9 Crazy Tips to Get Your Message Heard

"You’ve got to check out Ian’s Blog at KarmicConsulting.net – he’s like a much smarter, taller and better looking version of Mike Filsaime, without the cheesy chess king collarless shirt fetish. He’s also a great ping pong player and looks great in purple. If I am blessed with a boy child, I will surely name him Ian."

Read his latest deliciousness here.

Is Timing Everything on Facebook?

Wondering when your posts will be most effective? This article from Mashable offers up some great metrics from actual user data. Use it to plan your own engagement with your readers, but be warned...there's more to a good post than timing!

5 Types of Articles -- a Free Report

David Goldsmith is a freelance writer and author of the popular e-book "25 Ways to Write for Money". Discover how you can earn a good living from your writing. Download your copy of his e-book today at http://www.WriterIncome.com

5 Types of Articles to Write

Part of the challenge of publishing good articles is knowing where to start. This report, by expert article writer David Goldsmith, will help. He outlines five common types of articles and how they can be used.

Download your free report here, and let him inspire you to write your own articles. Enjoy!

So Clear, So Simple...A Nonprofit Website Strategy

Wanted to share this blog post from MoreDonors.com. If you are stuck and aren't sure where to go with your agency's website, consider these 10 pages. It's a fairly foolproof start, and can easily be customized to your own particular needs.

10 Pages Every Charity Website Should Have

Want to implement this for your own organization? Talk to us.

Winner Winner Winner!

Congratulations to Community Violence Solutions of San Pablo, CA. Their organization was chosen as the winner in our "Help I Need a New Logo" contest at the National Sexual Assault Conference in Los Angeles last week.

We had dozens of entries, and it was a tough decision. Ultimately, the panel felt that CVS had a compelling need for a new logo, and planned to leverage that into a full brand identity campaign that will increase their reach and build sustainability for their organization.

As we work with CVS to create their new logo, we'll keep you posted here. To all the other entrants, please watch your email as we'll be offering you a special opportunity to work together on your own brand identity. Thanks to everyone who entered!

The "Help I Need A New Logo" Contest is On!

Anyone going to the National Sexual Assault Conference in Los Angeles this week? Need a new logo for your organization? Stop by our table in the Tech Lounge and tell us why!

Winner announced on Friday at the conference. Play along on Twitter, #NSAC.

A "Must Have" Tool for Project Collaborations

Are you in charge of managing projects for your business or non-profit organization? Do yourself a HUGE favor and check out Basecamp, the online project collaboration system from the genius geeks at 37 Signals.

I've been using it for a few years now, and we use it a Graphix for Change to work with our clients. It's simple to learn, and gives me that "big picture" overview that lets me sleep waaaay better at night. Bonus: it's affordable for just about any size org. Seriously, I'd be lost without this.

(Full disclosure...Basecamp will give me a free month for anyone who signs up for a paid account through my links. I'm not doing this for the free month, but because I really do LOVE and use this service every day. So, there you have it :-)

Gandhi Rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qd-fAnHjPg&sns=emEnjoy this great video about being the change you want see in the world based in the life and message of Gandhi.

Training Based in Adult Learning Theory

Marianne Winters is a leader in the movement to end and address sexualized and domestic violence and is passionate about progressive movements that are visionary, inclusive, current, responsive and proactive. Some would say that she’s “all over the place”. She prefers to say that she thrives on variety and is energized by the multi-faceted, never ending, interconnected and always exciting work of social change. She is the Project Diva for Graphix for Change and consultant and trainer for Praxis for Change.

I’ve been working on organizing a 3-day training for Law Enforcement officers and advocates on the current issues in sexual and domestic violence. As I recruit faculty and talk to them about their role and their presentations, I’m constantly aware and respectful of the important responsibility in this task. We have some ambitious and important hopes for this training that boil down to a police force in my state that is more aware, more skilled, and better in tune with the needs of victims of crime and the behavior of perpetrators of crime. I’m well aware of the life and death issues at stake. Teaching adults who are already good at their jobs and have already had life experiences is the task at hand. It starts with setting our own objectives based on a vision of transformation. It starts with understanding that training is indeed transformation. So we begin by thinking about what does the well-trained law enforcement professional look like? Then we must put in place the lectures, exercises, resources, discussions that help move us all in this direction. I offer this short slide show on adult learning theory. I hope it will give you some ideas and tools that will help make your next training engaging and effective. If you try any of these ideas, please let me know. As trainers and facilitators, we need each other to stay current, share our triumphs and our mistakes, get and receive feedback, and build our movements.

