Picks of the Week: January 9 - 15, 2011

Website of the Week – Nonprofit Trends

Nonprofit Trends is a blog by Steve MacLaughlin and covers a wide range of topics around the nonprofit sector. Steve is the Director of Internet Solutions at Blackbaud and is responsible for leading how the company provides online solutions for its clients. Steve has spent more than 14 years building successful online initiatives with a broad range of Fortune 500 firms, government and educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations across the world. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and events including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association (DMFA), Institute of Fundraising, National Association of Independent School (NAIS), Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), and other nonprofit organizations. Steve serves on the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) Board of Directors and supports its focus on both the growth and professionalism of the nonprofit technology field as well as building knowledge and information sharing capacity throughout the sector. Go to: http://www.nptrends.com/about-nonprofit-trends.html.


Publication of the Week -- Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, 3rd Edition, edited by Eugene R. Tempel , Timothy L. Seiler and Eva E. Aldrich

From the publisher: The third edition of this acclaimed resource, Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, explains the fundraising profession's major principles, concepts, and techniques. With contributions from noted experts in the field, and filled with illustrative examples, this book demonstrates why fundraising is a strategic management discipline and clearly defines each step in the fundraising cycle. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Reduced Giving Projected for 2011

Nearly two thirds of U.S. adults (65%) have supported a non-profit organization in the last 12 months with money, time or goods, according to a recent survey conducted by Vision Critical. This number tracks below the 70% to 75% that was typical of non-profit giving earlier in the decade and is indicative of the anemic economic recovery, high unemployment, and economic turmoil still facing much of America. When asked directly about their financial gifts, nearly one half of Americans (46%) say they are giving less money compared to last year while the same proportion (46%) say their giving is unchanged. Only eight per cent of Americans said they would be giving more in 2010. Among those providing a financial donation, giving most commonly occurs through direct collection at a church, temple or place of worship (36%), followed by direct mail (23%). However, online giving through a charity’s website is now the third most popular way to give (15%) and giving through social networking/media (5%), banner ads (4%) and text messaging (4%) are now statistically meaningful and will likely grow as Americans look for more and easier ways to give. According to the Vision Crtical survey, the giving picture for 2011 doesn’t look much better. The plurality of survey respondents say they will be able to give about the same (40%) as they did in 2010. While one fifth (21%) say they will be able to give more in the coming year, 15 per cent say they will give less, and yet another fifth of respondents (21%) say they will not be able to give at all in 2011. For more information, go to:
http://www.angus-reid.com or contact Justin Greeves at justin.greeves@visioncritical.com.


Resource of the Week – Social Media Resources for Nonprofits

Common Knowledge, a San Francisco based consultancy that provides full service consulting in online marketing, fundraising, communications and advocacy has complied an extensive collection of resources that will be useful for nonprofits. Common Knowledge publishes a monthly email newsletter, and releases occasional whitepapers and case studies. Go to: http://www.commonknow.com/html/resources.php.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Using PowerPoint 2010

If you’re switching to PowerPoint 2010, here are some resources that can help you.
Changes in PowerPoint 2010, an article on the Microsoft site, covers what’s new and what’s changed.
What PowerPoint 2010 Beginners Need to Know, on About.com, lists dozens of resources on everything from simple beginner tips and tricks to advanced uses such as animation and sound.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Tutorials contains many excellent articles and tutorials for learning to use PowerPoint 2010.