Brandraising Jewishly

November 7-9, 2010
How can you use communications to take your Jewish organization to the next level? See how different Jewish nonprofits, including Masa Israel Journey, American Jewish World Service and the Foundation for Jewish Camp have been able to maintain their Jewish identity in a fresh modern way to engage audiences of all affiliations. Based on Sarah Durham's book "Brandraising: How to Raise Money and Increase Visibility through Smart Communications", (Jossey-Bass, 2010) this session, facilitated by Sarah Durham, will link vision, mission, to branding and beyond. It will help you expand the tools you use to communicate online and off, work with partners in the field, and ensure you're all speaking with one voice. (More)
brandraising, capacity-building, fundraising, Sarah Durham

Brandraising: One organization, many channels

October 22, 2010, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
As you expand the tools you use to communicate online and offline, and as staff member's roles change, how do you ensure you're all speaking with one voice? Based on Sarah Durham's book, Brandraising: How to Raise Money and Increase Visibility through Smart Communications, (Jossey-Bass, 2010), this session, facilitated by Sarah Durham, will link vision, mission, branding, and beyond with a particular focus on websites, social media, and other online channels that fundraisers can use to cultivate, solicit, and steward donor relationships. (More)
brandraising, capacity-building, positioning, Sarah Durham

Managing Your Personal and Professional Brand in Social Media

October 21, 2010, 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.

You. Your professional life. Your personal life. Social Media. It’s not enough to have Facebook and Twitter accounts—you need to understand the changes these tools represent in the ways we communicate. As our personal and professional lives blend together, we’ll explore such questions as:

  • How can you leverage the power of social media to build relationships with colleagues, clients, potential employers and the like?
  • How can you harness the conversations that are happening about you and our issues – conversations that we don’t control – to build awareness for your brands and your work?
  • How do you represent yourself while also serving as spokesperson for your organization?
  • What is the big idea you want associated with your own brand and how can you shape that online?
  • Is the online ‘you’ different from the offline/real ‘you?’

    • (More)
    branding, capacity-building, Farra Trompeter, social media

    Business Success

    October 13, 2010, 3:45 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

    In partnership with noted consultant David C. Baker, the 2010 MYOB Conference presents a program packed with expert speakers who know first-hand the challenges design firms face; thought-provoking sessions to help you improve your bottom line; and the rare opportunity to network with other creative firm principals.

    It’s 3 days of close-up, nuts-and-bolts problem solving combined with big-picture, long-term planning. You’ll look at your work, your clients and your marketing from a whole new angle— and find solutions to some of your toughest business problems.

    (More)
    capacity-building, entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, Sarah Durham

    Brandraising: An Integrated Approach to Nonprofit Communications

    Friday, October 8, 2010, 9 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
    Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
    Nonprofits must communicate effectively with clients, policymakers, and other key audiences in order to 'move the needle' and create social change, yet most nonprofit staff have limited experience with marketing or communications. Learn how to use research to inform communications strategies, the role and impact of branding, and how to leverage newer online tools and technologies. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, communications strategy, Sarah Durham

    Managing Your Personal and Professional Brand in Social Media

    October 8, 2010, 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
    Who are you and how do you represent yourself online? It’s not enough to have Facebook and Twitter accounts—you need to understand the changes these tools represent in the ways we communicate. As our personal and professional lives blend together, Farra Trompeter will help you explore the big idea you want associated with your own brand and how can you shape that online. As the communications landscape changes, everyone on staff serves at the organization's spokesperson--not just the executive director or board chair. How you and your colleagues use social media can greatly impact your organization's reputation with key stakeholders. In this workshop, we'll also review all the major social media channels and discuss how you can use them to build relationships. Finally, we'll look at some guidelines you might set for your organization to help set policies for everyone who works for (and therefore represents) you online. (More)
    branding, capacity-building, Farra Trompeter, social media

    Brandraising

    Thursday, October 7, 2010 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
    As you expand the tools you use to communicate online and off and staff's roles change, how do you ensure you're all speaking with one voice? Based on Sarah Durham's book "Brandraising: How to Raise Money and Increase Visibility through Smart Communications", (Jossey-Bass, 2010) this session will introduce nonprofits to the concepts of Brandraising that can help you improve your fundraising, outreach and relationship-building communications. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, marketing, Sarah Durham

    Brandraising: Digging out of the trenches of daily communications

    Tuesday, October 5th, 2010, 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
    Are you so busy with your day-to-day tasks that you haven’t stopped to take the time to look at the bigger picture? It’s time to get out of the trenches- or, at least, make sure you’re digging effectively toward results. In the final part of the brandraising webinar series, Big Duck Principal + Founder Sarah Durham and VP of Strategy and Client Relationships Farra Trompeter will explain how to create and implement a communications plan and strategy. Based on Sarah’s book Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communication (Jossey-Bass, 2010). (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, communications strategy, Sarah Durham

