Recently the IRS changed the 990 and 990-EZ to require nonprofit organizations to report their fundraising activities in other states and declare whether the organization is registered as a fundraising nonprofit organization in each of the states.  News stories suggest that failure to comply with state-by-state charitable solicitations registration may lead to the loss of an organization's 501 (c) status.  Furthermore, states may pursue non-complying organizations to bring them into compliance and levy late fees and other pentalties.

Strict interpretations of states' laws, for which several states are noted, suggests that a "donate now" button on an organization's website may constitute multi-state fundraising if the organization does not specifically supress the ability of out of state residents to donate or return donations to donors who give from states where the organization is not in compliance with reporting requirements.

Resources and information on this subject:

• http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraisingbasics/a/frregistration990.htm
• http://www.multistatefiling.org/

In early October, 2011, Jim appealed to the Colorado Nonprofit Association LISTSERV for recommendations from members for vendors who provide state-by-state charitable solicitations registration services.  We have compiled the responses and other vendors gathered from Jim's research into a short report.
Click here to view the report.

Disclaimer:  This information is presented with no warranty of accuracy or thoroughness.  It is shared FYI as a service of CommUlinks of Colorado, who expressly disclaims all responsibility for this content.  In every case, users are urged to contact vendors directly and to conduct their own thorough research to ensure that they are getting the best available services at the best available price.  CommUlinks makes no claim of any particular expertise to evaluate or recommend any of these services.

Disclaimer: Report and comments prepared by Jim Moore, CommUlinks of Colorado.  Moore is not an attorney or a CPA, and these comments are not intended to be, nor should they be construed as, professional counsel.  CommUlinks strongly urges that you seek appropriate counsel for legal and accounting matters.

Like many people, I like to make charitable donations to organizations that are doing work in fields that matter to me.  But as a consultant to nonprofits, I also pay very close attention to what happens next.  What happened to me very recently was eye (and wallet) opening.

I made modest online donations to three organizations recently.  All three were national and international organizations.  I also made a small donation to a national organization that provides mailing labels when you donate. 

All of the organizations I donated to online followed up with an email receipt.  All of the three have since sent me more email, including newsletters and appeals.  They have also all sent other regular mailings.  I read their email occasionally.  But it is the other things they have done that have really stood out:

One of the organizations called me, using a fundraising firm, seeking a commitment for a monthly donation.  The call was nearly five minutes long.

One organization called me, simply to say thank you.  They asked for nothing and they told me nothing about what they are doing.  The call was less than a minute long.

One organization sent me a survey by email about what I am most interested in knowing about their work.  The survey took approximately five minutes. 

What happened with the mailing label organization was also very interesting.  Ever since that donation was made, I have received several more pieces of mail from them asking for another donation.  Not only that, but another organization which obviously purchased the mailing list of the first organization, has sent no fewer than ten pieces of mail as well.  The organization that did not receive a donation sends mail with “3^rd request” and “Final Reminder” printed on the outside of the envelope. 

Which organization do you think is most likely to receive another donation from me? 

If you guessed the organization that called me simply to say thank you, then you would be correct.  The phone call surprised me.  It made me want to ask them what they are doing and to thank them for what they are doing.  I also told them why I chose to donate to them.  Most of all, the phone call ensured that I would send another donation as soon as I am able to do so.  They made me feel as if I had done something so important that they had to tell me, even though I considered that donation to be very modest compared to what other donors might have given.  It was simple and to the point and the caller reacted very little to what I said to her except to say thank you again.

The organizations that applied pressure to get more donations were a very big turn-off for me.  They felt too much like political fundraising and even shaming in a way.  Using a fundraising firm to call me also guaranteed that I would not donate to that organization again.   However, other organizations that have a mission that is personal to me do the same thing and it does not bother me as much.  I did appreciate the one that sent me a survey and might consider donating again to that organization, depending on what happens next. 

In the world of fundraising, it is true that frequency and diversity of contact matters in terms of results.  It is also proven that donors will donate again very soon after making their last donation.  Some fundraisers might say that the tactics of all of these organizations are extremely effective.  I may be different than typical donors and you need to explore various methods to see what works for you.  My recommendation is that you pick up the phone and give your donors a quick call to say thank you.  The mark you leave on them may have a lasting impact.    

If your organization is not having the desired impact on Twitter, it may be because you are tweeting your organization short.  In other words, you may be missing essential ways to build an engaged following.  Here are five things we have observed about the way nonprofits tweet that are having an impact on your success:

Under-valuing @mentions used to retweet (rather than followers using the retweet button) – You may think that it is better for a follower to use the retweet button rather than using an @mention to retweet your tweets because your “brand” shows up more prominently.  Therefore, you are using all of your 140 characters to tweet to force followers to press the retweet button.  The problem with this thinking is that your followers have a following of their own.  They have followers who want to read what they tweet and they look for their tweets, not yours.  A retweet using the button shows in their followers’ timeline with your brand and your logo with tiny print showing that they retweeted it.  When you leave plenty of character room, you are inviting your followers to retweet your tweet using the @mention, so that their followers will actually read and respond to the tweet.

Pushing out, but not pulling in – You may be pushing out a lot of information about your cause, which is great.  But are you also pulling in your followers to engage them in conversation? The best tweets for pulling people in are actionable items.  Ask people to do something.  But be careful!  If all of your actionable tweets are about voting for you or donating to you then followers will lose interest.  Instead, ask for input and opinions or tell them about a great need you have and ask them who could help you.  Also, make attempts to retweet your followers’ tweets, say thank you every time someone mentions you and tell compelling stories that people want to retweet.

Making audience assumptions  - So often, tweets from nonprofits assume the audience: 1) is already familiar with your organization 2)  knows all of your jargon, lingo, acronyms and issues and 3) have read your last five tweets.  I constantly see tweets that make no sense to a person who has not been following you or may not be familiar with your cause.  Instead write a number of your tweets for the public at-large.  Remember to use who, what, when, where and why in your tweets.  Use links to expand on the subject, but be sure to use shortened links like bitly. 

These last two items won’t be read by many organizations because they really do apply to those who never read a tweet or respond to people.  So, if you are reading this, please consider bringing these items the attention of organizations that need to know! 

Not following back – So many organizations have a follow/following ratio that shows that they really aren’t interested in engaging with anyone because they rarely follow back.  When deciding whether or not to follow someone, give them the benefit of the doubt first.  Actually look at their twitter page!  Trend toward following rather than not following. 

Ignoring people – There are many organizations tweeting automatically from Facebook or applications to Twitter who never acknowledge a single response.  There are also organizations who don’t respond to direct messages or even @mentions where people send a comment or question.  How do I know this?  Because I have tried to communicate with many organizations who do not respond.  Every person you ignore is a person who will remember that they reached out to you and you ignored them!  More than once, I have tweeted to organizations telling them how much I love their mission and was surprised that I did not get a message back to give me more information about how I could get involved!

