It's hard to believe that Sunday will be the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. We can still vividly remember where we were on that fateful day as though it happened just yesterday. We've been commemorating the thousands of lives lost that day ever since, but there's something about the number 10 that makes it more meaningful.
Perhaps it's because the World Trade Center Memorial will finally be opened. As was reported in the most recent issue of The NonProfit Times, fundraising for the memorial was up by almost one-third last year, which certainly helped in its completion. The opening ceremony at Ground Zero is sure to be a moving event, though it remains shameful that the first responders were not invited. If we are to properly honor the past, shouldn't they be there?
The day should still be memorable despite this disservice. Whether you plan to watch the Ground Zero ceremony, watch the Jets play their home opener, or something else entirely, make sure you take a moment to remember those who lost their lives 10 years ago. It's the least we can do.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tips For Nonprofit Job Seekers
Cross-Posted From Nonprofit Jobs
Inquiring minds want to know: What do you have to do to get a nonprofit job? I've already gone over the kind of things you should be putting in a nonprofit resume. There are other tips that job seekers should know if they want to land one of these highly sought after positions.
A common mistake that nonprofit job seekers make is believing they have to start over to get a job in the sector. The thought goes that any for-profit experience you have is completely useless in the nonprofit sector. That couldn't be further from the truth. Nonprofits are run like businesses, meaning that your previous management experience is very valuable. The worst thing you can do is approach a nonprofit career believing you need to start all over again.
This doesn't mean there aren't new skills you should learn. Most colleges have courses you can take to earn an MA in nonprofit management, though this isn't entirely necessary, unless you want a high level nonprofit position. If you don't have enough time for a Masters Degree, taking a few courses over the summer will help your chances. Any additional training you can get on topics such as philanthropy and fundraising will give you a huge leg up on the competition.
Think I missed any points? Feel free to add your tips below on how to get a nonprofit job.
Inquiring minds want to know: What do you have to do to get a nonprofit job? I've already gone over the kind of things you should be putting in a nonprofit resume. There are other tips that job seekers should know if they want to land one of these highly sought after positions.
A common mistake that nonprofit job seekers make is believing they have to start over to get a job in the sector. The thought goes that any for-profit experience you have is completely useless in the nonprofit sector. That couldn't be further from the truth. Nonprofits are run like businesses, meaning that your previous management experience is very valuable. The worst thing you can do is approach a nonprofit career believing you need to start all over again.
This doesn't mean there aren't new skills you should learn. Most colleges have courses you can take to earn an MA in nonprofit management, though this isn't entirely necessary, unless you want a high level nonprofit position. If you don't have enough time for a Masters Degree, taking a few courses over the summer will help your chances. Any additional training you can get on topics such as philanthropy and fundraising will give you a huge leg up on the competition.
Think I missed any points? Feel free to add your tips below on how to get a nonprofit job.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Site Spotlight: Nonprofit Jobs
The NonProfit Times has been serving our readers for years, but news is not the only thing we are interested in providing. That's why we set up a career center dedicated to giving the public a way to find quality nonprofit jobs. The site is called The Nonprofit Jobseeker, and it's completely free for job seekers to use. All you have to do is create an account and you can begin browsing jobs. It also has a section that contains career advice articles.
Is your nonprofit organization hiring? For a price determined by the length of time you want your job posted, you can put your open positions on the Nonprofit Jobseeker. We also have hiring tips that will help you make good decisions when it comes to interviewing new employees, retention, and other human resources topics.
Whether you are a job seeker or an employer, the Nonprofit Jobseeker has a lot to offer. Check it out today!
Is your nonprofit organization hiring? For a price determined by the length of time you want your job posted, you can put your open positions on the Nonprofit Jobseeker. We also have hiring tips that will help you make good decisions when it comes to interviewing new employees, retention, and other human resources topics.
Whether you are a job seeker or an employer, the Nonprofit Jobseeker has a lot to offer. Check it out today!
Georgia Nonprofit Stops Food Distribution
Chalk up another nonprofit that has fallen victim to the down economy. According to WSBTV.com, the Georgia nonprofit Angel Food Ministries will be laying off its full-time staff, forcing it to halt its food distribution services for the month of September. The move will not only impact the lives of the staff let go, but also the thousands of Atlanta residents who rely on their services everyday. This is the first time in 17 years the organization had to do halt its services. Here is part of the statement they posted on their website:
Want to read the full article on this story? Head on over to WSBTV.
