Fundraising to millennials must be a hot topic. Last week, I attended an event hosted by Solomon McCown & Co, The Changing Face of Philanthropy: The Challenge of Engaging the Next Generation of Donors. Earlier this week, Rachel presented at the annual conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and attended a presentation that also focused on the millennial generation. A point...

Yesterday I attended an event hosted by Women in Development of Greater Boston (WIDGB) on how to get value out of your organization's data.  Here is what I wanted to share with you: 1) James Cheng from Memorial Sloan Kettering says that he thinks about data in four ways: Hindsight - When reviewing the results of a project, what have I learned from it?  What could I have done differently to possibly...

A while back I attended a presentation by Google's Anthony Phalen on video content strategy.  He noted that ideally you want to create video content that entertains, educates and inspires.  A video doesn't necessarily have to do all three of these things, but if you can pull that off, then you've scored a home run. He shared a variety of useful tips, but the main ones that resonated with me and also...

A couple weeks back, I posted on video strategy for nonprofits, reflecting on the first three fundamentals, out of ten, shared by YouTube's Jason Djang. Last week, I reviewed another four of his suggestions, #4-7.  And here I look #8-10.  Jason emphasized that not all of the ten fundamentals must be followed. They are simply strategies to keep in mind. 8) Accessibility - Is each video a stand-alone...

In a recent post on video strategy for nonprofits, I reflected on the first three of ten video fundamentals that YouTube's Jason Djang recommends to nonprofits. I now share with you another four of his suggestions, #4-7.  Jason emphasized that not all of the ten fundamentals must be followed. They are simply strategies to keep in mind. 4) Consistency - Are there strong, recurring elements to your...

Labor Day weekend is upon us, which means barbecues galore! And with barbecues means leftovers– yum! You would never let Grandma's baked beans go to waste, would you? Of course not! If you have leftover footage from your last video, would you let that go to waste? Many people do not realize the potential their existing content has to offer. Today Rachel discusses how to effectively use recycled...

Here is another installment in our Did You Know? series. For the fun of it, we have decided to create 15-second (or less) animations to illustrate facts that interest us. Check out this short to find out the influence pets have on their elderly owners.

Recently I attended a webinar in which Jason Djang from YouTube shared "10 Fundamentals of a Creative Video Strategy for Nonprofits." He was quick to say that not all ten elements need to be adopted, but he highly suggested paying attention to the following criteria and questions when evaluating your video plan. This blog post features information about the first three components. 1) Shareability...

Last week, I shared the first of a few social media tips from Julia Campbell. Here is the part two of that interview. What are some suggestions about how to start and strengthen social media presence for a small business or non-profit organization? If you are just starting, step back immediately and look at your website. If it is hard to navigate, not mobile-friendly and very confusing to the lay person,...

"Vendor" isn't necessarily a bad word, but Rachel's not crazy about it. She explains why in this video. ___________________ Rachel: There are some words that make me cringe when I hear them. Phlegm is number one on that list but not too far down from that is the word, vendor. Vendor…blechhhh. I have a visceral reaction to hearing it, and unfortunately I hear it a lot. Here’s why I don’t...