Bright Nonprofit

In this episode, I talk with Steve Scott who is the author of many books including, "Level Up Your Day: How to Maximize the 6 Essential Areas of Your Daily Routine", "To-Do List Makeover: A Simple Guide to Getting the Important Things Done" and "S.M.A.R.T. Goals Made Simple – 10 Steps to Master Your Personal and Career Goals". Steve talks about goal setting and how change your habits to get the most our of everyday.

Steve recommends against making too many long term goals. Instead focus on the short term goals (three to six months) and then set your goals based on the actions it would take to achieve these short term goals. He advocates following the SMART goal format (see video on SMART Goals) which is to make goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound.

One way to set yourself up for goal setting success is to stay focused on the purpose. Let's admit it, sometimes the actions it takes to achieve a goal can seem overwhelming and just flat out no fun.

So to help reach your goals start by chunking down the goal into small task. And then when completing these task stay focused on the "purpose (goal)" of the task. This will help you check of the to-do's from your task list.

Another thing Steve stresses in this interview is to stay focused on your 80/20. That is, focus on the 20 percent of your actions that produce 80 percent of your results. Each day make a short list of the most important things you need to accomplish that will help you with your 80/20.

During the podcast we use Steve's goal setting method and applied it to writing a grant. Here is what we came up with:

1. Research (find organizations that fit your grant needs)
2. Contact agencies
3. Create database (track conversations, emails, deadlines)
4. Gather content
5. Outline grant (rough ideas of what you want to say)
6. Write grant (flush out content with full details)
7. Refine grant (edit and proofread)
8. Finalize grant (complete final draft)
9. Print, package, deliver
10. Followup (call grantors to follow up on grant submission)

Steve Scott's website: DevelopGoodHabits.com

Steve's books: DevelopGoodHabits.com/my-books

Steve's (NP Ally Steve) SMART Goal Video: Are you Planning to Reach your Goals?

Pomodoro Technique

Passion Planner

The Spark Notebook

Goals on Track

WasteNoTime, browser productivity app

ColdTurkey, productivity software

As crowdfunding has exploded in popularity, rapidly evolving into a 5.1 billion dollar industry, the diversity of crowdfunding platforms has likewise ballooned. While this is excellent news for hopeful crowdfunders in terms of the choices and options available, it also makes the question of how to choose the right crowdfunding site a rather overwhelming one. By following the tips outlined below, however, you can begin to navigate these teeming waters and avoid choosing the wrong platform for your campaign:

Different crowdfunding sites tend to cater to different campaign goals; there are crowdfunding sites which are, for example, intended for nonprofits and social causes:

• Crowdrise
• Rockethub
• Causes
• Gofundme

...And there are crowdfunding sites which cater to independent artists and people spearheading creative (and/or technological) projects, such as:

• Kickstarter
• Indiegogo
• Pubslush

There are also a few crowdfunding sites which may be used for either personal causes or creative/business ventures, such as Fundly and Fundrazr, and a smaller number of platforms oriented more toward attracting business investors, e.g. AngelList and Fundable. Note that some of these platforms, like Kickstarter, will require your campaign to go through an approval process, so you will need to research what that process entails before designing your campaign.

Your backers need some kind of incentive to invest in your campaign; that incentive might be: Equity-based – Backers get a stake in your company. Donation-based – Backers will be able to write their donation off on their taxes, as they would when donating to a conventional charity. Lending-based – Backers are lending you money, and that money will be repaid over time, perhaps with interest. Rewards-based – Backers will receive a tangible product if they fund your campaign, such as a copy of the book or CD you plan to produce. As nonprofits, we are "donation based".

Not only do different platforms have a range of initial fees (anywhere from 2-12%), you will also need to look into what your platform of choice allows if your campaign does not meet its funding goal. Some, such as Kickstarter, will not allow you to keep the money you have raised (it will all be refunded to the backers) while others, like Indiegogo, will allow you to keep the money, but will raise the fee so that they take a larger cut of your profits.

Once you have narrowed down your options to those platforms which suit the mission of your campaign and have an appealing fee and incentive structure, you should make your final choice based on relevant additional features. Think about how you want to design and promote your campaign:

Do you want to focus on visual presentation, such as by changing the color scheme and background of your campaign page?

Do you want to have your own URL or a custom domain name?

What about social sharing—will you be marketing primarily through email (if so, look for a platform that integrates with your mailing list) or social media sharing?

How will you get news and updates to your backers—is there a blog/news section?

