New donor management software will improve your life, solve all your organization’s problems and make all your goals a reality. Right? And it comes with prime waterfront property in the Everglades. This last sentence is only slightly less true than the first, but we take it as common wisdom. In fact, many non-profits change systems when they don’t need to, for the wrong reasons, or in an ineffective manner—and sometimes all of the above!

The truth is, new software may not make anything better—in fact, it could make things worse. While it’s easy to get caught up in all the features of a new system, the only guarantee is that moving to a new system will cost you money and staff time.

Read this Idealware article to find out:

• What Do You Need Your Software to Do?
• Signs That a New System Won’t Cure What Ails You
• Signs That a New System Would be Helpful
• How Much Will Switching Cost?
• Making the Choice

Our friends over at Idealware just published a fantastic and informative (their stuff is always informative by the way) article on getting your videos onto the Internet for your constituents to see.  Very timely as I was just having a conversation with the community manager of one of our high school alumni web sites about this very topic.  They have some footage of “greatest moments” of various school sporting events they wish to post on their online community.

The Idealware article discusses hosting video in the age of YouTube, and reaching viewers online.

“For nonprofits with large constituencies, most video views are generated within the organization’s own community through email messages linking to the video. Online video is in the same stage of life as the Web was in the mid-1990s, when most organizations were beginning to recognize the role a Web presence could play but few had dedicated Web teams or budget lines. Today, even the smallest organizations invest in the Web. Similarly, many organizations have realized the importance of online video, but have yet to develop processes to maximize use of this up-and coming-tool.”

Read the full article >>>

What if you could build a legion of loyal supporters? Just imagine: hundreds of mentors, volunteers, and advocates for your schools.

You can do just that with an effective alumni association.  Just ask Jan Misuraca, executive director of the Parkway Alumni Association, and Paul Tandy, APR, director of public affairs, Parkway School District, in St. Louis, Mo. They know first hand.

“Alumni associations are a perfect fit for your PR department because it’s all about relationships,” explains Misuraca.  “They are your natural resource; they already have ownership and are familiar with your district, and they love to talk about ‘back when.’ ” Continue reading →

Recently on one of the listservs (an online discussion group) to which I subscribe several questions were asked about recruiting class agents.  Class agents are one or two volunteers that represent each class, serving as liaisons between the class and the school.   Three schools provided answers, all of which I thought were worth sharing.  While your individual needs for class agents may be different, you’re sure to find a generous amount of information to help nonetheless. Continue reading →

By Karine Joly
October 2008

BLOGS, WIKIS, PODCASTS, videocasts, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more have made their way into the world of higher education. Whether you work in admissions, communications, marketing, PR, student services, advancement, alumni relations, web services, or information technology, it’s impossible to ignore these dynamic new technologies. Continue reading →

” . . . students who do not KNOW their Alumni or see the benefit of an Alumni Association while they are attending the [school], are less likely to join their Alumni Associations or even donate further down the road — it’s that ‘connection’ with their institutions that builds those relationships.”

– Kimberly McInnis, Coordinator of Alumni Events, UTMB – Development Office

We don’t have a choice about participating in Internet connections with donors, says former EBay marketer Elmer Sotto, any more than our predecessors had a choice about adopting phones and TVs. But technology itself is not the centre of the strategy. It is simply another means of telling a story, conveying a message and building a community of supporters. Continue reading →

From Martin Reed of CommunitySpark.com, a community building blog, that shares tips and advice on how to build successful online communities whether they are forums, blogs, chat sites or social networks.

While not every one of the ten ideas is applicable to your sitatution, I especially like numbers 2, 3, 7 and 10.

Many people complain that online communities can’t make money – they are wrong, though.

Continue reading →