Sometimes, a stereotype has some truth in it.  In this case, the stereotype that men prefer simple messages over more complicated and detailed ones may have legs. (Don’t attack us just yet!  We’re certainly not saying that men are dumb.  The author of this post is a man, and we wouldn’t allow that kind of […]

Video speaks to us in a way that other medias can’t – they can draw you in and make you feel connected like you are really there, and really a part of the story. And so they are powerful tools for nonprofit fundraising. And in our current internet age, distribution and access are better than […]

Only if you do it incorrectly! Deb Ng’s, author of Online Community Management for Dummies, post over at Kommein about smart ways to engage your community, especially through social media, got us thinking about the best practices for nonprofits.  Many of the same rules apply to nonprofits as to standard businesses.  As Deb noted: First, communication […]

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently released online donation data comparing 2011 to 2012, and the results are quite interesting. In general, giving has increased!  Total gift value was up by 16.7 percent, and the total number of gifts was up 8.1%.  While many areas of the economy are still challenged, charitable giving is robust and […]

No matter what action you want a person to take, AIDA is a time-honored way to take someone from knowing nothing about your cause to becoming a full supporter.  But before you can use it, you have to know what it is, right? AIDA is an acronym from the field of marketing.  The letters stand […]

The following article originally appeared in MSDS Insights and is reprinted here with permission. —- Data Visualization or DataViz is a hot topic! Recently, the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) shared our recent series reviewing 6 DataViz tools we like, and its popularity made me realize how much of a hunger there is to make good sense […]

Reducing the violence in the world, especially terrorist violence, requires a multi-faceted approach, and the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR) promotes one of the most important avenues toward that goal: increased interfaith understanding. The CPWR is the world’s largest and oldest global interfaith organization and offers a number of programs and […]

It’s easy to get distracted by the “big fish” – the small number of supporters that empower your mission through large donations. But if you spend all your time wining and dining them and neglecting the little fish, you are doing your nonprofit a huge disservice.  The donor who gives $1 may end up being […]

Ugh. Let’s talk about failure. It’s a sad topic, but here’s the reality — not every crowdfunding campaign has a happy ending. Many crowdfunding campaigns fall short of their funding goals. You’ve worked hard in setting up your site, rallying your friends and family, and pitching the press. It’s a tough pill to swallow when you’ve […]

You’re staring at that darn little blinking cursor on your computer screen, waiting for inspiration to hit. You’ve got to write that blog post. Or newsletter. Or Tweet. You’ve run out of ideas. Where are you going to come up with great content? When your mental resources have run dry, there are lots of people […]