Like the thousands of businesses in America that have endured one of the worst recessions in the past 100 years, we too have faced operational and financial challenges. We have every intention to continue offering great food at great prices in the coming months and are considering ways to reorganize or restructure our Ministry.It appears that food distribution services will continue in the months ahead but for now, people who relied on their services are going to have to look for other sources. The article states that the Elizabeth Baptist Church, which distributes the food boxes from Angel Food Ministries, is going to try and pay for them on its own through donations. If this is successful, it will provide relief until the regular food service is restored.
Want to read the full article on this story? Head on over to WSBTV.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Retro Article Of The Week: Agencies Aim For Back Office Savings
This week's retro article goes back to November 1st, 2008. It was just three days before the 2008 presidential election. This article makes no mention of politics, however. It takes a look at how nonprofits were looking to save money by making changes to their offices. Keep in mind that the United States was enduring the worst parts of the Great Recession, so saving money was a huge priority. The article starts by showing how the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago saved some cash:
Stephen Cole saw a way for eight Chicago-based nonprofits to save $6 million in the first full year after a few changes. "It's just intuitive," he said. "I did it before as CEO of the Cash Station Inc."
Cole now serves as president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. "The genesis of helping the eight agencies came from what I did for banks," he said. Instead of each bank putting out 6,000 ATMs, Cole linked them all together so everyone could use them. "I've saved the industry a lot of money," he said.
"We have $300 million in purchasing power," he said. The YMCA alone maintains an $80 million operating budget with around 3,000 employees that help an estimated 120,000 people a year. "The big challenge was convincing every other agency that hadn't done this (sharing services) before that there was a business issue," he said.
The eight organizations putting this concept in play include the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Metropolitan Family Services, Casa Central, ChildServe, Chicago Commons, Kids Hope United, and Youth Guidance.
I thought this was an incredibly unique way to have an organization save money, especially considering the cost of making so many ATM machines. What ways have your nonprofits saved money now or in the past?
Please read the rest of this article over on our website.
Stephen Cole saw a way for eight Chicago-based nonprofits to save $6 million in the first full year after a few changes. "It's just intuitive," he said. "I did it before as CEO of the Cash Station Inc."
Cole now serves as president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. "The genesis of helping the eight agencies came from what I did for banks," he said. Instead of each bank putting out 6,000 ATMs, Cole linked them all together so everyone could use them. "I've saved the industry a lot of money," he said.
"We have $300 million in purchasing power," he said. The YMCA alone maintains an $80 million operating budget with around 3,000 employees that help an estimated 120,000 people a year. "The big challenge was convincing every other agency that hadn't done this (sharing services) before that there was a business issue," he said.
The eight organizations putting this concept in play include the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Metropolitan Family Services, Casa Central, ChildServe, Chicago Commons, Kids Hope United, and Youth Guidance.
I thought this was an incredibly unique way to have an organization save money, especially considering the cost of making so many ATM machines. What ways have your nonprofits saved money now or in the past?
Please read the rest of this article over on our website.
Site Spotlight: The Library
With The Library section of The NonProfit Times website, nonprofits will be able to fulfill all of their white paper needs. The Library is an advertiser driven page in which white pages, videos, webinars are uploaded and are searchable by subject and category. Right now we have three white paper pdfs that tackle various subjects like donor prospecting and financial software. We hope to add plenty more white papers in the months ahead.
When you get a chance, check out our Library page and see how it can help your nonprofit organization!
When you get a chance, check out our Library page and see how it can help your nonprofit organization!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Boston Mayor Proposes Incentives For Nonprofit Hiring
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that jobs are hard to find in this market. That's why federal and local governments are trying to come up with ways to boost hiring. One example of this is developing in Boston, MA, as The Boston Globe reports that Mayor Tom Menino is proposing financial incentives to boost nonprofit hiring as part of a 10-point jobs proposal.
According to the report, hospitals and other nonprofit jobs that hire unemployed Bostonians would receive a $1,000 credit that would be deducted from the amount they would pay each year in lieu of taxes. This credit would be increased to $1,500 if the individual had been unemployed for six months or more.
Whether these incentives will be enough to encourage nonprofits to hire remains to be seen. The article quotes some experts, such as the president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, who believe the credits are too modest to have a big impact, especially in lieu of federal budget cuts and Boston's recent insistence that nonprofits pay more to the city. To read the rest of the article, head on over to The Boston Globe.
According to the report, hospitals and other nonprofit jobs that hire unemployed Bostonians would receive a $1,000 credit that would be deducted from the amount they would pay each year in lieu of taxes. This credit would be increased to $1,500 if the individual had been unemployed for six months or more.
