Archive for February, 2009
Rebranding the NonProfit
Rebranding Has Been a Long Time Coming…
While I help people set up a lot of new nonprofts, I also get a lot of phone calls, emails, and tweets from nonprofits who have been struggling for years. The struggles come in all shapes and sizes but the most common struggle is fundraising. Successful fundraising for many nonprofits is an elusive dream that is overshadowed by many failed attemtps. Some in the nonprofit arena even believe the nonprofit market is too saturated and leaves no room for new nonprofits because of their lack of success raising funds for their nonprofit. This can be no farther from the truth and whether you are a new nonprofit start-up or an old one, in just a few simple steps, I can help you get on track to finding the nonprofit funds you need to see successful fundraising. Read on and I will give you some simple steps that you can follow to regain your faith in the nonprofit model.
3 Most Common NonProfit Hurdles
I was thinking this morning about all the great people who have big hearts I’ve come across in the last 12 years. People that only needed a few simple pointers and then were able to launch a nonprofit and run it successfully. I was thinking about this because I wake up in the mornings with a passion to see everyone that wants to do great nonprofit work do it and do it successfully. I’ve learned throughout those 12 years that I know there are some simple formulas, if followed, enable anyone to start and maintain a great nonprofit. I also know that from the questions I am asked when people approach me about starting a nonprofit that there are only a few hurdles people need to get over. I wanted to take a minute and create a quick resource that outlines those hurdles and how to get over them. Read on and hopefully this will outline the 3 most common hurdles you are facing and how to overcome them.
Many years ago I created the Ocean Grand organization because I continually ran into those that needed a simple resource to take the confusion out of starting and running a successful nonprofit. There are hundreds of articles on the web that instruct people on the steps, but few that actually take them through the steps. In addition, it seemed to me that most people wanting to do nonprofit work needed a simple sign-up process and then continued steps to fund and then run their nonprofit. While it is true that there are several ways to set up, fund, and run a nonprofit, there are simpler ways than others to actually do these steps. I wanted to give people a resource that helped them get their nonprofit dreams launched in a way that was the simplest and least expensive. If you want a simple, easy and effective way to start, fund and run a nonprofit, then I want to show you a way to do it in three simple steps.
Start a NonProfit Rally
Start a Non Profit in 2009
Ocean Grand has made a commitment and pledge to help 400 new nonprofits get started and support them to being a success in 2009.
Are you tired of reading about nonprofits who do great things when really you would like to start a nonprofit yourself and develop your own program?
The nonprofit [...]
Tweet or Not to Tweet?
I am writing this after spending the morning on Twitter and FaceBook. You may not have any idea what I am talking about or know just enough to believe it is a waste of your time. That is the whole reason we at Ocean Grand have decided to put together a series of ongoing articles around “social media” for non profits. Read on to learn how social media is here to stay and how you can get on board to help your nonprofit become more successful.
The key to getting, keeping and engaging donors, funders, and corporations is by building a relationship with them. There is no alternative to building relationships, the relationship comes first and always first. There is also no alternative, not even through social media, to engage your non profit supporters in the “flesh”. However, social media is a great platform to tell and retell your story (read more about “your story” here). The more ways you are able to get the information and successes out to people who are interested in them the farther your reach. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) is another way to get your story and successes out to those that want to know about them, plus find some others that maybe interested in the mix.
Social media is also a way to keep donors and others up-to-date with your cause and what you’re doing to impact the world in a simple and easy way. A couple “tweets” (tweets are short messages on twitter) a day will help all those following the progress of your non profit to know what you’re doing today to help the cause. Likewise, it is a great way to invite people to your fundraisers, events and projects. By using Twitter, others who get your tweets can pass the message along very easily, possibly generating lots of buzz about your upcoming function. If those tweets are also posted automatically on your FaceBook “wall”, then you have reached two audiences that otherwise would have had no idea what you were doing. For example, maybe you are holding a fundraiser or event in Virginia. Several tweets throughout the day from your mobile phone and everyone around the world knows how it is going.
This morning I wrote an article on “What Have You Done Lately That You Are Proud Of?” When I posted the article from the Ocean Grand blog http://www.oceangrand.org the post was tweeted and then also sent to our FaceBook wall. Almost instantaneously several people joined our twitter following who were not following before. The link to the article in the tweet was also clicked on and read by many from our twitter following. It was a quick, easy and effective way to let those that were interested know there was a new article.
What Have You Done?
What Have You Done Lately That You Are Proud Of?
I was wondering to myself the other day… what have I done lately that I am proud of? Sure there are the usual ongoing things like being a good husband, a good father, my daily work, and of course taking out the trash. However, I am [...]