Are Your NonProfit Marketing Efforts Seeing Double?

Does your nonprofit organization suffer from blurry vision when it comes to marketing? Do you find yourself distracted by all the online marketing options? Do you feel you need 3D glasses just to create some clarity in your marketing efforts? You're not alone.

"Marketing the mission" is not for the weak hearted. It takes no small amount of focus, clarity and execution to maintain consistent messaging in all your nonprofit marketing efforts. And with the addition of online marketing and social media, a whole new world has opened up. It can be overwhelming, to say the least, to keep your voice strong, consistent and targeted to your mission. Here are three simple ways you can do this, starting today:

1. Optimize your website for your mission's keywords.

Look at your mission and pull out the key phrases that you might expect someone to search for you under. If you provide housing referrals in Boston, for example, a good keyword phrase might be "homeless in Boston."

Look at your website copy, and add that phrase to a page tile, a subhead, and a few times in the body copy. Then make sure you've added it to your meta-description tag as well (your webmaster can do this for you; contact me if you need help).

What this does is make it more likely that someone entering the phrase "homeless in Boston" will see your website.

2. "Missionize" your Twitter account

(You don't have one for your agency? Set one up; it's free and simple). Add your logo, and use your mission statement as your "account profile." This is a simple way to tie your nonprofit marketing efforts into your overall mission.

Don't worry for now about what you'll tweet or who will follow you. Just get it set up and make your first Tweet.

3. Make a blog post that clarifies or expands on your mission.

Just a few paragraphs are all you need, talking about your organization and how it serves to change the world.

Don't have a blog? Borrow one! Look for other blogs in your field, and ask if you could make a "guest post" in theirs. It's done all the time; the blog owner will appreciate having a new point of view, and you'll gain some new eyes on your nonprofit marketing message.

The key to a consolidated nonprofit marketing approach is to see the mission clearly, above all else. Twitter, blogging, the annual report, your website, brochures for donors...these are all simply different forms of tools we use to get the message across.

So put on your 3D glasses, get the big picture, and focus back on your mission. The rest will fall into place.

Resource Sharing Project Launches with New Logo

The Resource Sharing Project was created to help sexual assault state coalitions across the country access the resources they need to develop and thrive. They provide technical assistance, support, and facilitate peer-driven resources for all sexual assault state coalitions.

We are thrilled to support this important work by designing a logo for their new project, Enhancing Sexual Assault Services: A Demonstration Initiative (ESAS). ESAS seeks to help existing programs do their work better, by sharing the resources that already exist. It’s not about coming in and telling them how it’s done; it’s about listening, understanding, sharing ideas and building new approaches. It is offered in a spirit of deep appreciation and respect for the hard work they are currently doing.

• Enhancing Sexual Assault Services seeks to change the mindset of existing domestic violence service providers, to help them understand that sexual violence is a distinct issue apart from domestic violence.
• It seeks to change or expand their focus to include previously under-served communities; i.e. teens, males, LGBT, adult survivors of childhood abuse.
• It further seeks to change the discussion in communities and the media, to acknowledge that sexual assault and abuse happens everywhere, and must be acknowledged before any lasting change can be made.

We are honored to be a part of their work to change the world.

Social Change Theory and Your Nonprofit Marketing Strategy

Social change and public service are complex, involving many interrelated people, organizations, concepts and approaches. Effective nonprofit marketing for social change brings the tools of design and marketing to projects that promote program development, policy change, organizational development, and community organizing.

You may find it helpful to work within a framework so that it’s a little easier to organize, track progress, measure, and accomplish. Consider working within a framework of social change that was developed by the Center for Effective Philanthropy.

This framework conceptualizes social change as occurring on five interconnected levels. As you work on a project, organize the work so that you can be clear about what the project is intended to do. After all, the point of it all will be to inspire people to be a part of positive change. This helps you build a strong nonprofit marketing strategy whether you are seeking to engage communities, get people excited about your vision, help get the work done, and broaden people's minds. Some of the specific actions you are seeking to inspire are to donate money, vote on a referendum, come to an event, influence local citizens, or reach out for help.

We think about social change as progressive steps on a ladder. Each step is an important part of the work; some build on others, all are needed to get to the goal.

