The AFP GLBT Community Blog

Welcome to the AFP GLBT Blog!

In case this is your first visit here... The AFP GLBT Blog site aims to be the voice of our community (AFP GLBT members) - a place where we can share ideas, insights, stories, etc. - anything of interest to us as GLBT fundraisers, or fundraisers for GLBT organizations and constituencies.

This is the first AFP diversity community blog. Only current AFP members are invited to access and participate in this GLBT community blog. Other AFP diverse communities (African American, Asian, Faith-based, Hispanic, Jewish, and Rural) can have a blog, and a diverse community-specific AFP web subsite, when they reach a minimum of 100 members. 

WANT TO BECOME AN AFP GLBT BLOGGER? It is easy. Simply send your postings (or ideas for possible posts) to webmaster@afpnet.org and put "GLBT Blog" in the subject line. If appropriate, we will post it to the blog with attribution to you!  Those contributors who submit regular postings of interest may be invited to join the permanent blog roll with us.

Of course, you can always comment on an existing AFP GLBT Blog post by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of each post.

As more GLBT AFP members discover the AFP GLBT Blog (and the AFP GLBT Web Subsite with GLBT community-specific content), we are hoping this blog site will become a great place for us to connect, share ideas that work, get the answer to a GLBT-related fundraising question or dilemma, and find camaraderie. 

So post a comment, send us a blog post, and spread the word to your colleagues.
This community blog is for you...!

Almost a year has passed since I woke up during last year's AFP Conference and realized that the time for my little non profit agency to join the Social Media conversation was truly at hand (actually, it became clear that we were way behind and just couldn't ignore it anymore).As a on-person development shop, I just didn't have time to make social media happen, but I realized we needed to find a way.

So, I convinced my E.D. we needed outside help, and inside help, to change our agency communications culture.

During the last 11 months, our agency engaged a communications consultant, developed a plan, conducted an online audit, made an internal communications strategy presentation to all staff, implemented a mandatory monthly activity content forms for staff, and changed our email distribution vendor for improved efficiency and ease of use.

A new website is now in development, and will include a new content management platform and a link to our soon-to-be-RE-launched agency Facebook page (with the implementation of the mandatory staff monthly activity content forms, we will now be able to post fresh content at least weekly to Facebook and our new website).

By May, our new website and refreshed Facebook page will be up and running, and all our staff members will continue generating content at least monthly for us to post to these communication channels (versus my having to generate and post all content myself!).

It is taking a while for this process to reach fruition, but with perserverance it is happening. Slow and steady is the rule. It can be done...I look forward to posting our new agency website and Facebook address here soon.

If YOU are daunted at the prospect of handling all your agency's social media and traditional communications challenges, tell us about it. Guest Bloggers are most welcomed...

Talk with you after the 2011 AFP Conference in Chicago!

So it has been a while since my last blog...due to my agency's biggest fundraiser of the year - our annual reception - taking all of my time for more than a month (including weekends). Such is the life of a development director in a small non profit.

I promised I would be sharing our agency's communications planning process with you. By way of a recap: I returned from the 2010 AFP International Conference in a bit of a panic about how far behind my agency is with regard to social media. I convinced my executive director to bring in an outside social media/communications strategy consultant to conduct an agency communications assessment and help us develop a plan for effectively incorporating social media into our communications processes, given our extremely limited resources (both people and money). I simply don't have the time to do this...and he finally capitulated after three years of pushing. Persistence prevails once again!

The consultant interviewed/gathered information from key staff, presented a Powerpoint presentation to all staff on the importance of storytelling to our constituents and setting up the need for all staff to begin developing draft content, and conducted an online presence assessment for our agency. An executive summary and detailed plan draft has been submitted, and is now being reviewed by key staffers in advance of a meeting next week where we'll get questions answered and provide input to the draft plan. Then the plan will be finalized, and the implementation phase will begin before year-end.

