Dollars for $ense

Order A Whopper And Create Your Next Breakout Strategy

2012-01-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months I have spent the majority of my time focused on developing 2012 strategic plans for our nonprofit clients and my new favorite theme has become "What's our breakout strategy"?

I have dedicated several posts on this blog talking about ways to think using the 80/20 rule. And, for me, thinking in terms of "breakout strategies" has helped me separate the true opportunities from the tactics. I believe it is very possible that 80% of your growth in 2012 can come from 20% of our ideas...putting more attention and focus on ONLY the 20% may actually improve your success rate.

Maybe I am suffering from the Tetris Effect but now I am looking for breakout strategy motivation and found one among the fast food giants to share to get you motivated...Burger King's push into delivery service.

To be truthful, I have not studied the timeline of innovation among the top fast food giants but would summarize past efforts as follows:

Cheaper prices
New french fries
Super Size
The McRib (a category unto itself)
New french fries (again)
Healthy alternatives

None of the above qualify as breakout strategies but instead tactical changes to gain incremental revenue, market share, etc. like testing a new OE teaser on an envelope.

To be clear, nothing is wrong with incremental as long as you spend less time here and more time on areas where you can truly breakout.

So for your next brainstorm meeting, order some BK for delivery and take the extra time answer this question "What can we be doing differently to TRULY create separation from our competitors?"

More About the 80/20 Rule for Creative...

2012-01-14T06:12:00.002-08:00

I am starting to sense an emerging obsession with identifying ways in which the 80/20 rule can be applied in marketing considering I have covered this topic in an earlier post.

With that disclaimer aside, I came across a great blog post by Michel Fortin on
Copywriting the 80/20 Way and this part really resonated with me:

Less Effort, Better Results

Writing copy the 80/20 way is about getting maximum results with minimum effort. It’s about doing more with less.

Don’t waste hours trying to create the “perfect” sales letter. Rather, write a letter that’s good enough. Then split-test it to success. Let the software do all the heavy lifting for you.

How do you see the 80/20 rule applying in your marketing approach to your creative planning, analytics, etc?

A "20 Second Rule" for Marketers

2011-12-30T09:07:00.004-08:00

I recently finished a book called The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. In the book, the author identifies seven principles for improving performance or maximizing our potential to improve our work, lives, etc.

In reading this book, my marketing mind got going around Principle #6: The 20-Second Rule.

Simply stated, the premise of the 20-Second Rule is based on the fact that we will always gravitate towards tasks that are easy to start regardless of the known fact that it may be less satisfying or productive than something that may take ONLY 20 seconds longer to start.

Attention All Marketers!

You have 20 seconds to make a point. Take this advice to heart when planning around any brand campaigns, fundraising efforts, etc.

This isn't necessarily a new problem, in the digital world we obsess about "limiting clicks"...the less clicks the more likely the close but has this principle been lost on the world of direct mail?

In today's competitive DM landscape with cluttered mail boxes I challenge you to make sure your next DM package makes a point in less than 20 seconds.

I look at it, I open it...tick tock!

Is the Data Telling the Real Truth About Online Giving?

2011-12-30T08:04:00.004-08:00

There was a very informative post recently from Blackbaud about the current statistics around online giving. If you don't have time to read it here are a few key highlights:

1) Online fundraising generated $22 billion in 2010 (up 34% vs. '09) Online still only represents about 8% of total giving in the US
3) 32% of online donors will switch to offline giving

Clearly, online is the fastest growing giving channel and we've likely only seen the tip of the iceberg (I hope) but I want to caution fundraisers to be careful what you glean from two other data points.

1) Only 3% of offline donors will give online
2) Multichannel donors are more loyal than single channel donors

It's All About Causation vs. Correlation

First, let me be clear, I do not dispute that this is THE DATA. The data clearly shows the correlation (the fact that these two points are related) but doesn't explain the causation (what is REALLY the relation between the two).

Only 3% of offline donors will give online

1) Does this mean that 97% of offline donors don't use email or Internet?
2) Does this mean that we shouldn't bother soliciting offline donors via other channels?

I think that neither of the above are true. My guess, the large majority of organizations started their online giving long after they started their offline giving and that offline represented 92% (or more of the giving) so the Director of "Offline" giving probably got the final say in whether emails were sent to "their donors" when a offline channel effort was underway.

Kudos to Steve MacLaughin and the rest of the team at Blackbaud for doing the hard work on aggregating all of this data. All I ask is that we challenge ourselves (fundraisers and agencies alike) to look a layer deeper at what this all means.