Level 1 -- Changing the definition of something or reframing the public understanding. This can come about through educational campaigns, training staff or volunteers, or research analysis and dissemination. A needs assessment might be a place to begin your work toward reframing how an issue is defined.

Level 2 -- Changing how individuals and communities behave. Examples of ways that individuals change behavior are through support groups or classes that promote healthy choices. A solid program design can maximize its potential to promote changes in behavior.

Level 3 -- Increasing critical mass and community engagement. Community organizing, fundraising events and building coalitions all serve to increase engagement. Your website, training materials and marketing strategies can be aimed toward community engagement.

Level 4 -- Changing policy and institutions. You might work to change a law, advocate for a budget increase, or change an organization’s policies. To do this, you need to develop a base of support for a change in a law or a budget item by utilizing strategies that can change institutional and public policy.

Level 5 -- Sustaining your accomplishments. These activities assure sustainability and strength such as board development, strategic planning, staff training, or team building. Marketing and the increased visibility can go a long way toward building your nonprofit's organizational capacity, so that your work and your impact will be around as long as the work is needed.

Having a foundational framework gives you a springboard to asking key questions that inform the nonprofit design and marketing strategies. Ask yourself:
* Will it be a new message?
* Will it reach a community that is now underserved?
* What do they want people to do when they see the message?
* How will it generate community support?
* How will it broaden their visibility? Will it address a problem in their community?

By thinking through these questions, you'll develop a design and marketing concept specifically tailored to achieve your goals.

Marianne Winters is a leader in the movement to end and address sexualized violence and is passionate about a vision of a movement that is inclusive, current, responsive and proactive. She is the Project Diva for Graphix for Change and consultant and trainer for Praxis for Change.

Are We Really Hard Wired For Good?

Are we as humans hard-wired for empathy and a higher consciousness? "Bestselling author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin" thinks so. This stunning video gives an encapsulated history of human empathy, and offers some intriguing ideas for social change leaders.

As Rifkin says, "Empathy is grounded in the acknowledgment of death and the celebration of life." If we as humans can extend our natural inclination for empathy beyond the fictional and artificial borders of theology, politics and nationality, we just might have a shot a survival.

View the full video of Jeremy Rifkin’s talk at the Royal Society of the Arts. Fascinating concepts, brilliantly illustrated. Thanks to Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog for highlighting this video.

Publicity Checklist for NonProfits

Are you getting good results with your media outreach? PR pro Richard Berman from NYC offers a good guide for anyone approaching the media hoping for a story placement. He shares his ideas here:

A Publicity Checklist: Please Read Before Approaching the World With Your Story

Cool back-up / online storage tool

Karan founded parkinDESIGN & Graphix for Change to apply her life long love of art and the creative process and put it to work for her clients. As the Graphix Gal at Graphix for Change, she knows design and knows the challenges of running a small business or a nonprofit. You'll find Karan is a rare combination of practicality and creativity and is the Queen of free web gadgets.

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This is a great tool.

At Graphix for Change, we use a content management system for website design called Joomla! One issue we encountered is: how to automate the backup of Joomla! and have the backup file stored on the website hosting site as well as "in the cloud". This is where Dropbox comes in. There is a nifty component for Joomla!, called Akeeba, that will automatically do both... backup to the webhosting server AND to Dropbox at the click of a button.

All you need to do to backup your Joomla! website: - create a FREE Dropbox account that gives you 2 GB of space - Install the Akeeba component to Joomla!

- Make the settings in Akeeba, by putting your username / password for Dropbox. - Push the Backup Now button in Akeeba You're done!

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Click Here to sign up for your
free Dropbox account

NOTE: they also have paid accounts

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Dropbox Features

File Sync

Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

• 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
• Sync files of any size or type.
• Sync Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
• Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.
• Work on files in your Dropbox even if you're offline. Your changes sync once your computer has an Internet connection again.
• Dropbox transfers will correctly resume where they left off if the connection drops.
• Efficient sync - only the pieces of a file that changed (not the whole file) are synced. This saves you time.
• Doesn't hog your Internet connection. You can manually set bandwidth limits.

File Sharing

Sharing files is simple and can be done with only a few clicks.

• Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on a set of files.
• You can see other people's changes instantly.
• A "Public" folder that lets you link directly to files in your Dropbox.
• Control who is able to access shared folders (including ability to kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers).
• Automatically create shareable online photo galleries from folders of photos in your Dropbox.