If you don’t have enough time, enough followers or enough material to tweet effectively, consider outsourcing your tweeting task!  Commulinks can help.  Our services are affordable and effective!  Contact us at services@commulinks.com for a price sheet.

Recently, in a Twitter™ chat hosted by TechSoup, a participant asked how she could justify the use of Twitter™ to her board.  Another person asked how understaffed nonprofit organizations could possibly find time to spend on Twitter™. 

The answer is that you really can’t afford not to, for several reasons:

Money talks!  While money isn’t the end all, be all, there is money to gained from using Twitter™.  Recently, the Colorado organization Trees Water and People won $25,000 from Chase Giving in large part because of their presence on Twitter™.  Kids in Need of Dentistry earned a $20,000 grant from Toms of Maine that they would not have even known existed if it were not for Twitter™.  They gained votes from friends on Twitter™ and were one of the smallest organizations in the running for the $20,000 grant.  We have seen organizations win many contests and also receive donations for Colorado Gives Day. 

The Twitter™ audience has expectations.  Twitter™ has millions of avid users who have an expectation that their favorite organizations will be on Twitter™ just as Facebook users expect to find you there as well.  We have seen Twitter™ users ask where they can find an organization on Twitter™, only to learn the organization is not there. 

Losing control of your brand.  This is a bit scary and very similar to what happens when you are trying to buy a URL for your organization.  Someone else is already using your name.  What’s more is that people on Twitter™ are talking every day about organizations – maybe even yours – and you don’t know about it.  We also see individuals who are supportive of certain nonprofits and tweeting things about you, but they are not representatives of the organization.

Knowledge to be gained.  We cannot even tell you the enormous amount of information you might be missing about your cause!  There are consultants, foundations, think tanks, news outlets, experts, etc. from all over the country and the world that have valuable information they are sharing that can benefit you.  You can also learn so much from other organizations and how they are using social media. 

Your competitors are already there. Nobody really likes to use the word competition in the nonprofit world, but let’s face it, competition exists for many reasons.  There are limited resources for one and also because some organizations exist because older organizations were not serving the needs of the constituency in some ways.  Those organizations are tweeting away, garnering support for causes very similar to yours.  They are reaching your audience while you are still producing paper newsletters to send to people who already know you.

Constituents use Twitter™.  Every day, there are hundreds of people on Twitter™ who are impacted by the problem your organization addresses in some way or who need your services.  People from all ages and economic backgrounds are using Twitter™ and they may be looking for you.  We have also seen constituents who have given testimonials for organizations that have helped them. 

Where else can you make new friends with such brief communication?  Twitter™ is unique because you can “follow” and be “followed” by thousands of people you could never otherwise reach.  All it takes is some time, effort and 140 character tweets about what you are doing.

Yes, you say, we understand all this – but we have no time to devote to Twitter™! 

Think about finding a devoted volunteer who can help you or add this task to the job description of your development staff or community outreach coordinators.  If you use a volunteer, be sure they have instructions from you about what they can tweet and make sure they use your company name and logo.   

If you can’t do that let us help you – Our new service

Commulinks of Colorado has a new service to do it all for you.  Our extremely affordable services for nonprofits will take care of all of it while you continue to do what you need to do.  We will set up your account, tweet for you, cross-promote your organization, respond to people on Twitter™  and participate in events that impact you.  Contact us at services@commulinks.com and we will send you are price sheet.  We want to work with organizations that need a little extra help to achieve these goals, so you don’t need to be concerned that we will hound you if you ask for our price sheet.  We have a proven track record and will get you going right away if you need us. 

Who isn’t inspired by stories of seemingly selfless people who defy death and go on to manifest buildings out of thin air?   And who isn’t crushed when it turns out that most of the story is a fabrication, as reported by CBS 60 Minutes about the Central Asia Institute, started by Greg Mortensen, author of one of my favorite books, Three Cups of Tea?  

Every time a superstar nonprofit organization goes down, every nonprofit feels the shudder of the earth.   The mistrust of all things good has a ripple effect that causes donors to be skeptical of all nonprofits.  What can Colorado nonprofits do to achieve trust from the public and understand what made something like Central Asia Institute so successful?

First, you need to realize that your story is just as compelling as that story.  In the story of Three Cups of Tea, everyone learned something that seemed to be new to them, even though it was obvious: educating girls lifts up an entire community.   It is rather like the moral of the story in the Wizard of Oz and plain as the nose on your face, “there’s no place like home.”  Your organization has that same amazing truth, or you wouldn’t exist.  Do you tell your story?  Or do you assume that everyone knows that truth?  A great activity for your staff and volunteers would be to write your story using the same sort of model.  Create a video about your story or write a free pdf book or blog about it.

Second, is your organization transparent and doing its best to provide accurate and easy to understand financial statements?  Have you considered doing a review of your financial statements from a different CPA?  If you do already meet high standards, share those standards with your supporters.  Let them know your books are open.  Invite them to trust you more.

Third, does your organization seem to be more about promoting a key figure related to your mission, rather than your mission itself?  Nonprofits are about a mission, not about personalities.  Have you ever evaluated this in your organization?  Is your organization’s story always conveyed through the eyes of your founder or a celebrity and not those whose lives you are impacting?  If so, consider how you can tell your story from a grassroots level.   Your founder’s story may have been the seed, but the plant that is now growing is the real story of your organization. 

The Colorado Nonprofit Association has produced the second edition of Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado .  By investing time in excellence, and communicating your excellence to the community, you can create a new story and achieve the trust your organization deserves. 

Commulinks of Colorado, through our twitter page @ConnectColorado, is initiating a Twitter event called Our Hope For Colorado Day. 

Read the annoucement from the ConnectColorado blog

We have staged this Twitter event on May 3 to engage our Colorado followers in tweeting about their hopes for Colorado with Colorado nonprofits in mind.  This is a great opportunity for your organization to create new content to tweet about your mission.  It is also a way to find other Colorado followers.  We will be retweeting tweets with the #OurHope4CO hashtag all day. 

If you are not using Twitter yet, it is time for you to get on board!  Read Commulinks' report on using Twitter.  Make certain you are following @ConnectColorado on Twitter, as well as @Commulinks. 

This is also a great way for your organization to get your feet wet on Twitter, in preparation for Colorado Gives Day later this year.  You are REALLY missing a lot by not being on Twitter.  (Read our previous blog posts about this subject).

Help us to raise awareness about Colorado nonprofits and match them up with other Coloradan's by participating in Our Hope for Colorado Day!

Commulinks of Colorado produces a Twitter-based online newspaper called Charitable Colorado every Tuesday.  We would like to extend an invitation to all Colorado nonprofits that would like their mission/issue to be the focus of one edition of Charitable Colorado.  We will produce the paper on any day Monday-Friday (except Tuesday) to include only info about your issue.  You supply the tweets, and we will produce your paper.

If you would like to have your issue highlighted in the paper, please contact Renee by DM through @Commulinks.  You must be following @Commulinks to be included in the Charitable Colorado Paper.

