The Nonprofit Strategist: Making Nonprofits Click

My newest "Nonprofit Strategist" column is up at Benchmark Email's website, and I hope you'll take a look. This month I'm talking about Ori and Rom Brafman's book Click: The Magic of Instant Connections (Broadway Books, 2010). They didn't write this as a business tome, per se, but the concepts that they present about how we interact and connect with others are interesting ones for the professional and the personal worlds.

From my post:

Now, I'm one of those people who believe that we meet the people we meet in life for a reason. There are just too many people in this world for us to be meeting the ones we meet for no good reason ... hence the people we meet need to matter.  Call it karma, fate, providence, whatever you want.

But this clicking business ... I always thought it was sort of serendipitous, a bit of magic. As it turns out, magic is actually part of it but there is more psychology involved than one might think.  What's even more fascinating is that it is actually possible to create these moments because in almost every instance when we click with someone, the same five factors (or, "accelerators") are generally at play.

If you have anything to do with donors or volunteers or organizing special events or dealing with people, read the entire post ("Making Nonprofits Click") here.

How Two Words Can Change the Tune of Your Nonprofit Organization

The Nonproft Strategist (also known as my monthly column for Benchmark Email's blog series) is live on their site today. In it, I talk about how just two words need to be the linchpin of your development program and how National Volunteer Week gives you a chance to put this into action for little to no cost.

I'd love for you to check out the post and share your thoughts either here or there.

How Two Words Can Change the Tune of Your Nonprofit Organization.

Special thanks to my friend Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan of Sweet Tooth Communications, LLC for being part of this month's post.


Previous Nonprofit Strategist columns:
3 Ways to Turn Your Nonprofit's Presence into Presents 
Blogging: The New Professional Networking Event

Introducing The Nonprofit Strategist

I have a new writing gig, starting today, with the folks over at Benchmark Email. They've kindly asked me to join their superb lineup of guest bloggers and I am thrilled.

I crowdsourced the idea for the title among my Facebook friends, who seemed to like "The Nonprofit Strategist" best out of the possibilities I proposed. The Benchmark people even made me a snazzy graphic for this new column.

On the 12th of each month, I'll be there talking about issues of interest to nonprofit professionals: fundraising, communications, social media, and much more. Today's post is Blogging: The New Professional Networking Event, about how blogging, if done well and strategically, can have just as much impact for nonprofits as attending networking events. Maybe even more.

I'd love for you to check today's post out and let me know what you think.

3 Ways to Turn Your Non-Profit's Presence Into Presents

I was recently tapped to be a guest blogger for the folks at Benchmark Email, and I'm incredibly proud to be among the contributors they have on their site. (Seriously, to share the same screen as Chris Brogan?!)

My first post is part of Benchmark's "Presence for Non-Profits" series. I'd love for you to check it out and let us know what you think.

Here's the beginning:

When I saw my friend’s text, I immediately went into cruise director mode. (Those of you who are children of the 1980s like me can just call me Julie McCoy for the remainder of this guest post.)

Coming to Pittsburgh next week! Never been. No idea what to see or do.

I was thrilled with the possibility of catching up with my college friend, meeting his partner and showing them the highlights of my new city. Knowing their interests, I sent a Facebook message back with suggestions of places to see – museums, cultural attractions, historical sites.

While looking over my list, I realized that I hadn’t been to any of these places.

None.

So, in making my list for my friends, what was I relying on to try and make sure they would have a great time here? ... continue reading 3 Ways to Turn Your Non-Profit's Presence Into Presents here.