    Brandraising: Visual work through a strategic lens

    Tuesday, September 28th, 2010, 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
    Thinking about a new logo or designing a new website? Before you put pen to paper, have you thought about how it should reflect the tone and style of your organization? In the second of this three-part webinar series, Big Duck Principal + Founder Sarah Durham and Design Director Sonny Mui will discuss how to think strategically before you dive into a major redesign of your logo, website, or other key communications. You’ll get tips about how to make the process work so that you end up with something smart that sticks. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, design, Sarah Durham

    Brandraising

    September 23, 2010
    Fundraisers are front-line communicators in most organizations. They help set and steer the organization's communications materials, speak on its behalf, and manage all sorts of perceptions and misperceptions that donors and prospects have. But most fundraisers don't fully embrace this aspect of their role. In the quest for support, key communications elements like the organization's branding, the tools and technologies it uses to build relationships, even the mission can be overlooked, or worse, thrown under the bus. In her keynote presentation, Sarah Durham, author of "Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money through Smart Communications" (Jossey-Bass, 2010), will inspire you to embrace your inner (and outer) communicator- and use it as a powerful tool to reinvigorate your fundraising. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, fundraising, Sarah Durham

    Brandraising: Getting started, and messaging

    Tuesday, September 21st, 2010, 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
    Is your organization considering a rebrand? How do you know if it’s the right time, where to begin, or how to proceed? How do you approach it strategically and cost-effectively? This webinar, led by Big Duck’s Principal + Founder Sarah Durham and Director of Copywriting Dan Gunderman will give you an overview of what’s involved in an effective nonprofit branding process. In particular, we’ll focus on messaging and how to use it to advance your fundraising, advocacy and programs objectives. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, copywriting, Sarah Durham

    Brandraising: One organization, many channels

    Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
    As you expand the tools you use to communicate online and off and staff's roles change, how do you ensure you're all speaking with one voice? Based on Sarah Durham's book "Brandraising: How to Raise Money and Increase Visibility through Smart Communications", (Jossey-Bass, 2010) this session will link vision, mission, branding and beyond, with a particular focus on websites, social media, and other online channels. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, positioning, Sarah Durham

    Your path to storybook year-end fundraising starts here

    August 2010
    where do you actually start your year-end fundraising? More than almost anything, the strength of your campaign will depend on finding the right year-end story to tell your donors—and then telling it through every channel you’ve got. But how do you home in on a year-end story that’s both rooted in emotion and makes an urgent case for giving? Here are a few questions to get you started: (More)
    capacity-building, fundraising, marketing

    Out of the Trenches

    July 23, 2010
    Organizations in which leadership makes time for the long view are 
better equipped to plan and budget for change. In this article, Sarah Durham explains that it's hard to take a few hours out of each week to explore online, read trade publications or participate in a webinar when you're struggling to make a deadline, update the website copy or put together materials for a donor. But taking the long view helps you avoid working reactively. It becomes easier to set objectives, plan, delegate and prioritize when you're more clear about where you're heading. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, Sarah Durham

    Who should manage communications at your nonprofit?

    July 2010
    After 16 years of observing how nonprofits manage communications, we Ducks aren’t convinced that staffing structure is the real challenge. Instead, we think the more important question is what type of culture does your organization have around communication? (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy, nonprofit management, Sarah Durham

    A picture’s worth 1,000 words: information graphics for nonprofits

    June 2010
    Most nonprofits understand the importance of written communication. Mission statements, fundraising appeals, and grant proposals are just a few ways organizations use words to make their case. But communicating information graphically can be another powerful tool for nonprofits. (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy, design

    Cultivating strong relationships = big dollar

    May 2010
    Going into the 2009 year-end fundraising season, no one knew quite what to expect. Would donors cut back in the face of a still-floundering economy? Would they give less, or just not give at all?

    As it turns out, most nonprofits did encounter a decline in overall revenue, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual survey. But many saw a distant light at the end of the economic tunnel in the form of online fundraising, with overall online revenue up 14% from 2008 according to Convio’s 2010 Online Nonprofit Benchmark Study.

    Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) , a long-time client of Big Duck’s, saw the story of the sector overall reflected in the returns from their integrated annual campaign—slight overall decline; big jump in online revenue. But their results tell another story, too, about the importance building strong relationships with your donors year-round, not just at year end. (More)
    campaigns, capacity-building, fundraising

    Nonprofits + mobile: R U Ready?