Is there any way to get information about the demographic(s) backing your campaign (e.g. a donor database or tracking system)?

Does the platform allow you to offer perk awards as incentives for donating?

As a final note, if you begin to feel a bit lost while assessing the aforementioned, take a step back and research successful campaigns with a purpose similar to your own. Then ask yourself, what did they do, and why did it work for them?

In this episode I talk with Steve Scheier, author of “Do More Good. Better.” We talk about the impact that proper decision making can (or cannot) have on the health and future of your organization.

Part of making a good decision involves: knowing what decisions need to be made, who is making this decision and whether you are involving the right people in the process. With this at the core, Steve walks us through what he calls “decision clarity”.

As Steve says, “Decision clarity gives the Executive Director focus”. Getting others involved in the decision making process can relieve the ED of having to deal with an overwhelming amount of daily decisions. By having a more inclusive decision making process, the power of decision making gets delegated to those who are best suited (with the right resources) to make these decisions.

Steve breaks down the decision making process into five decision making roles:

Steve also talks about the key factors that effect – and prevent – us from making good decisions. What are those? Well, I can ‘t tell you everything… or you would have no a reason to listen to the podcast.

Steve’s website: scheiergroup.com

Contact Steve: [email protected]

Buy the book: Do More Good. Better.

Steve on Facebook: facebook.com/ScheierGroup

Steve on Twitter: twitter.com/ScheierGroup

Get TWO FREE audio books from Audible.com: Try Audible Today!

In this episode I talk with Steve Scheier, author of "Do More Good. Better." We talk about the impact that proper decision making can (or cannot) have on the health and future of your organization. Part of making a good decision involves: knowing what decisions need to be made, who is making this decision and whether you are involving the right people in the process. With this at the core, Steve walks us through what he calls "decision clarity". As Steve says, "Decision clarity gives the Executive Director focus". Getting others involved in the decision making process can relieve the ED of having to deal with an overwhelming amount of daily decisions. By having a more inclusive decision making process, the power of decision making gets delegated to those who are best suited (with the right resources) to make these decisions. Steve breaks down the decision making process into five decision making roles:

1. Decision maker
2. Adviser
3. Contributor
4. Someone who is informed
5. Driver

Steve also talks about the key factors that effect - and prevent - us from making good decisions. What are those? Well, I can 't tell you everything... or you would have no a reason to listen to the podcast.

Steve's website: scheiergroup.com

Contact Steve: [email protected]

Buy the book: Do More Good. Better.

Steve on Facebook: facebook.com/ScheierGroup

Steve on Twitter: twitter.com/ScheierGroup

For those who have heard the podcast already... the subtitle to this article is: "Why your Mother Never Reads your Newsletter". (It's an inside joke. You have to listen to the podcast to get it :)

If you are working with a small nonprofit, then the chances are part of your job includes "Nonprofit Communications and Marketing". If you publish a blog, post to facebook or twitter, give presentations, make videos or publish a newsletter then, yes - you are a "Communications Manager". In this podcast I talk with Kivi Leroux Miller from NonprofitMarketingGuide.com. She is the author of two award winning books, a coach, a consultant and a trainer. To create a successful communications plan you have to start with a good strategy. There are three core questions you need to ask to help you with your marketing/communication strategy.

1. Who is your target audience? Demographics is important, but even better is to determine what their values are and how they spend their time.
2. What is you message to those people? What is your call to action?
3. How do you get that message to those people?

Once you have a plan, you need to craft your message. It is important to create content that is relevant to your audience. Kivi suggest "listening in" to social media to learn more about what people are talking about. If possible, do a mini focus group - nothing formal - just a cup of coffee with a few people. Then just asked some questions to find out what is important to them and what their challenges are. You can also try a survey (read this great article - Get better results from surveys). This can give you valuable nuggets of information on what is important to your audience. Once you determine this, it is time to get the message out. The Three Avenues of Communication

• Online - email, social media, newsletters, video
• Personal - give presentations, meet in person, call on phone
• Advertising: posters, flyers, mailers, adwords, radio

With a better idea of who your audience is it will be easier to develop and deliver your content. So make your plan, target your audience and then produce your content.

Kivi's website is at: NonprofitMarketingGuide.com Kivi on Facebook: facebook.com/kivilm Kivi on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kivilerouxmiller

When it comes to making a budget for your nonprofit, it can seem like there is little to guide you. This can be especially true for new nonprofits whose budget is more like a best guess than a best estimate. If you are in this position, don't panic... making a budget is often more art than science.