Whether these incentives will be enough to encourage nonprofits to hire remains to be seen. The article quotes some experts, such as the president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, who believe the credits are too modest to have a big impact, especially in lieu of federal budget cuts and Boston's recent insistence that nonprofits pay more to the city. To read the rest of the article, head on over to The Boston Globe.
Nonprofit Management Tip: 5 Ideas For Handling Evaluations
Nonprofit organizations rely a lot on the help of volunteers. Whether it's assisting with an important fundraising campaign or helping out at a special event, their work can really help out. That's why nonprofits need to know the finer points of volunteer management. In this week's nonprofit management tip, we examine how organizations can evaluate their volunteers:
Volunteer management is so important that training sessions and orientation programs for volunteer managers can pay big dividends. Instituting such programs might not be easy, however.
Susan J. Ellis, a Philadelphia, Pa.-based consultant who specializes in volunteers, believes that volunteer leaders often need to be acquainted with the approaches that will help them to help other volunteers, as well as working to the benefit of such initiatives.
For example, it could be helpful to tell them that:
• It is worse to talk negatively about someone with others than to confront the person directly about poor performance;
• It is more flattering to suggest that a volunteer could do better at something than to act as if you think they’ve already done their best;
• If you want to recognize good volunteers, then deal with volunteers who are not doing the right things. Otherwise, you send the message to the others that it doesn’t matter whether they do something well;
• It could be a relief to the volunteer that you are offering options for improving a situation that the person also believes is not working well; and,
• Stress self-fulfilling prophecy. Set high standards and don’t settle for “Well, we’ve got to accept whatever volunteers do.” Expect the best and that’s what you’ll get. But don’t assume that everyone automatically comes with positive expectations, even volunteers.
Evaluating your volunteers can be a challenging task, so hopefully these tips were helpful to you. Feel free to share your volunteer management stories with us by posting in the comments section below.
Volunteer management is so important that training sessions and orientation programs for volunteer managers can pay big dividends. Instituting such programs might not be easy, however.
Susan J. Ellis, a Philadelphia, Pa.-based consultant who specializes in volunteers, believes that volunteer leaders often need to be acquainted with the approaches that will help them to help other volunteers, as well as working to the benefit of such initiatives.
For example, it could be helpful to tell them that:
• It is worse to talk negatively about someone with others than to confront the person directly about poor performance;
• It is more flattering to suggest that a volunteer could do better at something than to act as if you think they’ve already done their best;
• If you want to recognize good volunteers, then deal with volunteers who are not doing the right things. Otherwise, you send the message to the others that it doesn’t matter whether they do something well;
• It could be a relief to the volunteer that you are offering options for improving a situation that the person also believes is not working well; and,
• Stress self-fulfilling prophecy. Set high standards and don’t settle for “Well, we’ve got to accept whatever volunteers do.” Expect the best and that’s what you’ll get. But don’t assume that everyone automatically comes with positive expectations, even volunteers.
Evaluating your volunteers can be a challenging task, so hopefully these tips were helpful to you. Feel free to share your volunteer management stories with us by posting in the comments section below.
MDA Telethon Survives Without Jerry
Labor Day weekend 2011 bought all the familiar events: Family bbqs, relaxing days at the beach, and the annual MDA Telethon. Except this time, the telethon wasn't hosted by Jerry Lewis. For the first time in nearly half a century, the popular telethon did not include the legendary comedian. Would this year's event prove as successful without its long standing host? The answer is a resounding "yes."
The telethon raised $61,491,393, up from the $58,919,838 it bought in the previous year, about $4 million short of the record $65 million raised in 2008. That was when it was still a 21 1/2 hour event: This year's telethon was trimmed to six hours. Although Lewis was not at the show in person, he was very much there in spirit. The show opened with a tribute to him, and he was mentioned at various times throughout the broadcast. Still, the script made it clear that there was no going back.
With Lewis out of the picture, MDA turned to multiple hosts: Nigel Lythgoe of "American Idol" fame, Nancy O'Dell of "Entertainment Tonight," Alison Sweeney of "The Biggest Loser," Jann Carl, an Emmy-winning journalist, and Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ace Young (who replaced the long-time NY area host, Tony Orlando).
It is still not clear what changed between May, when it was announced Lewis would make one last appearance as host, and August, when it was announced he would not be returning as host or chairman. If any news breaks on that subject, we will be sure to bring it to you.
The telethon raised $61,491,393, up from the $58,919,838 it bought in the previous year, about $4 million short of the record $65 million raised in 2008. That was when it was still a 21 1/2 hour event: This year's telethon was trimmed to six hours. Although Lewis was not at the show in person, he was very much there in spirit. The show opened with a tribute to him, and he was mentioned at various times throughout the broadcast. Still, the script made it clear that there was no going back.