Clearly, in order for our agency to have any chance of effectively using social media, we need all of us to be drafting assets/content that demonstrates not only our activities, but the impact our agency is having on the lives of our clients and in the community. In essence, we are attempting to implement a full-scale culture change at our non profit where all of us are responsible for getting our stories told (or at least drafted), with just a few of us becoming responsible for physically getting the stories into the various communication channels. More on this next time...

The gold nugget I want to share with you about this process, at least so far, is this: Gathering input from ALL the folks who will be responsible for communications content development and implementation is proving to be critical to this process, as is having someone from outside (a new voice) communicate the importance of telling our stories and the impact social media can have on our clients, donors and yes, our staff. 

I am excited that our little agency will soon behaving every staff person create story content at least monthly (success stories, presentation recaps, activity updates, etc). While I will be responsible for getting this content out to the various channels like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (with a little help from some of our 'younger' volunteers), I'll only have to edit what is in front of me instead of having to write everything in addition to sending it out to multiple communications channels. This seems much more doable, and is sorely needed.

Time will tell...

Isn't it funny how stressed out we get when trying to go on vacation?

We work like crazy (usually working extra hours) to get as much work done as we can, so that we can go on vacation and not worry so much. Of course, by the time we actually go on vacation, we are already tired and stressed from all the extra work.

Then we return to our jobs to find hundreds of emails and a ton of paper mail waiting for us - which, of course, requires more extra work hours and causes even more stress.

I just returned from a week in Hawaii. I worked late for several nights before I left, and it took me three days just to come down from the frenzy I had to go through just to be able to get on the plane. Then, upon my return, I had to come into the office on a Sunday just to try to catch up a little, so that my Monday back would not be totally filled with stress.

What's up with that? Why does it have to be like this here in America? Why?

I think it is time to move to Europe, where we get to take afternoon naps in between work sessions, and where we get to take an entire month away from our jobs - a real vacation (as in vacate!). 

Does anyone know of any Development Director positions currently available in France?
Cheers,
Jim

NOTE: This Blog Post is from guest blogger Daniela C. Mead, CFRE

Would you believe it if I told you that statisticians can reasonably predict your sexuality by analyzing the gender you post on your Facebook page and incorporating selected details from your Friend's Facebook pages? Yup, it's true. Students at MIT did a project last year that they affectionately dubbed "Project Gaydar." They dumped a bunch of data from Facebook into their statistical software, and poof, lots of folks dung the 'dar without even posting that they were 'mos! Now, this MIT experiment didn't utilize the level of methological sophistication required to be statistically valid, but, it did prove to be insightful. What are the implications for your organization of using Social Media as a marketing tool?

Virtually all nonprofits I've ever come in contact with take their constituents' privacy very seriously. They maintain privacy through the use of confidentiality policies, policies and procedures about data entry, document destruction policies, and by complying with the Donor Bill of Rights. Those are all critical mechanisms for protecting your organization's constituents. But, have you thought about how using your website affects a constituent's privacy? Do you understand the implications of putting a Facebook Like button on your page or a Google Search box? Does your site provide a privacy policy with appropriate warnings and disclaimers?

Electronic Privacy on the internet is not widely understood by most people, especially not by lawmakers. The single law that protects consumers' use of electronic tools, The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, was written in 1986! Let's just take a second to think about the state of the internet and electronics in 1986:

• Kids were playing the "Oregon Trail" video game for history class on their school's Apple IIe computers
• Cell phones probably weighed more than your laptop
• Testing of the "World Wide Web" didn't systematically begin until 1990 at CERN laboratories in Switzerland

In 1986, it would have obviously been impossible to portend the level of technological innovation we'd come to experience as second nature in 2010. A law written over 20 years ago governing our electronic privacy is about as useful as that old Commodore 64 (notably less useful than an Apple IIe). Surely you're wondering what kinds of things can and do happen to your personal information on the internet and how data can be controlled by governments, companies, and random hackers?

