Tag: nonprofit

How To: Create a Brochure

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

Having a specific brochure geared to a specific audience can be a great way to market your organization to a target group of people.

Content

1. What questions would this audience have about your organization?

2. What parts of your programs would appeal to this group of people?

3. How would they benefit from your organization?

4. What are you asking this group of people to do? Participate? Volunteer? Donate?

5. What is the best way to get in contact with your organization?

Design

1. The less text the better

  • Cramming as much text in as possible is hard to read.

2. Use headers

  • The easier it is to scan, the better.

3. Pictures, pictures, and more pictures.

  • People like to see the people who are a part of and benefit from your organization.
  • Don’t just tell people what you do, show them.

Happy designing, and good luck!

 

Curbing My Enthusiasm

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

I’ve written about not burning yourself out with causes outside of your own organization, but I’ve been finding that I’m needing to turn down the effort I’m putting into my own organization. This has happened to me before; when I first built my non-profit’s website, I think I went from its inception to launching the site (with a full 15 pages) in less than 60 hours. Our website was certainly quite basic at the time, but powering through to complete it in that short period of time burnt me out, and was completely unnecessary.

Over the past several years there have been moments where I have had to curb some of my manic tendencies; when I start a project or try to brainstorm a new idea for a program it’s hard for me to stop or concentrate on anything else. My brain becomes a non-profit hamster wheel that doesn’t stop, and usually picks up the pace when I should be asleep.

This past week we had a 24 fundraising campaign, and I was tempted to stay up through the whole 24 hours and push through surviving on caffeine and show tunes. It honestly made perfect sense to do this, until mentioning it out loud to my girlfriend. A part of me knew that it was a horrid idea and I would never stay awake for the full 24 hours even with copious amounts of caffeine. And if I did manage to stay awake, it wouldn’t have been pretty.

I understand these bouts of overdrive mode are not healthy, and are not necessarily conducive to completing something well and on time. It’s really hard to curb these tendencies. There’s still a tiny part of me that wants to believe that my organization’s success relies on the need to sacrifice my health. This thought process was formed through years of struggling with my mental health. I thought that the more I suffered, the better the output would be.

I didn’t stay up the straight 24 hours. Was the fundraiser as successful as I wanted it to be? No. Would it have been better if I stayed wake the whole time? No.

I enjoy putting myself into my organization, but I am still learning how to not go into extreme overdrive to the point where my non-profit is a great priority than my health. Where to draw the line is staring to become clearer, but it’s still difficult to not pass over it and keep running.

Honestly, a part of me still feels guilty if I don’t burn myself out completely on a project. If I don’t pour every ounce of myself into my organization how will it be a success? Would people question my passion and my loyalty?

I need to come to terms that, no matter what I do or how passionate I am or how much effort I put forth, someone is always going  to think I should have done something differently. I know what I put into my non-profit, and so do a lot of other people. Especially our constituents. So at the end of the day, if I put forth a solid effort and our constituents re happy with my work, then I have nothing to worry about.

I’m truly happy with the amount of work I put into my organization, and I need to give myself a break for not wanting to stay up for 24 hours straight on a fundraising binge.

I need to keep reminding myself that I am doing my best, and that I can still kick ass and take names within healthy boundaries.

How To: Create a Post-Event Strategy

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

Last Wednesday I talked about planning an event. This week I would like to discuss how to create a plan to engage donors and attendees after the event ends.

Make sure everyone is properly thanked  for their support (via mail, email or phone calls) using your list of attendees and donors and their contact information. I find that a hand-written note is the most effective means of thanks, but if time and money don’t allow it, make sure that the expression of thanks is personal.

Next, make sure your list of attendees and donors is transferred to whatever database your organization uses. Uploading and keeping track of these people and their contact information may be tedious at first, but it will definitely be beneficial in the future. Your attendees and donors are obviously interested in your organization, but if they aren’t kept in the loop, support could fall by the wayside. Not because of their lack of interest, but people are busy.