Online Backup

Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it.

• Automatic backup of your files.
• Undelete files and folders.
• Restore previous versions of your files.
• 30 days of undo history, with unlimited undo available as a paid option.

Web Access

A copy of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.

• Manipulate files as you would on your desktop - add, edit, delete, rename etc.
• Search your entire Dropbox for files.
• A "Recent Events" feed that shows you a summary of activity in your Dropbox.
• Create shared folders and invite people to them.
• Recover previous versions of any file or undelete deleted files.
• View photo galleries created automatically from photos in your Dropbox.

Security & Privacy

Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously.

• Shared folders are viewable only by people you invite.
• All transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL).
• All files stored on Dropbox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without your account password.
• Dropbox website and client software have been hardened against attacks from hackers.
• Dropbox employees are not able to view any user's files.
• Online access to your files requires your username and password.
• Public files are only viewable by people who have a link to the file(s). Public folders are not browsable or searchable.

Mobile Device Access

The free Dropbox application for iPhone, iPad, and Android lets you:

• Access your Dropbox on the go.
• View files from within the application.
• Download files for offline viewing.
• Take photos and videos and sync them to your Dropbox.
• Share links to files in your Dropbox.
• Export your files to other applications.
• Sync downloaded files so they're up-to-date.

Still Waiting to Start Blogging for Your Non-Profit?

Carol Palmatier works with mission-based organizations to help them utilize Web 2.0 tools to market their mission. She is known as the "Words Girl" around Graphix For Change. Her current quest is to get a grip on how online marketing analytics can help grow a non-profit's program and reach.

I shared this article from Wild Apricot with a client of ours. He thought it was helpful, so I'm passing it on to all of our readers. Enjoy!

A Year's Worth of Blog Topic Ideas

MOVA Launches Redesigned Site with Help from Springfield Agency

(Springfield – May 1, 2010) – A public/private partnership between the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) and a local Springfield design agency has created a new way for victims, witnesses and survivors of crime in the Commonwealth to access the resources they need.

MOVA is an independent state agency devoted to upholding and advancing the rights of crime victims. From individual victim advocacy, community education and professional training to legislative policy-setting, funding and program management, MOVA works to ensure that victims and survivors have the supports, services and rights they need and deserve.

Their new website makes it easier for crime victims, survivors, and those who support and assist them, to find the right information, quickly. An important part of the website is the “MOVA Help Directory.” This comprehensive database provides a quick way to search for information on topics of violent crime including sexual assault, domestic violence, gang violence, hate crimes and elder abuse.

Janet Fine, Executive Director of MOVA expressed her enthusiasm for the newly created website, “We are committed to ensuring that people seeking information, services and support in the aftermath of crime can access it whenever they need it. Our new website is one very important way in which we will be able to do so for people with varied needs and from all communities around the state.”

To implement this large scale web development project, the agency chose Graphix For Change. The Springfield company provides graphic design, grounded in social change and informed by the latest in marketing.

“MOVA is all about reaching and serving victims of crime in Massachusetts and getting them connected to the people and resources they need,” said Marianne Winters, Project Manager for Graphix for Change. “That’s why this is the perfect partnership for us; we bring a commitment to social justice and technical knowledge in website development so that together with MOVA, we were able to create this important information resource for victims across the state.”

The new MOVA website can be found at http://www.mass.gov/MOVA.

Blogging For Your Non-Profit: Stuck For Ideas?

Carol Palmatier works with mission-based organizations to help them utilize Web 2.0 tools to market their mission. She is known as the "Words Girl" around Graphix For Change. Her current quest is to get a grip on how online marketing analytics can help grow a non-profit's program and reach.

5 Quick Post Ideas For Your NonProfit Blog

If your nonprofit agency is among the growing number adding its voice to the blog-o-rama, congratulations. Committing to a blog is a big deal. It shows you're serious about engaging with your community and stakeholders in a powerful and effective way.

The commitment has been made, and the task has been assigned to you. As the "agency blogger" you are now likely staring at the big blank screen, wondering how to fill it with words of wit, wisdom and wow. You're not alone. Here are five quick ideas for blog posts.

What makes a good nonprofit blog post?