Let's take the nifty little Facebook "Like" button that's become virtually ubiquitous in the few months since its launch. Whenever you click on a website that has a Like button, a lot happens on the "back end," even if you don't click the tempting button. The site loads and you, as the reader, don't know that anything special is happening, but it is. To put it in simple terms, when the page opens for you, a little program runs in the background that sends a bunch of data to Facebook. Even if you aren't logged into Facebook, data like your IP address and the URL for the webpage you loaded are sent to Facebook. Luckily, not too much information can be connected back to your IP address other than your Internet Service Provider (Comcast, AOL, etc.) and your round-a-bout location. Transfer of that information can seem pretty innocuous, but as the data coming from your IP address grows, it becomes a warehouse of valuable marketing details. If you are logged into Facebook, they end up with a huge volume of information connected to your credentials about what you just did on the internet, the sites you visited, the links you clicked, etc. In the absence of laws governing the use of this information, the government can request it for profiling, and companies can purchase it for marketing purposes. Don't be mistaken, various entities pay handsomely for this information.

Now that you know what kind of data about you can be collected when you're just randomly surfing, what happens when you're actually authenticated into an account? Let's say Comcast is your internet service provider, you're logged into your Comcast account, and you do a bunch of searches through the Google Search box on the Comcast.net homepage.  Now they've captured pretty much everything you just queried, tied it to your login and, potentially, to your personal data that Comcast owns. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your privacy while searching online. Click here to read six tips from the Digital Frontier Foundation.

What does this mean for you, as a nonprofit organization? Do you kill your Facebook page, remove your "Share This" and "Like" buttons from your site, and stop tweeting? Watch dog groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Dotrights.org don't recommend going off the grid and abandoning social networking sites and tools. These channels allow your organization to effectively market to different audiences, raise awareness about your cause, and connect with your constituents. Don't abandon them.

Instead, Dotrights.org encourages organizations to take the following measures:

• Publish a visible and user-friendly privacy policy for your webpage
• Educate your constituents about electronic privacy by writing articles, providing links to Dotrights.org, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or the Electronic Privacy Information Center
• Do what you can (within lobbying/advocacy limits) to advocate for stricter and more contemporary privacy laws (petitions and tools available on the aforementioned sites)

Daniela Mead is a guest blogger for the AFP GLBT blog. She's President of Vive Consulting, a company that helps nonprofits throughout the US with board development, communications, databases, fundraising, interim staffing, knowledge management, management, operations, and strategy.

Daniela C. Mead, CFRE
President
Vive Consulting
Philadelphia, PA
Office 267-519-0370
Cell 267-240-2046
daniela@vive-consulting.com
www.vive-consulting.com
Helping Organizations Thrive

To me that's the essence of Pride. It's a time to remember that I owe a debt to people far braver than I whose actions over the last 50 years are responsible for making it much easier for me to be out. And it's a time to recommit to what I am going to do today to make life better still for the next generation.

I've given to many GLBT organizations of all sizes over the years. While I'll never be honored at a gala dinner, it's not an occasional $15 either. Annual campaign? I'm there. A close election? Here's my credit card number. Need me to call my senator? I'm already dialing. Join your Facebook group and tell my friends? I'm writing them now. Hell, I'm even friendly to the annoying college kids who block the sidewalk asking me to support gay rights. In short, I'm an engaged supporter on multiple levels.

So what's with all the "Dear Friend" letters? I bump up my gift significantly over last year and all I get is a tax receipt? Is it too much to ask for a simple thank you addressed to me?

I understand not every organization has the software to segment its mailing list and personalize communications, but it's become much less acceptable than it was just three years ago. At what point does a donor feel unappreciated and start directing gifts elsewhere?

Has turning forty made me grouchier than usual or do you agree? What are your thoughts around making donors feel appreciated for their gifts of time and money? 

And to everyone who came before me, Thank You! Happy Pride everyone!

Let the planning begin!

Last blog post I mentioned that my little agency is embarking upon a communications planning process to help us sort out all this new media stuff, like FaceBook, Twitter, and the like, in addition to trying to keep up with our website, email blasts, newsletters, etc. We've hired an outside communications/new media consultant, developed a list of deliverables and a timeline, and begin the journey next week.
I plan to keep you posted along the way with some of the details, progress, recommendations, et al.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear from YOU...