This may be a job for Market Researchers to find out directly from the donors!

3 Things the American Cancer Society's "Report Card" Didn't Tell Me

2011-12-20T19:02:00.006-08:00

As a follow up to my blog post yesterday someone sent me the American Cancer Society's 2011 "Report Card" that was recently posted to their website.

First, kudos to the American Cancer Society for making strides in the fight against Cancer in 2011!

Now here are a few comments (and I welcome others):

1) They should email it to me (yes, they have my email address)!
2) It feels heavy on facts and figures and lacks a "human feel".
3) They didn't tell me why my continued support was needed in 2012!

The American Cancer Society is a first-class organization in many ways so I will give them a pass on this single page as I suspect it was done by the Corporate Communications and not the Fundraising team so maybe this is type of communiciation is soon to follow!

4 Things Nonprofits Should Tell Donors About 2011

2011-12-18T18:22:00.011-08:00

As we all hold our collective breath waiting to see how the few remaining days unfold for 2011 giving, I think all fundraisers should be polishing up the finishing touches on their "2011 Report cards".

To reiterate, I am saying "report card" because I have no time or interest in reading your Annual Report...and I am betting I am not alone there!

In our fast paced world of short attention spans I think a report card of sorts may be a worthwile communication strategy nonprofits should consider.

Recently there was a great post on Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog which cited recent market research that had two findings I found interesting:

1) Donors don't spend a whole lot of time researching charities to which they give.

2) Individual donors simply want to know they are giving to an organization that will do good with their money.

Katya's point was make sure you put content on your website to let prospective donors know you're a good charity.

Certainly advice all good charities should follow.

To build on this, I believe your report card is a chance for the GREAT charities to differentiate the GOOD in an arena we all know is a very crowded marketplace.

Donors are not measuring great organizations for raising the most money but for doing the most with it.

As your donor I want to know these 4 things about your 2011:

1) What did you do that no other organization did?

2) How did your organization become more efficient and/or effective?

3) What happened in 2011 that will shape your organizational goals in 2012?

4) What you are going to do "this year" with my continued support?

If you truly did do great work and you make the case for continued support in a quick and simple I may click donate before I get to the P.S. (because I have a hunch if you are great at what you do there will be a P.S.)!

Please share your comments and tell me what other questions I have missed!

My 3 Pronged Approach to Effectively Using Twitter...

2011-12-14T21:06:00.007-08:00

28 days ago I started a personal challenge to "take on Twitter" with the goal of acquiring 100 followers by December 31, 2011 (currently at 63 and counting @jwhichard).

During this quest I have pontificated about my strategies to achieve this goal the "right way". To be fair to my critics, my version of the "right way" has taken on many shapes and forms to date including:

1) I am only going to count followers with a link back to my focus around Fundraising, Nonprofits, Marketers, etc ("etc" defined as friends, family and Justin Beiber).

2) I am aiming for a 2 to 1 ratio (for every two followers I have I can only follow 1 fellow "tweeter")

3) I am going to use #Bold as my hashtag so I will show up as a trending topic (this one created the most "lol's")!

Simply stated, my goal is to be a focused voice targeting a relevant audience to innovate change in marketing/fundraising and use this medium to share and shape my thoughts and ideas into something much better than I can create on my own.

Twitter would become my own marketing agency made up of a larger collective experience pool!

My detractors and doubters (and there are many) who have snickered as I ask for proper Twitter etiquette around the use of "RT" and @ mentions have told me this quality over quantity approach is all wrong.

And now Seth Godin has come to my defense!

In a recent post, The Trap of Social Media Noise he states there are two types of people in social media in what he refers to as "The Game Theory":

The game theory pushes us into one of two directions: either be better at pump and dump than anyone else, get your numbers into the millions, outmass those that choose to use mass and always dance at the edge of spam (in which the number of those you offend or turn off forever keep increasing),

or

Relentlessly focus. Prune your message and your list and build a reputation that's worth owning and an audience that cares.

Seth refers to the former group who follow the "pump and dump" as "Junk Dealers"...for those who have spent years optimizing, competing for fundraising dollars have fought junk mail and faced this "noise" in what we call "competition in the mailbox".

Nothing ever good came from Junk Mail...the volume never helped keep paper costs or postal rates down, it made people more skeptical or less trusting of every mail piece they received, it was the cause for the inception of many 'Do Not Mail' lists on the market today.

Social networks have proven in a very short time to be very fickle media and the more we "play for numbers" the less relevant it will become and the less engaged we will be.