With Lewis out of the picture, MDA turned to multiple hosts: Nigel Lythgoe of "American Idol" fame, Nancy O'Dell of "Entertainment Tonight," Alison Sweeney of "The Biggest Loser," Jann Carl, an Emmy-winning journalist, and Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ace Young (who replaced the long-time NY area host, Tony Orlando).
It is still not clear what changed between May, when it was announced Lewis would make one last appearance as host, and August, when it was announced he would not be returning as host or chairman. If any news breaks on that subject, we will be sure to bring it to you.
Friday, September 2, 2011
All About Prospect Research
It goes without saying that cultivating donors is a major task for any nonprofit organization. To find these individuals, most nonprofits undergo a process known as prospect research. What is prospect research, you ask? It is is a process in which a researcher will identify relevant information about potential donors, which will be used to develop a solicitation profile of an individual. Prospect research is most often utilized to find donors who have the potential to provide major gifts. However, the process is used to find donors at all levels and for all fundraising channels. This is done by evaluating a prospect’s ability to give and the person’s affinity for the nonprofit. It's a complicated task but hey, somebody has to do it.
The NonProfit Times has a number of articles on this topic, so you can head you our prospect research page to find out more about how it can help your organization.
The NonProfit Times has a number of articles on this topic, so you can head you our prospect research page to find out more about how it can help your organization.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
All About Donor Management Software
One of the most important responsibilities for a nonprofit is keeping track of its donors. With the use of donor management software, this has become easier than ever. Here's a quick definition for the uninitiated:
Donor management software is technology that allows nonprofits to cultivate donors and donations on their computers. This affordable fundraising software, made specifically for nonprofits, organizes all your donor information in one database, making it easy to stay close to your best supporters, track gifts, send thank you notes, produce fundraising appeals and track campaign effectiveness. Overall, this technology is designed to be a one-stop-shop that lets nonprofits and charities to manage their fundraising efforts online.The NonProfit Times organizes all of its articles by categories, and one of these is donor management software. Have you been wanting to learn more about this technology, or have you been wondering how it can help your nonprofit? Head on over to our "Search Articles" page to read more about it, as well as the others topics we have posted.
The NonProfit Times Remembers 9/11
This coming September 11th will be the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. To commemorate this event, the just released September 1st issue of The NonProfit Times contains 9/11-related articles. Here is what you can expect to find in the latest issue:
Articles:
Articles:
- "Sites Rush To Complete September 11 Memorials"-As the title suggests, this article focuses on the various 9/11 memorials that are being worked on, including the Flight 93 National Memorial.
- "Toll Of War On Terror Taken On Military"-The September 11th attacks spured our nation to war in Afghanistan, and then into Iraq. This article tells the story of how veterans of these wars are coping as the 10th anniversary of tha attacks approach.
- "Outpouring Of 9/11 Financial Support Slowed In A Few Months"-Although giving surged in the days and weeks after the attacks, this trend did not last for long.
- "Bounced"-Our editor-in-chief, Paul Clolery, wonders why 9/11 first responders were not invited to Ground Zero this year.
- "Safety Blueprint"-Melanie Lockwood Herman, executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, gives tips on how to increase safety at your workplace.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Retro Article Of The Week: Hurricane Katrina And Nonprofits
Hurricane Irene caused havoc up and down the East coast over the weekend. It caused major flooding, power outages, and some loss of life, but we should consider ourselves lucky we didn't have another Katrina on our hands. That fateful storm struck 6 years ago, and we all know the damage and chaos it caused. The storm hit during what was supposed to be the Community Action Partnership's (CAP) annual convention, which was being held in New Orleans that year. In our October 1st, 2005 issue, we wrote about the impact Katrina had on conferences in New Orleans:
As Category 4 winds battered New Orleans approximately 300 people huddled in the confines of The New Orleans Marriott hotel just steps from the historic French Quarter. The accommodations were modest -- cots set up on the facility’s ballroom floor became a safe haven from the danger of flying glass shards from broken windows.
The tenor was a far cry from the buzzing activity of what was intended to be the Community Action Partnership’s (CAP) annual convention. Three of the CAP staff, one member of its board and some of its delegates were among those waiting out the storm.
“We were getting updates from the hotel staff and some people had the small, transistor-like radios,” recounted Brian Peterkin-Vertanesian, J.D., vice president for programs, and grants management, one of CAPs staff holed up at the Marriott.
