Orion Grassroots Network

Resources Blog

What absolutely must go on your home page

posted Sep 3, 2009

Katya Andresen has a handy new list of the 8 things that, as a nonprofit marketing guru, she thinks should be on your site.

Best of Board Cafe

posted Aug 31, 2009

Best of the Board Cafe, 2nd Edition is now on sale. First published in 2005, this collection of CompassPoint online newsletter articles became instantly popular with busy board members of nonprofits. Now updated with new essays that are “short enough to read over a cup of coffee,” readers will find essential insights on board responsibilities, executive directors, fundraising, finance, and more.

Read one of the chapters, "What to Do with Board Members Who Don't Do Anything," here.

Order a copy here.

Show this film, raise $ and awareness, special deal

posted Aug 13, 2009

A Sea Change is an important new film about the issue of ocean acidification - one of the other problems with having of too much carbon in the atmosphere. Could it kill the oceans? We watched this film and thought it was very powerful. Bullfrog Films is distributing it, and has a special offer for you: download the document below for full details. If you want to raise money by charging an entry fee at a screening, see 'semi-theatrical screening' option. Orion Grassroots Network members get the usual 30% off as well, the usual member benefit we enjoy with Bullfrog. SEACHNorderform.pdf

New member benefits: insure your health, your volunteers

posted Aug 12, 2009

The Orion Grassroots Network's newest member services include two useful and reasonable insurance plans via our insurance broker, Irwin Siegel Agency:

Volunteer Insurance: it's a great idea to insure your organization's volunteers, so both they and you are protected. This plan even covers them as they travel to and from your place of work.

Limited Benefit Health Plan: a cost-effective supplement to a comprehensive health plan, or affordable stop-gap basic coverage for you and your employees when no other plans are within your budget.

Download info on each plan and get contact info for our rep at Irwin Siegel Agency to get a quote by going to the 'manage your benefits' area - you'll be asked to log in to view (so click on 'manage your benefits' link under your name in the top right corner after you're 'in.') If you have difficulty logging in or need a log in, please .

GrantStation reference card

posted Aug 7, 2009

GrantStation has created a Quick Reference Card to help you learn how to use their site (which all members of the Network enjoy access to), and answer some common questions you may have. It is a 3-fold card, so if you want you can also print it out and keep it handy wherever you do your GrantStation research. Download: ORIONQuickRefCardAUG_09.doc

Embracing Cultural Competency

posted Aug 4, 2009

No “how-to” manual exists on cultural competency. And, compared to other topics in nonprofit management, little exists on the skills and strategies needed to address racism and inequity. Building cultural competency is an ongoing journey that nonprofit leaders choose to take because they know the end result will be a more inclusive, connected, and effective organization. Patricia St. Onge and her contributing authors help readers grapple with the urgent issues that can transform capacity builders into change agents in the nonprofit sector. The new book Embracing Cultural Competency is the result.

10 insights on utilizing social media

posted Jul 28, 2009

Heather Mansfield over at Change.org has been spending 40 hrs/wk for 3.5 years doing social networking for nonprofit marketing. Her list of 10 insights is here, and this is what she covers:

• Early adopters get the most glory and tend to be the best a social media.
• Approaching social media with fear and trepidation can harm your brand.
• People who are mean and grumpy online are likely mean and grumpy in real life too.
• Some schmoozing is required.
• Good community builders are optimistic, friendly, and obviously enjoy using social media.
• Race and class divisions are played out on social networking sites and must be considered in your social media strategy.
• You have to be persistent and give your social media strategy time to produce results.
• Training is essential to a successful social media strategy.
• The Web evolving faster than you can imagine. To stay competitive, you have to keep up.
• Social media is going mobile.

Go to the link above for more on each insight.

Non-profit Marketing Wisdom

posted Jul 17, 2009

Much wisdom can be gained from Network for Good's marketing page. Do visit, or at least sign up for their emails there.

Most recent nugget we like: 4 Steps to Making Your Marketing Sing:

1. Pinpoint your product. In the work we do we're not selling cars or cola, but that doesn't mean we lack a product. In fact, we have two products.

2. Set the price. When translating for-profit-speak to nonprofit lingo, we might associate price with "amount of donation." However, donation amounts are not the whole story.

3. Plan the promotion. Quick: Think of a synonym for promotion! Did you say "advertising"? buzzer Sorry, you only get partial credit.

4. Pick the right place. When choosing your outreach tactics, you're reaching out to audiences in two places or ways: 1) where they are physically (ex: in their email, on Facebook, at a convenience store), and 2) where they are mentally (ex: their state of mind). To be at the right place at the right time, make access easy: meet people where they are physically and appeal to what's top-of-mind for them right now.

What is Strategic Planning?

posted Jul 1, 2009

Attached is Jude Kaye's backgrounder on strategic planning to help you get started. Also listen in to our conversation with her during a conference call (November 27, 2007) on the topic, here. Jude is the co-author of the nationally acclaimed book, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations and a certified coach. Before starting her own company, Intention to Action, Jude was -- for 25 years -- the senior consultant with CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. For more information, contact her at judekaye (@) sbcglobal.net, or 415-505-4321.

What is Strategic Planning? file here: strategicplanningintroduction--Orion.doc

To twitter, or not?

posted Jun 24, 2009

Paraphrasing heavily from a useful article by Dorie Clark for MassNonprofit.org, nonprofits focused on advocacy can use Twitter to mobilize constituents and educate followers about their work, send them to their site, etc. And nonprofits are using it much more than business and academia. However, 60% of Twitter users give it up within a month—both nonprofits and people who might follow our nonprofits.

Before setting up an account of your own, consider:

1. Do supporters want to hear from you at least once a day? If your information isn’t time-sensitive or that interesting (“We hired a new bookkeeper!”), then save it for your website or an e-newsletter.

2. Do your supporters actually use Twitter? If your members are tech-savvy advocates, then keeping your street cred intact may necessitate using Twitter. But if they lack access to the Internet or “smart phones,” or many of your supporters aren’t comfortable online, you may be better off waiting to see if this is a fad or a long-term trend.

3. Who will tweet? Setting up your account and gaining followers is great, but only if you’ve designated someone to handle the updates. Make sure you identify a responsible staffer at the outset.

4. What will you say? Tweeting is a commitment. Just as any viable blog should be updated at least two to three times per week, your organization should plan to use Twitter daily. Do you have enough to say?

Full article here.

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