter
Improve the power of your response with writing that grabs your readers’ attention. Unfortunately, nonprofits are known for writing from an institutional point of view (what we do), rather than a client-centered perspective (how you benefit). Writing that paints a clear picture for the reader, involves them emotionally, and conveys the personality of your organization is often an overlooked opportunity to forge a bond with your donors and increase your response rate.
To help you get the most impact from your writing, I urge you to attend a free webinar called “Writing it Right – Why the Words and Format Matter in Business” by Alan Siege on Wednesday, August 5, 1 pm – 2 pm, ET.
He will discuss how to write effective e-mails, memos and reports with an emphasis on ensuring that the message you need to give and the action you want the recipient to take, is clear and well presented. He will analyze each approach and give examples where, when done well, there is little or no ambiguity. He will also provide examples that the participants can take with them as “take-aways” that provide added value.
Learn more: Writing it Right – Why the Words and Format Matter in Business
Nonprofit Branding in the News
It’s not often that nonprofit organizations are afforded a mention in the popular press for a name change. But one organization in California did. The Auburn Journal, covering northern California, wrote about the rationale for an adoption agency changing its name from Sierra Adoption Services to Sierra Forever Families. Removing the word “adoption” in favor of “forever families” was part of their brand strategy to change public perception about the adoption. At Red Rooster Group, we’re glad that there is more widespread interest in nonprofit branding issues. We counsel our clients that a name change or new brand launch is a perfect opportunity for them to garner some media coverage, particularly around anniversaries or other major milestones or initiatives.
SOURCE: Adoption group changes name to Sierra Forever Families
POSTER: ReelzChannel
Thanks for supporting me on Hazon's NY Ride
Thanks for supporting me on the Hazon’s NY Ride. With your help, I raised $4,877 and was named Hazon’s Person of the Year.
Almost at Halfway Fundraising Mark
I have raised $4,736 so far for Hazon. Please support me in reaching my goal of raising $10,000 for this amazing organization.
Hazon has had to cut staff and reduce programs due to reduced funding this year, and I am dedicated to doing my part to see that it can continue its good work.
Find out more and support the effort for a better world:http://blog.redroostergroup.com/2009/07/23/hazon-ride/
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I also started Hazon Team Brooklyn to create team spirit and help other Ride participants meet each other and fundraise. 15 people joined us for the NY Philharmonic Concert in Prospect Park – one of many events that we have to foster Jewish community in Brooklyn.
70-Year-Old Relief Charity Adopts a New Name
Christian Children’s Fund recently changed its name to ChildFund International. This is a good example of how a nonprofit is adapting to changing conditions by rebranding. The new name will help to position the organization for success. It is interesting to note that they are responding to both internal and external factors:
- Changing services to reflect new constituent needs
- Adapting to the local markets to be more effective in executing their mission
- Recognizing their relationship with their funding organization (ChildFund Alliance)
I would also suspect that they realized that removing the word Christian from their name will help them appeal to a wider donor base.
And note, how they engaged employees and donors as part of the process – it’s critical to earn internal support for the brand.
FUNDRAISING: Free Planned Giving Webinar
Lorri Greif is on a mission to make Planned Giving a “household word” in the nonprofit community. I support her mission, because I, too believe that nonprofits need to plan for their long-term sustainability and planned giving is a key component. To help nonprofits understand what planned giving is and how it can benefit their organization, she is offering a free webinar.
Tagline Contest
The annual Tagline Awards are back from Nancy Schwartz and the Getting Attention blog. Your nonprofit or foundation could be one of this year’s Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Award winners!
A strong tagline does double-duty — working to extend your organization’s name and mission, while delivering a focused, memorable and repeatable message to your base. It’s one of your most effective marketing tools, but the 2008 GettingAttention.org survey showed that 72% of nonprofit organizations don’t have a tagline or rate theirs as performing poorly. Nancy is trying to change that with this annual award program, highlighting the best in nonprofit taglines. Enter today.
Resources for Nonprofits