Do You Have Blog Goals?

Blogging is still a fairly new activity here at the Center for Nonprofit Management. When we launched the CNM blog back in February, our goals were to:

1) Communicate with our clients, friends and stakeholders on a more informal, interactive level.

2) Offer more free resources to the community.
3) Create a body of work to help solidify our position as experts on nonprofit management.

Since then we’ve added:

4) Increase the Center’s search engine optimization (SEO).
5) Be the glue that holds together our social media efforts.
6) Be a place to provide regularly updated information to our audiences.
7) Have a chance to talk about something other than our programs and services.

Even though it’s difficult to assess any measurable results in these areas (we currently only track page views), I really believe that blogging has been a valuable addition to our marketing efforts. It’s timely, quick, and most importantly it’s FREE! It’s helped give us a more human feel and gives our staff and consultants a place to showcase their expertise.

What are some of your blogging goals?

If your organization doesn’t already have a blog, I highly recommend starting one. If you need some inspiration, here are 5 tips to jumpstart your blog found on the Have Fun Do Good blog:

5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Blog

1. Write about what excites you, not what you think you should write about.

2. Learn from the best.  What blogs do you looove to read?  Why do you love them?  How can you incorporate what makes those blogs wonderful into your blog?

3. Schedule blogging time into your week, just like you'd block out time for something else that's important to you.

4. Share your posts on your favorite social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).

5. Link unto others as you'd like to be linked to.  Write posts with links to blog posts you love, share other bloggers' posts on your social networks, ask your favorite bloggers if they'd like to guest post on your blog.

Click here to view the post.

Katy Spicer
Associate Director of Marketing

Find Great Deals & Support the Center

At the beginning of each fiscal year, every organization is faced with a BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL.  At the Center for Nonprofit Management, we are no different and are working hard to be creative with new fundraising ideas to help us reach that goal. In thinking “outside the box”, the Center has joined forces with dealeebob.com and Soap Hope to provide you with great deals and a new, fun way to support your favorite nonprofit. 

Dealeebob.com is a group coupon site and after registering, I myself was pleasantly surprised with the offerings and now anxiously anticipate the daily email to see “what’s in it for me”? A discount at the restaurant I’ve been eyeballing or a gloriously affordable spa treatment? Yes, please!

Gift giving also seems to be simplified with the one-stop shopping at Soap Hope’s website for all-natural soaps, candles and beauty products, where there is truly something for everyone and occasion. Birthdays, baby showers, house warming’s, anniversaries, even shampoo for Lassie…all covered and smell magnificent!

We are never ones to be greedy and want to share this wonderful news with you so Register, Shop and Share these great deals and support the Center for Nonprofit Management in return. Happy money saving, you savvy gift giver you!

·       Register with dealeebob.com and 5% of every purchase you make on dealeebob.com will go directly back to Center for Nonprofit Management.  Plus, dealeebob.com will pay the Center for Nonprofit Management $1 for your registration and an additional $1 for every referral that you generate!

·         Shop at Soap Hope with the links and coupon codes provided by the Center and a percentage of your purchase is directly returned to us.  Shop now and receive a 5% discount with coupon code: CNM5

·         Share this information with friends, family and colleagues for great daily deals and chic gift ideas all year long.

Camille Davis
Development Coordinator

Introducing CNM Summer Interns!

We’re thrilled to welcome Amber Collins - our 2011 ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Intern. Originally from Houston, Texas, Amber attends school at Louisiana State University where she is studying Mass Communication- public relations. Amber will be with us for 8 weeks working as the Marketing & Social Media Assistant.

Amber is a proud recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship and recalls her high school mentor helping her through the 26-page application. “My teacher Cynthia Smith helped me through every page of that application. I can’t help but wonder if I would be still recipient without her help.”

After receiving her scholarship and speaking with high school students in New Orleans, she became interested in giving back and understanding the world of nonprofit.

This is Amber’s first internship in a nonprofit. She enjoys the atmosphere and being able to interact with all the employees. “This is the first job where I actually get to see the President, Cynthia Nunn, on a regular basis.”

For Amber, the most valuable asset of working in a nonprofit is the experience and networking. “I love networking and when working in a nonprofit the opportunities are endless. Any time I take a class or go to an event, I am constantly meeting new people with unique professions.” 

We are also pleased to welcome Preetha Swamy from Plano, Texas (photo to follow!). She is serving as our new education intern and is a recent graduate of Austin College where she studied political science.

Preetha found her passion for the nonprofit sector while taking an International Human Rights class. The course sparked her curiosity of how nonprofits work at the grassroots level. “I had an internship one summer with a human rights nonprofit and that was the beginning of my realization.”

Preetha believes that if you are working for a cause, it makes working a lot easier. “I really enjoy working with people who are truly passionate and proud of what they do. It provides an environment that makes you want to work as hard as you can.”

In the future, Preetha hopes to attend graduate school and receive a master’s in social work.

Welcome Amber and Preetha - We are so happy you’re here!!

Amber Collins
Marketing & Social Media Intern
Center for Nonprofit Management

I Am Catwoman… Hear Me Roar IRS

On June 14th, the Wall Street Journal published an article in which a rescue volunteer for felines received the best kitty treat of all from an IRS Ruling.  Even Morris the Cat is impressed…

Up until recently, unreimbursed volunteer expenses and the ability to take tax deductions for such gratuity have not been on the list of treats for donors.  Unless a gift was given directly to the charity in cash, other acceptable financial vehicle, or an in-kind format, a donor could simply forget about adding it to their tax return.

Our heroine for this post – the “crazy” cat lady has shed the assumed moniker and she is actually sane.  In fact, she has clawed her way to write-off expenses of not only food, but utilities and other costs for offering her house as a foster home to cats.  On a side note: she cared for 70 such cats (not all at one time I hope!) over the course of a year. 