Invite people who haven’t already done so to “Like” your Facebook page and to “Follow” your organization on Twitter and Instagram. The more you keep people involved, the more likely they’ll continue their support.

Events are meant to create long-lasting supporters for your organization. It’s crucial to make sure that attendees feel wanted and are important to your mission.

Get planning, and good luck!

Sort of Out: Coming Out Through Studying Abroad

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

A lot of my LGBT* friends knew pretty much their entire lives, or at least since puberty, that they were queer. I wouldn’t say that figuring out I was a lesbian at 20 is completely late to the game, but comparatively to my queer circle, I felt like I showed up to the party pretty late.

Of course, it would take me traveling half way across the world to figure out my sexuality. In hindsight, the signs had definitely been there for me. I had considered boys aesthetically pleasing, but I thought then if I waited long enough, the physical and sexual feelings would emerge. Also, looking back on my female friendships and my obvious crushes, I still shudder and shake my head.

I finally let myself start to see the truth of things when I was studying abroad my junior year of college. There were only five of us in our program, and luckily we all got along; we all became very fast friends. There was only one boy in the program, and I started on my usual course trying to convince myself that I had a crush on him. As much as I tried, nothing more than friendship felt right. There was, however, a girl in our group that I was very attracted to, I just wasn’t admitting it to myself. This girl was smart, kind hearted, and hot, very hot. Again I tried to convince myself that a same-sex attraction was just close feelings of friendships.

The trip was life changing , so obviously I felt strong emotions toward my new friends. Afterwards geography separated me from of the group, and I almost convinced myself of my success.

It finally took an interaction with an old high school friend a month after returning that led me to my sexual revelation. Not initially of course, because that would have been too easy.  We snuggled the whole weekend while in the mountains, but it was finally that Sunday coming home that reality smacked me upside the head.

People have asked me why it took me so long for me to register, and I have asked myself the same question many times. Why did it take a study abroad trip across the world and back for me to figure it out? Why was I keeping myself blind to my obvious reality? There were points in high school that I flirted with the idea of being attracted to girls, but I buried it away from my conscious thought.  I didn’t want it to be an option, so I made myself not see it.

Studying abroad made me see, learn, and re-learn things about who I am as a person and what I wanted to get out of life. This experience mapped out my passion for education, development, and non-profit work. Most importantly, it made me feel again. For too long I blocked myself off from my emotions and the world. By traveling abroad I let myself go free, and I let myself be. It was the beginning of a long and continuous journey of learning about and loving myself.

I’ve found that when I am the most open and true to myself, the happier of a place I am at. Being true to me has been amazing, terrifying and difficult, but absolutely incredible. I am eternally grateful for the experience I had. I shudder to think about the shell of person I would be today without it. That semester was the catalyst toward finding myself through all of the facades I built.

Some people in the LGBT* community have known since the beginning, others, it takes a little bit longer. For me, I almost had to be smacked upside the head with my own sexuality. We all have different journeys. For me, it took the long way around the bend, I couldn’t be more grateful.

How To: Utilize Social Media

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

Social media is fantastic. You can reach people who are not usually in your financial or geographic reach with little to no cost. In my opinion social media is one of the best marketing tools organizations can have.

The most important aspect about using social media is to have a constant and clear presence on all of the sites you are using. Platforms like Hoot Suite can help you stay organized and consistent. Mapping out what you want to say and when you want to post it helps outline and create the image you want to be projecting online.

Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+ allow smaller organizations to reach out across the world for new volunteers and donations, and it is also a great platform to connect with other organizations that have similar missions and goals. Networking by following and liking groups that are similar to yours can lead you to new followers and new opportunities. Engage with the people and organizations that follow or like you and who contact your organization via social media. People and groups like to feel engaged and that their comment or opinions matter.

Make sure you encourage people to share, re-blog, and retweet. It may be unlikely that your post will become viral, but a post can spread fairly far and quickly if shared through numerous circles of people.