“Things were mostly calm, although people did get a little more worried when we heard what was going on with the problems at the Superdome. You could tell that people were a little nervous but most were resigned to being there for a couple of days.”
New Orleans was a top convention city, with numerous charities and associations having to cancel or move their biggest revenue generator of the year.
Located near the Mississippi River, the area immediate to the Marriott was spared the deep flood water resulting from the broken levees on the 17th Street Canal in the western part of the city and the Industrial Canal on the east side.
Once the brunt of the storm had passed, Marriott allowed its guests to use the one functioning elevator to retrieve personal items from their rooms. When Peterkin-Vertanesian was able to look outside to assess the damage, he reported seeing blown out windows and flood water that had halted approximately a block away from the hotel.
During his time in the Marriott ballroom Peterkin-Vertanesian befriended a woman and her son, who worked at the Marriott. It was through that relationship that he was able to hop a 1 a.m. ride out of town after the storm had passed. Other than a strong police presence blocking off impassable roadways, Peterkin-Vertanesian described the departing trip as “not much of a problem.”
The magnitude of the disaster didn’t fully hit him until he arrived back in Washington, D.C. “I usually don’t tend to watch a tremendous amount of television coverage of these events -- with the tsunami and 9/11, I wasn’t tuned in 24/7 like a lot of people,” he explained. “But I took a few days off and watched it with my wife. I’ve been to New Orleans many times, I love jazz, and this was just totally devastating.”
You can read the rest of this article over on our website.
As Category 4 winds battered New Orleans approximately 300 people huddled in the confines of The New Orleans Marriott hotel just steps from the historic French Quarter. The accommodations were modest -- cots set up on the facility’s ballroom floor became a safe haven from the danger of flying glass shards from broken windows.
The tenor was a far cry from the buzzing activity of what was intended to be the Community Action Partnership’s (CAP) annual convention. Three of the CAP staff, one member of its board and some of its delegates were among those waiting out the storm.
“We were getting updates from the hotel staff and some people had the small, transistor-like radios,” recounted Brian Peterkin-Vertanesian, J.D., vice president for programs, and grants management, one of CAPs staff holed up at the Marriott.
“Things were mostly calm, although people did get a little more worried when we heard what was going on with the problems at the Superdome. You could tell that people were a little nervous but most were resigned to being there for a couple of days.”
New Orleans was a top convention city, with numerous charities and associations having to cancel or move their biggest revenue generator of the year.
Located near the Mississippi River, the area immediate to the Marriott was spared the deep flood water resulting from the broken levees on the 17th Street Canal in the western part of the city and the Industrial Canal on the east side.
Once the brunt of the storm had passed, Marriott allowed its guests to use the one functioning elevator to retrieve personal items from their rooms. When Peterkin-Vertanesian was able to look outside to assess the damage, he reported seeing blown out windows and flood water that had halted approximately a block away from the hotel.
During his time in the Marriott ballroom Peterkin-Vertanesian befriended a woman and her son, who worked at the Marriott. It was through that relationship that he was able to hop a 1 a.m. ride out of town after the storm had passed. Other than a strong police presence blocking off impassable roadways, Peterkin-Vertanesian described the departing trip as “not much of a problem.”
The magnitude of the disaster didn’t fully hit him until he arrived back in Washington, D.C. “I usually don’t tend to watch a tremendous amount of television coverage of these events -- with the tsunami and 9/11, I wasn’t tuned in 24/7 like a lot of people,” he explained. “But I took a few days off and watched it with my wife. I’ve been to New Orleans many times, I love jazz, and this was just totally devastating.”
You can read the rest of this article over on our website.
Arab American Philanthropy On The Rise
Philanthropy among Arab Americans is increasing, according to a report in New America Media; and The Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) is a big part of that increase. The Dearborn, Mich.-based group, which is a project of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), is the first national giving program in the Arab American community. This doesn't mean that philanthropy is a foreign subject to this group, however. The article notes that charity is something that has long been stressed by the Arab culture. For example, there is an Islamic tradition known as Zakat, that requires followers to set aside a portion of their income for those in need.
Nonprofits like ACCESS, which was formed in 2005, have been very important for the Arab community in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. They have sought to fight the negative perception of Islam that some Americans had after the deadly attacks. Kate Casa, director of communications at ACCESS, says that many in her community were reluctant to participate in public philanthropy for fear of being accused of supporting extremist groups. To combat this fear, ACCESS has created a system of transparency.
To read the full article, including details on the organizations that received CAAP grants, head on over to New America Media.
