Today’s Tips for NGOs & Small Businesses 022515

Social Media 101

Since I launched my Boosting Your Outreach blog, I have been encouraging the dynamic use of social media. Indeed, Twitter, Facebook and the other outlets are effective, efficient, convenient and popular means to promote your projects, missions, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, products and services.

By providing information about yourselves and joining existing conversations, your NGO or enterprise grows in reputation and acceptance.

I would like to return to the basics and guide you through some important points for consideration before you launch your social media strategy. And if you have already initiated it, don’t worry, treat this as a helpful review.

You’ll be interested to know that even though social media is globally ubiquitous and has been for several years, there are any consultants, universities and other educational institutions and adult continuing education programs that offer classes on the basics of social media (even email). There seems to be a never-ending stream of interested users.

Among the questions that you have to decide for your organizations are:

·         Why do we want to be involved in social media?

·         Which platforms are best for you organization?

·         What do we want to say to our readers, stakeholders, customers, audience and how often?

·         Who will comprise the social media team?

While you are deliberating about the points above, take into consideration what others are thinking about or writing on this subject.

·         Managers choose to delegate these tools to interns or specialists. Delegating is a way to avoid the subject and assigning an intern to do this is not always in the best interest of the company. Don’t underestimate the power of your tweets. In previous blogs I cited the immense reach of individual thematic tweets. And as for interns, they may know how to tweet information about rock stars but do they really know your issues, industry, stakeholders, customers and mentality to follow almost everything about your work?

·         Social media offers unique opportunities. It offers a direct way to talk with clients and communities on a daily basis. “Talk with” is important because it implies that you are sharing, listening and joining an existing conversation. You’re not just hurling information into cyberspace. You are actively contributing to building a community.

·         Customers, clients, stakeholders and audience know best what is important to them. Social media has little to do with you; it’s about your audience, customers or whomever you’re trying to reach. Think like your customer and stakeholders think. You have to stay on top of what is happening so you can join the conversation and even guide it.

·         Not sure where your customers are on the social web? Just ask them. Survey their thoughts and views. Read existing literature. Ask me.

·         Social media isn’t necessarily free. You can set one up without paying a dime. However, even though there’s a very low price tag to enter the game, social media is far from free. It requires time, energy, and effort. It’s an everlasting commitment to create interesting content, list to conversations, and respond. You cannot tweet once and hope most of your targeted receivers read it. You’ll win the lottery before that happens. You must increase your odds that your tweet or idea is read by as many people as possible.

To be continued in my next blog.

In previous blogs I wrote that successful fundraising can be conducted via social media. Having said that, don’t abandon all other traditional and modern forms of soliciting financial support. That would be foolhardy.

However, deciding how much time you should devote to fundraising via social media is a wise business exercise for nonprofits and NGOs.

Heather Mansfield in “Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits” observed: “The amount of time that a nonprofit can invest in mobile and social media depends on capacity. Small nonprofits that are not in a position to hire a part- or full-time new media manager should limit themselves to one or two social networks and place the highest priority on their website, email communications, and online fundraising campaigns. Mobile and social media are powerful, but when implemented on a small scale, the power is overshadowed by other more traditional online campaigns. Often small nonprofits try to be active on more than two social networks by sharing the responsibility among staff. While this is possible, it does require a concerted effort and cooperation among all staff that content be distributed effectively and consistently. There still should be one person who is given the directive to research and then communicate best practices as they evolve to other participating staff.”

After deciding, take note of the time – note that it’s not minutes but hours – other organizations have committed to social media for fundraising.

“Even though 61% of nonprofits spent more time than previously utilizing social media in 2013, less than 2% invested more than 21 hours a week. Thus, if your nonprofit is not willing or able to hire a part- or full-time new media manager, then you have to select carefully the social networks that your nonprofit can realistically and effectively maintain. For years social media has been considered free, so executive staff did not make necessary financial investments and consequently many communications and development staff now find themselves with many of the above job duties added to their list of job responsibilities, but without official recognition. This is an unsustainable approach to mobile and social media that puts a great strain on many communications and development staff,” Mansfield wrote.

In other words, social media is not a toy but rather a serious tool to help NGOs, nonprofits and small businesses boost their outreach, promote their projects and missions, reach stakeholders and customers, and raise funds.

If you’d like to know the recommended hours for each platform, contact me.

* There are 1,409,430 tax-exempt nonprofits, NGOs in USA according to National Center for Charitable Statistics. Is your organization part of that fraternity?

* NGOs, nonprofits and small businesses: In today’s highly competitive and over-saturated humanitarian and mercantile environment,  in order to successfully promote your mission, services, products you have to provide more, better, faster.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 022315

A great deal of outreach nowadays is done via email and social media – even among NGOs, nonprofits and small businesses. However, to reach your stakeholders and audience, you must be familiar with their communication and social media habits.

Earlier, I advised that in order to promote your issues and projects that you must tweet or post often throughout the day because not only do we exist in a global, round-the-clock village, but also because your targets may not be reviewing tweets when you’re attempting to contact them. But if you’re tweeting often the same information you have to use clever wordsmithing to “beat” the Twitter system that rejects re-tweeting.

Kate Prince suggested five ways to increase engagement with your target audience and stakeholders.

