Welcome to the Nonprofit Partnership E-News

In this Issue

	October, 2009
	Don’t Forget Marketing in Your Strategic Planning
	Upcoming at The Nonprofit Partnership
	Keys to Success with Your Year-End Appeals
	Five Ways to Build Your e-mail List.
	Printers Available from Erie Insurance
	The Lawyer’s View – The 10 Most Common Nonprofit Governance Mistakes

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Robert Wooler,
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October, 2009

This edition of The Nonprofit Partnership e-news is sponsored by Malin, Bergquist & Co.

Don’t Forget Marketing in Your Strategic Planning

Marketing is often a primary vehicle to reach goals that are set in your organization’s strategic plan. Often this entails getting in touch with your organization’s brand and strategically connecting it with your various audiences and stakeholders. Likely as not, this will involve a tune-up of your website if not the rollout of a new site. Many times an organization will set fund development goals in the strategic plan or discuss how to grow specific programs and services. Often missing are the marketing strategies that are used to accomplish these goals. Strategic marketing – the delivering of specific messages to specific audiences – is vital in the attainment of strategic goals. As this economic crunch leads you back to the drawing board to revisit and re-craft your strategic plan, make sure that marketing is a key element.  For a more in-depth treamtnet of this issue and what you can do to galvanize your Board of Directors, see Generating Buzz: Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Boards, available from BoardSource.

And Speaking of the Importance of Websites….
Visitors to nonprofit websites who are happy with their online experience are more likely to donate money, volunteer, and recommend your group to others. Most tellingly, one third of potential donors choose not to give because of a poor online experience. What’s most important? Functionality, followed by image and content. If you see 2010 as the year to improve your website as a platform for more effective marketing, begin your conversation with The Nonprofit Partnership now – our capacity-building grants can be the resource you need to accomplish your goals.

Upcoming at The Nonprofit Partnership

Nonprofit Day – October 21
Our full-day conference with 20 workshops and a vendor fair featuring goods and services from 30 local firms is almost fully subscribed. If you have not registered yet, please do so immediately through our website. See you a week from Wednesday!
 

Don’t Just Survive – Prosper! – November 3

 A Workshop on Fundraising in Challenging Times
presented by Jeffrey Byrne & Associates
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 9:00 to 11:00 am at
Admiral Room at Blasco Library
150 East Front Street, Erie, PA
 

Despite the challenges, organizations are still raising money effectively in this economy. As you implement your end-of-year campaign, see how 40 years of data on trends in American philanthropy can help guide your campaign success. Learn how to maximize your fundraising best practices including:
**Consistent cultivation and solicitation practices
**Creating an attitude of optimism
**Personal and authentic appreciation of donors
**Organization-wide telling of your story
See the newest trends in campaign communications using new media and explore practical planning tools than can move you forward at nominal cost. An overtime session on planning a successful capital campaign in these challenging times will be offered at the conclusion of this two hour session until 1 p.m. for interested attendees.

 Winning at the Right Price in the Attention Economy – December 8

 with Robert Wooler from The Nonprofit Partnership and a local panel
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 9:00 to 11:00 am at
First Niagara Community Room
801 State Street, Erie, PA
 

OK. The economy is not so great, but there's one place where it's pretty active - the number of things competing for your attention on an everyday basis. How can you get your message through the clutter of crowded inboxes and jammed schedules? This workshop will help you focus on three key ways to deliver your organization's message effectively and affordably when you have the attention of your target audience. Join us for a revealing peek at a few simple but overlooked strategies that will really make a difference for your organization.

RSVP to tnp@thenonprofitpartnership.org or (814) 454-8800.

Keys to Success with Your Year-End Appeals

• Emphasize the good results a gift will achieve, not the bad things that will happen if donors do not give.
• Be concrete about what you’re doing now. Don’t rely on reputation and past glory.
• Personalize appeals and use emotion. Tell your stories.
• Focus on people who did not give in 2008. Donors are hard to get back after a two-year lapse.
• Keep fund-raising events simple.
• Be a gracious when they say no as when they say yes.
For more, see “Charities are Cautiously Optimistic as Fund Raising Season Begins”. www.philanthropy.com, October 1, 2009.
 

And for help with your end-of-year appeal letter, please feel free to contact us to review your draft and offer tune-up suggestions.  Just another benefit of your membership with The Nonprofit Partnership.

Five Ways to Build Your e-mail List.

We know what you’re thinking. 2010 will be the year you reduce your printing and mailing costs by finally building a fully functional and comprehensive e-mail list. But how to build your list? Do this:

1. Start with your board, staff, and friends.
2. Add in all the people who must get your message: elected officials, funders and government administrators, business leaders, your collaborators, and the media.
3. Use postcards. Send them to everyone on your snail mail list. Ask them to e-mail their approval and you’ll have their e-mail address. Address their fears in the postcard by assuring them you will not share it with others, spam, or deluge them.
4. Put an opt in box on your website.
5. Collect business cards wherever you go and capture all e-mail addresses at every event you have through sign-in sheets, give-aways, or business card drops for door prizes.

Printers Available from Erie Insurance

Erie Insurance has a large number of HP Laserjet Printers available for donation.  These are black and white stand-alone models in the 1100, 1200, and 1300 series.  You may pick them up now or later in 2010 if you are interested, as they will become available for donation on a rolling basis.  For more information, please contact Steve Cabaday in the Purchasing Department at Erie Insurance:  (814) 870-4304 or steven.cabaday@erieinsurance.com.

The Lawyer’s View – The 10 Most Common Nonprofit Governance Mistakes

The Charity Lawyer blog discusses the biggest failings of nonprofit boards:

1. Failing to Understand Fiduciary Duties. That is the duty of care… and the responsibility to speak up in exercising that care.
2. Failing to Provide Effective Oversight. So many of the celebrated scandals in the nonprofit arena in recent years are directly attributable to this lapse.
3. Deference to the Executive Committee. Concentrating power in the hands of a few is rarely a good idea.
4. Micro-managing Staff. Remember – they have been hired to do their jobs.
5. Avoiding the Hard Questions. Group think rarely leads to the best decisions. All Board members are duty bound to explore all sides of a question and courageously speak their minds.
6. Insufficient Conflict of Interest Management. This issue is growing in importance year by year.
7. Lack of Awareness of Laws Governing Nonprofits. Compensation decisions, excessive lobbying, being a party to tax-shelter transactions – they are all important.
8. Operating with Outdated, Inconsistent Governing Documents. Regularly review and update by-laws and key policies.
9. Airing Disagreements Outside the Boardroom. Coming together with a united front even around a controversial decision is needed. Board members who cannot comply should consider resignation.
10. Failure to Cultivate Board Diversity. Adoption of a diversity and inclusion policy that mandates attention to this matter is critical.
For more, see http://charitylawyer.blogspot.com

And to amplify that last point, The Nonprofit Partnership and United Way of Erie County's Project Blueprint will be hosting a diversity event featuring the story of how Cleveland has used diversity initiaitves to transform nonprofit and business culture.  Please join us on Thursday, November 5 from 5 to 7 pm at the Bayfront Sheraton Hotel.  For more information, or to RSVP, please contact us at (814) 454-8800.