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Fundraising 101 November 3, 2009

Posted by MelissaHK in nonprofit.
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Well, it certainly has been a while since I’ve posted anything online, even on Twitter. I manage to post a few photos and see a few Live News Feeds on Facebook. But these days I’ve been living much more in the physical world without much connection to the virtual one.

But I have been saving a few things top post. One of them is this great article from CharityVillage. I’ve just posted the first couple of paragraphs below, but I highly recommend that you check out the full article.

Fundraising Q & A
By Cynthia J. Armour, CFRE
October 26, 2009

The question:
I want to ensure our grant proposal to a foundation makes it through the initial screening process and gets real consideration. How do I make that happen?

Cynthia’s Response:

Great question! Last month we spoke about getting the “corporate ear”…let’s now examine charitable foundations, the only source of funds that are mandated to disperse money. All others (individuals, businesses, service clubs, churches, etc.) are supporting charities voluntarily. Some of these donors actually choose to set up a foundation to ensure their support remains relatively balanced, despite hiccups in the economy. However, given last year’s significant market crash, even those foundations are suffering; many have had to seriously re-evaluate their donations budget.

In 1988, I was recruited to Trent University as the foundation fundraiser. Trent was building its environmental sciences facility, automating the library, expanding the Native studies program, and engaging donors to invest in an exciting future. Google’s inventors were probably still in high school! The best information available was the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy’s (now, Imagine Canada) Directory to Foundations. This guide still exists and remains a reference that summarizes (in searchable form) the T3010s that registered charities have to submit to Canada Revenue Agency within six months of their fiscal year end.

Check out the rest of the article here.

 

Software and Online Resources for Nonprofits August 7, 2009

Posted by MelissaHK in nonprofit.
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After enjoying a lovely off-the-grid July vacation in New Brunswick, I came back to a manageable amount of email and work, and some lovely little resource gems like this one.

Wild Apricot Non-profit technology blog
“This blog is for volunteers, webmasters and administrators of associations and nonprofits. We discuss issues and trends in web technologies that help your organization do more with less.”

They have a number of suggestions under each of the following headings. Some things are free, but those that are not seem fairly reasonable. Wild Apricot is a company that creates web-based applications for nonprofits. So it is cool that they have compiled this list of potential competitors. :-)

  • Accounting, Time-Tracking, Invoicing, Billing
  • Fundraising Software, Online Payments, Donor Management
  • Document Editing, Sharing, Collaboration Tools
  • Mailing List Management, Email Marketing, Newsletters
  • Events Management, Registration, Scheduling
  • Membership Management, Contact Management (CRM)
  • Discussion Forums, Online Communities
  • Website Builders, Blogs, Content Management (CMS)
  • Website Analytics, Data Collection, Tracking Tools
  • All-In-One Solutions for Non-Profits

50 Helpful Resources That Will Enhance Your Writing Skills | The Best Article Every day July 7, 2009

Posted by MelissaHK in life.
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The Best Article Every Day. One of my favourite blogs that I subscribe to. And this is a really great resource today.

50 Helpful Resources That Will Enhance Your Writing Skills.
“We collected over 50 useful and practical tools and resources that will help you to improve your writing skills. You will find copywriting blogs, dictionaries, references, teaching classes, articles, tools, as well as related articles from other blogs.”

Sustainable Living and other resources July 7, 2009

Posted by MelissaHK in environment.
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If you haven’t yet discovered PlanetFriendly.net, you may want to heck them out. They have all kinds of links and resources in areas of environment, sustainability, conservation, and other similar areas.

One such resource is the Sustainable Living Guide, which “is all about sustainable living  – activities and choices that can help sustain your health, your spirit, and the planet. The focus is on positive, constructive things you can do in your home, at work, at school, and at play. From bicycling to organic gardening… from non-toxic home and garden products, to strawbale homes… from co-ops to ecovillages… there’s an amazing variety to explore and experience. You will find how to’s, tips & ideas, products & services, organizations, education, employment and more.”

Just check out this sample of links from the first section of the guide, How To Be Green:

The guide also includes: Home & Garden, Food & Gardening, Construction &  Renovation, Health, Products & Services, Books,  Magazines, Travel & Recreation, Transportation, Energy, Technology, Community, Ecovillages, Events & Courses, Education, Groups & Organizations, Jobs & Volunteering, Business & Industry, Faith & Spirituality, Simplicity, Activism, and Directories, Portals &  Networks.

Nonprofits and Social Media June 15, 2009

Posted by MelissaHK in nonprofit, the net.
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I recently attended the annual National Campus and Community Radio Conference (which was great!). There were a few discussions and sessions dealing with marketing, new media, and online social spaces. I just now came across this article which may be useful for a few folks.

Resources to Help Your Nonprofit Group Navigate Online Social Media – Philanthropy.com.