“Many marketers busy themselves growing lists, fans and followers, but ignore a metric that creates mobs of raving supporters. It’s called engagement, and it can boost your brand lift by over 300%,” Prince wrote, noting that valuable stakeholder engagement is all about quality and quantity.

1.  Know where stakeholders are – know which social media platform or communication method they favor.

2. Know what they’re looking for – don’t mismatch content and stakeholders.

3. Time is money – be on the money – timing is important so you should be extremely conscious of what you can offer and how best to accommodate the demands of your stakeholders or audience to be up-to-date.

4. Be consistent and reliable – once you’ve got your audience’s attention, it is crucial for you to be consistent. Your message, imagery, brand and even methodology should be consistent with stakeholders’ expectations.

5. Social is a two-way street – If you commit to blogging once a week, posting twice a week and tweeting once a day, don’t forget the importance of sporadic engagement with your stakeholders. You should remember to join their conversations everyday by listening and responding to their conversations.

NGOs and nonprofits need updated, comprehensive lists of individuals and foundations that could be contacted for donations. Fortunately, wealthy people in America, at least, are getting richer and more generous, according to Quentin Fottrell, personal finance reporter for MarketWatch.com.

Citing the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Fottrell wrote that America’s 50 most generous donors made a total of $9.8 billion in charitable donations last year, that’s 27.5% more than the $7.7 billion given in 2013. The 10 most generous contributors (individuals and couples) combined to give the majority of the money—more than $6.2 billion, or 64% of the total amount.

“The boost in charitable donations was partly due to an increase in the number of technology entrepreneurs under 40, three of whom gave more than $500 million each. The median age among the top 50 living donors is 73; the oldest living donor—retired banker David Rockefeller—is 99, and the youngest--Sean Parker, co-founder of file-sharing site Napster—is 35,” Fottrell wrote. “Of the top 50 donors, 12 couples or individuals on the list come from technology, 11 from finance, four inherited their wealth and three made money in real estate. In all, tech donors accounted for 47% of the money donated by the top 50.”

Here are the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s most generous donors in the U.S. last year:

Bill & Melinda Gates

Donation: $1.5 billion.

Ralph C. Wilson Jr.

Donation: $1 billion (bequest).

Ted Stanley

Donation: $652.4 million.

Jan Koum

Donation: $556 million.

Sean Parker

Donation: $550 million.

Nicholas and Jill Woodman

Donation: $500 million.

Michael R. Bloomberg

Donation: $462 million.

Rachel Lambert (Bunny) Mellon

Donation: $411.3 million (bequest).

Sergey M. Brin

Donation: $382.8 million.

Paul G. Allen

Donation: $298 million.

Research these names and prepare fundraising appeals to them. You may succeed in securing additional funds for your NGO or project.

The next UN DPI/NGO Briefing will focus on youth, the backbone of the future of the United Nations.

Titled “Partnerships for Success: NGOs, Youth and the UN,” the Briefing will be held in Conference Room 2 at UN Headquarters in New York City on Thursday, February 26, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm (1100-1330).

The session will be moderated by Dr. Bill Hunter, director, International Outreach, Lehigh University. Participants will include: Viktoriia Brezheniuk, World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations; Amanda Nesheiwat, Foundation for Post-Conflict Development; Gabriela Taveras, Seton Hall School of Diplomacy and United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic; and Joy Ukaigwe, ENDA Tiers Monde (Environmental Development Action of the Third World).

The session will be webcast on http://webtv.un.org.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 02/19/15

NGOs and nonprofit organizations should cast their nets far and wide when fundraising. Obviously that’s one way to ensure that you will meet your target. That means that you may have to parse and dice your lists, merge and purge them, and constantly review and add to them.

If you are approaching funders that are composed of males or if you are preparing an appeal that is targeted at males, one recent study advises that your pitch should emphasize self-interest rather than compassion.

A Stanford University study that will appear in an upcoming article in the journal Social Science Research notes that fundraisers should stop pulling on men’s heartstrings, according to the website Philanthropy.com.

“Researchers documented an ‘empathy gap’ between men and women when it comes to charitable giving. To get men to respond to cash appeals, it’s best to tell them how the donation will benefit them rather than others in need,” the website noted citing the study.

The article went on to state that based on numerous studies women are generally more likely to give to charity than men, especially to organizations, NGOs and nonprofits that work with poor people. There are a variety of ways to explain the difference, the authors suggest. For instance, women might feel that people are poor because of their bad luck or due to societal failures. Men, on the other hand, may be more inclined to blame a lack of skills or the will to succeed.

But the main reason women are more inclined to help the needy, the researchers wrote, is that women tend to be more empathetic and compassionate.

“Men are more motivated by messages that say poverty affects them and the people in their lives,” Robb Willer, a Stanford sociology professor and co-author of the study, was quoted as saying.

Willer and his colleagues tested online fundraising appeals from a fictional charity called the Coalition to Reduce Poverty on 1,715 potential donors. They made four types of pitches, each appealing to a different motivation: efficacy, conformity, social injustice, and self-interest.

The efficacy pitch stated that “more than 98% of donations go on to directly to benefit the poor.” The conformity pitch suggested that many other donors were getting involved. The injustice appeal noted that people “born into poverty never had the opportunities that other Americans had.”

None of those approaches brought the male potential donors’ willingness to give or volunteer up to par with their female counterparts, the researchers discovered.