Many Colorado nonprofits have found it very useful to use contracted grant writers.  Typically, we contractors are efficient, cost-effective and very experienced.  However, in all the years I have been doing this work, I have also observed that some grant writers you might consider hiring are – well – full of malarkey!  So I thought I would shed some light on grant writing that will help you if you are considering hiring a grant writer – or if you are wondering about your own.

The most egregious practice I have seen among grant writers is that they completely over-emphasize their need to conduct extensive research to find grants for nonprofits.  The truth is, if you are a Colorado nonprofit, serving local constituencies, the only resource you truly need for research is the Colorado Grants Guide.  If your potential grant writer never heard of the Colorado Grants Guide – don’t hire that person!  It is absolutely ridiculous and wasteful for someone to spend countless hours of your paid time to conduct manual research for local interests.  They should start with the Colorado Grants Guide.  Spend some time researching some national foundations.  What they should not do is tell you they are searching nationwide, using some database or proprietary information you never heard of. 

Two other very valuable resources are the Foundation Center and Guidestar.  These can be used to find some little-known resources after you have thoroughly reviewed the Colorado Grants Guide.  The Foundation Center is an excellent resource if your work extends beyond Colorado.  For most of what you might use the Foundation for, a simple membership will go a long way. 

The next area where potential grant writers tend to extol their prowess is in spending countless hours helping you to develop your “case statement.”  They may make you think that developing a “case statement” is the equivalent of having a weekend strategic planning retreat!  It’s not.  Again, when writing grants to local foundations you need to have good information about your issue, the need which your nonprofit fills and why you are different than other organizations – all in five pages or less.  Developing this material should not take an enormous amount of your time or the time of the grant writer.  If you are hiring a grant writer for government grants, the case statement is more extensive and time consuming so you should expect it to take longer if you are pursuing those. 

The last “malarkey” area is about the amount of time it takes to write a grant, and the cost associated with that.  In the beginning, it does take some time for a grant writer, no matter how experienced, to get up to speed with your organization and where to apply.  However, if you continue working with one grant writer it should not take days to write a single grant.  You need not pay thousands of dollars for one grant, either.  As I have said in a previous blog, it is very frowned upon for grant writers to work on a percentage of your grant.  That can amount to thousands of dollars on each grant. 

When you are looking to hire a contracted grant writer, it is best to hire someone who has a lot of experience and has worked with several organizations.  It helps a lot if they have worked with similar issues or constituencies.  Their experience saves you an enormous amount of time and money because they will already know a lot about which foundations might fit your mission.  They are able to write for you easily, because they knew your issue fairly well before you hired them.  If you are not able to find someone who knows your issue fairly well at least look for someone who has proven to be a “quick study.”

CommUlinks of Colorado specializes in working with nonprofits that have an advocacy component, “people issues,” disability-related missions, health issues, at-risk kids and missions related in any way to people experiencing poverty.  Contact us if you are considering hiring a contracted grant writer.  

Your grant proposal package was so perfect you actually thought about framing it.  It was all in the exact order it needed to be according to the foundation’s particular guidelines.  You didn’t staple or bind when the guidelines said not to do that.  Everything was signed, sealed and delivered before the deadline. 

Then the dreaded letter arrived:  “We regret to inform you that the trustees decided not to fund your proposal.  This is not a reflection on the work that you do…”  Ugh.

You rush to the file to try and figure out what your grant writer did wrong.  Was there a typo?  Was the wrong format used?  Was there a missing attachment?

The fact is, while a poorly written grant sent to the wrong foundation can keep you from getting a grant, being declined for a grant has a lot more to do with your organization than does your proposal. 

Organizations get grants, not your proposals.  Your organization should meet important standards such as having:

• a board of directors that actually meets regularly
• no funding deficits
• sound financial management and financial statements that could or do pass an audit
• strong, structured leadership
• board members who make cash donations to the organization
• low operating costs
• strong, meaningful programs that can be articulated with goals and objectives
• strong evaluation of the programs and constituent participation
• well conceived budgets
• staff and board who represent the diversity of the community
• a mission that is not duplicating that of another organization to serve basically the same need in the same place
• collaborative relationships
• an excellent reputation in the community
• few signs of a poorly run organization such as high staff turnover
• diverse funding sources

Sometimes, organizations that are holding on to too much cash in reserves can also have problems getting grants, if they do not have a written plan outlining the use of those funds. 

If your organization is under par in the areas above, it is time for you to develop a strategic plan to strengthen your organization and set the organization on the path to being able to apply for and receive grants.  Showing your potential funders that you know where your organization needs improvement goes a long way to strengthening your grant proposals. 

CommUlinks provides grant writing and consulting services that can help organizations become stronger.  Contact us for details.

Many nonprofit organizations have something important in common:  they are thrifty.  They are able to get the most out of their dollars.  Many employees within nonprofit organizations would call themselves “Jack of all trades.”  While it may be true that nonprofit employees do many different tasks, not every employee or volunteer is actually able to do every job in your organization.  That includes writing grants.   

The idea of being thrifty and resourceful often carries over into areas where a nonprofit may not get the best value, however.  Too often, organizations are turning to the wrong people to conduct research and write their grant proposals, thinking that the job is just about writing.  They may look for individuals within the office who can write well or go outside of the organization to try and find someone to do pro bono grant writing.  This can actually be a costly mistake.

Your grant writer needs to be more than a writer.  He or she must have solid knowledge of your organization and a very strong ability to analyze the fit of your organization to foundation interests.  The grant writer must be able to interpret your financials and budget, understand the optimum time to apply for a particular grant, and be able to help guide you through the process.  The grant writer should know as much as possible about the foundations to which you might apply.  He or she needs to understand how to convey your results, develop goals and objectives for the proposals and be able to follow explicit directions in preparing your proposals.  These skills take time to develop. 

A grant writer should never – ever :

• Write mass, mail-merged proposals
• Charge you a percentage of what you receive

Nonprofits can pay a high price for failure to find the right grant writer who has the necessary experience and knowledge of foundations.  Your organization’s credibility is at stake with the foundations when you present them with your proposals.  An inexperienced grant writer will take twice or three times as much time to research your grants because of their lack of knowledge of local foundations.  You will be sent on wild goose-chases which waste time and money.  You can lose grants that you would have otherwise gotten because of poorly written and ill-conceived proposals. 

So before you think about utilizing a student, volunteer or the grant writer who will work for nearly nothing or a percentage to write your grants for you, understand that there could be a greater cost to your organization for doing so.  Take the time to find the right, experienced grant writer. 

CommUlinks can help.  Visit our services on this website for more information.

A vital decision one must make when choosing a database is whether you are a do-it-yourselfer with the time to devote to such a project, or if you need something that will, comparatively speaking, work right out of the box.