My suggestion, Be #bold! Be part of the small minority that generates the large majority of the content that really matters!

Your PowerPoint...Now A CRM Tool!

2011-12-07T19:30:00.005-08:00

Came across a very interesting new product/service to make your next presentation count call PresentNow which is a platform to help facilitate the all important "2-way Dialogue" and may even help you raise more money.

From their website:

How can Present Now help non-profits and charities?

First, kudos to you. You're out to do some good in the world and we need more people like you. Ultimately, all charities need donations to carry out their mission. You've no doubt been running lots of fund raisers and you're always looking for new donors. At your next event, make sure to give potential donors the opportunity to connect with you using Present Now. Once you have their contact information you can turning those contacts into donors.

I have sat in many (not as many as I would like) presentations wanting more information, or more importantly have given several presentations and wanted more feedback.

If we are finding ways to create more conversation from our PowerPoint presentations it has to be even easier to create more conversations with our Donors!

The 80/20 Rule Is More than Just Math...

2011-12-06T13:37:00.002-08:00

Check out my recent blog post at Merkle's DonorPower Blog and share how you are using the 80/20 rule!

Are Nonprofit Marketers Stuck Tying Our Shoes the Wrong Way

2011-12-04T14:36:00.002-08:00

This is a great short video from Ted Talks that I think illustrates the point that we all must start focusing on challenging what has been the norm.

If you watch this and think your organization, your agency, the industry you work in has already uncovered these opportunities I suggest you look again!

Is Your Nonprofit Brand the Best It Can Be?

2011-11-28T19:33:00.013-08:00

In today's crowded marketplace everyone is seeking ways to stand out in the mailbox or inbox? For many, this question is answered with a myriad of tests ranging from alternative package sizes, adding new components, catchy OE teasers, etc.

All of the above are "tactics" and the majority of these tactics fail when tested. So today I challenge us to think bigger.

I have read lots of good content on Branding and Mission Statements, most recently Katya's blog had a great post on improving your mission statement and I think this is one place we can definitely think bigger.

Why? Because our space is fraught with an enormous amount of brand confusion and building a great Nonprofit brand identity is a great chance to separate yourself from the rest of the market if you do it well.

What Should Every Nonprofit Brand Strive to Do?

In the book Made to Stick the Heath Brothers provide a framework for creating sticky statements called SUCCESS. In fundraising each communication presents a unique set of challenges so creating new "sticky statements" in every communication may be too much to ask but conveying a strong brand should not be and is as simple as doing the following:

1) Build Credibility
2) Generate Emotion
3) Be relevant

Said another way:

1) If I recognize your brand I will BELIEVE!
2) If I believe in your mission I will CARE!
3) If what you ask for resonates with me I will ACT!

The work required to achieve all of the above is different for every organization depending on the life stage in which you are in today.

Large, long-standing Nonprofits often have a recognizable logo (or Brand) but often struggle with finding ways to get people to act because of their size or wide array of services that dilutes their relevancy.

Conversely, small Nonprofits often lack awareness or credibility and need to get the skeptical donors to believe before they will ever give regardless of how compelling their story is.

At the End of the Day...

Above all else, your Brand sells your organization. When people buy Volvo they think "safety". When people buy from Apple they are buying "innovation", when people buy from GM or Chrysler they are buying "American"...a great brand is quickly and easily attached to some positive emotion.

Does your organizations brand have a clear identity? If not, start by asking yourself, "Why should people believe in us", "Why should people care", and "What would compel people to act". If you can answer those questions clearly you may be on your way to be the Apple of Nonprofits!

I Am Back...Again

2011-11-27T20:43:00.003-08:00

I have learned that the good (and potentially bad) news about blogging is that it is somewhat of a historical record so this "comeback" post is merely a follow up to my last post (from 2008...sigh) from my last "comeback" posts.

My motivation is not to emulate Brett Farve so Why am I back now?

I recently read through my past blog posts written several years ago and realized we sit here today facing many of the same exact problems.

We as marketers and fundraisers have not/are not innovating change despite many assertions that change is desperately needed including:

1) Charitable donations are on the decline...
2) "Direct mail is dying"
3) Telemarketing is too expensive
4) "our donors do not like email"

This industry is full of many smart marketers and fundraisers and my goal is to push forward our best NEW thinking to motivate change and move past the "this is how we've always done it" mentalitiy.

Clearly my quickly aging mind isn't dead yet (proof being I remembered my blogger password) but I do not have all the answers and I want to learn as much (or more) than I share on this platform.

