2005's Best Resources for Nonprofit and Foundation Communicators
Readers' Favorites – Best Getting Attention Articles of 2005
You and your peers reported back that these articles were
particularly useful in your everyday work:
- Using Personas to Connect With Your Target Audiences
You loved this instructive article on personas, a
great tool for getting to know your target audiences
better, and strengthening your connection with them.
http://www.nancyschwartz.com/nonprofit_persona_development.html
- How a Nonprofit Name Change Generated Attention and
Momentum
This in-depth case study details the unique process
designed and undertaken by Legal Momentum (LM) to develop
and launch its new name. The end result has been
clearer understanding, broader reach and increased
support for LM. Find out how at:
http://www.nancyschwartz.com/nonprofit_name_change.html
- How to Write a Letter to the Editor That Gets
Published and Read: Parts One and Two
GA readers found this series on writing Letters to the
Editor to be both practical and informative. Part One
outlines the key steps to take to write a powerful Letter
to the Editor while Part Two proffers best practices from
Letter to the Editor expert Mila Rosenthal, Amnesty
International USA's (AISUA) Director, Business and
Human Rights Program.
Part One: http://www.nancyschwartz.com/letters_to_the_editor.html
Part Two: http://www.nancyschwartz.com/nonprofit_letters_to_the_editor.html
- Three Steps to Launching Your Nonprofit Blog
I've received questions from so many of you on whether,
and how, to launch a blog. This case study covering
Nomination Watch, published by the National Women's
Law Center (NWLC), is an ideal introduction to blogging
for nonprofits.
http://www.nancyschwartz.com/start_nonprofit_blog.html
- Getting the Approval and Budget to Do Marketing Right
You pointed to the lack of leadership support and/or
understanding as one of your greatest challenges
in the recent Getting Attention reader survey. It's true.
Many nonprofit and foundation leaders don't understand,
or simply doubt, the value (or, in some cases, the
seemliness) of marketing. Others do find value in
marketing but don't understand that professionalism
is as essential here as in other fields. It is these
organizations that are frequently eclipsed by
competitors in membership, fundraising and awareness.
As a result, their impact is significantly limited.
This article will help you build leadership support for
marketing your organization the way you think is right:
http://www.nancyschwartz.com/approval_nonprofit_marketing.html
Best of 2005 Nonprofit Communication Resources
- Health e Communication (HeC)
This incredibly rich online resource for health
communicators also provides innovative models and
ideas for nonprofit communicators in other fields.
http://www.comminit.com/healthecomm/index.php
- Writing for Nonprofits.Org
Have questions about that writing that speech, annual
report or brochure? Wondering what a case statement
must include to be most effective? Then welcome to
WritingForNonprofits.org, a new virtual water cooler
for writers -- freelance and staff -- who pen prose
for and about nonprofit organizations.
http://www.writingfornonprofits.org
- Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents
From a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising.
The title of this amusing and instructive memoir by former
BBDO chairman Phil Dusenberry refers to an accident involving
the hair of Michael Jackson during the shooting of a Pepsi
commercial in 1984, which generated an unanticipated boost
in Pepsi awareness. Dusenberry believes in the power of
accidents, or "unintended consequences." Since accidents
can't be anticipated, he recommends that marketers focus
on what he calls "marketing insights."
Although developed within the world of consumer advertising,
this framework is extremely useful for nonprofit organizations
and foundations. After all, human nature is human nature.
http://tinyurl.com/bwptc
- Annenberg and Irvine Foundations, Plus Others, Sponsor Free
Communications Toolkit for Nonprofits
Nonprofit organizations are invited to order a free copy
of this helpful resource filled with advice on strategic
marketing, advertising, branding, media relations, event
planning and more.
Order or download the kit at:
http://www.causecommunications.org/CC/CC_news06_1.html
- Words that Stick
Rix Quinn's new book, "Words That Stick: A Guide to Short
Writing with Big Impact," is specifically written for
communicators who need to present powerful messages in as
few words as possible. Since briefer is better in most
cases, Quinn's guidance will help any nonprofit
communicator create and deliver memorable messages.
Quinn's pithy guide is packed full of useful tips, with 41
headline ideas, 60 ways to begin a report or article and
16 ways to end a story.
Find out more at:
http://www.tenspeedpress.com/catalog/tenspeed/item.php3?id=1661
© 2002-2008 Nancy E. Schwartz. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Nancy E. Schwartz helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing and communications. As President of Nancy Schwartz & Company (www.nancyschwartz.com), Nancy and her team provide marketing planning and implementation services to organizations as varied as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Center for Asian American Media, and Wake County (NC) Health Services.
Subscribe to her free e-newsletter "Getting Attention", (http://www.nancyschwartz.com/getting_attention.html) and read her blog at http://www.gettingattention.org for more insights, ideas and great tips on attracting the attention your organization deserves.
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the copyright and "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint.
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Revised April 12, 2008
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