Back off, Old Man. It ain’t your time yet. This year we didn’t even make it through Halloween before you could see decorations for sale, toys being stocked, and Christmas music playing…poor Thanksgiving doesn’t stand a chance. I get it. After all, Christmas time is make-or-break for retailers and, boy, are they ready to get your money. But does your nonprofit have the same mentality? I get it. End-of-year fundraising time is make-or-break for nonprofits and, boy, are they ready to get those donations. Unfortunately, while Target can get away with Christmas displays and Hark! The Herald Ange ..read more

Editorial style guide or brand book, whatever you call it, your nonprofit will benefit from written documentation about how the content you create should look and sound. The Types of Nonprofit Style Guides Cheat Sheets: Maybe you just need a simple one- or two-pager summarizing the most important points you want everyone to implement. Style Guide: This is a middle-of-the-road option that most nonprofits follow. They are typically 10-20 pages long. The Brand Book: This is a complete guide often with very detailed directions and lots of examples that can run up to 100 pages. We have a free Styl ..read more

Last week I shared some tips on making your blog a success. Today we look at what NOT to do when blogging… 1. Ignoring your readers. Who do you want reading and commenting on your blog? Your posts should be written for those people, not your staff, ED or board. 2. Having too many voices. While you can have more than one person writing your blog, switching from a corporate sounding tone to a friendly personal one (and vice versa) will confuse your readers. Guest posts can add a fresh voice to the mix, but make sure they are a good fit with your organization’s personality. 3. Not including a ca ..read more

More emails are sent on Black Friday and Cyber Monday than any other days of the year. We’re talking millions and millions of emails. Email Service and Inbox Providers will be SLAMMED with retail promotions on these two days. There will be delays getting emails out and spam filters will be in overdrive! Because there are more emails sent these days, there are also more spam complaints made these days. You don’t need to add to the noise or get caught in the spam crossfire if you don’t have to! I advise that you skip sending any emails on November 24th and 27th, 2023. And if you aren’t particip ..read more

Think your nonprofit can’t use humor in your communications? Think again! You can absolutely create more engaging and funnier social media posts. Just follow how the federal government does it. Seriously, if the feds can do it, you can. No doubt, you are aware of the TSA’s approach to social media:  They are reigning champs of federal socials. But the National Park Service has been coming on hot! And apparently this NPS account is managed by one single staff member. Ways to Add Humor to Your Social Media Posts In the linked article above, the NPS social media manager refers to his edit ..read more

Welcome to our monthly post where I share writing ideas for newsletters, social media, blog posts, and more! These writing ideas for November come from our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts email newsletter. Fill out the form below to get December’s prompts emailed to you the end of next week. On the Calendar 11/3: Cliche Day. Relate those common cliches to your organization or explain why a certain cliche is bad. 11/4: Book Lovers Day. Share your favorite books relating to the work your nonprofit does. 11/11: Veteran’s Day. Highlight volunteers, staff, or clients who have ser ..read more

My third book urges you to be CALM not BUSY if you want more communications success. Let’s explore what I mean by that. Being CALM (Not BUSY) Means Being Collaborative, Agile, Logical, and Methodical. It’s all about how your nonprofit communications team and your organizational as a whole work together. C is for Collaborative.  Build listening into your ongoing routine. Help others in your organization see the big picture and how their parts fit in. Create a clear process for working together that is easy and efficient. A is for Agile. Expect the unexpected. Have clear lines of authority ..read more

You rushed out the door this morning and left your raincoat or umbrella, and it, of course, rains. You didn’t get gas yesterday because you just wanted to get home after a long day and now you have to unexpectedly drive across town to take your child to the doctor. You didn’t prepare a blog post for today because you were stressed because you’ve been working on a big project and now you are scrambling to post something the weekend after your birthday. (OK, that one was me today!) For all of us out there who end up piling on more stress trying to avoid stress, here are 10 tips from Gretchen Ru ..read more

You make a lot of content. That’s what communications staff do. But are you using that content well? Are you fully implementing a content marketing strategy? To go from plain ol’ content to content marketing, you need to do two things: First, put that content into a format people will find attractive and relevant. Second, use that content to further your nonprofit’s marketing objectives. That could be building trust or influence, retaining donors, improving SEO for your website, or building your email list, for example. When You Have Lots of Content That Few People Use Let’s say your organiza ..read more

How many times have you heard it – the notorious phrase, “We’ve always done things this way”? For both newcomers and veterans in nonprofit organizations or NGOs, encountering the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality is sadly a common challenge. This (often frustrating) mindset gets all up in the way of the progress we could be making as a team or organization. You typically hear it pop-up when trying to introduce new ideas, process improvements, or  things like new technologies and software. Sometimes the reason is fear, sometimes complacency, and sometimes it’s simply a lack of inf ..read more