What can nonprofits learn from the royal wedding?

Rosabeth Kantor wrote a great article on “Why CEOs Should Watch the Royal Wedding,” explaining her three points:

1. Don’t ever underestimate how much sentiment sells – people love romance
2. “Brilliant brand management is multi-media and cause-related” – pay attention to the sophistication of media use, from websites to twitter feeds, etc., as well as the tie-ins with various nonprofit organizations. 
3. “Events are double-edged swords. They focus attention not only on the message but on the cost of getting out the message, which can undercut the message.”  The opulence of the event can outrage people – so there is a “backlash” against the event itself.

Nancy Schwartz retweeted the article as relevant, also, for nonprofits - which I applaud!   And got me thinking of even more tips for nonprofits, gleaned from the marriage-mania:

4. Personality sells.  Like our U.S. movie-stars, the royals are “beautiful people.”  Think People Magazine.  So if you can, get a celebrity to lead your campaign, or speak at an event.  Just be careful of your choices as they are always scrutinized in the press and may reflect on you.  

5. Never underestimate the popularity of youth.  While baby-boomers are statistically still the largest donors, it seems that we all love the “newest” and the “latest.”  So keep up with the hottest media (for engaging donors), the newest techniques, and keep engaging youth in your campaigns and in your donor list.  It will pay off both in the short and the long run… 

6. The devil is in the details.  How did Time magazine squeeze out an issue based on stories of the wedding?  By delving into the minute details of everything from the guest list to the Facebook tirade by one soldier against the wedding to drink recipes!  Lesson learned?  When you tell the story of your nonprofit, be clear about the details of your success… they do matter.  Remember: interesting stories can emerge from any number of strange, related resources!

Enjoy the wedding on Friday… and learn from the kitsch and coverage!

  

 

 

Religious Holidays - Religious Giving

A week replete with religious holidays has made me thoughtful about the health of all religious organizations.   

This sector, which comprises about 70% of all nonprofits, appears to be in dire straights – perhaps even more so than other sectors.  Why?

One theory is that it is not only because of the economy, but also because the current “generation” of donors is not nearly as generous as those that have come before.  An article in last fall’s New York Times notes “baby boomers in 2000 were donating about 10% less to religious bodies than their parents’ generation did at a comparable age in 1973 – and almost 25% less than those parents, by then ages 62 to 76, were donating in 2000.”  

The result?  “From storefront chapels to Sun Belt megachurches to suburban synagogues, across denominational lines, religious institutions are reeling from a decline in donations,” reports the Times.

The answer?  The Times article noted how, despite the economic times, it is harder now to get younger generations to feel involved enough in religion.  Involvement, we know, leads to donations.

Perhaps the answer is the message religious institutions are sending.  If congregants are less involved, maybe it's because their institutions aren’t as relevant to their daily lives.  If religion is to “keep up” with modern times – as it has in the past – it must continue to “evolve” - to “involve” its congregants in new ways.  For instance, how many are keeping up with social media, tweeting updates to their congregants?  How many congregations leaders post a blog of their weekly sermons, or post thoughts from their younger members?  

My suggestion? To stay current – and viable – religious nonprofits (like the examples I found above) need to stay nimble and reach out to find out what their congregations want.  If you don’t ask, you won’t know.  An involved congregation is one that will start donating again.  

 

What does $4/gallon gas mean for nonprofits?

If it hasn’t hit your state already, it will soon.  What are the repercussions of rising gas prices if you’re a nonprofit?

Everyone in the U.S. doesn’t suddenly get poorer - but they might feel it.  For “middle America,” and even upper-middle class America (the bulk of donors these days),  the pinch at the gas pump can have the halo effect of making them think even harder about their spending.  The logic goes something like this:  

“It costs $50/$60/$70 to fill up my tank now – more than just a few weeks/months ago – and if I do that once/week from now on, what does that mean for my budget?  My salary hasn't gone up that much – how much do I have to cut my spending from now on to keep up?” 

This kind of mental process can hurt nonprofits as American review their “discretionary” spending, in an effort to “cut back” and “tighten the belt” again.  Just when the economy was showing signs of progress this can have hurtful effects.

What to do?

·        Tell your story - how donations have made a difference to your organization.  Show that you’ve made a difference in utilizing – wisely – every dollar you’ve received.

·        Show how the smallest donations help - $1/day feeds X, $25 saves Y.  Small denominations do help!

·        Make sure you communicate with your members/donors when you’re NOT just asking for money, so they feel an ongoing part of your organization (and your success) – not just pocketbooks

Don’t let the rising price of gas get you down.  Use leadership and creativity to rise above it with your mission and your accomplishments.

How Technology Can Have Impact!

I don’t typically follow up a previous blog entry with more on the theme, but this week’s “phenom” of the eagle’s nest on camera and great use of social media is a great example of how technology can truly help drive a nonprofit’s goals.

The brilliant folks at The Raptor Resource Project, in Decorah, IA, set up a live webcam on an eagle’s nest and throughout this past week viewers had the privilege of watching three eggs hatch, as well as the care and nurturing of the eaglets.  When I observed today, over 135,000 people were watching the events unfold - LIVE. 

The mission of The Raptor Resource Project is “to preserve and strengthen raptor populations, to expand participation in raptor preservation, and to help foster the next generation of preservationists.”  There have been over 13,000 Facebook “Likes” (as of my writing); Twitter has been glowing with postings about the progress of the eagle hatchings; and more "traditional" news stories have covered the growing popularity of this story as it unfolds.  All this interest and publicity shows quite clearly that the organization's goals - of outreach, of informing, and of capturing people's interest in raptors - are being reached with this project. 

Kudos and congratulations to the Raptor Resource Project team for utilizing webcam technology and social media resources to expand and enhance their goals and mission!  I hope other nonprofits will begin to think creatively about how they might "show" the beauty and real success of what they do, so that the general public can fully appreciate it and, in the end, provide the much needed funding.    

There is no excuse

I don’t believe there’s an excuse for not using technology to its greatest advantage when your goal as an organization is to (a) fulfill your mission, and (b) raise funds.  There has to be a way that technology can help you do one or the other or both.

An article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofits Lag on Tech Use, shares some  Zoomerang survey results generated “from over 500 staff members and volunteers at nonprofits.”   

·        40% indicate their nonprofits do not have a website 

·        68% stated they do not use social media to help market or run their organization

·        5% indicated they collect payments using mobile technology

·        27% stated they use websites to collect payments

With national unemployment figures still near 9%, so volunteers are abundant, it seems to me that free I/T help is available if you look hard enough for it.  What excuse is there for not having a website?  Or a Facebook page? 

Yes, it may be hard to set up mobile technology for payments – but 5%?  How many national nonprofits are missing the boat now because of the new, younger donors who are willing to donate small amounts quickly?  Or even early adaptor, older donors who like the convenience of mobile donations? 

Maybe I’m out of line here – what do you think?  Is there any excuse at all not to leverage technology to its fullest to help achieve your goals?