Read, respond, participate...let's change world of fundraising

Consider this Post a New Year's Resolution...

2008-01-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

Who better to motivate me back to blogging than this recent post on Flipping the Funnel by Seth Godin.

I won't comment on the concept other than to say just read the ebook because anything I add will dumb it down. What I will do is call out Godin on his initial comments that "direct mail is dying".

I will be the first to admit my sensitivity lies with the fact that I am fully entrenched in the industry and have been working in direct response marketing since graduating college nearly 10 years ago. Sure, the statistics don't lie but I think he should have said, "direct mail as we know it is dying".

I'm not asking for much...just three extra words!

No question rising paper and postage costs are making mail less economical but I would argue that at least part of what is driving declines in response rate is increased competition in the mailbox. An earlier post in my blog regarding the boom in non-profits is just one example.

The USPS isn't going anywhere and neither is direct mail...that's not to say direct mail as we know won't or shouldn't change dramatically in the years to come!

C'mon Seth!

Blogging for CARE

2007-08-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Considering the content of my last post it would be a bit hypocritical of me if I didn't write a post about a great organization...

There are so many to choose from but I take my hat off to Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE). If you ever received a "CARE package" from friends or family while you were away from home you have this organization to thank for it!

CARE was founded in 1945 and today has projects ongoing in more than 60 countries fighting against global poverty.

What makes CARE better than the rest? Not only do they offer immediate emergency relief for the poorest communities in the world, but they go a step further to stay as long as needed to offer the tools and training necessary for lasting solutions and economic opportunities to ensure positive change can be sustained indefinitely.

For those of you who appreciate innovative efforts on the web I think CARE is leading the way as well with the Power Circle.

The slogan says it all, "She has the power to change the world. You have the power to help her do it."

Today I chose to use whatever blogging power I have to help CARE. Donate to CARE today!

Blog for Charity...Because They Can't Do Everything

2007-08-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

The blogosphere is rich with posts about “why you should blog” but I am not offering a savvy list of the “top 3” reasons why you should join in.

Instead, I offer you one simple reason…I think you should do it for Charity.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was the facilitator on blogging at the New York Nonprofit DMA where we discussed the “Why’s” and “How’s” of blogging.
Everyone thought blogging had great potential for their organization but almost everybody agreed that there organizations didn’t have the resources to do it themselves.

Why leave the legwork of blogging to a nonprofit already short on resources when they have well versed blogging supporters like you who could do it for them. Don't you want them putting their time and money to work solving the world's problems anyway!

My suggestion, write a post about your favorite charity and why you support them. If I am reading your blog it means I respect your opinion…if your post is compelling I may join you.

If 100 million bloggers wrote just one post about why you should support their favorite charity what could happened?

If you need motivation or ideas on how to do this well check out Beth’s Blog and write your post today!

Tell-A-Friend Today!

2007-08-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Many nonprofits use creative methods to capture email addresses via online petitions, surveys, etc. and have had great success doing so but you or your organization doesn't need to have the next best campaign to save puppies AND children all at once to increase online subscribers/donors, just give them the option to "tell a friend" whenever and where ever possible.

If I visit your website, sign an online petition or donate it means I care about something you are doing. If you get my attention, provide me an answer I am looking for and if I care enough to give money I will probably tell friends about so make it as easy as possible to do so.

Include a "Tell-A-Friend" link on your homepage, on your donate page and even try it as part of a "thank you" email and e-newsletter and let us help you spread the word!

Might I suggest you start by passing on this post to someone you know?

Everything Nonprofits Need to Know about Web 2.0 is Here

2007-08-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) has compiled a great resource of content about how nonprofits are using technology and posted this Google Document for all to view.

If you have questions about how you can leverage blogs, myspace, facebook, etc. to further your cause this is a must read.

Web 2.0 - "Cultivate, Educate and Motivate"

2007-08-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

I spent two days at the New York Nonprofit DMA listening to what's new in direct marketing and took every opportunity to here what organizations were doing in the world of Web 2.0.

The good news is that there are several organizations really jumping in with both feet and using the tools well despite the fact that their success appears difficult to measure and the financial support is minimal to date.

The bad news, is that much of the focus seemed to be on how much money is being raised using these new tools. If new revenue was the key measure of success in month one, or even year one of any direct mail program would half of these people still have jobs and be hear talking direct mail?

Back to the good news, I did make note of a great phrase I heard -- I believe the credit goes to the ASPCA -- "Cultivate, Educate and Motivate". Notice, there was no mention of, "ask to donate". Then again, I suspect if you can do all three of these things well raising money will be no problem!