Stay simple. A picture is worth a thousand words, so you don’t necessarily need a paragraph that goes along with it. People skim their social media, so make sure that whatever your text, picture and / or link is, that it’s appealing and catchy. Basically, think about what you click on, what catches your eye. See what other organizations are doing to maintain and expand their online presence.

It takes time to build up, but a quality social media presence is priceless. You are able to access new groups of people and learn about what your sector is doing in all parts of the world. The chance for donor expansion or collaboration is literally at your finger tips.

Happy posting, and good luck!

Armchair Activism

Amanda MalamutLeave a comment

Armchair Activist (Noun): One who sits in their armchair or desk chair and blogs or posts Activists issues on Facebook without ever really doing anything about said issues or exercising any form of activism as it would require that person to actually leave the armchair. –Urban Dictionary

Most definitions of armchair activism or “slacktivism” that I have come across are not flattering or positive in any way, shape, or form. I definitely understand the criticism. People who aren’t involved, but who like to convince themselves and the online community that they are making a difference. Feeling satisfied by only posting and tweeting about a certain cause.

I might be swimming in naiveté, but I would like to argue why, at least in theory, we can’t assume that arm-chair activism is solely composed of lazy people who like to pat themselves on the back for doing virtually nothing. Those type of people exist in every social movement.

I do believe that with new and ever-growing technology our understand of social movements need to change. I’m not saying that everything about a social movement can be accomplished through a computer, but many of these people who are posting, liking, and retweeting would never had had access to the information or news story in the first place. Can we really say that if social media didn’t exist the way it does, that these people would be more ‘active’ in these causes?

Not everyone can march on Washington or occupy a local area. If they can sign a petition, or spread a news piece, they are doing something productive. Could they be doing more? Of course; in theory you could say that about any person within a movement.

People only have so much time and emotional energy to give. If they volunteer at an animal shelter and only post online about labor issues, that’s great. We can’t make a difference every waking moment within in every sector or issue.

Is there an over-inflated sense of self in some of the online activist community? Yes. Is there an over-inflated sense of self in the Occupy Movement? Yes. A group of people who only like to pat themselves on the back and puff out their chest to build online clout should never define an entire movement or activist community.

Hash-tags can’t save the world but they can make the world a little more informed and hopefully, passionate. Which, in theory, can make the world a better place.

How To: Acquire and Keep Volunteers

Amanda Malamut1 Comment

Volunteers are the backbone of nonprofits. Without volunteers willing to give their time and talent, many non-programs would come to a halt. Not only that, volunteers who have good experiences can be an organization’s ambassador in expanding your network.

How to Get Volunteers:

1. Firstly, check who is in your immediate network? Your secondary network? Who has expressed  interest in similar causes or volunteer opportunities?

2. What non-profits or companies do you partner with? Organization might share volunteers or their networks, and companies usually have a quote for volunteer hours that they need to fill.

3. Use your technological resources. Post events on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc., and make sure people share the opportunity with their friends and followers. Idealist and VolunteerMatch are great sites to post specific volunteer events to find people who are interested in groups similar to yours.

How to Keep Your Volunteers:

1. It might seem obvious, but the most important part of keeping volunteers is making sure that they have a great impactful experience. Whether its tutoring, making calls, or planting a garden, volunteers need to feel like their time is well spent and that they made a big difference.

2. Make sure the volunteers are getting some reward. I find that offering food and drinks is the best way to reward volunteers and not have them feel like they are getting ‘paid’ for their time.

3. Make sure you receive and maintain their contact information. One time volunteering events are great, but most people willing to volunteer want to have repeat experiences.

4. Keep people informed! Use that contact list and all of your other relevant contacts to make sure that they know when new opportunities arise. keeping former volunteers in the loop help them feel like they are an integral part of your organization and mission.

 

Volunteers are the face of our organizations, and they spread their experiences to people who are possible new constituents, donors, or volunteers. Make sure the experience is a great one. Good luck!