Kennedy Center's Michael Kaiser Launches 50-State Tour to Help Arts Orgs Flourish in Economic Crisis

Back in February, I read about Arts in Crisis, the Kennedy Center's initiative to help arts organizations survive in this challenging climate.  The program, open to non-profit performing arts organizations that apply online, provides free guidance for fundraising, planning and management.

I was heartened and intrigued by the concept, but not provoked to dive in deeper until I heard Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser interviewed yesterday about his 50-state tour to deliver guidance in person. This guy is incredible -- he noted the (relatively) small volume of requests for help, and decided to take the show on the road where he can provide arts management advice face-to-face!

Far more than just a cheerleader, Kaiser strongest message is to avoid "bunker mentality," advising that's the quickest path to organizational failure. Here are his core guidelines:

1. Do new things, adventurous things. Otherwise you'll be like everyone else, and won't get much attention or support.
2. Be creative -- do more for less. For examples, do staged readings, with the best actors, rather than full-fledged productions. Collaborate. Cut print marketing; relying more on online channels. Kaiser reminds us that a tough environment like this one allows organizations to become more creative.
3. Don't cut programming, because when you do, you cut a revenue source AND your ambitions.

Kaiser's wisdom is relevant to nonprofit's in all fields. It's far too easy to retreat in the face of adversity. Since we are in tough times that seem to be here to stay for a while, push it to see how you can use them to grow your organization -- marketing-wise and programmatically.

More useful guidance, for arts orgs plus, at ArtsManager.org, Arts in Crisis' info-packed, online resource center.

P.S. Share your creativity by entering your tagline today in the 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Awards! Deadline is July 31st.

Learn the Language of Change -- Your Org will Benefit Big-Time

Fundraising veteran Tom Suddes offers his golden (but free!) advice on how to shape your language to strengthen your organization, which Tom swears (and I think he's right) will change the way you think about your org.

Listen now to change your org's life, and your own perspective. Can't ask for more in 45 minutes.

Three key insights:

• Don't define yourself negatively, as a NOT-for-profit. Define yourself positively, focusing on your impact. You're a for-impact organization.
• Your impact drives your income, not the other way around.
• Just ask!

Here's my favorite takeway -- reframing key nonprofit communications language. Examples include:

• Old: charity --> New: cause or philanthropy
• Old: mission statement --> New: message (clear, consistent, succinct)
• Old: survival (of your org) --> New: transformation
• Old: sustainability --> New: solutions
• Old: inform --> New: involve
• Old: overhead/administrative costs --> New: priorities (people, programs and places).

Listen up now. It'll change your perspective today and increase your impact tomorrow, promise.

Tip of the hat to Gayle Thornsen.

P. S. Don't miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success -- all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update.  Subscribe today.

Ask Me (& 2 Other Experts) about Using Social Media to Promote Your Cause -- Ask Now, Chat 6/23 12pm Eastern

Q&A Last month's Chronicle of Philanthropy-sponsored online chat (transcript here) on using social media to promote good causes was such an overwhelming success that we've scheduled a Part 2 for Tuesday, June 23rd at noon, eastern. Join in here.

This is your chance to have all your social media questions answered by me or my co-chatters, social media masterminds Danielle Brigida of the National Wildlife Federation and Wendy Harman of The American Red Cross.

But ASK RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE, if  you want your question answered. Because we plow through questions as they are submitted and last round didn't get anywhere near through the list. So you're invited to submit your social media question now to ensure it's at the top of the list. We'll do our best to answer it on Tuesday.

Don't forget to review the focused, useful answers already available from Part 1 right here!

See you Tuesday, noon eastern!

P.S.  Before your turn your attention to social media, make sure your communications basics are strong. A high-impact organizational tagline is a vital marketing strategy. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Join Me, 2pm (et) Today w/Expert Mal Warwick -- Fundraising When Money Is Tight (for NTEN members only)

It's far from secret that we're dealing with a tough economic environment these days and there's no magic 8 ball to tell us when things might turn around.  And it is in these tough times that innovation, creativity and some common sense can take you further than even before. 

In his new book, Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future, fundraiser extraordinaire Mal Warwick shares some simple yet sometimes counter-intuitive steps are presented that you can take to ensure that your organization will suffer the least possible damage in a down economy -- and emerge healthy and poised for renewed growth when the economic crisis has passed.

Join me today at 2pm (eastern) as I host Mal in NTEN's Ask the Expert.  Register now (for NTEN members only, join here) to learn from a master and ask your own questions.

Social Media Crash Course in 25 Minutes (Podcast) -- Now w/Download Link

The podcast will load automatically when you open this post. If you don't frequently listen to online audio files, you may be prompted to download the player -- go ahead and do so.Once the podcast is loaded, click the arrow at the left end of the player below to listen now. Or download here (right click, click "save target as" to save on your hard drive or mp3 player) for later listening.

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If the player doesn't load for you, you can listen here.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Evans, author of Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day, for a social media intensive I taught recently at the Academy for Nonprofit Excellence.