The fourth type of pitch, designed to trigger a sense of self-interest, included the observation, “Poverty weighs down our interconnected economy, exacerbating many social problems like crime.” It was the only type of appeal that raised men’s willingness to give money or volunteer at a rate comparable to that of women.

Willer concluded that one possible explanation is that men respond better to messages that address deep feelings of responsibility to take care of their families.

Women, however, seemed to be “turned off” by fundraising messages that stressed self-interest, he added. Their willingness to volunteer declined slightly in response to that approach, but Willer cautioned that more research is needed to say so conclusively.

When preparing a fundraising campaign, make sure you know all of your potential donors – individually and collectively.

Continuing with our discussion of useful business practices, I came across an interesting article “7 Innovations that Will Shape Business in 2015” by Luis Gallardo, chief executive officer of Thinking Heads Americas.

Gallardo points out that the use of technology and its growth will continue to drive how businesses as well as nonprofits will be shaping their work.

“This year will undoubtedly be the most progressive year yet. But surprisingly, 70 percent of executives at top companies admit their ability to innovate at an appropriate pace is ‘average.’ Even worse, 13 percent say their capabilities are ‘weak.’ If a company fails to innovate (and quickly), it’ll get shut out of its market, lose its reputation and appeal, or worse, get trampled by a newcomer. That makes identifying current innovations, predicting future ones, and becoming a pioneer more important than ever in 2015,” Gallardo wrote.

Markets and stakeholders are constantly changing, and business and NGO leaders have a responsibility to stay current with those trends and be prepared to shift in order to maintain momentum. The companies and nonprofits unable or unwilling to adapt will become obsolete, he noted. However, becoming innovative doesn’t mean you need a hefty budget to cushion potential failures.

Gallardo suggested that organizations consider innovation in the areas of increased importance of entrepreneurship, augmenting reality tools that will be used for promotions, internal communications, threat of data breaches, and other areas.

Although becoming innovative is vital for companies, getting there isn’t easy. When prioritizing innovation, allow these three tips to guide your efforts, he said: be vigilant and flexible; look for creative applications; and empower your employees or staff members.

“The New Year brings many exciting business and technology innovations, and that can feel daunting. But by keeping an eye on emerging trends, you can use them to your advantage, building knowledge, credibility, and revenue in 2015,” Gallardo said.

The desire to have fun does not evaporate for people with disabilities. Statistics show that 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability. That equals to some 1 billion people who have limited access to appropriate health care and other services, and up to 190 million adults have significant difficulties functioning. NGOs that deal with health and disabilities already know those statistics.

However, there’s another issue not often talked about: people with disabilities also want to have fun just like everybody else. Unfortunately, the average venue or event doesn’t cater to their needs.

Why Not People, a new UK-based members club and online platform for people living with disabilities, felt this desire and is working to satisfy it. The company creates and hosts events such as live music gigs with top talent, built specifically for people with physical, sensory and learning impairments, reported Mashable.com.

In order to become a member, people with disabilities need to provide some basic medical information in an application. But, in an effort to promote inclusion, members can purchase up to three additional tickets for friends and family.

“I have spent the last few years DJ-ing around the UK and globally, and when I look out at the audience, there is not one person in a wheelchair,” Jameela Jamil, founder of Why Not People, was quoted as saying. “What I see is not representative of society. It’s embarrassing that we live in a world where that is still the case. And that is what drives Why Not People — to change that, impact people’s lives and ultimately break down barriers in the community.”

Through an Indiegogo campaign, Why Not People is hoping to raise £40,000 (approximately $60,000) to launch its members’ portal, process applications, secure and prepare a venue for the first event, and more. Artists currently on board include Ed Sheeran, James Blake, Tinie Tempah and Coldplay.

In a Muscular Dystrophy Trailblazers survey, 1 in 2 young people with disabilities said physical access was the primary obstacle preventing them from attending live music events.

Nonprofits can certainly boost their outreach with such a program to promote to people with disabilities.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 021615

I can’t underestimate the value of a well-thought-out business plan. Marketing consultants estimate that small businesses or nonprofits that take the time and effort to develop a comprehensive business plan that takes into account marketing (outreach and development) and revenue (fundraising) double their chances of success.

“The value of writing a business plan is often debated in the entrepreneurial community. For every successful business that was launched with a well-thought-out business plan, it seems you can find an equally successful one that was launched with nothing more than some scribbles on the back of a napkin. In fact, the contrarian approach may be the one you hear most about — i.e., entrepreneurs dismissing a business plan as something they wrote and then stuffed in the bottom of a drawer,” observed Rieva Lesonsky in an article “A Business Plan Doubles Your Chances for Success, Says a New Survey.”

Regardless of how quaint the contrarian position is, Lesonsky noted that the formal approach leads to certain successes.

Palo Alto Software founder Tim Berry surveyed thousands of its Business Plan Pro software users about their businesses, goals and business planning. The responses showed that those who completed business plans were nearly twice as likely to successfully grow their businesses or obtain capital as those who didn’t write a plan.

Here is the breakdown of the numbers:

2,877 people completed the survey. Of those, 995 had completed a plan.

297 of them (36%) secured a loan

280 of them (36%) secured investment capital

499 of them (64%) had grown their business

1,556 of the 2,877 had not yet completed their plan.