The open-source content relationship managers (CRM’s) on the market are terrific.  But if you don’t know what you don’t know, the most powerful program in the world will be useless.  Too often people underestimate the brilliance and experience that go into a “turn-key” (ready to go) product. 

A well-designed database will know all (or most) of the questions to ask and how to relate the answers to one another.  It will know the basic reports you need and it will present these reports in ways that make it easy to interact with constituents.  It will already have built in capacities you didn’t know you needed until they are made available to you.  In short, a well designed product that is custom tailored to this industry (nonprofits) will be a great fit.  Like an “off-the-rack” suit, it won’t be perfect, but with a few alterations, it will do the job and serve you well.

Many of the generic CRMs out there are a bit more like a bolt of cloth and a sewing machine.  You can get a perfect fit IF you know how to sew and IF you have the time. 

Here are just a few of the important questions to assess the fit:

The technicalities of a brand name change are relatively insignificant compared to the strategic and marketing challenges you face when you alter your brand.

It can be done well.  But I’ve seen this done poorly, and it literally cost one organization millions.  They lost half of their annual revenues from acquisition, additional gifts, major gifts and bequests—from $4.5 million down to just over $2 million.  Reserves dropped from $4.5 million to under $2 million. It also angered loyal constituents who did not accept the brand-name change.

One of the most devastating impacts was in donor acquisition.  Their performance fell by a factor of 4.  Returns on acquisition dropped from roughly 1.2% to less than 0.25%.  It took them years to recover.  Their original brand was well known, but response to the new brand was mostly, “Who?”  Circular files nationwide were filled with that organization’s unopened acquisition appeals.

Many factors go into a brand name change. Here are a few:

·                     How dramatic is the change?  Will people still recognize who you are from the new brand, or will you sever the connection from one brand to the next?

·                    How entrenched and well-recognized is your current brand?  If few people know you, then there’s little risk.  If your brand is well-known, then the risks are substantial.

·                     How much money do you have to invest in marketing the new brand and the connection with the outgoing brand?

Here are two case histories.  One notorious failure and one success.  While these are for-profit companies, these give you some idea of the risks and the stakes.

FAILURE:

We all know Nissan, the automaker.  Fewer know that Nissan was once Datsun.  Why Nissan came to the US as Datsun is unimportant here, but when Nissan worldwide decided to rebrand Datsun in the US, they spent about 3 years and $30 million dollars.  The message did not get through to many, and Nissan paid a dear price.  Datsun cars were highly regarded—especially the iconic 510 sedans and 240-Z sports cars—but to the average car buyer, Nissan was unknown.  This marketing faux paux hurt their brand recognition so badly that Nissan relatively recently bought up all the old Datsun 240-Z sports cars they could get, refurbished them to new condition and resold them in a marketing stunt meant to cement the connection between the two brands.  Never heard of it?  For most of you, this is news, because that stunt largely appealed to faithful brand loyalists and car nuts—who already knew the connection.

SUCCESS:

After intervention by the federal government, Standard Oil evolved to become Esso.  Much later, Esso needed to merge with its other brands, Humble, Enco and others, so Esso evolved into Exxon.  “Esso is Exxon now” is a slogan that still resonates, because it was hammered in with a sledgehammer reputed to be worth $50 million (in early 1970’s dollars no less).  Note that Esso and Exxon are similar enough that even the uninitiated would be likely to recognize the connection, and also note that the Esso brand not only is still in use, but it’s reputedly up for sale by Exxon.

Brand changes are not for the faint of heart, and they are not to be handled in a cavalier manner.  The nonprofit case history is evidence that mismanaging a brand name change can be devastatingly costly and setback your mission for years.  Done well, however, a brand name change can spark an enormous growth in awareness, because it is the “excuse” you need to garner media attention and talk-up the organization’s mission in the context of rebranding the organization.

Mandatory?  No.

Essential?  Yes.

Board members are the key volunteers of the organization.  Fundraising follows their lead.  They set the tone.

Not only should board giving be 100% (at any level), but board members should also give to their capacity and participate heavily in securing gifts from others.  Individual gifts account for 60% to 80% of all donations in mature organizations, and to achieve that, many gifts must be large gifts.  In most small to medium sized organizations, major gift development typically falls to board members with the support of staff.  A board member would be hard-pressed to ask someone else for a gift if that board member does not already give. 

Board giving goals:

1. 100% participation:  this is essential if the board is to have any credibility when asking others for gifts—and, in many cases, to qualify for foundation gifts.
2. A “give or get” policy that sets a reasonable overall fundraising goal for board members.  If a board member can only afford $100 per year, the “give or get” policy might establish the expectation that this individual board member’s overall fundraising target is $2000 -- $1900 of which comes from gifts the board member secures from others on the organization’s behalf.
3. A giving policy that expects board members to consider their organization as their primary benefactor of their philanthropy.  It would, for example, not reflect well on the board member’s commitment to the organization to give $100 to the organization s/he governs and $5000 to another charity.
4. A giving policy that expects board members to donate to their “capacity” to give.  This is pretty murky, but while a person of modest means has limited capacity to give, someone of substantial means has a greater capacity to give.  Individuals who govern the organization should support it to the degree they can afford to do so.  While a car mechanic might be considered generous and self-sacrificing to give $100, a wealthy person would not be giving to his/her capacity with the same $100 gift.

Widely held opinion:  Yes, board members absolutely should give, and it reflects badly on an organization when some of the individuals who have fiduciary responsibility for the success of the organization do not support that organization with a generous gift.  Some board members may say, “My gift to the organization is my time and my expertise,” but that does not cut it.  The board member’s return on that investment is the opportunity to have considerable say about how their beloved mission is carried out.  That is both a responsibility and a perk or benefit of board membership.  If the board member cares passionately about the mission, then having a say in how the organization fulfills that mission is a tremendous reward.  Participation on the board does not absolve board members of their fiscal responsibilities to the organization and mission they love.

Engaged Public in collaboration with Colorado State University and with funding from the Colorado Health Foundation have produced a very interesting tool called the Backseat Budgeter for citizens to try their hand at balancing the state budget. 

Last night, I tried my own hand in earnest to balance the budget using the tool.  I was successful at balancing the budget based on my own views of how that should be done.  However, I was extremely concerned for Colorado nonprofits and citizens when I clicked on the tab that says “Everyone’s Budget” to see how people have collectively answered the budget questions.  The majority of people who tried the budgeter chose to cut major programs such as community mental heath centers, developmental disability services and others that have already been cut and are endangering the lives of very vulnerable citizens.  When I took the budgeting challenge, there were 858 responses, and I am hoping against hope that these 858 people do not represent the views of the vast majority of citizens in Colorado because if they do, Colorado nonprofits are in for an even greater rude awakening. 