Dave is a social media maven and well-practiced at breaking down what often seems like a mass of confusion into clear, logical steps. Add that to Dave's experience in working with nonprofit clients and we have our ideal guide to social media.

What's great is that Dave gave me a gift that I want to share with you: His pithy, punchy 25-minute crash course in social media for nonprofits. Listen to this interview on your run, as you ride the subway, as you cook dinner or right now to learn:

1. Why social media tools are important for nonprofit organizations -- the value of conversation (think free, ongoing audience research and that's just the beginning)
2. Where to start (experimenting, a brief plan and listening), and what it's going to take
3. How your use of photos and video can engage donors and motivate them to keep giving by showing them what you are doing with their gifts
4. Accessible, relevant case studies from two orgs that are doing it right, including integrating their social media campaigns with the other ways they touch their bases (via marketing and programs) -- the Brooklyn Museum and Prostate.Net.
   

I have to tell you that Dave is different from most folks who talk about social media. He's clear, focused and practical. So take these 25 minutes and run with them. You'll get far.

P.S. This is the first Getting Attention podcast I've released and it's been a lot of fun. It's been my own crash course, but a gratifying one!

P.S. The right messaging is critical to the success of every nonprofit campaign -- whether its social media based, door-to-door or...  Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Ask Nancy: How to present myself on LinkedIn to get where I want to be career wise, but not threaten my current gig?

Q:  I'm a long-time reader of your e-news and blog, and have a question for you about LinkedIn. Since it’s personal in nature, I will appreciate your discretion.  (NOTE: Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

I recognize the value of getting on LinkedIn but have a dilemma. I am employed full-time as Marketing Director with a nonprofit agency. The job is a great fit for now, but it is not what I want to do in the long-term.

In addition, I do freelance work AND am working on a masters degree in a field that IS what I want to do in the long term (i.e. global health promotion and social marketing).

What is the best way to present myself on LinkedIn? I do not want to disrespect my full-time employer but to complicate matters, my employer and freelance clients do not necessarily know that the other exists -- they just know I do my work well and on time!  

I've been struggling with this for a few months, and would appreciate any thoughts and advice you may have for me.Thanks in advance for your help.

K.P., Marketing Director, .org Serving Children and Families, Chicago, IL

______________________________________________________________________________

A:  Frankly, I’d include it all on your LinkedIn profile, Kelly. Authenticity is the name of the 2.0 game.

It'll undermine your hopes and dreams, as well as your current job and freelance work, if a client finds out another way (vs. you putting it out there) that you have a FT job, or vice versa with your employer.

Be up front and be proud!

All the Best,
Nancy

P.S. Authentic branding is critical to the success of every nonprofit Web site! Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Ask Experts, Share Issues, Get Inspired -- Join Getting Attention Discussion Group on LinkedIn

Looking for marketing answers? Stuck and need inspiration? Surprised at something that's worked great and want to spread the word? Please join me and (already) 400 fellow nonprofit communicators in the Getting Attention (GA) Group on LinkedIn.

Here's the deal. For years, folks have been sending me queries on nonprofit marketing dilemmas (Ask Nancy). I do respond via the GA blog or e-update when possible, but...

1. I just can't respond to the volume anymore, and more importantly...
2. You'd get a lot more from hearing from your peers, as well as from me. They're the ones out in the field, testing, testing testing. 

So I'm shifting discussion to the Getting Attention LinkedIn Group (we'll have a Facebook group soon). Already have 400 nonprofit communicators there, including several in every issue arena, org size and budget, etc.We already have lots of topics in play and through those discussions, I've been getting tons of new ideas and "meeting" new colleagues.

And, if you're not yet on LinkedIn, it's the perfect motivation for you to spend 10 minutes putting up a profile -- great networking, discussion groups from all perspectives (I put queries out and get great responses).

Here's how to join now, in 10 minutes or less:

• If you're already on LinkedIn, sign up here today. And welcome, in advance.
• If you're not on LinkedIn yet, sign up here (see Not a User yet line at bottom of page), then join the Getting Attention group. You're going to love being on linkedIn, and part of the group.

Once you're in, ask a question, tell a story, get involved. Like anything else, the more conversation, the richer the experience. Welcome one and all!

First Steps in Working Social Media for Your Org: Report from Norfolk

Had a great time yesterday teaching a social media immersion class to staff members of 25 nonprofit orgs in the Norfolk, VA region. The organizations these folks represented are varied in size, experience, issue focus and more. Yet the group came together as an incredibly productive learning community around social media.

During my intensive prep for the class, I had to do a lot of sifting -- through tons of resources, tools and, the greatest challenge, my own perspective and experience with nonprofit use of social media tools.

This palette of tools is way too new, and changing too quickly, for any definitive must-dos across the board. But here are the few should-dos I recommended to yesterday's students and want to share with you:

• Set up Google Alerts to listen to what others in the Web 2.0 world (used synonymously w/social media) are saying about your organization.
  
  • The conversation is already going on without you, so the easiest (and most valuable) first step social media wise is to listen to what's being said and to jump in as appropriate.
  • Set up Google Alerts (free) to report back to you on your org name, leaders names, issue area, names of key colleague and competitive organizations.
  • When you receive these daily outtakes via email, you'll get immediate feedback on your org and its programs (enabling almost real-time course correction) and and the environment in which you work.

• Next, set up a Facebook Cause page for easy micro-fundraising and membership-building by your network to their networks. This takes 30 minutes or less.
  
  • You'll need to have either a personal page or an org page (fan page) to do so.
  • Once you have the Cause page up, spread the word that it's open for business for your network to use to raise donations from their networks. 
  • Easy way to start is to suggest birthday campaigns. I asked my Facebook friends to donate what they spend for lunch (or more, if they wanted) to the Community Food Bank of NJ and raised over $500 in a week. Make it easy for your supporters to do the same.

• Talk, listen and learn about social media, whenever you can. Start here:
  • Beth's blog -- from the inimitable Beth Kanter, writing on nonprofits and social media 24/7
  • Chris Brogan's blog -- Chris makes the social media morass accessible. Read him.
  • We Are Media -- comprehensive, well-organized, highly-accessible social media starter kit for nonprofits.
  • Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans --This primer teaches you everything you need to know social media wise in an hour a day for 3 1/2 months.

P.S. How about wishing me happy birthday today by donating the cost of your daily lunch to the NJ Community Food Bank? Give today please -- We've raised $540 on a pledge of $1,000 -- campaign ends March 31st!

EnRoute to Norfolk -- Spreading the Word re: Putting Social Media to Work to Strengthen Connections & Build Community

Traveling down to Norfolk, VA today to deliver tomorrow’s all-day boot camp on social media for nonprofits, hosted by the Academy for Nonprofit Excellence at Tidewater Community College.

First I heard of the Academy was when I was invited down by director guru Lillian Bailey nearly a year ago.  It’s a fantastic resource for area organizations and one that many larger cities can’t boast, funded largely by The Norfolk Foundation, the region’s community foundation.

But prepping for this gig has been a huge adventure.  Particularly because I was somewhat daunted by the task (since I can barely absorb a full-day workshop as a participant, and all-day is a lot of attention to engage), the prep presented as a real opportunity for my own learning.

Here’s some of the fun I’ve had already:

• Created a first-time podcast, interviewing guest speaker and social media marketing maven Dave Evans.
  • I was motivated to find ways to integrate other speakers – even if not on the spot – into the day.
  • Just did it and even though it’s not perfect (you’ll see, I’ll publish it here next week) it works fine, and I learned how to make it better next time.
• Inventoried social media use among nonprofits in the Norfolk area, a valid sampler of the cross section of nonprofits in other regions.
  
  • Several are taking the first step social-media wise (most with Facebook) as an experiment – exactly the right approach.
• Surveyed participants via SurveyMonkey to get a sense of where they are social media wise and their burning questions.
  • Participants represent a typically-broad range or orgs in terms of issue focus and staff and budget size.
  • IDd two great case studies among participants and will be interviewing them during the workshop, establishing them as local social media mentors.
• Kick-started learning and community building among workshop participants
  • Knew that to get the intention and focus I needed to keep momentum up for an entire day, we had to start off running.
  • Crafted a pre-req assignment introducing folks to social media tools (most were not using them professionally, a few were personally).
  • Combo of intro to social media tools videos from CommonCraft and asking folks to set up personal LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, connecting with me in both venues and joining the LinkedIn group I set up.
  • Discussion is already flowing, and I’ve gotten to know some of the delightful idiosyncrasies about participants that provide the basis for conversation and perhaps relationships. 

Next time you're up against something daunting, see what you can learn from it starting with step one. Makes it a lot more fun and took the edge off for me!

P.S. The right messaging is critical to the success of every communication, and the tagline lies at its very core! Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!

Free Guide: Top Nonprofit Marketing To-Dos for 1st 100 Days...and Beyond

Nonprofit Marketing Guide Kivi Leroux Miller has just released this free map to the first 100 days of your new marketing job. But don't ignore it if you've been there more than 100 days -- it's full of great advice for every nonprofit communicator.

Kivi and her friends in the field outline 100 should-dos for the first 100 days of starting your new job...or the next 100 days. These tips have lasting value.

Here are a few of my favorites from Kivi's guide, and my suggestions on how to use them day 101 and forward:

• Kivi says: Review the organization's 12-month calendar to learn key "lifecycle" events
  • Post 100 days: Review colleague orgs' calendars, and legislative and editorial calendars to find ways to hook your org's news into other news.
• Kivi says: Try to understand why your supporters care.
  • Post 100 days: Talk to your network, not just occasionally but on a regular basis, to learn what's crucial to them, their perceptions of your orgs. etc. Surveys, focus groups, ad-hoc advisory board...
• Kivi says: Volunteer for a non-marketing project...to show you're a team player.
  • Post 100 days: Engage non-marketing colleagues in your marketing work to capture their perspectives and information, especially program staff (also helps build buy in).

Dive in today for 100 ways to strengthen your marketing agenda -- whether it's your 15th day or your 15th year.

P.S. It's likely those 100 days will reveal a huge messaging gap between your org and your supporters. Close it with an effective tagline. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!