    April 2010
    In light of the millions of dollars raised in response to the Haiti earthquake in January, it’s hard to ignore the potential fundraising and communications power of mobile communications. But just like you can’t bring in lots of gifts simply by placing a donate button on your site, most charities won’t see a cash windfall by allowing donors to give via mobile. Technology is only as good as the strategy that surrounds it. (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy

    Build Your Brand Without Breaking the Bank

    April 05, 2010
    Sarah Durham speaks with GettingAttention.org about the concept of Brandraising and the value it has for increasing the impact of communications and fundraising for nonprofits of every size and budget level. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, fundraising

    Brandraising: Blogging for Dollars

    March 22, 2010
    Sure, blogs are great for communicating, but why not build in some giving opportunities while you’re at it? In this article, Sarah Durham looks into nonprofit blogs and how they are leveraging their content to raise money for their organizations. (More)
    capacity-building, fundraising, online

    Running Away From Home Page

    March 15, 2010
    Microsites must be unique but tied to your mission. In this article, Farra Trompeter, discusses the importance of defining the strategy behind the microsite before diving in. This article also features two microsites created by Big Duck: Duchenne Connect for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and Totally Baldacious for the Luekemia Lymphona Society. (More)
    campaigns, capacity-building, online

    The art of giving good feedback

    March 2010

    A few months ago, Dan and Sonny, the fearless-except-when-fearful heads of our creative team, put together a lovely blog series about feedback. Over the years, we’ve found that good, honest feedback can make all the difference in having that new website, brand identity, marketing campaign, etc. be something you want to show off to participants, donors, advocates, funders, board members, and the like.

    We got such a great response from our clients that we thought we’d send it out again to make sure you saw it. The series offers advice on how to give helpful (read: productive) feedback whether you are working with an in-house designer or writer, a freelancer, or an agency like ours.

    (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy, nonprofit management

    Fundraising 2009 – was it good for you?

    February 2010

    2009 ended on a high note for many nonprofits whose year-end appeals raised more money online than in 2008.

    • According to Network for Good, online giving in December 2009 grew 25% compared to 2008.
    • According to Blackbaud, it grew 32%.
    • The average online gift in December 2009 remained relatively the same as it was in December 2008. The average gift processed via Network for Good was $153 (a 4% drop), and the average gift processed via Blackbaud was $244.17 (a 2% drop).

    Because most nonprofits raise nearly 50% of their online donations during the October-December time period, we follow year-end campaigns closely. (We even created a few year-end campaigns for our clients, but more about that in a future Duck Pond issue.)

    (More)
    campaigns, capacity-building, fundraising, messaging

    “Brandraising®: TuDiabetes.org”

    February 01, 2010
    Building support through community. In this article, Sarah Durham discusses the benefits of building community sites, like ning, to increase awareness, connections, and fundraising dollars. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, online

    Goodies for 2010

    January 2010
    HAPPY NEW YEAR! Kick off your 2010 just right. Click here to collect a gift from each member of the Big Duck team. (More)
    capacity-building, marketing, online

    Brandraising: communicating more effectively

    December 2009
    Many nonprofits struggle when it comes to aligning their communications. Sarah Durham's book, Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money through Smart Communications weaves together best practices from for-profit strategic communications and the nonprofit sector to create a new model for effective nonprofit communications. (More)
    branding, brandraising, capacity-building

    Tweeting for dollars

    November 2009
    Everyone is using Twitter! Read on to get some great tips on how to run a successful campaign on this rapidly rising social messaging platform. (More)
    capacity-building, online, positioning, social media

    Shouting to be heard: communicating in a noisy era

    October 2009
    Getting your organization's message out in this day and age can be challenge. In this month's newsletter we give some tips on how to rise about the noise and reach donors effectively. (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy, positioning

    That’s our Mission! Vision? No, our Values! Wait, What?

    September 2009
    Ever wonder what the difference is between Vision, Mission, and Values Statements? This short primer will help it all become clear. (More)
    brandraising, capacity-building, communications strategy, messaging, personality, positioning

    Do you have a social media policy?

    August 2009
    Whether you are sparking discussion or others are discussing you, your organization has a presence in social media. (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy, online, personality, social media

    Reflections for the NTC — NTEN’s nonprofit technology conference

    May 2009
    On April 26-28, 2009, Big Duck's Sarah Durham and Farra Trompeter joined over 1,400 nonprofit professionals and consultants in San Francisco, CA for the 2009 NTC (nonprofit technology conference). Read on to get some of their takeaways. (More)
    capacity-building, communications strategy, nonprofit management, social media