I do not usually post my political leanings on our blog or on Twitter, but I simply must convey to you that charities cannot begin to replace government services.  As a nonprofit consultant working mainly with human service and health organizations, I can tell you that the need is already far greater than charities can manage now.  Private donations and grants cannot replace government services.  Although I know many people believe that if people can keep more of their money, they can provide more for their families and give more to charity, even this is not going to replace the programs that are necessary.  Colorado already has low taxes and yet nonprofits are still inundated with the unmet needs of citizens.  Colorado has one of the highest percentages of nonprofit organizations per capita as well.  By default, if Colorado goes down the road to major cuts in vital services, healthcare and education, charities across the state will become beyond overwhelmed with the great needs that already exist.  If it were possible for charity to replace government services, it would have happened before the recession because of low taxes. 

So what does this mean for nonprofits?  Massive educational efforts need to be started for the people of Colorado to truly understand the implications of cutting vital services.  The public is not connecting with these needs, and not experiencing the personal impact or feeling the pain of vulnerable citizens.  It is not just the public officials who need to understand these problems.  In fact, they are being driven by the citizens, as shown in this Backseat Budgeter tool.  It is our fellow citizens who need to see the stories of those that charities are serving and understand that they are personally impacted. 

What can Colorado nonprofits do together to organize a public education campaign? What is your organization doing?  Please, comment on this blog post with your thoughts, even if you disagree that charities cannot replace government services. (But please, if you do disagree with that premise, give us all some data that shows it).  I want us to start a big dialogue here and find some answers.  Colorado needs us. 

Thanks

If your Colorado nonprofit is not on Twitter, or if your organization has a Twitter account but is only putting out information and not engaging with followers, what you are missing is a wealth of opportunity. 

What kind of opportunity?  Well, here a just a few examples of hundreds and maybe thousands I have personally witnessed:

• Grant and donation opportunities you would never have known about.  Companies are on Twitter, often promoting special programs that can generate income for your organization.  Even small companies do this.  I have seen an organization instantly receive a $100 donation just for responding to a tweet.  I have seen large companies offer grant competitions.  I have seen individuals looking to donate equipment to nonprofits. I have also seen nonprofits tweet pleas for things they need and get responses from strangers.
• Networking that also generates income.  Groups like Twestival Denver, DenverGives, Denver Tweetup and others are organizing people for fun get-togethers that benefit charities.  Of course, Colorado Gives Day was a tremendous Twitter event that raised awareness for nonprofits in Colorado and a lot of money for those who tweeted. 
• Promotional opportunities that tie to awareness days and weeks.  If there is an awareness week tied to your mission, you can use that opportunity to educate people about your local organization and mission. 
• Connections to people who are interested in your mission.  There are many people on Twitter who are looking for opportunities to do something good and are promoting their favorite charities, connecting with new ones and getting actively involved.  People are also interested in fun events. 
• Free publicity.  You can write your own stories and reach thousands of people for free.  Your story might even be seen by one of the local newspapers or TV stations on Twitter.  CommUlinks also produces an internet newspaper called Charitable Colorado to promote Colorado charities. 
• Advocates waiting for your call to action.  I’ve seen many organizations tweet action items and receive new responses from people they did not know to sign petitions, attend a day at the capitol, etc.
• Big, new ideas that support you.  One example is JVA Janine Vanderburg’s idea: See her big idea. You can also generate your own new ideas!

But for all of this to happen, you need to get on Twitter.  There is a lot of information on this blog about Twitter, along with Commulinks’ report on Colorado nonprofits using Twitter with tips.  If you are already on Twitter, you need to read tweets by others in addition to sending out your tweets so you can see these opportunities. 

Once you are on Twitter, be use to use the “Find People” option and search for CommUlinks and our big account ConnectColorado and follow us!  We promote Colorado nonprofits to thousands of people per day on these accounts. 

CommUlinks of Colorado produces an online newspaper called Charitable Colorado, which is based on tweets on Twitter.  We release the paper every Tuesday between 3:00p.m.-5:00 p.m and the issue is available for 24 hours, at which point it goes into the archive.  The newspaper actually updates every 24 hours, but we only tweet the paper on Tuesdays.

To get stories your Colorado nonprofit is tweeting into the paper, you need to do the following:

• First, you must be following us @CommUlinks on Twitter.  If you are following us, you will be included provided you follow the rest of these directions
• You need to tweet within 24 hours prior to the release of the paper
• Your tweets must include direct links to articles, blogs, videos, pictures,  pdf files
• The links will not show up in the paper if they go only to your Facebook page
• If you tweet a link only to a website, they may not show up in the paper except as a link in the paper that does now show a headline or story
• Nonprofits that retweet the paper are more likely to be included in it

The paper is automatically generated through our Twitter list called Charitable Colorado and it is arranged automatically as well.  We are not able to change it or rearrange it.  The paper generates some pages based on hashtags such as #hunger, #nonprofit, etc., so if you want to highlight an issue, use a hashtag.  If you had a story you tweeted earlier in the week that you want to get into the paper, tweet it again before 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Right now, we let you know when your organization appears in the paper.  In the near future, however, we will not be producing the long list of organizations that appear in the paper.  You will need to watch for the tweet saying that Charitable Colorado is out. 

CommUlinks operates the @ConnectColorado Twitter page, which currently has over 8,100 Colorado followers.  Nonprofits that retweet the Charitable Colorado paper will see that they are highlighted in a tweet on @ConnectColorado including a mention of your organization.

If you follow these directions, your nonprofit will most likely appear in the Tuesday issue of Charitable Colorado.  However, there are times when it is not 100% sure for reasons we don't actually know. 

The Charitable Colorado newspaper is actually also available for you to tweet any day you want.  Just go to this link Charitable Colorado when you have your Twitter account open and hit the tweet button.

We are very open to the idea of producing special issues of Charitable Colorado that cover a specific issue or cause. Please contact us if you would like to do that.

CommUlinks is doing all we can to promote nonprofits on Twitter and to help you to get the most out of using Twitter.  If you have questions, feel free to DM us at @CommUlinks.  (You must be following us to DM us). 

Happy Tweeting!

As CommUlinks closely follows the activities of nonprofits on Twitter, especially Colorado nonprofits, we have discovered many who may need to consider whether or not they are Twitter Bots.  What is a Twitter Bot? How do I know if I am a Twitter Bot?:

If you have your Twitter account blocked so that only followers can read your tweets – YOU …might be a Twitter Bot.

If you tweet the same things over and over and over again – YOU…might be a Twitter Bot.

If you tweet only from a Facebook link, Constant Contact, or an automatic tweeting app – YOU…might be a Twitter Bot.

If there is plenty of evidence that you’ve never read a single tweet by another person (by retweeting or commenting on others’ tweets) – YOU…might be a Twitter Bot.

If you are following no more than 0-1 other tweeters but have many followers – YOU…might be a Twitter Bot.

If you have no information about your organization in your profile – YOU…might be a Twitter Bot.

If you have never thanked anyone for retweeting your tweets – YOU…might be a Twitter Bot.

If the last time you tweeted was a while ago, and your only tweets were about a big donation drive like Colorado Gives Day or Pepsi-Refresh voting – YOU might be a Twitter Bot.

