As I mentioned in my last blog post, Entering the World of Online Fundraising: A few free tools to get you started, I’ve been trying to expand my knowledge of the possibilities and challenges associated with online fundraising.  A report released this week by Convio, Insights into Integrated Marketing Constituent Behavior, provides interesting data to suggest that organizations can increase their development success by implementing online strategies that complement their traditional fundraising methods.

Looking specifically at the experiences of a large international nonprofit, CARE, Convio explored what happens when a nonprofit transitions to dual-channel marketing or, in other words, when they work to engage people both through traditional direct mail tactics as well as through online techniques. Based on their analysis of CARE’s donor data, Convio reports that dual-channel donors are the most valuable. Specifically:

Does your nonprofit inspire others to make a difference? Do you have stories to share that could help shape the future? Are you “Fearless”?

DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then enter your nonprofit in the 6^th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, generously supported by Cisco, The Case Foundation, and the Nonprofit Technology Network. Video entries are eligible to win up to $14,000 in cash prizes and $6,000 in products divided among the winning nonprofits. Winning videos will be featured on YouTube and the winners will receive free registration to the 2013 Nonprofit Technology Conference. Along with those great prizes, The Case Foundation will also award one $2,500 grant for the most “Fearless” video in each of the four categories: Best Small Organization Video, Best Medium Organization Video, Best Large Organization Video, and Best Storytelling Video.

The DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards were started to promote nonprofits successfully and creatively using video as a catalyst for social change. Over the past six years, Video Award winners have received thousands of dollars in grants and prizes. Just last year, more than 1400 entries were submitted by 821 organizations across the world and prizes were awarded to Post Carbon Institute, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin, American Jewish World Service, and Watershed Management Group.

To enter the 6^th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, you will need a YouTube account and to submit your inspirational, mission-driven, “Fearless” video by February 29, 2012 here. Judges will select and notify the four finalists of each category by March 12, public voting begins through YouTube on March 14, and winners will be announced on April 5.

Don’t forget to submit your film now. February 29 is quickly approaching!

Guest post by Sara Spivey, Chief Marketing Officer, Convio, Inc.
Originally posted on the Integrated Marketing Advisory Board blog

I live in a two name household. I got married after I had already started down a career track and I decided to keep my maiden name for business purposes. My husband was not bothered by this (although interestingly, it bothers my two daughters for some reason) so I’ve never changed it. You would think in this day and age of divorces, remarriages, single parenting, domestic partner parenting and the like, this would not seem to stump ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ENTITY that sends us hard mail, e-mail, and solicits us by phone. But it does. The question I have is WHY???

The answer would appear simple — they don’t take the time to really know who I or my husband is, or how we are associated. This is mildly irritating to me. We’ve been married with two different names for 20 years. You’d think Vendor A would know this by now. It’s also expensive for them. The amount of hard mail recycled (and before recycled, put into a landfill somewhere), emails deleted, and phone messages not listened to is staggering. But the “soft” cost of irritating me is even more expensive. I haven’t bought anything at Vendor A for 5 years. And I won’t, because I think their marketing department is full of idiots who can’t quite grasp the BASICS of householding.

I share this anecdote because it is but one microcosm of the effect that poorly integrated marketing has. Multiply by millions of organizations and billions of people and think about the indirect and direct profit loss. How much higher could the US GDP be if all these organizations captured 1% more revenue? How much more investment in innovation and expansion could be made with a mere single percentage point of gross margin? The impact could be staggering.

There are organizations that do it well, and I reward them richly as my Visa bill would attest. For example, when I log into Vendor B (where we have a shared account), they ask me if I am Michael or Sara. They know what I purchased last, they suggest new items based on what I bought, and when I check out, they thank me. They do the same for my husband. They get a little confused by my teenagers because they buy under both of our credit cards, but all in all, a fantastic integrated experience. Bravo. Vendor B is one of the most profitable retailers in the world, and it isn’t JUST because they are 100% online.

My point is this:  A commitment to building an integrated marketing experience and really understanding your buyers or donors is the best investment you can make in long-term marketing return and customer loyalty. Make 2012 the year you commit to it.

A published author, with dreams of living in Italy when she retires, Sara Spivey serves as the Chief Marketing Officer for Convio. With 25 (±) years of marketing experience Sara knows that listening to the market and what makes clients and buyers happy is the key to success. As a professional marketer, she enjoys developing programs that reveal something to people that they hadn’t really thought about doing, or only dreamed of doing, and then provide them software and services to do it. She believes humor and intellect are important in being successful and with two soon to be teenage daughters, she’s going to need both just to stay ahead.

Today, on Valentine’s Day, heart-shaped chocolates, bundles of pink tulips and singing telegrams abound, but Greenlights’ Business Partners have something sweet to share all year-round…  deals for our members!

