March 30, 2011

 Twitter for nonprofit jobs

Account Supervisor-
Russ Reid: Pasadena, Ca

Ideal candidate is a self starter, able to identify opportunities and cast vision. Must have experience in direct response marketing channels (mail/digital in particular) and best practices. Min. 5 yrs. experience in account service preferred

Click for full detail & to apply

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The mission of National Relief Charities (NRC) is to help Native American people
throughout the Northern Plains and Southwest United States improve the quality of
their lives by providing opportunities to bring about positive changes in their
communities. NRC accomplishes this mission by providing program services that include:
CIN, AIRC, SWIRC, AIEF, SNRF, NRF, NAA. Contact Allison Hoshia 914-925-2470.  

Online Surveys Get You Feedback

By Yann Toledano

What do your constituents think about your programs and services? What kinds of activities are your donors likely to fund? Should your organization initiate a new program?

Rather than resort to using telepathic powers or mind reading, an online survey is a powerful research tool that can deliver the feedback you need. Paper-based surveys are often too costly and time-consuming to administer, but online surveys make it easy for any organization to get feedback on the cheap.

Most online survey tools are hosted on the cloud, so you won't need to install anything on your computer. Simply use your web browser to access the tool's control panel, where you can easily create a survey and customize your layout.
Once you've created your survey, you can send email invitations to respondents asking them to take your survey. Or, you can post a link to the survey on your website. Another option is to embed the survey directly into your website or blog.

To get the most responses, all three methods can be used in tandem. Survey tools automatically collect and tally responses in "real time," which means you can watch the results come in as they're being submitted. Results are often organized and presented graphically using charts and tables. Most tools will even produce reports based on the survey results. You can share the results with members of your staff, and even with survey respondents.

This year's programme will showcase the very best in digital and online fundraising advice, giving you valuable information to take back and use in your organisation. 

You will learn how to make the social media work for you, understand how to develop an effective fundraising strategy using mobile phones, generate income through new media, and much, much more.

For a full programme or to register now, visit www.fundraisingonline.com

Planned Giving …
Majority of donors won't give advance notice

Bequests are an important funding source, as Baby Boomers age and start thinking about legacy.

Speaking during the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) annual international conference, representatives of The Stelter Company, a consultant to nonprofits, shared findings of a survey taken among people who are planning bequests for nonprofits.

One startling finding was that 53 percent said they prefer that the organization learn when the time comes and 5 percent said they intend to notify the organization at some point.

Stelter determined that nonprofits respect privacy with respect to such donations and assure donors that they do have a right to change their minds. The survey uncovered donors' reasons for not notifying a nonprofit ahead of time (donors could give more than one reason):

• It's the donor's own business, and no one else needs to know: 80 percent.
• The donor might change his/her mind, so it's better not to say anything: 34 percent.
• Worries about being pestered with mailings and phone calls if the nonprofit knew about the bequest: 26 percent.
• A sense of the nonprofit looming like a vulture waiting for the money: 26 percent.
• A fear of getting special treatment, which would make the donor feel uncomfortable: 24 percent.
• Fear the organization would sell/give the information to other nonprofits that would also approach the donor: 19 percent.

The younger the person, the more likely the Internet use. Whoa! Stop the presses! We're on to something here.

Actually, you're just on something if the above information comes as news to you. Yes, as tough as it is to figure out, people who didn't grow up using computers but became acquainted with them in their 20s, 30s or 40s are more likely to do a wide range of activities online than are people who were born when television was just about unknown.

So, just how much difference is there between older people and younger people when it comes to getting tangled in the World Wide Web?

In the "AARP bulletin," the organization published the results of a poll undertaken to get specific figures about Internet use, with a breakdown of people age 50-64 and people 65 or older.

The results of the AARP poll show that people use the Internet for the following:

* To research information. In the 50-64 group, the figure was 68 percent. In the 65-plus group, it was 38 percent.
* Send and receive email or instant messages. 50-64 years old: 64 percent; 65 or older: 41 percent.
* Buy a product. 50-64: 50 percent; 65 and older: 27 percent.
* Make travel reservations. 50-64: 50 percent; 65 and older: 25 percent.
* Work. 50-64: 46 percent; 65 and older: 14 percent.
* Do banking. 50-64: 43 percent; 65 and older 17 percent.
* Read books, newspapers, magazines: 50-64: 37 percent; 65 and older: 18 percent.

Nonprofits continue to explore new ways to engage prospective donors in the direct mail channel, including meaningful dollar handles, bounce backs or intriguing premiums.

Below are some of the dominant recent trends, according to Glenn Lalich, vice president of research at Paradysz in New York City:

* More Than Half of All New Donor Efforts Offer a Premium. During 2010, 56 percent of direct mail prospecting efforts offered a front or back-end gift. Front-end premiums are most prevalent (42 percent) and are typically paper-based (notepads, stickers, calendars). Back-end gifts remain particularly popular for environmental organizations, ranging from plush toys to water bottles.

* More Than One-Quarter of All New Donor Efforts Include Address Labels. At 27 percent of acquisition efforts, mailing labels were the most widely mailed premium in 2010. Over half incorporated additional stickers like gift tags or envelope seals. Prevailing address label themes are seasonal or patriotic, with monograms and organization logos also common.

* Getting Attention with High Value Front-End Premiums. While still a relatively small percentage, there has been increased testing of front-end items of significant value. Some of the unexpected gifts landing in new prospect mailboxes include T-shirts, blankets and tote bags.

* Using Dollar Handles to Connect Donation Amounts with Action. More organizations are working toward establishing dollar handles that tie gift amounts to specific deeds (e.g. $10 supplies, 10 children with food). Dollar handles give potential donors something tangible to consider when deciding to give, and illustrate how even modest gifts can accomplish great things.

* Getting Donors Involved with Bounce-Backs. Including an element that the prospect signs and returns to the organization is a continuing trend among nonprofit's. Aside from petitions and surveys, the most common bounce-backs are greeting cards showing support for those in need. A variation on the bounce-back idea is prepaid phone cards for military personnel stationed overseas.