Orion Grassroots Network

Resources Blog: Marketing

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.

Women & Worldchanging: marketing your mission to the fairer sex

posted Feb 5, 2010

Audio of our conference call with Lisa Witter, co-author of "The She Spot" is now available here (mp3). Great conversation! Why focus your communications on women? Consider:

• women vote & volunteer more often than men (and so are more politically active)
• women control more than half of society's wealth
• nearly all issues are also women's issues
• broadening marketing efforts to connect strongly with women as well as men can be very successful

"The She Spot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to Reach Them" is a guide that offers organizations key recommendations for leveraging the untapped power of women for positive change through fundraising, advocacy and the ballot box.

See also the authors' great blog, www.shespotter.com which follows developing trends in this field and discusses the book at greater depth.

Fundraising event promo package

posted Dec 8, 2009

Let It Be Known Public Relations, which offers 30% off to Orion Grassroots Network members & specializes in nonprofit clients, is offering a three-month package to members, for nonprofits looking to promote a fundraising event or project. Let It Be Known Public Relations will provide public relations services for the low price of $1,650 per month (or just $4,950 for three months.) Let It Be Known Public Relations can help your group gain increased media exposure, to increase name recognition and exposure for causes, fundraising efforts, and more. LIBK is available on full-time or project-by-project basis to groups anywhere.

Nonprofit references are available upon request. Contact:

617-872-1875 (ask for John) .

Nonprofit management webinars: save 30% on sessions via Orion

posted Sep 22, 2009

The Society for Nonprofit Organizations has announced its fall webinar lineup, here. They are solid webinars with top experts, and cost $99 for non-SNPO members, but the Network is sponsoring them this Fall so you can enjoy them for just $69, a 30% savings. Topics include:

• 10/7 Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times, with Kim Klein, Klein & Roth Consulting
• 10/28 Marketing & PR on a Shoestring, with Hannah Brazee Gregory, Shoestring Creative Group
• 11/18 Surviving the Meltdown without Having One, with Katya Andresen, Network for Good
• 12/2 Mobilizing Volunteers in the Face of Budget Cuts, with Susan Ellis, President, Energize Inc.

Use the links above to register for the 30% savings. The first one with grassroots fundraising guru Kim Klein may be the key one, but all are solid. Kim founded Grassroots Fundraising Journal, which Network members can subscribe to for $30 via OGN, a 25-50% savings: for more info and to subscribe, go here.

Ad agency scams

posted Sep 16, 2009

A recent WWF ad features a thousand airliners crashing into New York City, to make a point about the real threats the city faces due to climate change. It was done pro bono by an ad agency who, when they're bored or short of work will approach nonprofits like yours with the ad agency award scam system, wherein agencies approach nonprofits and offer to do free work for them. The work is specifically geared to win awards, not help the nonprofit. They place their ads so they're eligible for awards, but usually in out-of-the-way places. Then they submit the work, win awards, and get more work.

WWF had to denounce the ad, and in fairness probably didn't know anything about it. Don't let it happen to you! Other scams in this vein include:

Our Creatives are Bored Scam. Because all they ever flog is credit cards and phone plans, they offer a nonprofit free work and then go crazy with their brand. When the nonprofit asks why they disfigured their logo, the agencies say 'but we did it for free,' pout, look hurt and say nonprofits don't understand branding.

We Don't Have Enough Work Scam. They'll offer to do some free work for a nonprofit and then use that to leverage more paying work by pointing out what nice chaps they are because they assist 'good causes.' When they become busy the free work will end up at the back of the queue. When the nonprofit asks for a status report they'll tell them they haven't got time to work on the project anymore. When the nonprofit expresses dismay at the time they have invested for no return, the agencies look hurt, pout and say the nonprofit doesn't understand the real world.

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.

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.

On designing reports, newsletters, and websites

posted May 12, 2009

Most nonprofit staff aren’t trained in visual design and may not know what to look for when they’re judging a designer’s work. Design Eye-Q has a free, 60-minute webinar that takes the mystery out of good design. It will teach you the 10 things you need to ask when evaluating new web pages, e-newsletters, annual reports, direct mail, or any other professionally designed communications. You’ll learn about the different emotions that particular colors convey, what font to use and when, things to consider when you’re designing a logo, why eye patterns are important, and other valuable tips.

Picking a consultant

posted Oct 27, 2008

Choosing a consultant to help you with strategic planning, fundraising, and the like often boils down to personal recommendations - someone recommended by a friend or allied organization. But if you're not finding options you like in your immediate area, you can cast your net much wider by visiting Idealist's consultant directory. Over 1,200 to choose from, by category and location, here.

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