Don Akchin

Saving the world isn’t enough anymore, argues Joe Waters, co-author of Cause Marketing for Dummies. In a post for Nonprofit Quarterly, he argues that nonprofits must publish useful content – whether through blogs, email newsletters, e-books, reports or videos. It’s the way to maintain a strong brand, to stand out from the crowd, and to make sure potential donors know who you are. When you’re ready to put together a content strategy, let’s talk.

Want to get free advice from highly paid experts? Last month I interviewed three consultants who advise nonprofits on fundraising and marketing. The interviews appeared on the Nonprofit Marketing 360 blog. Here are links, along with a taste of each interview:   Toby Bloomberg writes the Diva Marketing Blog and hosts Blog Talk Radio. She talks about how social media can help nonprofits perfect “corner grocery store” relationships with donors and constituents.   Michael Stein, a senior executive at Donordigital, co-wrote a groundbreaking book about online fundraising. He discusses the intersection of direct mail and social media.  “People can organize revolutions on Facebook and Twitter, so why not fundraising?”   Mike Kujawski, who blogs at Public Sector Marketing 2.0, talks about building engagement strategies within the risk-averse cultures of government and nonprofit organizations.  “By the end of 2012, over 50% of world Internet access is going to occur via mobile device. Yet today, less than

For several months it has been my privilege to conduct interviews with many talented experts who advise nonprofits on fundraising and marketing. The interviews appear weekly on the Nonprofit Marketing 360 blog. Below are links to the interviews that have appeared so far, and a salient excerpt from each interviewee. Sarah Durham - author of Brandraising and founder of BigDuck agency. “For better or for worse, an organization can’t get away with having a really lousy website or ignoring social media.” Jason Dick - owner of A Small Change blog, a major gifts officer. “Nonprofits will have to find a way to build community on their websites and use that as their way to sustain their donor base.” Zach Hochstadt - co-founder of Mission Minded, a branding agency. ”Your brand is not just your logo or your visual identity but a much more holistic concept, in some ways a synonym for reputation.” Sandy Rees - fundraising consultant, author, and owner of Get Fully

As Ken Berger, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, points out in a news interview, one reason for the rapid growth in online fundraising is that social media are powerful storytellers. You can hear his pre-Haiti remarks on his blog, Ken’s Commentary – a good example of using a blog to put a human touch to a faceless organization. You can also check out more blogs about nonprofits at Nonprofit Blog Exchange‘s monthly blog exchange roundup.

I have tried for months to maintain that one social medium, Twitter, is a total waste of time. But the “microblogging” service that lets you monitor the latest doings and musings of hundreds of people, minute-by-minute, in snippets of 140-characters or less, has become a monster. Current estimates are between 5 and 10 million registered users, with projected growth to 20 million this year. So maybe, just maybe, there are good ways to use it before you develop a crippling addiction.

I have tried for months to maintain that one social medium, Twitter, is a total waste of time. But the “microblogging” service that lets you monitor the latest doings and musings of hundreds of people, minute-by-minute, in snippets of 140-characters or less, has become a monster. Current estimates are between 5 and 10 million registered users, with projected growth to 20 million this year. So maybe, just maybe, there are good ways to use it before you develop a crippling addiction.

A recent study concludes that 50 percent of U.S. Internet users read blogs, and predicts that number will rise to 67 percent by 2012. Slightly more than half of all blogs get at least 1,000 unique visitors each month, and nearly one in five attract 10,000 monthly visitors. Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere report has more on who blogs and who reads them.

A recent study concludes that 50 percent of U.S. Internet users read blogs, and predicts that number will rise to 67 percent by 2012. Slightly more than half of all blogs get at least 1,000 unique visitors each month, and nearly one in five attract 10,000 monthly visitors. Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere report has more on who blogs and who reads them.

A recent study concludes that 50 percent of U.S. Internet users read blogs, and predicts that number will rise to 67 percent by 2012. Slightly more than half of all blogs get at least 1,000 unique visitors each month, and nearly one in five attract 10,000 monthly visitors. Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere report has more on who blogs and who reads them.

If that is the question, check out these answers to 12 “burning” questions about nonprofit blogging.

If that is the question, check out these answers to 12 “burning” questions about nonprofit blogging.

If that is the question, check out these answers to 12 “burning” questions about nonprofit blogging.