Nonprofits like ACCESS, which was formed in 2005, have been very important for the Arab community in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. They have sought to fight the negative perception of Islam that some Americans had after the deadly attacks. Kate Casa, director of communications at ACCESS, says that many in her community were reluctant to participate in public philanthropy for fear of being accused of supporting extremist groups. To combat this fear, ACCESS has created a system of transparency.
To read the full article, including details on the organizations that received CAAP grants, head on over to New America Media.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Breaking News: CDR Fundraising Group Sold
The NonProfit Times has just learned that CDR Fundraising Group has been sold to direct marketing entrepreneur James Moore. Terms of the deal were not disclosed at this writing, though sources told NPT that CDR's net revenue was about $9 million.
Geoffrey W. Peters, president and CEO of CDR, will remain in that role, the company announced. Peters wrote the following in a memo to clients:
Geoffrey W. Peters, president and CEO of CDR, will remain in that role, the company announced. Peters wrote the following in a memo to clients:
"The company itself will continue to operate as usual -- with the same name, the same staff, the same values and in the same fashion as previously. I will remain president and CEO of CDR. We truly don't expect any changes in the way in which we operate, except that we may have some new opportunities to provide additional services to our clients that we could not offer before."Read more about the sale of CDR at the NPT website.
Monday, August 29, 2011
9/11 Widows Join Nonprofit For Families Of Fallen Soldiers
Those who lost loved ones on 9/11 might know about the pain of loss more than anyone. That's why it should be of no surprise that two of the board members of the newly created Massachusetts Military Heroes Funds are 9/11 widows. The Eveningtribune.com published a report on these two individuals, Christie Coombs and Cindy McGinty, and why they decided to join the organization, which is dedicated to providing support to families who have lost loved ones to war. The group relies on private donations, and also receives a percentage of revenue from the sale of United We Stand licence plates.
In the story, Coombs said she felt it was natural for her and other 9/11 families to be involved in this project, when the office of the late Senator Ted Kennedy approached her and other families to create the organization in 2009. Combs lost her husband Jeff, who was aboard the flight which crashed into the World Trade Center back on the fateful September day. She said her experience dealing with loss motivated her to do something good for other families. McGinty, the other 9/11 widow on the board, lost her husband Mike, who worked in the Twin Towers.
With the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaching, it's good to read stories like this. We would also like to remind you that the September 1st issue of The NonProfit Times will feature a Special Report on the anniversary, so keep an eye out on our site for that. You can read the rest of the story on these two widows on Eveningtribune.com.
In the story, Coombs said she felt it was natural for her and other 9/11 families to be involved in this project, when the office of the late Senator Ted Kennedy approached her and other families to create the organization in 2009. Combs lost her husband Jeff, who was aboard the flight which crashed into the World Trade Center back on the fateful September day. She said her experience dealing with loss motivated her to do something good for other families. McGinty, the other 9/11 widow on the board, lost her husband Mike, who worked in the Twin Towers.
With the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaching, it's good to read stories like this. We would also like to remind you that the September 1st issue of The NonProfit Times will feature a Special Report on the anniversary, so keep an eye out on our site for that. You can read the rest of the story on these two widows on Eveningtribune.com.
Management Tip: Timing Your Communications With Strategy
Did everyone stay safe during Hurricane Irene this weekend? We didn't get much damage here at the office, though it looks like there was some flooding.
Today's weekly nonprofit management tip deals with communications. Timing your organization's communications plans can be very tricky. How are you supposed to know how much correspondence is too much? This tip, bought to you by the good folks at Idealware, will answer this question for you:
Different communications tools work in different time frames. For example, it’s not practical to send out more than a few direct mail pieces during the course of a year, while email is more of a monthly or weekly communication stream.
Facebook or blogs are weekly, or a couple of times a week, but you can easily post to Twitter several times a day. Photo and video sites, on the other hand, are not particularly timing-specific. You could post weekly or more frequently, if you wanted to, but you could also simply post photos or videos when you have them.
According to the nonprofit technology experts at Idealware in Portland, Maine, depending on your campaign, you might want to choose a mix of channels that are relatively similar in timing, or one that uses channels with completely different time frames.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to encourage people to attend your conference in two months, channels with different timing could reinforce each other -- for example, you could send out an introductory direct mail, follow it up with several emails spaced out over that time period, create a blog focusing on all the great content and speakers, and use Twitter to try to get the word out to folks in the topic area (and potentially get some press), according to Idealware.