222 of them (18%) secured a loan

219 of them (18%) secured investment capital

501 of them (43%) had grown their business

The outcome indicates that writing a business plan correlated with increased success in every one of the business goals included in the study. These were:  obtaining a loan, getting investment capital, making a major purchase, recruiting a new team member, thinking more strategically and growing the company.

More evidence that your small business or NGO is better off with a business plan than without one. Actually, you are twice as likely to grow your business or achieve funding if you have taken the time to write a business plan.

Progressive nonprofits or NGOs are getting clever in their approach to mobile apps. With the use of mobile telephones expanding, apps help the owners disseminate their information to a wider base of stakeholders. NPtechforgood.com reported that 39% of mobile apps are opened 11 times or more and 20% of apps are only opened once. The rapid sales of smartphones worldwide ensure a growing a mobile app audience in coming years, but for nonprofit mobile apps to be successful they must be well-designed and useful. If your NGO is considering launching an app in 2015, be sure to do your research first.

Here are some successful apps launched in 2014. They can be acquired – very often for free – from your regular app vendor:

1. United Nations Calendar of Observances – I’ve mentioned this app several times. Use it to stay informed about upcoming UN commemorations.

2. SafeNight – when someone is in urgent need of safe shelter to escape domestic violence, this app enables users to make an immediate donation to pay for a hotel room for the person in need.
3. iCitzen – is an app that enables users to keep track of political issues and voice their opinions and thoughts directly to elected officials.

4. Food Scores – Environmental Working Group’s Food Scores app is a consumer’s guide to healthy, affordable food that’s good for people and the planet.

5. Charity Navigator – this app helps guide intelligent giving by providing ratings for nearly 7,000 charities based on their financial health, accountability and transparency.

Education and youth NGOs should be aware that despite progress toward MDG goal of universal primary education by 2015, millions of children are still without schools around the world.

“Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All,” released by UNICEF and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, found that 58 million children 6-11 still lack access to education, while 63 million lower secondary school-age adolescents are also out of school.

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest numbers of out-of-school children. As of 2012, 32.7 million primary school-age children and 22 million lower secondary school-age adolescents lack access to education in sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, 9.9 million primary school-age children and 26.3 adolescents remain out of school.

The report also found that nearly one-third of out-of-school children of lower secondary school age live in conflict-affected countries. Only 65% of children in conflict-affected nations reach the final grade of primary school, in contrast to 86% across other developing countries.

UNICEF and UNESCO urge the global community to adopt policies that aim to break five key barriers: conflict, gender discrimination, child labor, language challenges and barriers linked to disabilities.

NGOs should be prepared to re-disseminate this information to stakeholders around the world to build a campaign that could reduce this problem.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 021315

Since launching this blog for NGOs and nonprofits (and even small businesses because after all you’re all businesses), I’ve been encouraging you to develop marketing plans because they constitute your precise roads to fulfilling all of your goals both outreach and fundraising.

Additionally, you should periodically review them with your colleagues and conduct reality checks regarding issues and your approaches to dealing with them.

In an article titled “10 Questions to Fine-Tune Your Marketing Strategy,” Terry Tanker listed the following points for consideration. The concepts were formulated for small businesses but nonprofits could certainly benefit from them as well. I’ve added NGO terminology where its clarity would help.

1. Who is the consumer of your products and services? Who are the local and global stakeholders who must be reached for your mission to be achieved?

2. How do your products and services fit the group(s) you’ve identified? How will stakeholders use the information that you possess?

3. How do your major competitors communicate to customers/prospects? How do other NGOs address their missions?

4. What information will make customers/prospects believe in the benefits of our products and services? How will you present your mission and projects to a wide range of stakeholders?

5. Does your company have a personality or a brand that separates us from competitors? Does your NGO have a clearly identifiable brand, image and logo that sets you apart from others?

6. What do you want the customer/prospect to do when they see, hear, or read our marketing message? How do you expect stakeholders to react after you’ve presented your message to them? What are their next steps?

7. Have you established measurements whenever and wherever possible for our program? How will you know when your NGO has reached a short-term or long-term goal?

8. Have you done enough research on our existing customers? Have you sufficiently researched the issue and potentially interested stakeholders?

9. Have you established a database of customers/prospects? Are you keeping accurate files on your research and stakeholders?

10. Do you know enough about social media? Indeed. The world hinges of social media usage.

Devote time and energy to fine-tuning your marketing, outreach and fundraising.

Consumers are known for buying at nonprofit web stores, which are used to generate additional funds for their work, according to nptechforgood.com. For example, according to Shop.org’s annual Holiday 2014 Pre-Holiday Retailer and Consumer Study, two out of five US consumers started their winter holiday shopping in October and online shoppers plan to spend 16% more than brick-and-mortar shoppers during the holiday season on gifts, decorations, greeting cards, and food. All told, online shoppers were expected to spend an average of $931.75. Conscious consumers channel some of their spending power into creating good in the world by shopping at these or similar online stores.

UNICEF Market

Ten Thousand Villages

St. Jude’s Giftshop

Smithsonian Shop

Sierra Club Store

Sevenly

SERRV Store

(RED) Shop

Punjammies

Peacekeeper Cause-Metics

Visit their websites to gauge your opportunities. NGOs should consider selling products and trinkets through their websites to boost their fundraising.

