Nonprofit Bridge

Due to the financial challenges that many of our nonprofit organizations are facing this year, many of us (incuding myself) may not be able to attend the annual Nonprofit Technology Conference in April.  To respond, Nten Executive Director has setup a scholarship fund to help send nonprofit staff who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate.  This event is always wonderful and provides an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues from across the US and beyond.   There are two days left for Holly to reach he goal of $10,000, of which Convio has agreed to match.  I’ve already donated – can you help?

I’ve participated in many webinars and have also participated in several online conferences that others have offered, such as this week’s How Online Marketing Can Be Your Fundraising Stimulus Plan During Tough Times, led by HJC. These events are a wonderful way to learn about online strategies, and are usually available at a minimal or no cost.  But I’m always surprised when attendees don’t take advantage of the opportunity to engage with the presenters.  Some tips for getting the most benefit from webinars:

1. Limit distractions.  It’s easy to check email and do other work while listening to a webinar, especially if it doesn’t offer a stimulating presentation to accompany the conversation.  But the less you pay attention, the less you’ll learn.
2. Ask questions.  Most webinars offer an online chat.  Except for very large conferences which minimize Q&A, most presenters are usually happy to field questions – especially if they are cover topical issues that will benefit the group
3. Provide information or resources that will benefit the group.
4. Get to know the presenters.  Almost all provide contact information so you can submit follow-up questions after the event.  Also use LinkedIn or Facebook to connect.
5. Share what you learned with colleagues.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to take time out during the work day for a 60 or 90 minute call.
6. Even if an archive recording is provided, try to participate in the live session if possible so you can fully participate.
7. Thank the presenters for their time;  many are volunteering their time and expertise with no guarantee of follow up business

A funny thing happened to me at the event I attended this week.  When I started to submit questions, I received quick responses from presenter Mike Johnston.  As it turns out, he has a personal connection with my organization.  We continued to chat during the webinar – and will meet when he visits New York in a few weeks.

Excellent webinars are always available from Nten, Idealware and Network for Good.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently offered these 10 tips:

1. Don’t treat giving as a financial transaction – instead, treat donors as you would friends or family that are going through hard times.  Give them a way to stay involved, even if they are unable to make the level of donation they have in the past.
2. Keep close ties to donors – remember to thank donors frequently and don’t treat every contact as a solicitation.  Don’t just send an autoreply – make it personal!
3. Offer matching grants – to give donors a way to make even a smaller than normal contribution more meaningful
4. Ask donors to give monthly – include as an option on all of your fundraising campaigns
5. Look for ways to save money on fund raising – this is the ideal time to accelerate the move from direct mail to online to reduce costs.  Also use web conferencing to reduce staff travel.  Focus on special events that produce the most revenue.
6. Seek alternatives to soliciting private donations – for example, can you rent part of your space for outside meetings or offer mission-related products?
7. Collaborate to raise money – try joint initiatives with other organizations with compatible missions
8. Scale back ambitious campaigns, but don’t give up on them – change the goal or lengthen the timeframe
9. Avoid emergency solicitations – don’t let it get to this point – donors won’t want to recommit if your organization seems in danger of failing
10. Shore up relations with grant makers – foundations and government agencies may still be able to help in 2009.

The Chronicle also reports that some nonprofits are reporting that more people are giving, even if the average gift is less.  This has been confirmed in many recent studies referenced in this Care2 post about the prospects for online fundraising.   Even in hard times, donors will still give.  Stay as positive as you can when planning your fundraising campaigns this year.

A recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article mentions that not only have many nonprofit organizations (including my own) already had to cut staff, but that worse times are ahead.   A Foundation Center forecast describes how foundations are dealing with the economic crisis.  According to this New York Times article, rising unemployment is threatening worldwide stability.  Is there any good news left?

In a recent enewsletter, usability guru Jakob Nielsen recommends email newsletters and search engine marketing as the two most cost effective Internet marketing techniques.  Network for Good’s Katye Andresen offers 5 Keys to Pulling out of the Economic Nosedive.   Commenting on Donor Digital’s recent findings, Sue Woodward recommends that despite a slight drop in average gifts, the number of donations has so far remained steady and that nonprofits should continue to use the tools, strategies and techniques that have made your your fundraising plans successful in the past.

Fund-It offers a way to raise funds every time constituents search, adding functionality over past tools of this type such as GoodSearch and Freelanthropy.

John Kenyon offers tips for creating your 2009 online fundraising plan.  Network for Good advises on a simple way to make donating easier for donors.  Heather Mansfield offers Five Things Your Nonprofit Needs to Know About Web 2.0 Donors.

With our resources so constrained, is social media still worth the investment?  Social Velocity thinks so but this Non-Profit Tech Blog post seems to indicate that other priorities must come first.

Finally, Internet Strategy Forum founder Steve Gehlen offers the State of the Internet Executive, a synposis of a recently completed study on how differently online strategies are managed in a wide range of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.  The updated study is now available.

Meanwhile, at my organization, while I feel fortunate to still have my job, I’m busier than ever trying to keep up.  What ways have you found to stay upbeat while so many nonprofits are struggling?