1. Staff news: Consider posting feature profiles on your key staffers. Do one post per person, and include some relevant professional background, along with some colorful personal information as appropriate. Include a picture (preferably not a stuffy head shot; show them as they really are). Get a quote from the staffer on how the mission of your agency dovetails with their personal goals or passions.

2. Market the Mission: Do a blog post about your agency's mission. Then give your own take on what it means to you. You'll be surprised how quickly you can write 400 words when you are talking about mission-driven work that matters. Include a real example of how your agency's work has affected change.

3. Community News - Nonprofits hire leaders, who keep a good ear open for relevent local and regional news stories. Comment on currents events, from the perspective of your agency's work toward social change. This is a great opportunity to engage a wider audience from your local base and garner support for your issues.

4. National and Global Events - You work to change the world. Let your readers know how you feel about the legislative policy in Washington or on the world stage. This work does not take place in a vacuum; demonstrate how these "far off" events impact real people in real ways.

5. Pass It On - Read something that resonates? Do a quick introduction, then refer your readers to the link for the complete article. Not every word in your blog needs to come from your keypad. In fact, featuring guest authors in this way is not only good for your readers, it also builds backlinks to other blogs in your industry. This leads to wider exposure, more readers and more engagement. Of course, be sure to give credit to the original author and include a link back to their site. They might even come to your blog and comment.

Don't forget you can write several posts at a time, save them as "drafts," and set the date to go live in the future. Shut off the phone, close the door and get writing. You'll appreciate the time you spend now when you realize you have enough blog posts drafted to schedule you through the next month or two. (I'm writing this on the plane on my way from Boston to Philadelphia. It's a quick 50 minute flight, and because of bad weather we are delayed for at least an hour. A perfect to knock off a handful of posts. If you can't find the time to blog for your nonprofit agency, steal the time!)

Engaging our supporters to shift the paradigm

Todd Cohen posts in "Inside Philanthropy" a great article challenging all of us working in non-profits to engage our supporters and shake off the old paradigm that non-profit somehow means "less" in the eyes of the corporate world.

Read his full post here. The Web 2.0 tools available make it simple, as well as imperative, to engage on a new level.

Check out this great FREE image editing tool

Karan founded parkinDESIGN & Graphix for Change to apply her life long love of art and the creative process and put it to work for her clients. As the Graphix Gal at Graphix for Change, she knows design and knows the challenges of running a small business or a nonprofit. You'll find Karan is a rare combination of practicality and creativity and is the Queen of free web gadgets.

Pixlr is a FREE, yes FREE online photo editor. It is one of the online programs that lives in the "cloud". I find that my clients need a simple photo editor to size, sharpen, color correct and optimize for web or print use. You can grab images from a website or upload them from your computer. The interface is simple and straight forward. There are a couple bells and whistles, but this does the basics especially well. Go to Pixlr

A 9-Minute Primer On Twitter Backgrounds

If you're serious about using Twitter as part of your overall marketing plan, skip the standard plug-in Twitter backgrounds. The whole idea of socializing your brand begins with some consistency of image and style across all your channels.

Creating a custom background has been something of a chore, and involved more guesswork than good design. Until I saw this short video by Steve at Amazing Video Tours. Now, I get it. This 9-minute video makes it easy for just about anyone to create a graphically-optimized custom Twitter background. And if you don't have the design chops to pull it off yourself, hand this video off to your designer. A good Web 2.0 designer will know what to do.



Enjoy...and when your custom Twitter background is up and posted, come back and share it with us!

Turning helplessness into hope...mobilizing to end violence in Springfield, Massachusetts

Marianne Winters is a leader in the movement to end and address sexualized violence and is passionate about a vision of a movement that is inclusive, current, responsive and proactive. She is the Project Diva for Graphix for Change and consultant and trainer for Praxis for Change.

Last night I was invited to speak at a Town Hall Meeting organized by Enough Violence in Springfield, a new Facebook group formed in direct response to the waves of violence that we have been experiencing. 17 murders last year alone, including victims of domestic violence, gang shootings, bystanders. On residential streets, outside of fast food places, in cars, bars, parks. I talked about how as a community we can use a social change framework to name a vision of a non-violent city and to hold our elected leaders, police, community organizations, schools accountable to the work that must be done. While I’m a firm believer in public awareness and mobilization through rallies, walks and forums, I’m also a believer in planning and following through on the specifics of the work to be done. I hope that you will join me in being part of the solution. You can become a member of Enough Violence in Springfield by joining the Facebook page.