For health NGOs, biomedical engineers at Columbia University developed a smartphone attachment that brings inexpensive HIV tests to remote regions. The device turns a smartphone into a lab that can test human blood for the virus that causes AIDS or the bacteria that cause syphilis. The device is a dongle that attaches to the headphone jack, and requires no separate batteries. An app on the phone reads the results. The dongle contains a lab on a chip. It consists of a one-time-use cassette — which has tiny channels as thin as a human hair — and a pump, which is operated by a mechanical button and draws blood from an inlet through the channels. Boost your outreach by investigating this useful and lifesaving device.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 021015

Some progressive nonprofits devote attention to promoting their missions with public service announcements – PSAs.

According to reddeluxe.com, PSAs, which are variations of commercials or advertisements that sympathetic broadcasters and publishers promote in their media for free, require a great deal of developmental consideration. “There’s the research. The engagement strategy. The brand platform.  Development goals. But there’s another important consideration—a crucially important one—usually only considered as an afterthought: the perspective of the PSA directors at the print, broadcast, online and outdoor media who will make or break the success of the non-profit’s campaign,” the web advisor said. “So here’s the one simple change you can make to boost pickup significantly: make these PSA directors a top-level audience for your campaign.”

The more attention that is paid to PSA directors, who decide placement of the PSAs, the more successful the PSA’s distribution becomes.

PSA directors have endless streams of charity and cause PSAs to choose from, and they pick the campaigns that are a fit for their consumers. Delivering PSAs that meet their needs can make an enormous difference in your reach, daypart, engagement and ultimate ROI on the campaign.

Treat your PSAs as businesses treat their high-priced ads and commercials. Experts note that PSAs that look unintentionally low budget or are as dense as sales sheets are less appealing to the A-list media we’re after, and we’ve had our best success with PSAs that have an appealing level of polish, simplicity, and focus. National PSAs need to look and feel like national advertising.

As with earned media, public-service messaging does better when pitched. Pushing campaigns out on standard distribution channels can deliver some results, but our best hits have come with tactics typically seen in media relations: sending out-of-the-ordinary kits to directors personally; calling to follow up; pitching an important upcoming historical or health observance.

As you can see, the more you treat your NGO or nonprofit like a serious business, the more successful you will be in promoting your cause.

NGOs and nonprofits that deal with health, sight and blindness will be interested in this app that allows unsighted people to “see” with their iPhones.

The idea behind this app came from http://www.bemyeyes.org/. The developers believe that sometimes people who are visually impaired may need help with simple tasks but can’t easily get assistance. This app solves this by creating a platform that connects the two groups via video chat.

Mashable.com elaborated that app’s users are divided into two groups: sighted “helpers” and the visually impaired. When a blind user needs help, the app launches their iPhone’s rear-facing camera and connects them with a helper who can provide assistance.

The majority of users are helpers: it has 14,000 sighted users and 1,200 blind users. Being a helper is kind of like being on call; the app notifies random helpers that another user requires assistance, though helpers are not obligated to take the call. If a helper declines, the app will notify more people until someone answers.

The Denmark-based developers has already been testing the app in their home country for some time. Hans Wiberg, founder of Be My Eyes, said most of the tasks users have helped with have been inside the house, like identifying a piece of mail or finding the right item on a shelf.

“The really important thing about this app is the blind person gets the opportunity to get help without 'asking', so to speak,” Wiberg, who is also visually impaired, said, according to Mashable.

The app is free — Be My Eyes is a nonprofit and funded the app's development with a $300,000 donation — but Wiberg says the company will have to rely on more donations in the future in order to keep it that way. An Android version is also under development.

This helpful app will certainly enhance your NGO’s service and prominence.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 020915

NGOs and nonprofits depend on donations to fulfill their missions and I’ve written about the importance of outreaching to key donors and then regularly expressing your gratitude to them.

In order to maximize your fundraising efforts, experts are advising NGOs to invest time and creativity in upgrading their online donation service to ensure that they’re meeting the needs of today’s online donors, which are growing in numbers.

The best tool for that is the “Donate Now” button on your websites. It may be ubiquitous but is it as effective as it can be?

Nptechforgood.com offered the following 10 best practices in web fundraising for NGOs:

1. Embed the donation process inside your website and ensure that it is mobile compatible.

Six times more money is raised through custom-branded donate pages than through third-party donate pages.

To successfully fundraise online, nonprofits must invest in a premium, mobile-compatible online fundraising service, such as Network for Good, Stay Classy, Givlet, or DonationPay, since responsive design doubles contributing on mobile devices.

2. Prominently feature a “Donate” button on every page of your website.

Add a “Donate” button to every page of your website and blog which is mostly easily done by integrating it into your site’s navigation. The color of the button should be bold to ensure that donors can immediately see and tap or click the button.

3. Add calls-to-action to your “Thank You” landing page.

The vast majority of “Thank You” landing pages are text-only and lacking in interesting content. Add visual calls-to-actions to better motivate your donors to take further action on behalf of your nonprofit.

 4. Create donation impact graphics for social media.

Your followers on social networks are much more likely to take notice of your fundraising asks if you create a series of donation impact graphics. The ideal size for Facebook/Pinterest/Google+ graphics is 500 x 500 pixels. The size necessary for Twitter is 500 x 250 pixels.