If all you ever tweet is “famous quotes” – YOU might be a Twitter Bot.

If you have discovered that you might be a Twitter Bot, you might be saying, “Isn’t tweeting something better than nothing?”  To be honest, I would have to say the answer is no.  The reason is because there are really Twitter Bots out there that look just like you when you do these things and you may be giving the audience too much credit for knowing the difference between your nonprofit organization and a Twitter Bot whose purpose on Twitter is unknown. 

In short, it is a turn-off to look like a Bot.  By not looking to see who is retweeting your tweets (go to @mentions or retweets, your tweets retweeted on your Twitter page), you have truly given a very bad impression about your organization, rather than what you thought you were doing (which was hopefully to educate people and garner support for your organization).  On Twitter, you can’t just put out information.  You have to listen and give back to your audience.

If you want to learn how to un-Bot your Twitter account, read our report:

Read the report – pdf

Follow us on Twitter @CommUlinks and @ConnectColorado

Back in October, CommUlinks of Colorado produced a report on Twitter use by Colorado Nonprofits. (Read the report – pdf ).  In that report, we named ten organizations we called the Top Birds, who had a strong presence on Twitter.

Since we published that report and have been telling nonprofits about the power of Twitter, several organizations are now giving our Top Birds a run for their money and gaining influence on Twitter.  For fun, we are calling them Phoenix Tweeters.  While there were no ashes for them to rise from, they are definitely rising to glory. 

What makes these nonprofits so special on Twitter?  They all have some things they do well in common:

1)      Always the first on this list is that they follow back people and companies who follow them.

2)      They acknowledge followers who pay attention to them, whether by simply saying thank you to a follower or by retweeting or mentioning them in a FridayFollow or #FF

3)      They all have lists on their Twitter account where they add followers who are noticing them.

4)      They tweet regularly (daily or at least several times a week)

5)      They tweet interesting things that are related to their mission. The tweets are diverse and include links newspaper articles, videos, blog posts, photos.

6)      They are thanking their donors and volunteers publicly.

7)      They are increasing their following or they already have a significant following.

8)      They aren’t tweeting everything through Facebook.

9)      They are opportunity seekers, meaning they realize when a follower might have something to offer them and they ask for support.

These are the Phoenix Tweeters, along with additional special notes about what they are doing are:

Focus Reentry - @focusreentry on Twitter – What I like about this group is that they engage with their followers.  They are looking for opportunities, but they are also giving a lot to their followers.  They also express appreciation well and often.

Food Bank of the Rockies - @FoodBankRockies on Twitter – This organization is noticing when people are talking about them on Twitter, even if their Twitter name is not being used.  (When someone mentions you on Twitter using your @name, you can see those on a notification list.  But to find those talking about you otherwise, you either have to search for them or read the tweets of your followers. This means they go out of their way to notice). 

EarthLinks - @EarthLinks_CO on Twitter – When I think of EarthLinks, I think of excitement for their mission.  That is how they come across on Twitter.  They tweet fun photos of what they are doing and they engage really well with followers.  They also soak up information about how to improve their presence on Twitter.  They have made a lot of progress since I looked at them weeks ago. 

Kids in Need of Dentistry - @Kindsmiles on Twitter – KIND has only been on Twitter for a little over a month but they are rapidly increasing their following.  What is great about KIND is that even though they are also using Facebook and sending those status updates to Twitter, they are not ignoring their Twitter account.  They always say thank you and they pay attention to tweets from their followers, even tweets that aren’t about them.

Turning Point - @Turning_Point on Twitter – This organization is making sure they are thanking those who are donating to them and volunteering.  They also have some great lists, which helps them to increase their following. 

Bluff Lake Nature Center - @BluffLake on Twitter – Bluff Lake keeps ending up in the Charitable Colorado paper produced by CommUlinks because of the great links they post. They promote visiting Bluff Lake while also providing fun and interesting educational information about nature in general.  I think of them as being “highly retweetable.”

Community Shares of Colorado - @csharescolorado on Twitter – Twitter is such a great tool for an organization like Community Shares.  They have really stepped up their tweeting in the last couple of months, too.  They are using lists really well and provide a variety of tweets.

Bonfils Blood Center - @bonfilsdotorg on Twitter – Bonfils has had a good presence on Twitter for a while, but I am highlighting them now because I love the action-oriented tweets they send out.  I also really like the fact that they always know when someone is tweeting about them and they seize every opportunity to promote blood donation. 

Challenge Aspen - @ChallengeAspen on Twitter – The use of lists is really important on Twitter and Challenge Aspen uses them well.  I also really like the variety of their tweets and the fact that they tweet using links that are not to Facebook.  Although they use Constant Contact to tweet, they also pay attention to their Twitter account.

There are many organizations that were not highlighted in this article that have great followings on Twitter and are tweeting really interesting things.  They are not mentioned here because they are not using lists at all.  As I said several times, the use of lists is really important.  Lists get you more followers and help to engage the followers you do have. 

We have noticed while watching Colorado nonprofits interact on Twitter that so many of you have very few followers.  It seems that many of you are waiting for people to come to you when it is not neccessary for you to wait.  Without followers, your tweeting is wasted!  People on Twitter don't see your tweets if you are not following them, unless the few followers you do have retweet you. 

I have seen this phenomenon before - when it comes to asking for donations.  Many organizations are actually timid about asking people for donations, as if it is akin to begging.  But what do you get when you don't ask?  Well, you already know the answer to that!

So what to do?

Go find some followers!  CommUlinks has made it very easy for Colorado nonprofits to get followers.  First, create a private list on your Twitter page.  Name it "recently followed" or a date.  Then, go to our @ConnectColorado page, click on "Followers" and follow those Twitter users.  Put each one on your new list.  When they follow you back, take them off of the list.  This will help you keep track of those who do not follow you back.  Later, go back and unfollow those who do not follow you back so they do not affect your following limit. 

Now, create another list that is public.  Call it something like "Friends of (your org)."  Whenever one of your followers retweets you, put them on that list as a thank you. 

Want to do more?  Well, go to your own Twitter page and click on "Listed" to see the list of people who have listed you.  Make sure you put everyone who has listed you on your "Friends of.." list.  Look at the list that person has put you on, and follow people on that list. 

Really, they don't bite!  People expect others to follow them!  They want to increase their following as much as you do!  You will be surprised at the friends you will make!

Watch your following grow! 

 

“I honestly didn't understand the value Twitter could add to our communications. A key piece of our strategy in 2011 will entail efforts to raise our visibility in CO and the US. I now feel that Twitter may be one on the most valuable tools to implement our strategy.” - a Colorado Nonprofit

Recently, CommUlinks of Colorado conducted a survey that asked Colorado Nonprofits what they have gained in measurable results from Twitter use.  The organizations responded overwhelmingly (62.5%) that they have made important networking connections.  Following closely behind those connections, 56.3% said that they have increased supporters who advocate on their behalf. 