Web 2.0 is a great platform to cultivate, educate and motivate. Building relationships with empowered people who share your views could turn into "boots on the ground" supporters that could have a huge impact on your organizations ability to raise money, gain public support if/when the next natural disaster hits at home or abroad.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

2007-08-14T16:31:00.001-07:00

I saw this video for the first time in January and was really impressed with its message and creative delivery.

I had assumed "everyone" had seen it until last week when I was the facilitator for a round table discussion on blogging at the New York Nonprofit DMA.

If you have seen it, I suggest watching it again as it gets better and better each time. If you joined me for the round table on blogging, and are visiting my blog thanks for a great conversation and welcome to the "blogosphere"!

Live Life the Ebay Way

2007-06-14T16:27:00.001-07:00

I am a huge fan of Ebay and have talked at length about my wins and losses to anyone who will listen.

Ebay offers a medium to find almost anything you could imagine and gives you a chance to get it for less than face value if your lucky.

Log on, search for what you want, put in the maximum price you are willing to pay for the item and go about your life until the auction ends. Ebay is so helpful that you don't even need to check back to see if you won, they will email you directly as soon as the auction ends to let you know you've won.

Yeah right!

I have bid on many auctions and can't remember one that didn't end with a flurry of last minute bids by people outdoing the current high bidder by $2.50 and in the interest of full disclosure I can't remember one auction I bid on where I wasn't one of THOSE PEOPLE!

The trick here is knowing what your MAXIMUM is...and if you know this you won't only be a power seller on Ebay but a master at life!

Outside of the Ebay world this concept can be referred to as your "Walk Away Position". At what point are you simply going to say this price is too high? Knowing the answer to this question before you log on to Ebay or walk into a car dealership will save you a lot of time and agony.

Understanding if your walk away position is stronger than the other bidders, the car salesman or your potential clients will make you a master at negotiation!

What Makes You So Special?

2007-06-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

On the surface this question seems sarcastic, especially when you hear it from your Mother as a young boy or girl caught taking the last cookie without offering it to at least split it 50/50 with a sibling.

Fast forward to a time in your life when your priorities extend beyond cookies and this question should be at the top of your list as consumers looking for a new mobile provider, as clients looking for financial or legal advice and most of all as charitable donors!!

Let's ask the question a little differently, "What makes you relevant?" In a crowded marketplace of nonprofits a great answer to this question will separate you from the rest of the crowd.

When looking to donate dollars would you be compelled by some carefully worded, all encompassing mission statement or an organization that could say, "If our organization were to disappear tomorrow the world would lose XYZ"?

It's not an easy question to answer but remember, nothing worth doing ever is! This article can help you start the process of understanding your value proposition.

When you can tell me what makes your organization or business relevant I hope to hear from you!

Blogging Cadence

2007-06-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

The topic of blogging cadence is widely covered throughout the blogosphere and opinions run the gamet but since this is my first post in nearly two months I thought it was a good time to weigh in!

I can offer excuses about my lack of postings (e.g. my home internet connection has been shoddy, I was sheparding a herd of 11-12 year-olds to a championship lacrosse season, etc) all true, but again, just excuses! Having said that, not only did my own blogging disappear but so did my daily review of my RSS feeds, granted I did check in a bit more frequently than once every two months!

At last count I am tracking 32 different feeds, not sure where that falls in terms of average volume so let me know. That being said, if every link had 30 posts I am going to need some real free time to get through that. Fast Company was the ongoing winner, in my longest abscence I logged on to find more than 125 postings to review...I probably gave the first 30 headlines a quick glance and I was done.

Other bloggers were well within my threshold at 10, 15 or even 30 posts. As like most people my threshold varied based on the value I assigned to each blog. Hence, I assume this will be the most important factor in each individuals "threshold"!

The blogging experts would likely destroy me on this post but surely there are people like me who appreciate the valuable content blogs provides and try to put in their fair share as time permits.

For those of you still checking in on my blog let me know what you think is the best cadence and I will act accordingly!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Should Charities Consider Consolidation?

2007-04-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

According to this recent article in the New York Times the number of charitable organizations in the United States between 1994 - 2004 increased 64%.

Furthermore, according to Charity Navigator President Trent Stamp there is currently more than 700 breast cancer related charitable organizations in the United States. His blog post suggests we may all be better off with less charities focused on the same cause.

