Sue’s Muse

Happy Labor Day! 

To start your weekend off right … I wanted to share a website that really got me tickled … and I hope gives you a chuckle. 

My wonderful husband (and yes, for those of you in the know - my “Muse”) reminded me about this little game they use to play in the Royal Air Force 20 some years ago when they wanted to find phrases or sentences to impress senior officers - that made absolutely no sense! 

Yes I am talking about BUZZZZZZZwords!  Or better yet - a string of BUZZZZZZwords!

Enjoy … and when you get back to the desk next week and find that you have an indecipherable copy or report on your desk or computer … you will now be able to respond with equal flurish as you can now tap into your own set of BUZZZZZZwords!

Regards,

Sue

Limited on marketing dollars and staff?  Trying to figure out how to share your message with a broader audience? 

Create your own nonprofit blog!

The great thing about blogging it is gives your organization a voice in a way that traditional marketing can’t.  It is not about “push” communications … rather creating a dialog about ideas and issues with people and supporters that are interested in YOUR cause.

Your blog can provide organizational updates in a timely manner, gather information from your constituents and offer a real value to those seeking information.

In a recent AFP eWire See3  shares some great tips for starting or simply improving your nonprofit blog. 

So get writing … because blogging is a beautiful thing!

Regards,

Sue

Olympics over … conventions beginning … reality bites!  What reality?  The reality of just how well your direct response programs are doing this year, as opposed to last year and, of course, where you are in terms of reaching your current fundraising goals! (If you are ahead of the game – then good on you - feel free to share some of your ideas!)

I have been pouring over results and stats for my clients, as well as talking to other consultants and agencies and we are all seeing the same thing across the board … A DROP IN THE FIRST TWO QUARTERS OF DONATED DOLLARS! And it doesn’t look pretty for the end of the third quarter.

What to do … here are a couple of things you might want to consider having in place, beginning in September!

1-   Manage expectations - be upfront by sharing your results to date with your senior management team and board. 

2-   Review your plan – evaluate your fundraising strategy and determine if the current plan is working. If not, you might want to invest more in what is working and pull back on what isn’t working.

3-   Don’t cut back on acquisition – it might save a few dollars now … but believe me, you will pay for that decision over the next couple of years. (Remember the funnel effect.)

4-   Dig deeper into your file – this is especially true in that ‘end of the year’ mailing, try to bring lapsed donors back to the file.

5-   Make it easy to donate – ensure that you have as many vehicles (mail, phone and online) as possible available for donors to effortlessly make their contribution.

6-   Ask for your donors help – share your pain … offer rewards and backend premiums for increased gifts, and bringing new constituents to the file.

Regards,

Sue

For years nonprofits have been hearing from donors “Why don’t you just join forces instead of competing with each other?   Then I would only have to give to one nonprofit for a cause or an issue, rather than two or three!”

Seems to me there is already an organization that does just that - it’s called the United Way … in fact, it was one of the reasons United Way was, and still is, successful.  The problem for those of us that worked with United Way in the 80s and 90s was that the number of organizations it supported under its corporate umbrella became larger and larger, consequently the funding amounts we received as nonprofits became smaller and smaller.  Organizations were forced to become more aggressive in their fundraising efforts in order to meet their revenue goals.

Now comes the notion that “government” can somehow miraculously pair up causes and needs with nonprofits.  Do we really think that having bureaucratic oversight of funding for nonprofits is going to be magically efficient and effective?  Or is this more about competing in a $300 billion dollar market … and looking for additional revenue?

As I understand the argument … the idea is for government to pair nonprofits with government supported services … gee, that sounds like the USAID model for international giving … which is a great program … but at a cost.  Many organizations have personnel who ONLY deal with the government forms, requests, applications, and let’s not forget the quarterly and annual reporting! 

Have you ever known a government program that didn’t require mounds and mounds of paperwork?  Certainly, that must be added in for overhead costs versus service delivery.

These are some of the discussion points that are now being hammered out to gain support from both presidential candidates, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy … quoting an article in Monday’s Washington Post. 

Here is one fundraiser hoping that before we jump off the deep end with another seemingly good idea, all aspects are throughly reviewed. This is not a quick fix … yeah, just give the money to the folks that can provide the service, and then government can step back and say … we weren’t the ones in charge. Been there, done that, in a previous life!