In this podcast, I talk with Rick Sluetaris who is a co-director at Open Connections in Pennsylvania. When he first started working there they had an income of $300,000 but no budget. No one was tracking where the money came from or where it went. When it came to giving employee raises or buying equipment it was simply a matter of seeing if the bank account could cover the cost. Rick talks about the steps they took to create a budget and start tracking their finances. This gave Open Connections an annual budget with guidelines to help them spend money relevant to their goals.

If you have been tracking your income and expenses then you are off to a good start. This will make it easier to project what will be needed in the months and years ahead. If you haven't been tracking your finance (or if this is your first year) then your projected budget really is just a best guess.

Income

Income for a nonprofit comes in the form of grants, gifts/donations, product sales, service fees, endowments and/or membership fees. This is usually the easiest part of the budget to create. Just calculate what you took in last year and project it forward a year. The trick is to be conservative. If you had $10,000 in donations then it is likely you can reach that number again (unless you have had staff/volunteer turnover or have suffered a loss of reputation). So it would be reasonable to expect $10,000 to $11,000 in donations in the new budget. Like I said, be conservative, a 2-5% increase is usually a safe number. It is easier to meet and exceed conservative estimates and helps you plan realistic expenditures. Keep projecting your income in a similar fashion for each line item. Take the known amounts and adjust them according to your best prediciton of the future. Obviously, new or expiring grants can have a significant impact on your bottom line. So be sure to account for these dramatic increases (or decreases) in your income. If this is your first year budget and you have no numbers to work with, then do your best to come up with honest and conservative "guestimates" of your income.

Expenses

This is where tracking is really important. An honest budget is a tracked budget. Your expenses will include utilities, maintenance, office supplies, salaries, insurance, equipment, rent/lease, etc. Even if you are a sole social-entrepreneur paying for everything out of pocket, you still need to track these expenses. It is important to know a realistic cost on what it takes run your nonprofit. Your expenses should be adjust for inflation, so adding an extra 2-3% is pretty common practice. Once you have your list of projected income and expense created it is time to figure out your net income.

Net Income

This is pretty simple math. Your gross income is all of your total income. Let's say $20,000. That may be a great number unless your total expenses is $30,000. In this case you would be operating at a loss. Your net income (gross income minus gross expenses) would be -$10,000. Don't panic if you have a negative net income. If the difference is only a few thousand dollars you can go back and adjust some of your income and expenses to try to narrow this gap. If this is your first year in existence, then it may mean running your nonprofit at a loss for the first several years until your income can catch up with your expenses.

Creating a budget can be fun. It is useful to see the financial health of your organization. And it takes just as much creativity to make a budget as it does basic math. Just remember, a budget is a living document and should be visited several times throughout the year. It is not written in stone. If you see that you need to increase an expenses due to fuel prices, then make the necessary adjustments to cover this new increase (either increase a revenue item, or cut an expense). So get out your paint brush (and calculator). It is time to make your budget.

Open Connections: openconnections.org

Tech Soup: techsoup.org

Tech Soup Canada: techsoupcanada.ca

In this episode I talk with Marlene Oliveira from the NonprofitMarCommunity.com and MoFlow.ca. Marlene is a nonprofit marketing and communication specialist. One of the more important things you do with your nonprofit is market your services and/or products. But for many of us this isn't always easy to do. Marlene talks with us about creating a strategic plan for their marketing and communication. And then creating a editorial calendar that will help you follow a timeline for when to produce your content. But first, it is important to understand why you want to produce content in the first place. Here are some of the reasons Marlene tells us why content production is important:

• It can help you raise money
• It can bring awareness to your brand (yes you are a brand)
• It can build trust with your community
• It can help you build authority in your field
• It can bring visitors back to your page

There are a myriad of ways to deliver content, this includes: blogging, videos, ebooks, podcasts, guides, webinars and even newspapers and TV. The key to determining which medium to use is know "who your audience is" and "where they are." Some of this can be done by trial and error, but for the most part, you want to post content where your audience is. If you have 100 likes on your facebook page but 450 subscribers on your youtube channel, then it should be pretty clear where to spend your time posting content. Marlene then discusses the importance of creating an "editorial calendar". She goes into detail on the questions you need to ask yourself when creating creating this calendar. She gets pretty detailed on this subject, so instead of me just retelling you what she said, it would be easier for you to 1) listen to the podcast and 2) read the article she wrote, Nine questions to answer when creating editorial calendars". Marlene offers online webinars on a regular basis. One you may be interested in is the FREE "Planning a Nonprofit Blog You Can Manage" on May 27th, 2015.