In the for-profit sector only the strong survive but it doesn't appear to be that clear cut in the not-for-profit sector. I am sure many of the 700 breast cancer causes are doing good work and probably a few things that other organizations could learn from. What if ten, twenty or fifty of those organizations merged, built a new business plan using the best practices taken from each organization and leveraged the top donors from all of the organizations to support one unified cause?

I envy those who are willing to pour their heart and soul into a cause they believe in and start a their own non-profit but I also believe in the law of diminishing returns!

Proof About the Power of Text Messaging

2007-04-08T18:04:00.001-07:00

I suggested in an earlier post that text messaging could be the wave of the future and apparently there is an organization called MobileActive who agrees with me and is smart enough to make it work for them!

If I told you five years ago that 65 million votes would be cast via text message during the season finale of American Idol would you have believed me then?

Winner Gets $25 Million...Do I Have Your Attention?

2007-04-08T16:48:00.001-07:00

Richard Branson has come a long way from being an eccentric billionaire who spent millions trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon to the man putting his money where his mouth is to "cure" global warming.

Branson has put up $25 million of his own money to be awarded to whoever can create a technology to remove one billion tons of greenhouse gases per year over the next ten years. I don't know enough to judge just how lofty a goal that is, but for $25 million it shouldn't be easy and I imagine he got the attention of many with kind of cash!

Branson may be a wacky guy but no one can argue his business acumen. To me, this is a great example of what to do for marketers, nonprofits, etc. Branson set forth one goal, not two, etc...eliminate lots of greehouse gases, you win and the concept has gotten lots of attention. All non-profits would benefit greatly if they would follow a similar strategy. Find out what it is that you do better than anyone else in your city, state or the world and make that your concise case for giving. When I decide who gets my money the winner will be the one who does what I care about most better than anybody else rather than the guy who does a lot of different things pretty well.

Is Paying to Read Blogs the Future?

2007-03-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am relatively new to the blogosphere but I am truly addicted and let me tell you why! I used to read the newspaper every morning but then several years ago I gave up the paper because I liked reading the articles published in the newspaper on the Internet the night before it arrived at my door. To me, blogging is the "new Internet" (a.k.a - the "blogosphere") where I read about the really good stuff long before it makes it onto the "old internet".

Not only is the "good stuff" found in the blogosphere but it is also free of distraction, so far! I have yet to start reading a blog post only to be interrupted by an unsolicited pop up of the new Honda Accord racing towards me on course to drive straight through my living if I don't save myself in the the waning moments by locating the "Close X" button obscurely placed in one corner of the screen.

To me, blogging is the "underground" of the Internet. The place where feed readers are encouraged and information can be found free of unwanted advertisements, pop up windows with the sharing of ideas and content not as the exception but the rule!

I am all for free enterprise and entreprenuerial innovation but I do fear the "blogosphere" is in danger! The rapid growth of blogging is too tempting not to find ways to make it profitable, but will it be overrun?

I am truly conflicted on this matter. I am all for blogs raising money for either your own personal piggy bank or for that of your favorite Charity, both can be done well on credible sites like Squidoo. I am also in favor of mashups like AuctionAds which enables you to link an Ebay auction for items related content in your blog. I love blogs and I love Ebay, bring it on!

When I search for information on blogs I don't land on your blog by accident. You have posted something that I was looking for...and while I'm visiting feel free to convince me of your opinion and even suggest that I make a contribution but I will draw a line if the sand if you ask me to pay to read on!

Maybe paid subscriptions will raise the already high bar that blogs have set or maybe not! Is this the wave of the future, you tell me!

Get Free Opinion Polls

Get Warren Buffet to Read Your Blog

2007-03-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

The Slate 60 recently posted a list of the top charitable donors of 2006. In total, these 60 people pledged more than $50 BILLION to charity with Warren Buffet pledging over $40 million to the Gates Foundation alone.

In one of my recent posts about statistics you should ignore I expand on some sound advice from Seth Godin about not chasing pennies from the masses and it all made sense until I read about The Slate 60. At first glance I thought this was just another example of the China Problem as I start calculating in my head what it would be worth if I can get my hands on 1% of this pot and so on!

Yes, Warren Buffet and I will likely never cross paths and it is even less likely he will read my blog but he is not the only big fish in the sea willing to part with big dollars.

My advice is not to forget about the little people -- as the power of a large audience goes well beyond the dollars they can give you -- but if you are the best at addressing a key issue important to someone with deep pockets make them take notice and it could be well worth your time!

