NTEN Connect Blog
Hey Women Who Tech! Get Your Tech On!
As you know, we're just about done collecting your great session ideas for the 11NTC right now (deadline: August 27). After that comes the hard part: figuring out what to put on the final agenda. It's a balancing act -- literally. We're always looking to balance sessions across tracks, open source v. proprietary, sessions for small orgs and sessions for large orgs. Oh, and women vs. men presenters.
We don't always succeed at that. Since we're an organization that's also run by a woman, we're very glad to partner every year with with the Women Who Tech Telesummit. The Telesummit was formed three years ago to celebrate all the innovative women out there making an impact in the fields of technology and social media -- women like Deanna Zandt, Beth Kanter, Amy Sample Ward, Michelle Murrain, and Lauren Vargas, among others, who will be presenting at Women Who Tech.
So join us on September 15 from 11am to 6pm Eastern time. All you need is an internet connection and a phone line.
Build Communities to Enhance Your Fundraising Campaigns
Adrienne D. Capps, U. C. Davis
Much has changed with regard to fundraising and “friendraising” during the 12 years I have been a professional fundraiser, the most obvious being the use of technology. We are all online these days whereas in 1998 it was a much more mixed bag.
One thing remains and will continue to, however: making sense of it all. How do you determine which technology, or set of technologies, will be best suited to your organization? How do you appropriately implement them? And how do you check results?
Here are just two examples from organizations that I found to be most successful and effective.
It's Already September? (Or: Two Thirds of a Year's Worth of Fundraising Resources)
Flickr: visit~ fingerlakesWhere I come from, there's a lake, and every year on the Saturday before Labor day when the sun goes down, everyone who lives on that lake turns off their house lights, lines their waterfront with lit red flares, and builds a bonfire. This is how we mark the end of summer (high tourist season) and the beginning of a new year. For the past few years, I've been in Portland, OR, far away from this tradition -- which may explain why it feels a bit like September has smacked us over the head, as it walked unannounced into our summer party.
Regardless of how it got here, it's already September and before we know it, October, November, and December will soon follow. In preparation for your end-of-year campaigns, NTEN has devoted September to talking about fundraising. I thought I'd do my part with a few of 2010's best resources (so far).
Effective Uses of Social Media for Fundraising
Philip King, Artez Interactive
With trends like these, it's important to consider your own approach to social media. It's easy to see how social media and online communities can be effective platforms for sharing stories and getting feedback from supporters, but what about the money? As soon as fundraisers gets involved, they're going to want to know how to convert conversations into donations.
Many believe there is a risk of moving too fast with online communities.
Where to Go When You Need to Know (If Your Site Works): Web Analytics Extravaganza
Based on the response to a couple of how-to articles about Google Analytics I've posted to the NTEN blog recently, we know there's a hunger for more information about how to understand what's going on with your organization's web site.
See, the average time on page for these articles is nearly 4:00, much higher than our blog's average of 2:35, so I know folks are (probably) actually reading them. And judging by the referring sites, they're coming from all over.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Web analytics can tell you a lot of things -- what your visitors are engaging with, where they're coming from, what's likely working (and what's not) -- but if you don't understand the language, it's just another time suck. And (time spent reading our blog aside) we know you don't have a lot of that. That's why we've enlisted analytics guru Eric Peterson for the upcoming webinar series, "Web Analytics Extravaganza".
> You should register for this great series here.
How to Use Causes for Your Year-End Fundraising Appeal
Susan Gordon, Causes
Planning for the year-end giving season is in full swing throughout the nonprofit sector. In 2009, giving in December alone brought in about 1/3 of the fundraising dollars to nonprofits. And in 2010, online giving is expected to bring in more donations than ever, after having seen a 46% increase in online revenue between 2008 and 2009.
At Causes, the application on Facebook, we’re releasing huge improvements to our fundraising and communications tools just in time for the year-end giving season. Nonprofits have already raised over $26 million using Causes -- and to start the giving season off, we recently announced that your causes will soon be able to publish to members' News Feeds (like a Fan Page can now). Once you’ve built a vibrant online community, the end of the year is the perfect time to make a fundraising appeal.
Lunch Is on Me and My Cell Phone
Flickr photo: shareskiHow much cash do you have in your wallet right now?
As I sat in the Grand Junction Colorado airport -- which is charming -- I had a conundrum: the contents of my wallet came to a grand total of 72 cents.* This is a common situation for me, a situation that means if I need a Diet Coke later (inevitable), I will likely also be forced to buy some chips or something so that I can put the charge on my ATM card. (Those chips clearly have nothing to do with my lack of will power.)
But I digress. My point is that real currency, the silver and green stuff we lug around, is about to get an upgrade.
Brandraising: Using Technology to Grow Nonprofit Peaches
Sarah Durham, Big Duck
No matter how many studies tell us that that the gadgets we're hooked on aren't good for us, most of us technology nerds still can't get enough. At work, all of this gadgetry often comes in handy, too. After all, who doesn't revel in the wonders of the innovative microsites, campaigns, and transparent goodness that Beth Kanter and Allison Fine wonderfully illustrate in "The Networked Nonprofit"? I sure do.
Then there's the flip side: how do we keep these exciting initiatives moving ahead despite such limited staff time to devote to them? Sure, it's easy for that board member to thump her fist on the table and exclaim, "We need to use the Facebook!" (I know: I love it too when folks call it the Facebook.)
But we all know it's just not that simple.
Changes to the NTEN Connect Newsletter
Until this month, we've used our monthly e-newsletter, NTEN Connect, to debut new content, typically publishing the 5-7 articles we've solicited all at once. While that gives us a nice traffic spike, it's a lot to drop on y'all in one day.
So, in the spirit of Holly's call for innovation, we're going to try something new.
Fundraising When Money Is Tight
Mal Warwick, Mal Warwick Associates
Our economy is still in bad shape, and a growing number of economists is telling us that it may well get worse. So what can we fundraisers do to minimize the impact of this difficult period on our organizations, and at the same time maximize our income?
I suggest a cautious and balanced nine-step approach: