We've all heard it before: stories move people. We also know that a picture is "worth a thousand words." In the case of a young boy from New York City named Vidal, his compelling story, plus a picture, was worth a million dollars. For a couple years, I've been following a blog by Brandon Stanton. After losing his job as a bond trader, Brandon decided to pursue his passion for photography. He wasn't a...

Information is important. Hard data that shows a positive impact is necessary. However, the black and white text is sometimes not enough to convince people to contribute to a cause. In order to get someone’s attention, especially in the fast-paced world we live in, you need to connect with them on a human and emotional level. A simple story can create that much needed bond. Recently, I attended...

  I recently attended an event hosted by Women in Development of Greater Boston entitled, "The First Six Months Are Over. Now What? How to Be Resilient and Nimble in Strategy Development." The panel of speakers included: ·      Susan L. Richardson, Director of Alumni Relations, Boston University ·      Seth Rosenzweig, Vice President, Development, Combined Jewish Philanthropies ·     ...

 January 21, 2014 If you are already planning to produce a video for your next event, it makes sense to shoot a little extra footage that can be used to create a teaser video in advance of your event to create a little extra buzz. Rachel explains.

December 17, 2013 I recently attended an event hosted by Women in Development of Greater Boston entitled, “Event-Based Fundraising: What's Hot and What’s Not?”  Here are a few takeaways that I wanted to share: Despite their best efforts, many nonprofits leave “money on the table” at events by: Putting too much energy into acquiring too many auction items that people don’t want.  Channeling...

December 4, 2013 A little while back, I attended a fine webinar, presented by communications guru Tom Ahern. I suspect that he did not intend to have one, overriding theme in what he discussed. What stood out to me, however, was his suggestion that many nonprofits are failing in their communications. The reason? They spend too much time focused on themselves rather than their donors or prospective...

January 31, 2013 I came across this video earlier this week. We regularly tell people that they don't always need services of folks like us; sometimes they can produce video themselves. If, for branding purposes, your video needs to have a little polish to it, then trying in-house video may not be the best idea. But, in many cases, a homegrown video will do the trick. Here is a very good example of a DIY project....

January 3, 2013 This video, produced by Children's Hospital Colorado, has an inherent advantage: sick children are almost always going to pull at the heartstrings, and this is no exception. Still, it's worth noting that any organization (whether it's nonprofit or for-profit) can create a compelling video if it gathers together a handful of people who can speak in a genuine way about how they have...

The Children’s Room is down the street from Reflection Films in Arlington.  We help them with their video needs and believe strongly in their mission.  We asked Anne Favaloro, the Development and Communications Director, to share a little about what their fundraising strategy is, and how it’s changed over time. What is The Children’s Room? The Children’s Room is the leading nonprofit grief...