Remember, however, that the channels that allow you to post frequently generally come with the expectation that you will post frequently. It’s not enough to post to Twitter several times a day in the heat of a campaign, abandon it for months, and then pick it up again the next time you need it. That’s not how people use Twitter, and they may well stop following you. The same is true of Facebook or blogs. It’s important to establish a baseline frequency (close to what people would expect) and stick with it.
Want to read more tips like this? Head over to our Management Tips page.
Today's weekly nonprofit management tip deals with communications. Timing your organization's communications plans can be very tricky. How are you supposed to know how much correspondence is too much? This tip, bought to you by the good folks at Idealware, will answer this question for you:
Different communications tools work in different time frames. For example, it’s not practical to send out more than a few direct mail pieces during the course of a year, while email is more of a monthly or weekly communication stream.
Facebook or blogs are weekly, or a couple of times a week, but you can easily post to Twitter several times a day. Photo and video sites, on the other hand, are not particularly timing-specific. You could post weekly or more frequently, if you wanted to, but you could also simply post photos or videos when you have them.
According to the nonprofit technology experts at Idealware in Portland, Maine, depending on your campaign, you might want to choose a mix of channels that are relatively similar in timing, or one that uses channels with completely different time frames.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to encourage people to attend your conference in two months, channels with different timing could reinforce each other -- for example, you could send out an introductory direct mail, follow it up with several emails spaced out over that time period, create a blog focusing on all the great content and speakers, and use Twitter to try to get the word out to folks in the topic area (and potentially get some press), according to Idealware.
Remember, however, that the channels that allow you to post frequently generally come with the expectation that you will post frequently. It’s not enough to post to Twitter several times a day in the heat of a campaign, abandon it for months, and then pick it up again the next time you need it. That’s not how people use Twitter, and they may well stop following you. The same is true of Facebook or blogs. It’s important to establish a baseline frequency (close to what people would expect) and stick with it.
Want to read more tips like this? Head over to our Management Tips page.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Google Rejects Religious Nonprofits
The launch of Google for Nonprofits in March seemed like a boon for organizations. Qualifying nonprofits would be able to use many of their popular services--including its office programs and Gmail--for free or at discounted rates. The key here, however, is the word "qualifying." Google placed some restrictions on which nonprofits would be eligible for their new program and, according to a report in Christianity Today, religious nonprofits were one of the groups that got the axe.
Faith-based groups that already had access to Google's free resources will be "grandfathered in" according to the report, but the search engine giant has made it a policy not to give these resources to any new group that considers religion, politics, or sexual orientation in hiring decisions. This practice has created headaches for organizations like Living Hope Baptist Church. The Christianity Today article reported that the Kentucky-based organization had hoped to connect 50 paid staffers and 270 volunteers with customized Gmail and office software, among other things. Those plans now have to be nixed.
The report says that Google is evaluating future changes. Religious organizations will now have to wait and see if any of those include them. To read the full article, head on over to Christianity Today. You can also read more articles about faith-based organizations on The NonProfit Times.
Faith-based groups that already had access to Google's free resources will be "grandfathered in" according to the report, but the search engine giant has made it a policy not to give these resources to any new group that considers religion, politics, or sexual orientation in hiring decisions. This practice has created headaches for organizations like Living Hope Baptist Church. The Christianity Today article reported that the Kentucky-based organization had hoped to connect 50 paid staffers and 270 volunteers with customized Gmail and office software, among other things. Those plans now have to be nixed.
The report says that Google is evaluating future changes. Religious organizations will now have to wait and see if any of those include them. To read the full article, head on over to Christianity Today. You can also read more articles about faith-based organizations on The NonProfit Times.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
"Jewish Indiana Jones" Reined In
File this one under "bizarre but true." Menachem Youlus, a self-proclaimed "Jewish Indiana Jones" who co-founded a Jewish charity to rescue Torah scrolls, has been arrested according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Youlus will be prosecuted in New York City on charges of defrauding donors of hundreds thousands of dollars.
According to the charges against him, Youlus made up accounts that his charity, Save a Torah, found Torahs in Europe. These scrolls were said to have been lost or hidden during the Holocaust, and the charity claimed to have found some in concentration camps. Youlus used these stories to get money for Save a Torah, which raised $1.2 million between 2004 and 2010. To make matters worse for him, he is accused of embezzling $145,000 of those funds to the personal bank accounts of his Maryland business, the Jewish Book Store.
But wait, there's more! Youlus was also said to have claimed that Torahs he bought from dealers were rescued, using those claims to submit inflated and doctored invoices to his charity. This allowed him to be reimbursed at a far higher price than he actually paid for the scrolls. If convicted, Youlus will face up to 20 years in prison. No word as of yet if he claimed to have found the Holy Grail.
