How to Create Nonprofit Messages That Motivate

May 19th, 2008 at 05:11pm

It’s a common nonprofit complaint: “When we’re dealing with such important issues . . . why aren’t more people listening?”

Everyone today talks about the need for a message, but how do you create one? During this webinar, you’ll learn the five principles that underlie the creation of powerful messages and the five steps to creating one. You’ll hear how you need to be clear about what action you want. How you need to speak to your audiences’ desires more than their needs. And why the less you say, the more you’re heard.

If you are struggling to capture your audience’s attention or aren’t certain how to best guide your conversations with them, this webinar will give you the step-by-step how tos you need to refine or revamp your nonprofit’s messaging.

Guest speaker Rebecca K. Leet is an expert in nonprofit communication and author of the first book on message development: Message Matters: Succeeding at the Crossroads of Mission and Market. She has consulted for nonprofits, foundations, and associations for more than 20 years and, previous to that, had a career in the national news media and politics.

How to Write a “Quick & Dirty” Marketing Strategy

May 19th, 2008 at 05:10pm

Spending time and money trying to market your nonprofit or its programs without a strategy in place is a big waste of both precious resources. But who has time to create in-depth, well-researched strategies when there is so much “mission” work to do?

During this webinar, you’ll learn how to find the middle ground — to create a “quick and dirty” marketing strategy. You’ll learn the steps that you need to go through to create marketing strategies for your nonprofit organization as a whole or for a specific campaign or program. Even if you only spend a couple of hours drafting your strategy, you’ll greatly increase the likelihood that your efforts will work. You’ll also gain a better understanding for when “quick and dirty” isn’t enough and you do need to embark on a more intensive planning process.

During the webinar, Kivi will walk two participants through the process of creating a quick strategy. You’ll receive details on how to submit your nonprofit or campaign for consideration after you register.

Kivi Leroux Miller, president of EcoScribe Communications and founder of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com, will present this webinar.

Easy and Effective Ways to Build Your Email List

May 19th, 2008 at 05:09pm

A nonprofit’s email list is a lifeline to donors, volunteers and other supporters. It’s an essential part of your online marketing strategy. Many of the people who will turn into your best donors in years to come are the ones who are signing up for your email newsletter today. But buying lists or poaching them from other nonprofits isn’t considered acceptable behavior. So how can you grow your own opt-in email list easily, effectively, and ethically?

During this webinar, you’ll learn the best practices in how to grow your email list, whether you are starting from scratch, rebuilding a list that’s stagnating, or just curious about easy solutions you may be overlooking. We’ll look at incentives you can use on your website to encourage people to give you their email addresses and how to use viral marketing and social media to grow your list. You’ll hear several real-world examples of how nonprofits across the U.S. have successfully expanded their email lists. You’ll also hear about some list-building attempts that flopped. Finally, we’ll cover offline techniques you can also use to build your list.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 4, 2008

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. CT
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. MT
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT

Kivi Leroux Miller, president of EcoScribe Communications and founder of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com, will present this webinar.

Online Activism: Social Media Tools for Social Change

May 12th, 2008 at 07:50am

TechSoup’s free day-long online event is coming up this Wed. May 14th: Online Activism: Social Media Tools for Social Change in the TechSoup online forums.

Dive into the conversation with hosts Heather Mansfield, owner of DIOSA Communications and Online Community Manager for Change.org and Carie Lewis, Internet Marketing Manager for the Humane Society of the United States, as they explore the ins and outs of using social networking sites and strategies for determining how, why, and when to use different applications to broadcast your message. In discussing the dos and don’ts of effectively fundraising and promoting your cause, we’ll also look at lessons learned from successful (and not so successful) online campaigns.

Join us Wed. May 14, for a free, one-day online event, in the TechSoup Emerging Technologies forum as we discuss issues such as:

• How do social networking sites fit in with other outreach efforts?
• Are the benefits worth the time needed to keep up a social networking presence?
• How can you translate online activism into on-the-ground action towards change?
• Is it ever a good idea for organizations to start their own social networking sites?

Take part in the discussion Wed. May 14th in the TechSoup Emerging Technologies forum. This event is asynchronous (not live). No registration is required, just show up and post! Feel free to spread the word to any of your colleagues that may be interested.

If you have any questions about the event, please email: community@techsoup.org.

Let us know any topics or questions you want to cover in the event in this TechSoup Emerging Technologies forum discussion.

How the Internet and Online Marketing Campaigns are Transforming Fundraising Auction Events

May 1st, 2008 at 09:01am

Discover how easy it is to get more items, more bids and raise even more money using the web as we uncover new avenues in which to reach additional donors, constituents and attendees for your events.

We’ll identify the challenges that schools and nonprofits face when planning and executing charitable auctions, and illustrate how fundraisers are now adapting new technologies to overcome inherent limitations of live and silent auctions – ultimately raising more money from these events.
This webinar will show you how to:

• Get more items - Use online donating capabilities, dedicated email campaigns, consignment items and barter sponsorship on your auction site to get items
• Get more bids - Attract bidders and motivate participants through a series of web-based bidder alerts, email sends and online promotions; and use the Internet to expand your reach beyond your constituency and your community
• Raise more money – Use supplemental revenue channels such as online sponsorship, ticket sales and cash donations directly through your auction’s website to raise even more money