5. Have a “More Ways to Give” page.

“Donate” buttons should always link directly to a page where donors enter their credit card information, but in addition your nonprofit should have a “More Ways to Give” or “How to Help” page the lists all the ways supporters can donate to your nonprofit. Again, prioritize images of text.

6. Launch a sustainer program.

Use an online fundraising service that easily allows supporters to make monthly donations automatically. Monthly donors give an average monthly gift of $52 ($624 annually) and give 42% more over one-year than one-time donors.

7. Enable tribute giving.

Use an online fundraising service that easily allows donors to make tribute or honor gifts, such birthday, holiday, and wedding gifts.

8. Prioritize yearend fundraising.

Thirty percent of all online donations are made in December and 10% of all annual giving happens in the last three days of the year. Online fundraising campaigns should be focused on the online giving habits of their donors.

9. Advertise your fundraising campaigns on your blog.

In addition to a “Donate” button on every page of your blog, create ads for other fundraising programs, such as products your nonprofit sells, apps you have available for download, crowdfunding campaigns, monthly giving campaigns, etc.

10. Publish an e-newsletter.

When polled, 25-30% of nonprofits do not use email to promote their programs and fundraising campaigns which is a mistake since email is the primary source of online donations. In fact, for every 1,000 fundraising messages delivered, nonprofits raised $17.

While it may seem like an obvious to you, outreaching is an exercise that needs to enjoy a great deal of your time and effort. Great nonprofits spend as much time working outside their four walls – with the global assortment of stakeholders – as they do managing their internal operations.

High-impact NGOs build social movements and fields; they transform business, government, other nonprofits, and individuals; and they change the world around them. Experts have determined these six patterns and practices that high-impact nonprofits use to achieve extraordinary impact and success:

1. Work with government and advocate for policy change

2. Harness market forces and see business as a powerful partner

3. Convert individual supporters into evangelists for the cause

4. Build and nurture nonprofit networks, treating other groups as allies

5. Adapt to the changing environment

6. Share leadership, empowering others to be forces for good

Indeed, these NGOs are ready to cast a wide net to increase their chances of success – the attainment of the goal that they created for themselves in their marketing or outreach plan.

In addition, Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie R. Crutchfield in their work “Creating High-Impact Nonprofits,” advise: “High-impact nonprofits have also mastered several basic management principles that are necessary to sustain their impact. They have all developed enduring, somewhat diversified sources of financial support, including large individual donor bases, government contracts, corporate donations, and foundation grants. Typically, they have aligned their fundraising strategy with their impact strategy. Those that are the savviest about inspiring evangelists are also able to build a broad individual donor base.”

Some of their other business-oriented observations state:

“These nonprofits have also learned that they need to invest in their human resources, and so the majority of them compensate their executives very well compared to organizations of similar size.”

“Rather than doing what they’ve always done, high-impact nonprofits continuously move in new directions. And by working with and through others, they find levers long enough to increase their impact.” Solid business advice to be flexible, to review and adapt to new circumstances, and to revise and change paths to their goals.

Successful NGOs need structure to succeed in their work but not rigidity. They should have an outreach path to their goal and they need to measure their achievements. Along the way, they should touch a wide range of stakeholders as well as major and minor donors to promote their mission and projects as well as to solicit funds.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 020715

Marketing and outreach are organizations’ visible strategies – from a high altitude – and tactics – from the ground level – to bring their messages to hometowns as well as stakeholders around the world. For maximum impact, NGOs and nonprofits should be tuned in to the latest outreach trends.

I recently read an article by Lisa Thompson, in which she discussed several important outreach ideas. You shouldn’t cement yourselves in the notion that “But, I’ve already done that last week, last month or last year.” Reviewing you outreach plans often will ultimately make your NGO more successful than it was last year. Here’s what Thompson advised with my added suggestions:

1. Mobile is still hot – this irrefutable tip has perennially topped all other tips.

2. Brands are becoming publishers and marketers are becoming writers – content marketing helps you establish authority and gain ongoing trust with stakeholders, constituents and prospects.

3. Personalized communication is key to setting your organization apart – check what I had written about telling your NGO’s story not merely project.

4. For social media, content will become more platform specific – each social media outlet requires its own way of communicating.

5. Humanizing your brand is more important than ever – especially for civil society: you’re passionate people with missions not number-crunchers.

Creating an outreach plan is not a one-time exercise. It’s a process in motion. Return to it often and don’t be afraid to adjust, revise, edit, tweak or change it as needed.

Be my valentine, please. I had written about the importance of sending your contributors receipts for their donations. This action records the donation, expresses thanks for the funds and gives the donor the opportunity to contribute again by politely reminding the institution of your existence and mission.

Holidays also provide NGOs with the opportunity to remind donors and stakeholders of your existence and mission.

Lyndsey Hrabik in her article “Be My Valentine. Show Your Donors You care,” wrote: “You probably didn’t think your donors would notice if you skipped calling them after their last donation. But trust me—they noticed. You know how it goes. A few missed calls turn into a few months gone by. Months turn to years and soon your organization is only a distant memory. Exaggeration? Maybe. But I wouldn’t want to chance it. The reward is worth it when you’re communicating with donors.”

As my previous point noted, as you humanize your NGO, remember not to treat your donors as ATM machines; treat your donors like people that you like. Send them greetings throughout the year.

