If nonprofits could run on coffee

Nonprofits have faced some strong challenges over the past several years. Donations have been down while requests for assistance have been up and recent articles point to a trend that shows many nonprofit executive directors will be retiring in the next few years.

What’s a nonprofit to do? The critical element to any situation is communication. So Cause to Communicate is having some fun by offering a giveaway of coffee (and delicious things to dunk in coffee!) through our Facebook page.

Bold Bean Coffee has roasted an organic Cause to Communicate blend to please your palate and get the conversation going.

Seriously, if nonprofits could run on coffee wouldn’t the world be a better place! So go to our Facebook page and “Like” us for a chance to make your nonprofit run on coffee.

 

The next big idea

A friend steered me to an article about the next big idea. It’s currently in design phase but the purpose is to connect individuals and organizations in the areas of philanthropy, volunteerism and social networking. It is being designed by Chris Hughes, one of the founders of Facebook, who left the company to design the social media network site my.barackobama.com that revolutionized presidential campaigning.

Why am I excited about Jumo.com without really knowing what it will do?  Chris Hughes has a great track record. And I see the possibilities that this will have for the Millennial generation’s involvement in the nonprofit area. They are already the generation that is more socially aware, more digitally linked, and more concerned about others than any other generation in American history.

So check it out. Wish I had invented it!

More on social media

The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project is a great snapshot of the use of social media by young adults. This is particularly important for nonprofits seeking to reach this population.

The study shows a decline in blogging among teens and young adults but a small rise in adults 30+. This decline was related to the growth of social media network sites with 72% of young adults using them.

Though the Idealware survey talks about Twitter, be aware that teens and young adults are not big users of the site. Facebook is the king of social networks for adults.

Cause to Communicate loves reading these market research studies. There are gems in there if you look hard enough that will make your fundraising efforts more successful.

New Year/New Decade/New Approach

Though I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, I do find that after the holiday vacation it’s the perfect time to come back to work with some new approaches to liven up the year. So, I challenge you to come up with some ideas for how you would freshen your fund development and nonprofit marketing efforts for the year.

Some things to consider:
• Have you been using your board of directors effectively as advocates and fundraisers?

• Have you told your donors “thanks” and kept them informed about new plans?

• 2010 may be the perfect time to reach out to a new market. Do you have a plan to communicate with a younger generation?

• 2010 is also the year to become more digital in your approach. If you are not on Facebook and Twitter, are you planning to include in your marketing efforts?

• Have you considered partnering with another nonprofit to achieve results?

• Have you developed an annual plan for your marketing and communications efforts? Being proactive is more efficient and more effective than being reactive.

Whatever you do this year – whether it’s making board meetings more engaging or your website more interactive – have fun!