Wired Causes

You are browsing the archives of 2009 December.

Should donors this year give to causes in America or abroad?

The nonprofit world’s ‘chronic self-esteem deficiency,’ plus more: Friday’s roundup

My favorite marketer Seth Godin has a new eBook to motivate you in many ways: What Matters Now.  It features ideas from 70 amazing thinkers, including Karen Armstrong and Elizabeth Gilbert. 

I particularly like these words from Michael Hyatt:

Vision is the lifeblood of any organization. It is
what keeps it moving forward. It provides meaning
to the day-to-day challenges and setbacks that
make up the rumble and tumble of real life.

In a down economy—particularly one that has
taken most of us by surprise—things get very
tactical. We are just trying to survive. What
worked yesterday does not necessarily work today.
What works today may not necessarily work
tomorrow. Decisions become pragmatic.

But after a while this wears on people. They don’t
know why their efforts matter. They cannot
connect their actions to a larger story. Their work
becomes a matter of just going through the
motions, living from weekend to weekend,
paycheck to paycheck.

This is where great leadership makes all the
difference. Leadership is more than influence. It is
about reminding people of what it is we are trying
to build—and why it matters. It is about painting a
picture of a better future. It comes down to
pointing the way and saying, “C’mon. We can do
this!”

When times are tough, vision is the first causality.
Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing
we must recover.

I think this is a real issue for us right now.  We are very focused on what we aren’t getting - money, recognition, visibility, etc.  That makes us tactical in a way that is not always productive.  I found this reminder to look beyond the immediate challenges a good way to restore the vision we need to survive - and to inspire the smarter work we need to thrive.

<a href=”http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html” title=”” target=“blank”>

If it’s not apparent from the screetching halt to my blogging the last week, things are BUSY.  This is the time of year when donations are flowing, and the pace will keep picking up until the last hours of the year - when online giving reaches its peak.

Don’t forget: Email your supporters now and again the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

But don’t make it bad email.

Jeff Brooks of Future Fundraising Now has a great post on why email response rates are down.  The main reason: Because email quality is down.  He says if email is dying, it’s suicide.

The issues?

Poor permission and opt-in practices.
Lack of relevance.
Overmailing.
Lack of differentiation.
Lack of personality.
Poor design.

Don’t do these!

Online philanthropy contests garner concerns

I’m pleased to announce the winners of the last couple of book giveaways. In return for receiving the book, the winners have been offered an opportunity to write a guest post about what they learn so the wisdom can be…

Why charities should woo young donors, and more: Thursday’s roundup

2009 - Connected Action - Marc Smith - Social Media Network Analysis View more presentations from Marc Smith. In our book, The Networked Nonprofit, co-authored with Allison Fine, we provide an overview of mapping your social network in Twitter and…

Note from Beth: I’m always excited to see inspiring examples of personal fundraising and the dollars raised have come a long way since my first experiment in 2006, a testament to how much more connected we are and the rise…

Advice for donors on giving; and more: Wednesday’s roundup