Do any of you currently have communication/new media plans in place? Are you in the middle of a similar planning process?
Perhaps communications and social media planning is part of your overall fundraising plan or planning process?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas, strategies...
> What does your plan consist of?
> How are you addressing content development?
> How are you managing multiple media channels with (very) limited resources?
> Do you have any recommendations with regard to communications/new media tools, software, online channels, etc.?
> Do you have any words of wisdom for me as I begin this planning process?

Your comments are most welcome.

Til next week...

Blogger, that is! 

This new AFP GLBT Blog site aims to be the voice of our community, a place where we can share ideas, insights, stories, etc. - anything of interest in our world. And we want you to be part of it! 
Of course, all are welcome to comment on the posts appearing on the blog.  But we also want those interested in writing for the blog to submit their own posts!

Simply send your postings (or ideas for possible posts) to webmaster@afpnet.org and put "GLBT Blog" in the subject line. If appropriate we will post it to the blog with attribution to you!  Those contributors who submit regular postings of interest may be invited to join the permanent blog roll with us - your name in lights (well, pixels)!

Questions? Just let us know.
Happy Blogging!!

And so it goes, and so it goes...its blogging time again.
(I feel like I am in therapy. Feels good, actually.)

Anyway, we're supposed to stick to a fundraising topic, so mine today is about online fundraising for dummies (like me). I returned from the AFP Conference in Baltimore somewhat freaked out about how far behind my agency was (is) with regard to FaceBook, Twitter, and other social media channels (most I never even heard of before). Several AFP colleagues talked me down from my freakout during the conference (thanks Daniela Mead and Janet Cohen!), so that I was able to return with some direction, which has now taken the form of a formal communications planning process at my agency.

You see, no one at my little non profit is formally assigned (e.g. in our job description) the task of updating our website, or sending marketing emails, or using new social media tools (let alone getting these tools researched, purchased and set-up for use). A few of us have been handling those tasks piecemeal, in between fundraising-related tasks. But it became clear at the conference that this approach was no longer viable.

Somehow I was able to talk my ED (executive director) into spending some money on an outside communications strategy consultant. We found one (thanks to referrals from my fellow AFP colleagues) and are now embarking on the journey.

I'm sure some of you may be in a similar place, or have some thoughts/recommendations to share about YOUR social media planning and success (and maybe not so successful) stories. I plan to keep you posted here as to how this process is working and as to any results/recommendations I can share. Together, maybe we can ride this electronic wave all the way to the bank...

Happy Summer!

Jim

I have a particular interest in using technology to further an organization's mission so you won't be surprised to learn that of the various tracks offered I chose to attend the "Internet/Technology" sessions. The generic track name really didn't do justice to the sessions which focused on integrating offline and online campaigns. While this was only my second time at the conference I definitely noticed an increased interest over last year in learning how to use social media to deepen the relationship with donors. Based on the audience's questions it seems many of us are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Some organizations have been experimenting for a few years and have a strategy and metrics for their online efforts. On the other end are orgs who are beyond toe dipping, but haven't yet figured out how to quantify their efforts to justify their time and expense to their boards.

A highlight of the day was hearing Geoffrey Canada, CEO of Harlem Children's Zone, deliver the keynote address at lunch. He's a great storyteller with a sly sense of comic timing. But his jokes had a purpose - to drive home the point that ours is a relationship business. You constantly have to be out talking about your organization and getting to know donors. While I may be a new fundraiser, my background is in relationship management so every word Mr. Canada spoke rang true. And while I spent the day discussing social media, in reality the tech itself doesn't matter as much as how we're using it to tell our stories and engage supporters. 

But the best part of the conference, of course, is meeting colleagues I wouldn't otherwise get to know. To that end I would love if AFP had a member reception at the end of the day. People tend to use the session breaks to catch up with the office so I think a more relaxed, after work atmosphere would go a long way towards member socializing.

Finally, I'll always remember Mr. Canada's pithy summary of our profession: "Here's why raising money is so hard: people don't want to give it to you." That's it in a nutshell, isn't it? Do you have a favorite one-liner?