St. Valentine’s Day is a Christian, Western, ritual, but surely a similar concept exists in a host of cultures around the world. If your culture’s day of personal recognition is February 14, take a moment to send your donors a note of recognition before next Saturday. If your culture’s day of personal recognition falls on another date, plan now to send your donors a special word of recognition.

You’ll be surprised how this will affect positively your fundraising campaigns.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs are doing, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 020515

In case you forgot, LinkedIn launched in 2003, Facebook launched in 2004 and Twitter launched in 2006 – that’s 12, 11 and nine years ago, respectively.

According to nptechforgood.com, despite the proliferation of social media – and the Internet as a whole – experts have documented that they are still growing in usage and are expected to grow for years to come.

Simultaneously, the writers at NpTechforGood noted that’s it’s no coincidence that online donating is also rapidly growing.

“A decade ago most individuals still consumed print news and donated by writing and mailing checks. Today, as donors, activists, and volunteers worldwide have embraced the Internet for news and entertainment, so have they transitioned their giving and their trust to digital. The investment the early adopter nonprofits made into online fundraising technology and strategy in the late 1990s and 2000s is now finally starting pay off – especially if they have also invested into a smart, multichannel, integrated social media strategy,” they wrote.

In line with this, they cited as evidence a charitable tradition that evolved into what is called Giving Tuesday, which last year fell on December 14.

A total of $45.68 million was raised, an increase of 63% over 2014. Social media enhanced outreach of the campaign as well: 32.7 million Twitter impressions and 698,600 hashtag mentions. NGO participation reached more than 15,000 and partner organization participation topped 20,000 from more than 68 countries.

It’s worthwhile to check this out for your NGO. Visit http://www.givingtuesday.org/

I have been encouraging NGOs to devote time to developing a marketing plan for their organization just like any small business would do. However, this idea is not based on the notion of merely stimulating creative juices of your team members – though creativity is a requirement of a solid marketing plan.

Your NGO’s marketing plan must result in the achievement of the goals that you outlined within a well-defined period of time. A marketing plan is not waxing poetic for an indefinite amount of time.

According to Laura Lowell, author of “42 Rules of Marketing,” while marketing is creative, exciting and fun, serious managers expect – and demand – concrete results.

“There was a time when brilliant creative was appreciated for being brilliant creative. Now, most CEOs actually want their marketing teams to help sell products. They are holding CMOs accountable for specific performance metrics - like all the other C-level folks at the table,” Lowell wrote.

That means frequency of press release, social media posts and tweets, research and reports, face-to-face events and raising money.

“At the end of the day, after all the creative is reviewed and approved, the copy is tweaked and refined, and the lists are scrubbed and de-duped, what really matters is that the campaign helped the company (or NGO) sell more products (disseminate its influence). Yep – it’s that simple. In the simplest terms, marketing is the way messages about your company (your NGO), product or service (your mission) are created and communicated to your customers (your stakeholders) in order to elicit a positive response. In other words, marketing is the way you create and distribute messages to get people's attention so you can convince them to buy more of your stuff (support your mission),” Lowell wrote.

In other words, the exercise to create a marketing plan and its implementation should not be belittled.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs do, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Today’s Tips for NGOs 020415

Imitation is the best form of flattery and the path to success. According to nptechforgood.com, if your nonprofit’s outreach via social media is built on engaging young adults, then you should consider investing some time experimenting with Tumblr, one of several free blog sites. According to a recent study by emarketer.com, after Facebook, young adults spend more time per day on Tumblr than any other social network. Tumblr’s mobile design and the unique content blogged on Tumblr resonates with millennials. Here are 12 nonprofit Tumblrs to study and learn from to build your outreach to the younger generation and perhaps attract their activism. Also download Tumblr’s mobile app to experience it on a mobile device or suitable cell phone.

1. Think Progress
think-progress.tumblr.com

2. Smithsonian Magazine
smithsonianmag.tumblr.com

3. Sex, Etc.
sexetc.tumblr.com

4. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
pulitzercenter.tumblr.com

5. Pew Research Center
pewresearch.tumblr.com

6. OURTIME.org
attndotcom.tumblr.com

7. Natural Resources Defense Council
nrdc.tumblr.com

8. National Public Radio
npr.tumblr.com

9. Museum of Modern Art
moma.tumblr.com

10. Made In a Free World
madeinafreeworld.tumblr.com

11. Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
glsen.tumblr.com

12. CODE.org
codeorg.tumblr.com

NGOs should understand that development and marketing should be treated identically. They’re both vital to an organization’s successful existence. “They really serve the same function. Which is why they shouldn’t exist in separate silos within your organization,” observed Shonte Riddick in her article “Nonprofit Leadership and Practice.” Riddick reinforced this notion by citing Hugh MacLeod: “We are a species of ideas. And the ideas that spread, win. And marketing is just the art of getting ideas to spread. Sure, selling bathroom deodorant via daytime TV commercials is marketing. But so was Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. So was The Declaration of Independence.”

All NGOs have dreams, missions, values and vision which need to be disseminated and marketed otherwise they wouldn’t be NGOs.

Is your NGOs messaging consistent? Is your marketing strategy giving your fundraising initiatives the exposure they need to succeed? Marketing and development should be integrated; your development staff should not have to beg and persuade your marketing team for help when a need arises – even if each group consists of one person. As I have often written in previous blogs, how can you raise money for your cause if no one knows about the good work you’re doing?

