Video has long been a highly effective medium for getting out a message, but only in recent years — with the advent of inexpensive cameras, consumer-friendly editing software and broadband Internet — has it become truly accessible to everyone, including...
What should I include in our charity's annual report? While the name "annual report" seems self-explanatory, let me just clarify. Corporations (for-profit businesses) need to report to their shareholders annually and outline the preceding year's activities, whereas Canadian charities don't...
High quality photographs can help nonprofit organizations bring their stories to life in a way that engages supporters, builds relationships and improves lives. But sourcing great photos can be challenging. Few nonprofits have professional photographers on staff or dedicated budgets...
If you're an avid devotee of social media, chances are you've already heard about this infamous gaffe: a Red Cross employee uses HootSuite to send out an otherwise-innocent tweet about her alcohol-induced evening in the company of a specific beer....
What do pirates, penguins and pancakes have in common? They all have special days that celebrate their merits. Yes, it's true — it seems everyone and everything now has an anointed awareness day. Despite the proliferation of awareness days, nonprofits...
Toyota, Tiger Woods and the Roman Catholic Church got us all thinking and talking about crisis in recent years. Public relations analysts everywhere are ready to comment across the media on how such crises are handled. The stakes are high...
You know you can't do it all. And you know that there is a lot of talent out there who could really help your nonprofit market and communicate itself. But you hesitate. There's a concern about spending too much money....
In an earlier article on The Characteristics of Executive Leadership, I outlined what employees in the nonprofit sector do. But what do nonprofit organizations do? First, two observations: Observation one is that many nonprofit organizations feel they are unique. Board...
One of the most rewarding and cost-effective marketing campaigns I've ever done was one in which the stakeholders carried the message. I created a campaign that asked hospital donors and the public to send in their stories about why they...
I want to have lots of people hear good things about my cause, and become supporters, and I have a brother in a similar situation with a different cause. I want to ask all our friends to "like" each other’s...