Knowing what you don't know: a followup posting to my latest one

In my last installment to this blog I mentioned people who don't know what they don't know.

Once in a while I am fortunate enough to run into someone who says, "I need help with online donations and don't know where to start. Can you help?"

I was asked for help after I completed a presentation at a conference in May and yesterday visited with the Finance Committee of the Board to explain all that they needed to know about online donations. I brought an esteemed colleague who is an expert in an affiliated area in which they needed assistance as well. A dynamic duo!

The potential client was warm, honest, engaged and curious.

They admitted they needed to know. It was a pleasure to educate and inform rather than hear skepticism and misunderstood concepts perceived as fact. They were invigorating!

Speaking of LinkedIn...

I am speaking a lot about LinkedIn these days. A lot. Everywhere I can, in front of groups, teaching in small virtual classes, and offering suggestions to those in my leads groups. LinkedIn, for me, is a PROVEN a way to access any number of the 55 million businesspeople around the world seeking community from the expertise that people truly engaged in social networking can provide.

And what's in it for him? you might ask, why the heck does he spend the time speaking about LinkedIn?

Because it opens lots of doors to generate new business and get my brand out there. As an example, a large nonprofit umbrella organization asked me to teach my hour-long "LinkedIn for NonProfits" to its member organizations and as I spoke and showed my LinkedIn profile, they saw the types of work I do.

The next week they called me in to advise on a much-needed redesign of its online donation and class registration, a project I won in December. Finished on time and within budget, they were thrilled with the end result. So much so that they referred me to a couple of other potential clients.

That's reason enough to evangelize on LinkedIn. The network grows...

BTW my LinkedIn profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert

Would you like to save $4000 a year?

It pains me to meet a nonprofit to find out that their credit card rates and other online donor services are so out of the market that they could realize savings of $4000 a year, that's a 50% savings! It happened again last week in Stamford.

Not that they are foolish or asleep at the wheel; on the contrary. It's just that my trained and objective eye can find new ways to give them the same functionality (actually better!) for less.

Once a controller came up to me after a presentation meeting at which I won their business and said, "You don't realize what you've just done-you saved us enough money to take one of our staffers and make her a full time employee."

Now that's good for the employee and for the organization. And it makes me feel good too, that I am able to help out in a new way.

What can we do for you?

Adoption Adaption

This week's spotlight is on Jewish Family Service. one of whose programs is a full-service domestic or international child adoption service.

The staff at JFS could not be more sincere in their desire to help couples adopt children. The experience was so favorable that a friend who used the JFS adoption services became a Board Member and cannot say enough about how well it all went.

Experienced, consultative, supportive and professional, JFS guides couples along the way, making a vulnerable emotional time much more enjoyable.

They remain engaged as the new parents adapt, the child flourishes and the agency has performed its mitzvah (good deed) for couples of all faiths and backgrounds.

What could be better? Encourage friends and family members thinking of adopting to contact JFS by phone at 203.366.5438 or via the website. Adoption and adaption all under one roof.

At a theatre near us

The Community Theatre Foundation in Fairfield, a gem of a cultural attraction in the midst of Fairfield, CT is this week’s featured nonprofit client. It is a foundation, supported solely by movie ticket sales at well-below market prices, and donations from the people who love it. Unfortunately its expenses exceed its donors’ generosity and in these rough economic times, its needs have ballooned. Operations and maintenance expenses are sapping its stability.

Folks, this is a different kind of place. The seats are comfortable, the moviegoers are your neighbors, and the operation is staffed by high school volunteers who are getting great work experience.

For these reasons, I really don’t think it gets any better than this; they give back to the community and now need our help.

Donations can go to https://secure.modpay.com/vterm/vterm1.cfm?an&nan&ae=1&clientcode=1C65A547.
Please help.

What if they don't come back?

The hard part of receiving online donations is getting the donors to come to your website. If you tell your story well, they will feel compelled to give online. You worked so hard to tell your story, but do you make changes to the website and in your marketing to keep it fresh?

An article in today's New York Times shows how nonprofits miss a great opportunity to keep their donors continuously interested and driven back to the website, where a fresh story, anecdote, video, etc. can make them feel the need to come back and contribute.

Couple a fresh face on the website with an email blast, a paper mail campaign, phone-a-thon, anything to get them to revisit the website...and you are using efficient marketing methods that businesses use all the time. It's all part of making your nonprofit act more like a business.

We love creating online donation pages, but it's up to our nonprofit clients to urge the donors to come back again and again.

We have some tools and experience in how others have made this successful. Please ask us.

Spotlight on...The Friends of PS 169

This spotlight is on my new client The Friends of PS 169 in New York City. For over 50 years, they have been ensuring inner city special needs kids can go to summer camp in the country.

The Friends needed an online donation presence and it came to my attention at a luncheon in New York last fall. One thing led to another and they had 2 friends whose firms provided probono webdesign (Canfield Design Studios) and copy writing (Geraldine Newman Communications / NEWTHYNK). We added the online payment functions, and VOILA! it's up and running, accepting donations. Add mail and email blasts and some donor goodness and this should be another happy summer for a lot of kids.

Have a look at what can be done with marvelous teamwork to ensure a good cause continues its tradition of reaching out to assist those who can benefit most.
We are pleased to have had a small part int his effort.





This is the first of a series of spotlights on nonprofit clients when they have some news to share. If you want me to spotlight your organization, please let me know.

It really IS better to give than receive!

Science proves what we have been helping nonprofits do for 6 years: receive from their donors in a smarter way.

Donors feel better (see article) and nonprofits keep more of the donations.

Everyone feels better this way!

Have a nice holiday weekend.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Good-to-Give.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=better+to+give+than+receive&st=nyt&oref=slogin