You can read the full article of this bizarre story in The Wall Street Journal.
According to the charges against him, Youlus made up accounts that his charity, Save a Torah, found Torahs in Europe. These scrolls were said to have been lost or hidden during the Holocaust, and the charity claimed to have found some in concentration camps. Youlus used these stories to get money for Save a Torah, which raised $1.2 million between 2004 and 2010. To make matters worse for him, he is accused of embezzling $145,000 of those funds to the personal bank accounts of his Maryland business, the Jewish Book Store.
But wait, there's more! Youlus was also said to have claimed that Torahs he bought from dealers were rescued, using those claims to submit inflated and doctored invoices to his charity. This allowed him to be reimbursed at a far higher price than he actually paid for the scrolls. If convicted, Youlus will face up to 20 years in prison. No word as of yet if he claimed to have found the Holy Grail.
You can read the full article of this bizarre story in The Wall Street Journal.
The 10 Commandments Of Nonprofit Communication
It's pretty incredible how much can change in a decade. Back in 1999, the Internet was still a new phenomenon; people still didn't know what to make of it. In 2011, the thought of doing anything without the it seems absurd. The rise of social media and mobile technology has allowed us to be plugged in at all times, for better or for worse. This has made the world of nonprofit communication much simpler, but it's also made it more convoluted. That's why Herschell Gordon Lewis, author of Hot Appeals or Burnt Offerings and frequent contributor to The NonProfit Times, wrote a new column which we just published on our site. He outlines "10 Commandments" that all nonprofits should follow if they want to survive in this new era of technology. Let's take a look at some of them:
The First Commandment: Thou shalt make response simple.
We’re deep in the Internet Era, in which attention spans have shrunk to minuscule size. Don’t ask for more information than you need until you have the prospect at least comfortably secured in your own web. And, avoid the nasty and too-common word “Submit.” Right now, before facing “Submit” head-on, start thinking about a substitute.
The Second Commandment: Thou shalt stay in character.
A peculiar development is what some veteran fundraisers call “The Facebook Effect.” The projected mood bobs, weaves, and shifts as the appeal thinks it progresses but actually generates confusion for what should be the most probable donors.
The Third Commandment: Thou shalt not steal, except from noncompetitive sources.
Yes, yes, all nonprofit appeals are competitive with all other nonprofit appeals. But if you’re a hospital in Albuquerque and see a usable bright idea in an appeal by a college in Pittsburgh (you should be decoying every nonprofit mailing and email you can find), grab it and run with it.
The Fourth Commandment: Thou shalt not fall for fads.
This is back to Facebook and Twitter. If with dollars spent, against dollars returned, these media work for you, stay with them. But if you’re there because you subscribe to the dangerous dictum “That which represents a change automatically represents a profitable change,” be more than observant. Be critically comparative.
The Fifth Commandment: Thou shalt never again start a fundraising letter with the ancient cliché, “Dear Friend.”
If this Commandment puzzles you, you’re in trouble.
Don't stop here, there's still 10 more commandments to go! Read the rest of them over at The NonProfit Times.
The First Commandment: Thou shalt make response simple.
We’re deep in the Internet Era, in which attention spans have shrunk to minuscule size. Don’t ask for more information than you need until you have the prospect at least comfortably secured in your own web. And, avoid the nasty and too-common word “Submit.” Right now, before facing “Submit” head-on, start thinking about a substitute.
The Second Commandment: Thou shalt stay in character.
A peculiar development is what some veteran fundraisers call “The Facebook Effect.” The projected mood bobs, weaves, and shifts as the appeal thinks it progresses but actually generates confusion for what should be the most probable donors.
The Third Commandment: Thou shalt not steal, except from noncompetitive sources.
Yes, yes, all nonprofit appeals are competitive with all other nonprofit appeals. But if you’re a hospital in Albuquerque and see a usable bright idea in an appeal by a college in Pittsburgh (you should be decoying every nonprofit mailing and email you can find), grab it and run with it.
The Fourth Commandment: Thou shalt not fall for fads.
This is back to Facebook and Twitter. If with dollars spent, against dollars returned, these media work for you, stay with them. But if you’re there because you subscribe to the dangerous dictum “That which represents a change automatically represents a profitable change,” be more than observant. Be critically comparative.
The Fifth Commandment: Thou shalt never again start a fundraising letter with the ancient cliché, “Dear Friend.”
If this Commandment puzzles you, you’re in trouble.
Don't stop here, there's still 10 more commandments to go! Read the rest of them over at The NonProfit Times.
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