Blogging Evolution - 5 Key Terms All Beginning Bloggers Should Know

2007-03-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

In celebration of my one month anniversary in the blogosphere here is my list of 5 key terms all new bloggers must embrace to make your new world much easier to understand and navigate. They are:

As the saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink!" Most of these terms I had heard before but found little need for until blogging became a daily "To Do" item.

RSS, Bloglines (a feed reader) and podcasts have become a necessary evil in my blogosphere and probably the first you will conquer with relative ease.

Widgets are next. Like most gadgets I probably don't need to add widgets to my blog but I will makeup a reason to find a place for ones like ChipIn. ChipIn is a simple platform for individuals or organizations to collect money for anything and everything that allows people to track your progress towards your goal and let's organizers use well known online bill pay tools like PayPal.

Last but not least is Mashup. Put simply, a Mashup is the combination of two technologies that when combined can make an even better product, service, etc. like the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or if you prefer a more recent example the Apple iPhone.

Next month I offer an update list for the intermediate bloggers to continue tracking my blogging evolution! Stay tuned!

2 Staggering Blog Statistics You Should Ignore?

2007-03-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

There are more than 55 million blogs on the Internet.
More than 100,000 new blogs are created daily.

Staggering statistics wouldn't you say? Just think, if you could just have a penny for every blog in the "blogosphere" you'd be socking away $500K and counting! Now forget you even read this...but keep reading!

Seth Godin refers to this type of thinking as the China Problem. The concept is similar to the example I describe above. Godin makes his point about marketing but the same rules certainly apply in the "blogosphere". I had big dreams when I started my blog...over 50 million blogs, countless more blog readers on top of that and yet you can fit my subscriber "audience" into a jiffy john. The whole "if you build it they will come" business clearly only applies to baseball diamonds in corn fields!

Big numbers seem to mystify us all beyond reason -- and this is not a new phenomenon-- playing the lottery despite the tremendous odds against winning is something we can all relate to.

You can't be all things to all people (or bloggers) but everyone can and should be relevant. Too often it seems like non-profits are trying to be everything to all people. Tell me what problem you are fixing and how my money is going to help you fix it and count me in. Nobody I've seen has ever done it better than Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly's who's back page article on the need for malaria nets raised over $1.2 million the last time I checked.

The organization that is the best at one thing relevant to me is the one that gets my time and/or my money. If they are really good I may even tell my entire subscriber "audience"!!

The 2008 Election will be Won on the Internet

2007-02-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

As of February 2007 there are now 25 candidates running for President which is all the more reason the Internet will be a major factor in electing the next President in 2008. If you don't believe me watch this video of how Hillary Clinton announced she was running for President. She didn't do this on the nightly news or a Sunday morning talk show she did it on her website! A longer look at her robust website is a clear indication that her people are putting a lot of stock in its importance to her success.

To be clear, I am not starting a Hillary fan club. That said, by all indications she is certainly a major player for the Democratic nomination in 2008. I assume she has a pretty experienced team in her corner who got her husband elected in '92 and '96 so they probably know what works.

As the saying goes, if you want to see the future all you need to do is look to the past. Do you remember Howard Dean going crazy in 2004? Well before that happened, his campaign, "Dean for America" was one of the most successful online political fundraising efforts ever. According to this Convio Case Study Howard Dean raised $3.6 million online in only 90 days and raised more than $7 million dollars in one quarter while growing his email list from 200M to 500M subscribers.

The Dean figures from '04 will likely pale in comparison to what will be raised online for 2008. Every candidate, Republican and Democrat, will have a presence on the net and I welcome the onslaught that is soon to follow. Creativity is often at its best when the stakes are the highest and there isn't much that can compete with the final table at the WSOP...or a presidential election!

6 Essential Motivators for Giving

2007-02-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

My brother tells me the key to compelling copy for my blog is to offer the next great list of top 5 or top 1o list of what to do...so I went in search of a good list for fundraising and came across this article in the February edition of Fundraising Success magazine.

Tim Burgess, CEO of Merkle-Domain explains how he recently went through all of the mail he had received in the past few weeks, he threw away a bunch that didn't appeal to him and kept the rest and then came up with his list of the six essential motivators.

Some of his points were good but I think he stops short of the real question that needs to be answered. Knowing who is motivated by what, and when is the best time to get their attention, is everything. When we can answer that question Tim won't be throwing out charitable solicitations he gets in the mail and I will be getting a lot less credit card offers don't you think?

Save the World One Lightbulb at a Time

2007-02-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Did I get your attention?