What does it really mean to make great connections on Twitter?  One organization commented in our survey that they still need to understand more about how to turn followers on Twitter into better connections, but some organizations have already figured out how to take that bird and run with it in truly creative ways. 

One extremely creative nonprofit reported that they turned a Twitter relationship into a face-to-face partnership which has reaped enormous benefits.  The organization went to a Twitter party hosted by one of their followers which connected them with some very influential bloggers who are also on Twitter.  As a result, they have been able to increase their visibility and credibility and have reached people they never would have reached otherwise.  This organization also ties their Twitter account to a blog, and because of that they have been asked to submit guest blog posts on prominent blogs.

Another way in which nonprofits are making valuable connections is in finding and following other, like-minded organizations on Twitter.  Very frequently these relationships result in partnerships or in helping to get out a message that the organizations have in common.  Tweeting about an awareness week or alerting others quickly about a national news story that impacts several communities happens every day on Twitter.  These are win-win situations.

As we have said in previous blog posts, your communications on Twitter cannot be a one-way stream of tweets that are simply asking people to do something for you.  To turn these relationships into something that really matters, you need to get to know some of your followers and find ways to support them and partner with them.  The way to start is by actually reading the tweets of your followers – and responding to those that you can, or asking them what they do. Look at their profiles on Twitter and you may be surprised how many are connected in ways that you need!  We are finding that nonprofits generally are not reading the tweets of their followers much at all, and missing so many opportunities.  Every day, we see organizations who do not even notice when people are tweeting about them. 

Read the Report

Every day, CommUlinks of Colorado is promoting Colorado nonprofits on Twitter.  We do this through our two Twitter accounts, @ConnectColorado and @CommUlinks by retweeting your tweets and through an Internet paper we produce called Charitable Colorado.  We also have a blog through @ConnectColorado where we highlight things that are going on and we plan to do more of that in 2011.

The most recent issue of Charitable Colorado included stories from 30 Colorado nonprofits.  The stories are compiled from tweets.  Organizations that tweet links to stories, articles, blog posts, etc., automatically get included in the paper.  While the paper is actually produced daily, we only tweet the paper once per week.  We tweet it both on our @CommUlinks Twitter account and on @ConnectColorado where we now have over 6,000 Colorado followers. 

If you want your organization included in the paper and retweeted by us regularly, here are the things you need to do:

1. Follow us back on @ConnectColorado.  We keep two nonprofit lists on that Twitter account: Those who follow us back and those who do not.  We retweet those who follow us back.  When we do retweet you on @ConnectColorado, you are included in our paper as well.
2. Tweet with direct links – not to Facebook.  Facebook posts don’t show up in the paper but if you tweet stories, they do.  Only tweets with links appear in the paper.
3. Tweet pictures of events going on at your organization.  Those often appear on the front page of the paper. 
4. Use Charitable Colorado as another way to bring attention to your organization.  When we tweet it and you are in it, retweet it! 
5. Use hashtags concerning your mission or the gist of your link in your tweets such as #domesticviolence #hunger #homelessness #childabuse #education.  These hashtags generate special pages in the Charitable Colorado paper. 
6. You can tweet the Charitable Colorado paper any time you want.  Simply log in to your Twitter account, go to the site http://paper.li/commulinks/charitable-colorado and click on tweet.  You can change the tweet to show that you are in it when you do.

Speaking of Facebook – so many of you are tweeting directly from Facebook and still are not noticing what is happening on Twitter when you do.  People are paying attention to you but you aren’t noticing.  We have said this a lot but it is really important.  Please, log into your Twitter account and see who is retweeting you!  Then thank them. 

We started the Charitable Colorado paper a few weeks ago and have already included hundreds of organizations in it.  Has your organization been in it?  There are archives to the paper so you can find out. 

Read Today’s Issue and Archives:  http://t.co/lXvkc1y

If your last tweet or Facebook post was a message asking people to donate to your organization on Colorado Gives Day, then you have taken care of the “get” part of this message and it is time to turn to the “give.”   

Twitter and Facebook are all about social interactions.  Your messages to your followers should not be all about what you need from them.  In fact, giving your attention to your followers is the way to the “get.”   

What do your followers want? 

1. They want to know that they have had a direct impact.  To address this, tell them how your Colorado Gives Day dollars will be used.  Tell them stories about how your constituents or your cause has been impacted by their involvement.  Tell them what cash “buys” for the people you serve. 
2. They want to feel that all efforts to support you, monetary or not, are valued.  Tell your followers about all the ways people have helped your organization recently.  Did people help you get more followers?  Have they retweeted your tweets?  Did someone help you to make a valuable connection? 
3. They want you to engage with them.  Twitter and Facebook are all about two-way relationships.  Take time to read others’ status updates and tweets.  Make comments on their updates or share them.  Retweet things that your followers on Twitter are talking about if they remotely apply to your mission.  Show them that you are not just there to “get.”
4. They want to be educated.  Create a YouTube video to share with your followers.  You don’t necessarily need a video camera to create one.  Tell your story. 

Facebook is a place where you can engage daily with your “friends.”  Twitter is a place where you make new friends.  With millions of people using these tools, your organization can gain a great deal by making a concerted effort to engage with people this way. 

CommUlinks of Colorado wants to see Colorado Nonprofits build a much stronger presence in the world of social media.  In 2011, we plan to do even more.  Please take a moment to take our survey about your use of Twitter.

Take the brief survey now

We will use the information we gather to write articles that can help the nonprofit sector use these tools more effectively. 

Don’t forget to read our report on Colorado Nonprofits’ use of Twitter:

Read the report (pdf)

As you know, Colorado Gives Day was a monumental success!  Enormous thanks goes out to Giving First for making the event possible. 

Colorado Gives Day was the perfect type of event to promote on social media.  It was something that everyone in Colorado could be interested in supporting.  If your organization was not using Twitter, you really missed something special.  People were tweeting right up until midnight about it.  When I was talking to someone at a nonprofit this morning, he told me that his organization’s presence on Twitter yielded a large number of new supporters who donated to the organization and who retweeted their Colorado Gives Day events and pleas for donations.

For those of you who did use Twitter for your promotions, here are some follow-up items that will help you to continue to build your base of support in preparation for next year’s Colorado Gives Day, and every day.

• Go back through your @mentions and  “your tweets retweeted” on your Twitter page and make sure you are following every person who retweeted your tweets. 
• Create a Twitter list such as “our supporters” and add everyone to that list who supported you.
• Thank everyone who retweeted you by sending them an @mention. 

Several organizations have even been sending out emails to people who supported them on Twitter.  They have obviously gone the extra mile to follow links from people’s twitter pages to get email addresses.  This is a very good idea!  Kudos to those of you who thought of this. 

Some organizations are still not realizing that scores of people are supporting them on Twitter.  Some are still not following back those who support them or thanking people.  That is very unfortunate because you are missing great opportunities.  Some of you were still tweeting through Facebook and not paying attention to your Twitter account.  That is also unfortunate because people were there retweeting you and you had no idea. 

