Fundraising News - February 27, 2010

An article in my local paper talked about how people are surprised that they are being drawn in to the Winter Olympics this year. Watchers are enthralled by the story and the drama around the competition. It might just be my imagination, but the coverage of the Olympics this year does seem to include a little more information than in past years about the competitors and about the challenges that they have overcome to compete. I believe that it’s the stories that draw us in. What is your organization’s story? Are you sharing it?

Here’s just a quick summary of this week’s headlines and fundraising / nonprofit items of interest. As always, please feel free to forward this to others you know who might benefit from it. Thanks again for reading!

FUNDRAISING

• Working harder to find revenue for your nonprofit? You're not alone. http://cot.ag/cTBxi0
• Don't be afraid to ask staff to support your nonprofit (or university) http://cot.ag/be2Z56
• Tips for Maximizing Special Events for Nonprofits http://cot.ag/bQKbQQ
• Fund-Raising Faux Pas: Charities Fail to Respond to New Donors http://ow.ly/16E3Vk
• Why do first-time gifts matter for your nonprofit? http://ping.fm/9P7Yl
• For many donors it takes more than one ask to motivate one gift. http://cot.ag/dn5KtN
• Theory versus practice in asking for money: staff or volunteers? (hint: it could be either) http://cot.ag/8Y2BaV
• 5Ps fundraising model: passion, proposal, preparation, persuasion and persistence. (pdf alert) http://cot.ag/9XUJC3

TECHNOLOGY

• 3 Ways Nonprofits Can Staff Social Media http://ow.ly/1pmfWN
• Pepsi's lessons learned from their social good contest http://cot.ag/92zl1T
• Using Social Media to Meet Nonprofit Goals: Survey Results http://cot.ag/b5r90A
• Data From Widgets Shows Facebook is the Top Social Sharing Site. http://bit.ly/cXafkA
• Flowtown Turns Email Addresses into Social Media Profiles http://bit.ly/drn3C8
• Need affordable web conferencing for your nonprofit? Check out DimDim. http://cot.ag/cYUSdX

OTHER ARTICLES

• Giving remains a core part of the American system, at 2.2% of GDP. http://bit.ly/bGVppE
• Key points from Pew study on millenials: http://cot.ag/cfCimM
• A few reasons we shouldn't be discouraged about Gen Y http://cot.ag/93FuyI
• AP’s nonprofit news distribution project not exactly a success. http://cot.ag/bHDh56
• Cause Marketing: Selling Products or Social Good? http://cot.ag/adGivs