Philanthropy Center

April 14th, 2010

We regularly use the term philanthropy center and when we do, we sometimes have to remind ourselves that this term has meaning to us as donor recognition consultants, but it’s meaning may not be apparent to others, even our fundraising clients. Continue reading »

Time to Rethink Your Approach to Social Media?

March 16th, 2010

Last December, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Internet, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hosted the DARPA Network Challenge to explore the role of the Internet and social networking in contemporary communication.  Whether influenced by recent events, like political protest in Iran or Columbia, or not, the rules of the contest were simple.  DARPA moored ten eight foot red weather balloons in different locations across the continental United States, and teams tried to track them down as quickly as possible.  While most of us were putting the finishing touches on our holiday shopping, a team from MIT tracked down all ten balloons in just under nine hours. Continue reading »

What Donors Look for on Your Website

December 9th, 2009

Tuesday, 12/08/2009, I heard Penelope Burk speak at the Association of Donor Relations Professionals in Baltimore.  As always, she was charming AND informative, handing out jewels of information in a concise yet authoritative way.  Over the next few weeks I’ll surely be fanning ideas she sparked for me; for now, let me share this priceless insight on how donors use non-profits’ websites. Continue reading »

Non-Traditional Donor Recognition Outlets

December 8th, 2009

Monday I had the good fortune to participate in a session at the Association of Donor Relations Professionals annual conference in Baltimore.  I sat on a panel discussing “tricks from the experts”.  My portion of the presentation focused on ways to recognize donors beyond traditional plaques and printed lists.  Specifically, we considered avenues available to those who either have no physical space for traditional donor recognition or are interested in exploring new methods for engaging donors and potential donors alike. Continue reading »