Marlene's websites: NonprofitMarCommunity.com and MoFlow.ca Marlene's Facebook page: Marlene-Oliveira Nonprofit MarCommunity LinkedIn: Nonprofit-Marcommunity

Marketing Book: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World Google Grants: Google Grants for Nonprofits – Get $10K in Free Adwords (podcast)

In this episode I talk with Mark Horoszowki from MovingWorlds.org. Mark talks about how the MovingWorlds organization helps nonprofits, from around the world, find skilled volunteers to help them with their missions. It is a process they call "Experteering". Mark gives us some insight in to the volunteer recruitment and management process. He also fills us in on just how to find the right volunteer to meet the needs of your organization. Mark offers us a glimpse into the mind of a volunteer by helping us understand what motivates them, how to "thank" them and how to keep them around. This podcast is a great resource for any nonprofit that works with volunteers, regardless of the size of your organization and the size of the project you need help with. Also in this podcast, I talk about how to get found in Google. This consist of three steps:

1. Connect to Google Analytics (learn more) This involves - 1) signing up for a Google Analytics account, 2) copying the code your are given when you add your website and, 3) pasting that code into your website. This way Google can connect Analytics to your site and confirm that you are the owner of that site.
2. Get a sitemap (learn more) Install an XML site map. This will help the Google "Bots" know where to go when they visit your site. It is a crucial part of getting your site "indexed" in the search engines.
3. Connect to Google Webmaster Tools (learn more) Now that you have a sitemap and an Analytics account you should connect it all to Webmaster Tools. This is where you can manually submit your sitemap to Google. From here you can also get insight into what key words people are using to find your site and what search rankings your pages are getting.

You see, you just can't put a website up and hope that Google will find you. You have to take some action to start showing up in search engines. I will write a more in depth blog post about this later, but for now, I hope the info and links above help you get found in Google.

Process for Matching a Volunteer Volunteer Intake Resources Find Volunteers for your Organization Twitter: Experteering Facebook: MovingWorlds

YoutTube Video about What Motivates Volunteers

In this episode I talk with Jason Granger of Infinity Marketing Group about Google Grants. Yes, Google gives grants to nonprofits. And they are awesome. How about $10,000 worth of adwords every month for FREE! Yes, that awesome.

Jason walks us through the Google Adwords development process and teaches us how to find the right keywords to help us find our audience. It's a very interesting and creative process. Adword campaigns can be made for fundraising, event promotion, volunteer recruitment... you name it. Jason even tells us how he is helping increase attendance at a small town fair that has bronco riding by targeting country music lovers with Adwords.

But first, the podcast begins with a short segment on how to find royalty free images you can use on your nonprofit website and newsletter. Here are links to the sites I mentioned during this part of the show:

• pixabay.com
• pexels.com
• gratisography.com
• vintageprintable.com

And here are some page links to some Creative Commons albums on Flickr:

• Library of Congress
• US National Archives

So, if you want to learn more about Google Grants just visit the following URL. www.google.com/grants/

It was great to have Jason on the show. He really provided us a lot of good information. If you want to contact Jason* you can do so at: Website: www.infinitymgroup.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 303-834-7344 Remember to mention you heard him on the Nonprofit Ally Podcast.

In this episode I talk with Jason Granger of Infinity Marketing Group about Google Grants. Yes, Google gives grants to nonprofits. And they are awesome. How about $10,000 worth of adwords every month for FREE! Yes, that awesome.

Jason walks us through the Google Adwords development process and teaches us how to find the right keywords to help us find our audience. It’s a very interesting and creative process. Adword campaigns can be made for fundraising, event promotion, volunteer recruitment… you name it. Jason even tells us how he is helping increase attendance at a small town fair that has bronco riding by targeting country music lovers with Adwords.

But first, the podcast begins with a short segment on how to find royalty free images you can use on your nonprofit website and newsletter. Here are links to the sites I mentioned during this part of the show:

And here are some page links to some Creative Commons albums on Flickr:

So, if you want to learn more about Google Grants just visit the following URL.

www.google.com/grants/

It was great to have Jason on the show. He really provided us a lot of good information. If you want to contact Jason* you can do so at:

Website: www.infinitymgroup.com

Jason’s special offer to Nonprofit Ally listeners: Mention “Nonprofit Ally” and get 25% off setup and maintenace of your Google Grants account!