Riddick noted: “If you want to make life easier for yourself, I implore you to align these two functions.  Integrate your departments. Understand that from the outside looking in, you are one organization.  No one cares which department crafted which message. What folks do care about is when they are bombarded by too many different messages — from different departments — with different calls to action.  It’s confusing. What are they supposed to do first! What’s your top priority for their time, interest and money? Development is to fundraising as marketing is to sales.”

Your effective communications for fundraising or outreach delivers on your brand promise and always reflects your organization’s identity, image and mission. This behavior ensures that your messaging is credible and unforgettable, helping you to build trust and loyalty among new and old donors and stakeholders constituents. It makes it easier to approach them for donations.

If you’re available tomorrow in the metropolitan NY-NJ-CT-PA region, you may be interested in this event about food and nutrition at the United Nations HQ.

The FAO’s assistant director-general will hold a briefing on the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) Outcome. It will be co-organized by the New York Liaison Offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Date: 5 February 2015
Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue: Conference Room E

For further information, contact New York Liaison Offices of the FAO at email: perezs@un.org; or lon-registry@un.org; or telephone: 1 (212) 963-6036). Even if you can’t make it, contact the offices just the same to express your interest and request to be placed on a mailing list.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

For a global view of what NGOs do, please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoostingNGOOutreach

Think Like a Donor and Tweet Often

As I’ve been discussing, fundraising is the lifeblood of a nonprofit. There are a host of elaborate strategies that can help an NGO launch a successful fundraising campaign. There are also simple ones as well. One of them that I read about recently suggests that NGOs merely think like a donor.

Rachel Muir, CFRE & vice president of Training at Pursuant, wrote: “The hardest thing to do in fundraising is think like a donor. Let’s face it; thinking like other people is just plain difficult. This may be why most marriages end in divorce. Or why teenagers feel so woefully misunderstood. Yet, getting this one thing right has the greatest power to unleash your donor’s generosity towards your cause. Why is it so hard to think like a donor? How do we stray off course and lose our way? It’s easy. We get sidetracked with all the great things we want to tell our donors and we forget that the heart of our communication should be the exact opposite: it should be about the great work our donors have done.”

She suggests the following points to thinking like a donor when preparing to approach an organization or individual for financial support:

1. Remember what it’s like to be a donor.  

2. Treat your communications like a mirror you hold up in front of your donor.  

3. Embrace your emotional (right-brained) side.  

4. Consider the questions they are asking themselves when they get your appeal.

5. Give them a problem to solve.

When fundraising, your attitude can make or break the attempt. A warm and fuzzy appeal can win the day.

I’ve been urging nonprofits and small businesses to seriously consider launching a Twitter campaign to push your marketing and outreach campaigns. Evidence abounds that it will only benefit you. However, you should take into consideration the following point about tweeting. Undoubtedly, you may want to make the widest affect with your tweet but there is a good chance that the desired eyes may not see it. Yes, the receiver may scrawl to find as many tweets as possible but that’s not enough. You have to take advantage of Twitter to outreach by taking advantage of the entire Twitter system. We live in a large village despite two dozen time zones around the globe. It’s quite likely that someone who you want to reach may be asleep or not on line. Therefore it’s a wise tactic to tweet the same information several times a day to increase the chances that you’ll catch the attention of readers with your information. Four times a day in the course of a couple of days is a workable solution. But because Twitter oftentimes does not allow you to retweet the same content, you will have to be a clever wordsmith to get your information into twittersphere.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.

We’re Surrounded by Technology—No Kidding. Use It!

They’re tuned in; are you telling them anything? Every day we see irrefutable evidence that global society is interconnected digitally so it behooves NGOs, nonprofits, civil society and even the private sector to compose timely messages for neighbors and stakeholders. We Are Social crunched the following numbers that paint a telling picture about how you should communicate your messages:

As of this month, the world’s population is 7.2 billion people, up 1.6% from the previous year. There are 3.01 billion active Internet users, up 21% from 2014. Active social media accounts number 2.07 billion, up 12% from last year. There are 3.649 billion unique mobile users, up 5%; and 1.685 billion active mobile social accounts, up 23%.

There are ready eyes and ears for your messages. It’s up to you to satisfy their brains.

As for mobile usage as an outreach, email and purchasing tool, that’s also increasing much to the benefit of NGOs. Brandon Granger wrote in “5 Myths of Mobile Fundraising, Debunked” that naysayers had believed that no one buys memberships on mobile devices. However, 12.3% of the membership purchases come from smartphones or tablets. Moreover, 17.2% of memberships are purchased on mobile when the nonprofit’s website is responsive. 

Another myth that Granger debunked stated that no one really registers for events on mobile. In reality, 19.6% of events registrations come from mobile units. That’s almost 1 in 5 of event registrants. Across the board, supporters are almost twice more likely to register for an event than make a donation on mobile (though donations have also been falling into coffers via mobile phones).

Finally, there was a belief that few donors read emails on mobile. But statistics show that 49% of all emails were read on mobile across the web during December of 2014.

Some may think that electronics is the bane of society. However, electronics, the Internet, social media, mobile phones may help your organization outreach to stakeholders near and far.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.