Regards,

Sue

With a large portion of the country - indeed, the world - focusing on the Olympics during this past week … watching Michael Phelps making a slice of history … Dara Torres giving hope to all of us over the age of 21 … along with the stellar performances by the women’s gymnastic and rowing teams, and of course the American Beach Volleyball Teams! 

And, how could I leave out the Redeem Team … along with Kristin Armstrong (no relation to Lance), the women’s gold medal cycling time trial champion, and all of the other great athletes who are running, jumping, diving, and riding their way to gold, silver, bronze or just their personal best!

With all this excitment you might have missed an article in the latest edition of Fundraising Success Magazine!  Yes, I am talking about E-mail Appends!  Catherine Algeri, Account Director for Triplex, lays out a good argument in “The Good, the Bad and the Realistic.”  She shares common fears, managing expectations and why email donors matter. 

I don’t know if I am 100% sold … but her points about the difference between a good e-mail append and a bad one definitely should give us all food for thought - while we rush back to our televisions to watch the next round of great Olympic stories!

Regards,

Sue

For the last several months I have been reading blogs, articles and hearing at conferences … how nonprofits can learn from the innovative and creative online ideas being used in this year’s presidential campaign!

Agreed!

But, political campaigns have taken a page out of nonprofit fundraising … creating rewards and incentives programs in their viral outreach efforts.  According to a recent article in the Washington Post this is one of the numerous online strategies that is currently being used by the McCain camp.

Constituents who sign up to participate are awarded points each time they place a favorable comment on one of the campaign sanctioned websites (subject to verification of course).  These points can then be traded in for prizes such as books, seating at events etc. 

The campaign “borrowed” this concept from the RNC, who created a rewards program for volunteer fundraisers several years ago. (Not much new in this game!)

The question now is will this type of reward and incentive program motivate political consituients … according to some experts - people supporting either political party are not interested in rewards and incentives … rather in effecting change.

Moving past the viral efforts, I would also ask … do tactics that raise funds for candidates work for nonprofits? 

I still contend from first hand experience that “free media” drives traffic … and the name of the game right now is the fall presidential campaign … loads of “free media.”

Although the Olympics and a long primary season have recently distracted a large part of the country … with upcoming conventions and an historic election we can depend on folks refocusing.

It will certainly be fun observing!

Regards,

Sue

For a number of years marketers have been testing, testing, testing to find the best time to send emails to their constituents.  Everything from the time of day - to the day of the week.  Campaigns, offers and ongoing updates have been based on the results.

In June 2008, Beta Research Corporation conducted a survey on behalf of online service provider AOL to find out when Internet users are most likely to check their personal emails. 

Twenty-three percent stated they check their personal emails when they first get up in the morning … better than me I need my first cup of coffee before being pinged on by the rest of the world … another thirty-four percent check during the day.  Leaving the remaining forty-three percent checking at various times … including the middle of the night!

Seven out of ten surveyed also shared that they check their personal emails when they are at work … while 70% of respondents stated they have multiple email accounts.

So what does this mean for nonprofits … pretty much what we already knew … that during the day is the best time to get your email read … nothing definitive on a particular day of the week … but most of us are still sending Tuesday through Thursday.  Although, as people become more and more wired 24/7, organizations should continue testing various times and days … measure the response and then test again. 

You can read more about the survey and its findings in today’s eMarketer.

Regards,

Sue

I love Fridays.  It is the one day in the work week that I catch up on all my reading, correspondence and make plans for the coming work week.  Okay so maybe the real reason I love Fridays is that most of my clients rarely call on a Friday … especially in the summer when many take a half day or even the whole day off! 

Not that I don’t enjoy hearing from my clients … face it … if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t even have a work week.

Taking advantage of this lull to catch up on my reading, I came across an article I had set aside about the latest promotion of WalMart.  Yes Wally Mart, and their partnership with “tween queen”, Hannah Montana. But only until September 15th! (Guess back to school purchasing is over by then.)

What am I talking about?  Remember how those of us in the nonprofit and political world would send an automated phone call prior to a mail drop to lift response?  Or we would try to drive folks to a website to take an action? 

Put a little twist on the strategy … and now your tween can go to www.hannahmontanacalls.com and sign up to received a daily wake up call from the teen idol.  If a wake up call isn’t your child’s thing, they can opt for an Activity Reminder!  Isn’t it great - someone else reminding them to get to their  ”baseball, dance, music, gymnastics, fill in the blank” practice!