Last year, Greenlights launched its Business Partner Program in an effort to help lower costs and increase access to the products and services nonprofits need. We’re happy to report that the list of partners and services keeps growing! Before you make your next purchase, be sure to check out the special deals and discounts offered by our partners as they often have just what you need, for less!

No matter what’s on your shopping list, our Business Partners have you covered:

Event Services

Benefit auctioneer (FUNauctions)

Financial Services

Financial planning, audit and tax expertise (Allman & Associates, Maxwell Locke & Ritter, Padgett Stratemann & Co., PMB Helin Donovan LLP, and Raymond James & Associates)

Online credit card and ACH payment processing (AffiniPay)

Fund accounting software (Sage)

Bookkeeping and back-office support (Easy Office)

Banking (University Federal Credit Union)

HR, Insurance & Legal

HR systems, payroll processing and background checks (ADP)

Talent recruitment (campus2careers)

Retirement and cafeteria plans (Benefit Systems, Inc.)

Health benefits plan (TexHealth Central Texas)

Directors and Officers Liability Insurance (Wortham Insurance & Risk Management)

Legal advise (Texas Legal Protection Plan)

Information Technology

Technology consultant (IT Freedom, KELL Partners, and Nonprofit R+D)

Database and web application expertise (Prelude Interactive)

Marketing & Communications

Email marketing software (Emma)

Marketing/PR services (Morris Ink Advertising Agency)

Video production (One Story Productions)

Professional Development

Professional Seminars (UT Austin’s Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations)

Special discounts and deals offered by our Business Partners are just some of the great benefits organizations and individuals gain access to when they become a Greenlights member. Check out all the benefits of membership and join or renew membership in the month of February and we’ll enter you for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!

Could your organization benefit from other special deals? Tell us what you’re shopping for in the comments below!

Okay, that sounds a bit melodramatic… but I believe it.

Whether or not you choose to embrace it, we are surrounded by a highly-connected, always-evolving social ecosystem that has found its voice online. Our up-and-coming leaders are willing to turn down a car or higher salary for flexibility and connectedness. And, let’s face it, many of us are unprepared for an era where the most important skill is the ability to acquire new skills.

How “Social” Is Your Culture?

The organizations who do not work hard to develop and embrace a social culture will struggle to survive in the coming years and many will fail. So, how social is your culture?

Developing a social organization, or a networked nonprofit, requires a certain type of organizational culture, let’s call it a social culture, that supports the organization in developing and cultivating valuable, long-term relationships, online and off.

You have a Facebook account, right? And maybe you’re using Twitter, or maybe you’ve gotten creative and are using social media in innovative ways. But don’t let the shiny tech toys distract you. The organizations that attempt to be social, but do not evolve their culture, will likely find themselves called out by the social masses. Organizations need to adopt a philosophical commitment to being social, rather than focusing on the tools.

Developing a Values-Driven Social Culture

Where to start? There are certain steps to develop and sustain a winning organizational culture, but how do you ensure that your culture supports your work as a social organization? While there is no single answer that is right for everyone, I’ll share what has worked for us at Greenlights.

At Greenlights, we recently evaluated and modified our core values to ensure that they’re still relevant to our staff and our goals as an organization, many of which are hinged on our ability to develop and sustain valuable relationships between Greenlights and our constituents. Many of our core values, if not all, support our work in developing strong relationships. Particularly, our values of integrity, collaboration, learning and service excellence are integral to our work and our ability to create a social culture at Greenlights.

To incorporate our values at Greenlights, we evaluate each other on them annually and ask value-related questions of all new hires, including our interns. On occasion, we revisit our values and update them to make sure they remain relevant. We post them on our website, in our office and in our individual offices so that our core values are always accessible and top-of-mind.

Developing a “Social Staff”

Another important element to creating a social culture at Greenlights has been to encourage social behaviors among all staff, like monitoring and participating in the conversation online, reading blogs authored by our colleagues in the nonprofit sector, and recommending new ways to enhance our work through social media. We share our listening dashboard with all new hires and encourage everyone to help us engage in social media, with training from me, the Communications Manager.

Leadership and culture go hand-in-hand. To ensure our values and social behaviors are demonstrated by leadership, President and Executive Director Matt Kouri is evaluated by all staff on his demonstration of our values, and he’s active in social media!

You can find Matt on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. He writes for Greenlights’ blog and does great when needed to, ohhhh I dunno, play a Micheal Scott-like character for the video we premiered at our 10^th Anniversary, The Greenlights Office.

And we have room for improvement. We’re currently updating our social media policy and will be sharing it with all Greenlights’ staff, interns and anyone how communicates online on Greenlights’ behalf. I also hope to improve our work in tracking social media data, especially engagement, in our CRM so that we have a better picture of a stakeholder’s full engagement with Greenlights, online and off.

It takes a lot of work, but it seems clear that such efforts are going to be increasingly necessary if Greenlights – and other nonprofits – are to be vital and relevant in years to come.

Do you see the need for such a social culture at your organization?  What tips or ideas do you have about creating social culture in the workplace?