Blackbaud News : Nonprofit Resources

Customize this Video to See Your Nonprofit's Wishes Come True

Melanie Mathos — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Everyone has the ubiquitous wishlist taped somewhere in their office or scrawled across a white board in a conference room. During these challenging times, that list has probably changed quite a bit. "New building" may have been replaced by "maintain current donor base" or "increase fundraising efficiency."

Towards the end of last year, I started asking nonprofit staffers a question... "What's on your nonprofit wishlist?" Not surprisingly, the number one answer was "more funding." Close seconds were "more supporters" and "more volunteers."

The theme here is clear: you need more attention and resources dedicated to your cause. It takes a lot for you to do what you do - and your mission can't wait until tomorrow.

So, what's on your nonprofit wishlist?

Please respond to this post with your wishes, and together we can make them come true.

Need some inspiration? Customize this video to see your nonprofit's wishes come true.

Blackbaud in the News: Take Your Nonprofit's Website to the Next Level

Melissa Dodge — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:04:00 GMT

Allison Van Diest, Blackbaud’s senior product marketing manager, talks with David Kinard, host of Marketing News Radio, about the challenges of effectively engaging constituents with online marketing. In this podcast, Allison covers subjects like event registration, email tactics, website analytics, online communication and fundraising, and donor development.

Listen to all four segments!

Blackbaud Launches Free Event Series Focused on Nonprofit Strategy

Melanie Mathos — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:48:00 GMT

Remember when you were a kid and had those coveted "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" books? How cool was it that you got to choose the outcome?!?

We think that nonprofits should have that choice too. No one knows better than nonprofit staffers how hard it is to keep fundraising on the upswing in this challenging economic environment. That is why we are continuing our free event series Blackbaud Delivers in 2009 and are once again tailoring content to meet the regional needs of nonprofits, providing them with actionable strategies that will help them address the top issues they’re facing.

Blackbaud Delivers began offering these practical nonprofit management seminars last year. View the 2008 Blackbaud Delivers archive of events and content here. This year's Blackbaud Delivers series kicked off yesterday in Atlanta and Houston and will continue on to major cities across the country throughout the year. Select events will also be available on the web. Attendees of these free half-day seminars will be invited to vote on topics prior to the event, and the session in each city will be tailored to addressing the major concerns expressed by those in the area.

The 2009 Blackbaud Delivers topics include:

Elevate your Elevator Pitch: The Power of Positioning and Differentiation
There Ought to Be a Law: Best Fundraising Practices We Probably Do Not Practice
Branding Your Nonprofit in a Tight Economy
Successful Fundraising when Most Giving is Going Down
Helping Train Your Board to Fundraise With You
Email Marketing: The Right Message, The Right People, The Right Time
Email Marketing: Building and Executing Campaigns that Drive Results
What Social Networks Should Be Doing for You
The Changing Nature of Online Fundraising
Strengthening Your Loyal Donor Base through Personal Conversations
Starting a Planned Giving Program
Building an Action Plan to Out-Hustle the Economy
Donor Acquisition When Acquisition Isn’t Ideal

Nonprofit experts from Blackbaud and Target Analytics^™, including: Samantha Cohen, Lawrence Henze, Steve MacLaughlin, Katherine Swank, and Allison Van Diest along with recognized experts from throughout the sector including Marc A. Pitman will be featured. The seminar series is open to the public and attendees do not have to be Blackbaud customers to benefit from the materials that will be covered.The event series will include stops in Vancouver, New York City, Boston, Ottawa, Denver, Chicago, Arlington, and Minneapolis, with additional cities to be announced.

Registrations are now being accepted at www.blackbaud.com/blackbauddelivers. If Blackbaud Delivers is not coming to a city near you, be sure to stay tuned for live web seminars that will feature the most popular session topics.