Now when I say “tween” I actually mean their parents … and it is the greatest data mining gimmick going … in order to sign up to get this “FREE” service you have to give all your vital statistics … so WalMart can insure that your child’s calls are properly scheduled. (So much for protecting your privacy.)  Worse yet … a lot of parents are actually going to the website, and providing the information requested, no questions asked … talk about being able to create a predictive model!

Yet stop and think about the possibilities … perhaps the McCain and Obama campaigns could give website visitors an option for sharing their “inside seam leg measurement” - to get a wake up call or activity reminder from the candidates!  Or perhaps nonprofits could find a celebrity to loan their voice - I certainly wouldn’t mind getting a wake up call from Colin Firth or Pierce Brosnan!

You have to love marketers … the most creative bunch of folks I know … not to mention they give me a great chuckle on my freaky, funny, fantastic Fridays!

Have a great weekend,

Sue

When I was a professional with the Boy Scouts of America in the eighties and early nineties, I remember thinking the best time of my working day was when I was on the road … in my car, in a plane, on a train … as it was the one time I could stop and reflect without a fax machine wheezing out a message or the phone ringing.

Yes … there was a time when these were the only forms of communication to reach those of us who worked in an outlying office! 

Jump ahead to the mid-nineties … when cell phones became a part of the job equipment package … and peace as I knew it was over! 

Go back just 6 years when I was handed my first Blackberry.  Now not only could I be reached on my cell (if there was a tower in the area), but I could read all my emails instantly … which normally waited until I turned on my computer and had my first cup of coffee!

These instant forms of communication became so ingrained that I couldn’t imagine life without them. 

Airlines for years have been the final bastion of peace and tranquility (that is until you land and a flight attendant tells folks “you can now use your electronic devises”) has announced that they will now be WiFly accessible.

Bad enough that I always end up sitting next to a guy that no matter how many times is told to TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE SIR, continues to chat away as if this is the last meeting he will ever attend and immediately upon landing … is back on the phone or TXTing, because obviously the two to three hours he has been on the plane was extremely difficult for his company to move forward without his input … now I get to experience this through an entire flight!

BOSE - TAKE ME AWAY!

Don’t get me wrong … there are a number of organizations that benefit from instant communications, like my former employer, The American Red Cross … and companies that support and are responsible for communications such as phone companies, web host providers and the like that are able to quickly respond to critical issues because of these advanced forms of communication. 

But let’s be honest … the number of folks that truly need an instant communication tool are far less then those that use them … with bluetooths hanging out ears or thumbs TXTing.  It has become such a phenomenon that states and the federal government are now keeping statistics on accidents (there were two pedestrian deaths reported this week in CA) involving distractions due to communication devices.

I have made a strike for sanity and given up my Blackberry … I now only have a cell phone which I have gladly given my clients to call, so they have access when they need me.  (Most would still rather send an email.)

Not hiding … but rather taking a moment to think through a process and frankly simply give my brain a rest.  You would be amazed at how more creative you can be … by taking a little breather … and yes simply hiding out for a few moments in the day.

Regards,

Sue

Ever seen the commercial for Jitterbug?  Touted as “Security for your parents and piece of mind for you!”  Just the name alone is genius!  Recalling an era when today’s seniors were young … a cell phone with bigger, back lit buttons … bright large text and a powerful speaker that sounds loud and clear.

Sounds like a great solution for the fastest-growing group of cell phone users … however, not to be outdone by their younger counterparts seniors are demanding more.  Yes, they too want to be a part of the TEXT generation.

A recent article in the Washington Post told of cellphone workshops for seniors … to demystify how they can go beyond just calling friends and family. 

Wow just imagine … you could be getting a TEXT from your Grandmother … How R U?  Just like you now get from your kids!  Those of us in the sandwich generation may soon find ourselves as the only demographic that doesn’t know the complete art and language of texting!

Okay Sue, what does this have to do with nonprofits … a lot actually.  Seniors are the most likely group for us to overlook with our online and cellular campaigns … yet they are making the effort to become educated and involved with technologies in the 21st century. 

As this group continues to grow … we may need to look at various conditional content to reach out to convert them to donors and supporters through technology for our causes.  Something to contemplate.

Regards,

Sue