Believe it or not, the IRS will now allow this justification of in-home unreimbursed expenses of $250 or more which furthers the organization’s mission. 

Not a cat person?!  Well, for all you dog-lovers and others who are ambivalent about cats… the message is very clear (although potentially not odorless) deductions which were formerly denied are now allowable.  (I smell BACON!)  As a charity, you might just want to share this article and ruling with all of your magnanimous volunteers.  You know the ones… the warm-hearted souls which have such a passion for your mission they “litter”-aly turn out their pockets to serve your cause.

As always – those same volunteers should consult a tax consultant for official guidance.  But on first glance, I bet our Cat Woman has popped open a can of extra special tuna in celebration...MEOW!

Click here for the full story.

Kristina E. Jones, M.A., CFRE

President, Stronger Organizations, LLC

CNM Consultant and Trainer

The Stars Have Aligned

Just as we began running promotions for the upcoming Leaders Circle season, we received this fabulous e-mail from Harriet Boorhem at Promise House, gushing about her experiences.

Talk about perfect timing!

Paige McDaniel has also given Leaders Circles a shout-out in her blog. Click here to read it.

I just love it when fantastic community leaders like Harriet and Paige do my job for me J

For more information on Leaders Circles, click here.

Katy Spicer
Associate Director of Marketing

From: Harriet Boorhem
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 4:14 PM

Subject: Friday Email
 

I want to say thank you today to my Leaders Circle. Sponsored through the Center for Nonprofit Management, it is a support program for executive directors and/or upper management of nonprofit agencies. You are placed in a group of executives who run agencies similar to yours, but who are non-competing. 

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when I joined.  But I was also pretty desperate to get some support and to meet other EDs who were dealing with same the challenges, successes, and issues as I. 

I think it may be the best professional decision I have ever made. 

Not only are the women in my group fabulous, funny, highly skilled, supportive, and tell-it-like-it-is, they have saved my you-know-what many times! 

Although clichéd, the saying “It’s lonely at the top” is really true… certainly not all the time, but sometimes. And it is those ‘sometimes’ that can really pull you under if you don’t have the support of colleagues who will be honest, comforting, supportive, confidential, and/or who will kick you in the butt if you need it. 

So, thank you Center for Nonprofit Management for the program, but more importantly, thank you, Leaders Circle ladies for being so incredibly helpful and perfect for me!

Dr. Harriet Boorhem
Executive Director

Promise House, Inc.

What Am I Supposed To Tweet?

Greg Allbright, CEO of Change For A Dollar, LLC will present a free-to-members webinar via the Center for Nonprofit Management on June 8 from 1 to 2 pm entitled "What Am I Supposed To Tweet". The webinar will cover the basics of social media content strategy and ideas. For more information and to register, click here.

Not sure what to tweet? Take a photo!
Facebook and Twitter are powerful ways for your nonprofit to raise awareness and keep your supporters aware and engaged in the good works you perform pursuing your mission.

They can also be time consuming. The status update you started to write can quickly turn into an hour long exercise before you know it. Facebook especially is always adding and changing new things that require you to learn what it means for your fanpage. Sometimes that leaves you with little time to create content your fans will love.

Here are some quick ways to produce content for your Facebook and Twitter by taking photos:

1. Profile a staff member
Reward those hard working employees by posting their photo into your Facebook and Twitter feeds. Let them know about it so they can share with their own networks, which increases your exposure. Bring the human element of your operation online so your supporters can connect with someone, instead of a logo.

- Ask all of your employees to fill out short bios and include a few fun questions (favorite food, sports team, celebrity etc). Post these answers with their photos.

- Post photos of new employees and ask your Facebook and Twitter supporters to welcome them to the organization.

- Post updates with photos of employees that have recently had babies, gotten married, graduated from college, or any other proud moment.

- Is a favorite employee moving to another city or position? Tell them how much they will be missed by saying goodbye online and letting your online supporters how they have impacted the mission.

2.  Thank a donor or volunteer
If the fundraising mantra of thanking donors seven times between asks is true, how can you use social media to accomplish one of those asks?

- If a group of volunteers come in to serve, get a group picture and post it saying thank you.

- If a business donates goods for your auction, show the auction item or their logo with a thank you. (If their competitors are watching, think they will be more likely to donate next year?)

- If a long time volunteer comes in one day, thank them for their continued service by posting a photo of them with a thank you.

- If you have solicited major sponsors for your campaign or event, use a post a day to thank them. Show their logo or company representative along with how they are helping. Include their website or Facebook page to promote them as well.

3. Bring the fun of events online
Events bring an energy and excitement you can capture and show to everyone via photos. Plus, the fun and festivities from an event don't have to stop when the party is over.  Sharing photos online from events brings back good memories for those that went, and makes the people who didn't go envious of the good times.  They'll be more likely to attend another event in the future.

- Take photos of everyone and everything before, during, and after your event.

- Post a few right away, and keep a few back to use throughout the year.

- Use one to thank a donor or volunteer a few weeks or even months later.

- Use a silly one to show you all are human and have fun helping others.

- If someone won an award, follow up with them a few months later to see how they are doing. Post three sentences about what they are up to now.

A few quick tips for event photos:

- Know who you are taking pictures of (have a volunteer write them down as someone else takes them) and include company/organization name and title.

- Remove drinks and name tags before taking the picture

- Use Facebook @mentions for sharing pictures on your page

- Get approval from a parent if a child is included in the photo

Photos can be fun and simple ways of connecting with people online. Photos provide entertaining and engaging content at the snap of a button.  If you have found unique ways to share photos online, please let us know about them in the comments below.

Greg Allbright
CEO/Digital Marketing Director
ChangeDFW.org