I recently read an article in Fast Company about the CFL light bulb which states that if all 110 million households in the United States changed one traditional light bulb to the "swirl" light bulb we would save enough electricity to power all of Delaware and Rhode Island or cut the green house gases produced by 1.3 million cars on the roads today.

Let me reiterate the fact that this can all be done if we only change ONE light bulb per household. A quick tally of my house tells me there are approximately 45 light bulbs in my house...changing just one doesn't seem like too much, right!

Enough about "going green", the real point here is about the marketing. Is it just me or should whoever invented this light bulb be screaming the above point from the roof tops? I have seen these light bulbs in stores, they look weird and so I buy the standard light bulb and go on my merry way. If you put a big sign in front of the display that tells me we can save the world and I am walking out with the swirly bulb for sure.

This seems like a huge miss to me but the reality is that this probably gets missed everyday in business, in non-profits, etc. as shown here by Seth Godin's post on vacuums. If every business asked themselves, "what is it that we do better than anyone else or that no one else does" and built their marketing/advertising plan accordingly we may all be rich... okay, and save the world!

The Future is... Text Messaging

2007-02-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Giving through direct mail will always be prevelant, making charitable donations online will continue to grow exponentially year-to-year like Google profits but I am here to tell you the future of charitable giving could be text messaging!

This is already a common practice in the U.K. yet I hear very little about it in the U.S.A. From what I have heard, the technology and service of wireless providers is much better overseas which explains why they are ahead of the game in this arena but I think the America is ready!

I have attended several conferences on non-profit fundraising in the last few years and never once heard someone talk about text messaging as a viable giving medium in the years ahead. In just the last few years I have seen text messaging go from a novelty dominated by 15 year-olds to the preferred medium of "quick conversation" for thirty-somethings. I don't have any articles to link to that support my theory but take a quick look at Cingular, Verizon, etc. and you can see multiple phone options (not PDA's) which were designed specifically for text messaging.

I am not sure if text messaging to cell phones could be a work around for telemarketing that has been so impacted by the do-not-call laws but, if so, that will be all the more reason text messaging could be the future!

Could a Superbowl commercial change the world?

2007-02-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

I recently heard a speech from the co-founder of Operation Smile, Dr. William Magee who presented one of the most compelling cases for giving I have seen (if anyone can find a podcast or text please send me the link or add a post here). This speech was given to an audience of about 500 people, got a standing ovation and undoubtedly could have emptied the pockets of many who were in attendance.

After watching the Superbowl over the weekend it got me thinking about what could be accomplished if an organization with a compelling message was given a one minute spot or maybe more to make their case to huge audience. According to Nielsen Media Research more than 93 million people tuned in for the Superbowl and based on all of the buzz I would be willing to be one-third of viewers were more excited for the commercials than the actual game itself, right?

Yes, I know that a one minute spot would cost $5 million dollars but let's do a quick math exercise to measure the potential gain. Of the 93 million total viewers, let's estimate that only 20% of viewers are actually tuned in to see the actual commercial (nearly 19 million). Of those 19 million who were actually tuned in, I will estimate only 2.5% of people who watch actually make the effort to pick up the phone or log on to the Internet to donate (remember, this is only 2.5% of those who watched so it is actually only .005% of the total viewers who are giving to the most compelling offer anyone could find). If these 475,000 people can find it in their hearts to give an average gift of $25 we are talking $12 million in gross revenue!! You could also argue that the 19 million impressions could be worth 10x as much longer term.

This article further confirmed for me how TV and Internet alike are embracing this "Youtube" world where people can get air time for doing anything and everything. Why not offer non-profits this golden ticket once a year? Whoever can make the most compelling case for giving in the shortest period of time wins, and I mean REALLY wins!

What's happening to the transfer of wealth?

2007-02-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have heard several speakers in the last year talk about the "transfer of wealth" that is currently underway as today's seniors begin to leave their wealth to the aging baby boomer generation. This article is one of several that I have read in the past few weeks that makes me question just how much "wealth" there really is to be handed down.

My opinion, I think the examples cited in the attached are extreme and probably in the small minority but I will concede that the percentage of people facing such financial issues probably is higher for this generation than any prior due to living longer and rising health care costs.

If there are in fact more seniors in this group than ever before someone with more financial savvy than myself should create an annuity that rivals the reverse mortgage. If donors could leverage home equity for a charitable annuity, they could still pay their mortgages yearly and deduct the interests each year and also likely be able to deduct a portion of the gift in that year as well. I imagine leaving money to a charity of your choice would be an easy sell when your other option is leaving your house to the bank!