Orion Grassroots Network

Resources Blog

Angie’s List for nonprofits

posted Jul 27, 2010

The question "Is there an Angie's List for nonprofit capacity building" was posted to a listserv that the Network monitors recently and there were some interesting responses:

Capaciteria is a free service designed to help nonprofits find the best resources to build their institutional capacity.

NonProfit National Resource Directory lists 160+ consultants, coaches, vendors and specialists who are dedicated to helping nonprofits thrive.

And of course Idealist.org's Nonprofit Management Resources section is great.

Using humor in your work

posted Jul 7, 2010

Everyone loves the co-worker with the sharp wit, the one that makes meetings more fun, for example.

But how about using humor in your official communications? It can be really effective, and grab the attention of your followers, members, and supporters in new ways.

If you want to learn more, please plan to join us for a conference call on July 28th to hear Mark Rovner's Top 5 rules for using humor, and ask him your questions. Mark is Principal for Sea Change Strategies, more on him here.

The call-in info:

July 28th, 2pm eastern time:

• Dial 712-432-1000 (usual long distance charges apply)
• Enter conference code 581688569#

Kickstarter for raising money online

posted Jun 16, 2010

Several websites exist that allow you to raise batches of money for projects. You just register on the site for free, set a funding goal, describe the project, and then promote it to your supporters and networks. People then pledge $1 or more towards it.

It's also a great way for folks who've no nonprofit status to get some seed funding going. Of course the sites make you choose a time period within which to raise the $, and if you don't make the goal, no one whom you get to pledge gets debited, and you don't get your funding. If you do get to your goal, the site keeps a percentage, usually 5%.

We at the Orion Grassroots Network used Fundable for Network projects until that folded, and ChipIn is also still around, but it appears that Kickstarter has perfected the package. Not sure if there are any reporting implications for the $ raised, but it seems pretty straightforward - if your campaign is successful, you get the $ and a list of your donors whom you can thank.

Grassroots fundraising blog

posted Jun 4, 2010

Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training has a great blog that covers a zillion topics relative to 'grassroots fundraising' - the art of raising money and building grassroots support at the same time, probably the best mechanism for small social change nonprofits to fund themselves. Check this often: http://giftexchange.wordpress.com/

Cheap and good tech services for green nonprofits

posted May 24, 2010

"We are an environmental nonprofit with a twist: we help build a sustainable society by providing other environmental groups with customized websites, database systems, email and social media tools, and online communications strategy." So says GroundWire about itself, and it offers deep discounts to nonprofits: http://groundwire.org/about

Mobile Phone fundraising campaigns

posted May 11, 2010

Frogloop has a useful new post up about fundraising via texting. Why do it? Unlike emails, which only get opened 10 to 15% of the time, SMS/ text messages have a nearly 100% open rate! However, it is not nearly as easy as putting up a "donate now" page on your website, and the codes you have to use are controlled by the telecommunications carriers (only 9 of which will allow such campaigns) and all giving programs must be approved by the Mobile Giving Foundation (MGF) which has stringent requirements for who can provide mobile giving and who can develop a mobile giving program.

MGF's main restriction is that it will only OK text campaigns by nonprofits with gross revenues of at least $500,000. That precludes most of us.

Read the full post here.

Social media starter kit

posted May 4, 2010

OK, so if you're still mulling getting into social media or not to promote your mission, NetWits has a bunch of solid resources to help you plot your strategy, here.

New Grassroots Jobsource Poster available for download

posted Apr 23, 2010

Please click here to download, print, and display the latest poster of new internships and jobs available via the Grassroots Jobsource: AprilGrassrootsJobsource_Poster.pdf

Displaying these wherever students or jobseekers gather, including coffee shops and college common areas, will help both the 'seekers' and the 'listers' a lot. Thanks!

Go here to view the Grassroots Jobsource main page.

Is collaboration a good strategy for your mission?

posted Apr 21, 2010

Our conference call with Joan Roberts, author of Alliances, Coalitions, and Partnerships discussed the questions "When is inter-organizational collaboration a good idea?" and "How do I get there from here?"

Why? Sometimes it’s just too hard to accomplish your mission alone, and smart nonprofits consider partnering with others to achieve their mission and manage key programs. Full audio of the conversation is posted here under April 2010. Here is a document to download with Joan's overview of when collaboration ought to be considered and 6 steps to take to get there. Iscollaborationtherightstrategyforyour_problem.pdf

Resources for all-volunteer organizations

posted Apr 6, 2010

A good roundup of resources for all-volunteer organizations from Blue Avocado:

"All-Volunteer Organizations are some of the most invisible -- and most powerful -- nonprofit organizations around. Supporting them is a priority for us at Blue Avocado; here is a list of the articles of particular relevance to AVOs:

* Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations, by Jan Masaoka
* All-Volunteer Organization Treasurers: Eight Key Responsibilities, by Dennis Walsh, CPA
* Eight Strategic Mistakes with Memberships, by Ellis Robinson
* Tracking Volunteer Time to Boost Your Bottom Line: A Complete Accounting Guide, by Dennis Walsh, CPA
* Internal Controls for the Very Small Nonprofit, by Carl Ho, CPA
* New Ways to Talk About Volunteers, by Jan Masaoka"

Page 1 of 9 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »

fresh from Orion Magazine