CommUlinks is conducting a survey about your results in using Twitter.  Some of you took the survey before Colorado Gives Day.  We invite you to take the survey and add information about how Twitter helped you:

Take the Survey

In the coming months, CommUlinks of Colorado will be doing a lot more to help you to improve your presence on Twitter.  Stay tuned!  Make sure you are following both @ConnectColorado and @CommUlinks on Twitter, and that you are reading our tweets. 

Congratulations to all of you.  We have read about some of you receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations due to Colorado Gives Day! What a memorable day it was.

The key to getting seen on Colorado Gives Day (today!) is to make sure you tweet regularly using the #COGivesDay hashtag.  When someone clicks on the link to #COGivesDay, they see a timeline of tweets.  The timeline works similarly to how you appear in a Google Search.  You want your organization to be near the top! 

Please read my other blog post about using the #COGivesDay hashtag.  It's really important as we are working throughout the day to try and "trend" on Twitter, which is not easy to do!  However, the Colorado Nonprofit Association has said that reports are showing we are reaching thousands. 

Keep tweeting!  We are retweeting like crazy over @ConnectColorado for you!

As you know, Commulinks operates the @ConnectColorado Twitter page which currently has over 5,800 Colorado followers.  Followers on that page are very engaged with us.  We have been and will continue to retweet your messages about Colorado Gives Day. 

In order to get the most clicks from your Twitter campaign, especially outside of your current field of influence, your tweets should reduce wasted words and include more important information.  Followers of @ConnectColorado are more likely to click on links that are related to their own community.  So when you are tweeting about #COGivesDay, please include the name of your town with a hashtag for your town.  For example:

#Longmont: Support @nonoprofitname on #COGivesDay (link to profile)

If possible, also add something about what you do, also using a hashtag:

#Longmont: Support @nonprofitname on #COGivesDay. We are working to end #hunger + #homelessness in our community. (linktoyourprofile)

The more you use hashtags the better because experienced Twitter users are very familiar with them and they are used to a large extent.  (See our other blog post on hashtags).  If you are a statewide organization, use #Colorado.

Be sure to keep your posts under 120 characters to enable lots of retweeting.  Include your link to your Colorado Gives Day profile.

Those of you who are posting through Facebook to Twitter are losing a lot of your message!  You really need to look at your Twitter page to see how your Facebook posts are coming through on Twitter.  For #COGivesDay, you should tweet directly from Twitter at least some of the time! 

Good luck! 

Colorado Gives Day is now just two days away.  At @ConnectColorado on Twitter, Commulinks is gearing up for the big day of tweeting in support of Colorado Nonprofits.  If your organization is participating in Colorado Gives Day, and you are not already on the list we built that includes everyone we can find who is tweeting about the big day, let us know so we can include your organization.

One of the most vital tools that people use on twitter is a hashtag.  Whenever you tweet using a hashtag (which means using a pound sign before a term), Twitter users can click on that hashtag to read every tweet that contains that hashtag.  Hashtags also trend on Twitter if enough people are using it during a certain period of time. 

You can also add hashtags that apply to your mission, which draws attention.  Many missions have common hashtags like #art #hunger #childabuse.  Do a little searching to see what might apply to you.  People who are interested in these missions do click on those hashtags and you may get supporters you did not expect. 

It is vitally important that all nonprofits that are part of Colorado Gives Day use the #COGivesDay hashtag and others.

Be sure to read our other blog posts concerning Colorado Gives Day as well.

Colorado Gives Day is just one week away.  Is your organization ready to make the “blitz” on Twitter?  Many of you are not.

Your success is going to depend on the frequency and reach of your tweets and other outreach and events you are doing.  On Twitter, you many be tweeting in an empty forest if you don’t follow these three steps:

1. Go through your current “followers” list and follow back nearly every person following you, especially those in Colorado.  Although they are following you, you do not have their attention because you are not following them back.  Don’t be so selective.  You never know who is going to support you.
2. Get more followers.  Go through @ConnectColorado’s list of followers and follow them.  The vast majority of the followers on @ConnectColorado are people and companies from Colorado.  You will increase your following significantly if you follow them.

    Also, ask your current followers to help you increase your

    following. 

1. Prepare your messaging for Twitter.  Make certain your messaging is “retweetable” – use less than 120 characters for each tweet so people will retweet you. 

CommUlinks of Colorado wants to see each one of you be extremely successful on Colorado Gives Day.  We will be retweeting you through @ConnectColorado as much as possible, as we have been doing already.  Good luck to all of you!

Gaining more support for nonprofits in Colorado is in the interest of every organization and every person who may ever be involved with a charity or need support from one.  Some nonprofits are just beginning to harness the power of social media and others have been ahead of the rest.  One thing is for sure, the more nonprofits use Twitter in particular, the more they are weaving a web of support for the sector as a whole. 

In order to continue building our state-wide web of support, nonprofits need to learn a few more tips for using Twitter effectively.  CommUlinks of Colorado developed a report for this purpose.  It can be found here: http://bit.ly/bKeTDq. 

Today, we would like to offer the suggestion that you spend some time building your list of followers.  Start by going over your @mentions to see which of your current followers may be retweeting your messages.  Check their list of followers and follow them.  Keep track of who you are trying to follow using a private list. 

CommUlinks is conducting a survey of nonprofits using Twitter to learn about outcomes they have experienced as a result of using Twitter.  Please take the survey at: http://bit.ly/cHzLyG and we will write a future blog post about the results.  

Could you operate your organization without answering the phones?  What if potential supporters were calling to donate, volunteer or inquire about your most important annual fundraising event and their calls went to voice mail, where nobody picked up the messages?

Well it is happening, dear Colorado nonprofit friends.

On Twitter.

CommUlinks of Colorado has been operating a Twitter account called @ConnectColorado for some time.  The purpose of that Twitter page is to promote community, volunteering and donating to nonprofits.  We have nearly 5,500 Colorado followers.  We have been tweeting and retweeting nonprofit messages and sometimes even sending you direct messages.

The problem is, many of you have not even noticed.  And if you are not noticing our efforts at all, then you most likely do not know that others are retweeting you and sending you shoutouts as well.  We even mentioned some of you in a report about the improving your effectiveness on Twitter.  Every day, we try to think of new ways to create an opportunity for you to tweet with us. 

Twitter is a remarkable tool when you use it well.  We are currently collecting information through a survey about the results nonprofits are having by using it and will write more about it in the future, but we have also seen it first-hand.  Every day, there are other tweets happening that give you opportunities to talk about your mission and gain supporters.

We want to help make sure that Colorado nonprofits are a force on Twitter.  Please read our report on what you can do to improve your effectiveness on Twitter and follow us back at @ConnectColorado and our official company site, @CommUlinks where we tweet about a broad variety of nonprofit issues.