Guarding Your Communications

This just appeared in the Globe and Mail! (Thanks to J-Source for the tip via Twitter)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090211.wspeech12/BNStory/National/home

The details are these: The Southern Chiefs Association are alleging that racist and hateful comments have been posted on the CBC website in the forum. Now the CBC's forum is moderated, meaning that technically those comments should not have been posted. As the moderator of my own message board, I can see quite easily how messages can be missed.

So how does this affect non-profits? This immediately made me think about blog moderation. If you have a blog that recieves comments, will you choose to moderate them all? If so, have you alloted the time to do so?

It's just another step you have to think of when planning out your blog.

Learning from the mistakes of others

Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter are changing communications, however it's important to remember that like any public thing, you should be careful what you say.

Case in point is this: http://www.mediastyle.ca/2009/02/national-post-reporter-has-total-twitter-melt-down/

A National Post reporter and a marketing professional got into a cat fight on Twitter. Their fight was displayed for all to see and neither of them ended up looking quite professional, in my opinion. This is a perfect example of how widespread information is on the internet.

It's so important to be careful with everything you say and when and how you choose to say it.

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account that is personal, then ensure that you don't mix business in along with it. If you have a business account, keep it that way. That doesn't mean you can't share facts about yourself and your day; just remember who you are writing for.

I've struggled with finding the balance on Twitter between serious business and fun. I would recommend putting together a creative brief or strategy about what tone you want to set and topics you want to comment about. This will serve as a guideline of sorts that you can reference when needed.

Writing The Perfect Email Subject Line

I'm in the midst of developing an email campaign for my business, Synthesis Communications. When it came to developing the email, the message flowed fairly easily. I knew what I wanted to say and communicated it effectively. I was quite proud of myself until I became stumped by the subject line.

The subject line for an email is the first thing a reciever sees, so it's important that it stands out.

Some stats first:

• According to a study by the American Management Association, U.S.workers spend an average of 1 hour and 47 minutes per day dealing withemail.Eight percent spent more than four hours a day dealing with email.
• Average attention span for internet users is 9 seconds.
• There are billions of emails sent every day.

So how do you stand out from the rest? One way is by creating an enticing subject line. There are a few types of subject lines that you can use.

The first is the Direct Subject Line. These subject lines tell you exactly what the email contains, whether it's for you to sign up for something or an annoucement.

Examples: Romeo and Juliet Advance Three-Day Seat Sale, Today's WeatherDirect Forecast for Toronto

Another is the Advertising Subject Line. These subject lines are used to entice you to buy. Often they have exclamation points and promise exciting things within the email.

Examples: F-R-E-E!, And the Winner is...Lindsey, It’s not too late to voice your opinion!

The last type is the Question Subject Line. This is when you pose a question in order to get people interested in what you have to say. Creating a question that makes people think gives them all the more reason to click on your email.

Examples: Still waiting to connect?, Is your funding plan recession proof?

Whatever subject line you choose, make sure it fits your email content. Brainstorm with others to get ideas about what it should include. Keep it short and simple and avoid industry-specific words.




Reference: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=287573

The Smartest Brands in Social Media

Got this article of of RedWire.com's Twitter. Very interesting!

http://mashable.com/2009/02/06/social-media-smartest-brands/

Habitat For Humanity Founder Dies

I found this link today and was immediately saddened:

http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/02/habitat_founder_a_legacy_of_gi.html

I worked on Habitat builds for several years when I was in university and enjoyed the entire experience. Millard Fuller was example of amazing philanthropy and a great human being.

Twestival!

Twitter is the hot new thing but many non-profits are wondering if it can actually be used for their organizations.

Look no further than Twestival!

According to their website:
On 12 February 2009 175+ cities around the world will be hosting Twestivals which bring together Twitter communities for an evening of fun and to raise money and awareness for charity: water.

Here's the Toronto website, where you can get all the information:

http://toronto.twestival.com/

And a great article from one of the organizers about how Twitter can help raise money:

http://erinbury.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/how-to-throw-a-global-event-in-140-characters-or-less/

Creating a Blogging Strategy For Your Non-Profit

I am in the middle of creating a blogging strategy for this blog. Why do I need one? Well, it's important when planning out your blog to create a list of possible topics that you are going to blog about. Rather than posting them as you think of them, it's wise to create a blogging strategy.

Here are my steps for creating a good blog strategy:

1. Assess your audience.
Think about who you want to read your blog. If it's donors, what would they want from a blog? What makes a good blog and why should they read it? Brainstorm ideas to make it interesting and new.

2. Create a list of topics.
What do you want to talk about? Write down the top ten categories you want to discuss on your blog.

3. Create a list of blog posts.
Take each one of the topics and brainstorm as many blog post ideas as possible. You don't have to come up with the whole post, but rather just the titles. This will give you a jumping off point to write your posts.

4. Determine what should be posted at what times.
Examine your topics and look at ones that closely tie together. Rather than writing about one topic until you've exhausted it, tackle several topics at once. If you only have a few topics, rotate them so that blog readers get a bit of everything.

5. Make your strategy flexible.
You don't want to have too rigid a schedule that you can't post some news when it comes along or an interesting article you find. Just use it as a guideline as to what should be posted.

A strategy will definitely take the stress away from blog posting and free up time for your other work.

*cartoon from http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/

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Tech Soup

Tech Soup, a non-profit blog that has good advice about the tech side of fundraising, has now created a Canadian version! Here's the link: http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/

If you click on Learning Centre, there's articles posted about a variety of things including disclaimers, spam and more!

Charities Still Doing Business According to Globe and Mail

I found this article via Imagine Canada's Twitter and found it very interesting. Basically, it states that organizations are still receiving donations, despite the economic crunch.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090203.wcharities03/BNStory/National

It raises the question; is the economy in Canada as bad as we think?

And how does this affect smaller, local charities?

I have no doubt this is a debate that will continue to happen throughout the year.

For me, I feel it's more important than ever for charities to present themselves in the best manner possible for donors. This means whether it's your direct mail campaign, newsletter or website, ensure that your donors are getting the most out of your communications.

What Blogs Should You Be Reading?

Happy Monday Everyone!

There's an inordinate number of blogs out there, ready to give you advice on fundraising and marketing. But which ones should you spend your time on?

This weekend I googled for blogs and came up with a list of ones I thought were good:

AFP News Blog: This blog features all the recent charitable news in one place.

A Small Change: With practical fundraising tips, this blog can be very useful.

Wild Apricot: A good technology blog that's geared towards non-profits.

Donor Power Blog: A great blog about looking at things from the donor's perspective.

So there's a few to get you started. I find it interesting though, the lack of Canadian blogs out there that are geared towards non-profits. If anyone knows of Canadian blogs (beside mine), please let me know in the comments below.

The more information out there, the better!

Hope everyone has a great day!