Issue 58
April 26, 2007

NEWSNOTES is a monthly email newsletter published by NEW. It covers resources available at NEW in Ann Arbor as well as items of interest to the nonprofit community in southeastern Michigan. NEWSNOTES is proud to celebrate its fifth year of publication, with delivery to over 880 subscribers every month! We welcome your feedback and suggestions!

NEW would like to recognize the generous support of its Community Partners:

IN THIS ISSUE

LEAD STORY

Everything You Wanted to Know About Nonprofit Blogging But Were Afraid to Ask

By Nancy Shore

I’m the Community Relations Coordinator for SOS Community Services in Ypsilanti and responsible for much of the marketing and communications at SOS. I started the SOS blog, SOS News and Views about a year ago. I think blogs (short for web logs) are a great way for nonprofits to connect to their constituents online. But before you can start a blog, you need to understand what a blog is and how you can use it.

What is a blog?
In the basic sense, a blog is an online journal where individuals or organizations share their thoughts and opinions on issues that are important to them. On many blogs, people can read the journal entries (or posts) and make comments that everyone can see and respond to.

People (or organizations) use blogs to share everything from personal thoughts, to local news, to restaurant reviews, to tips for nonprofits. There are as many different types of blogs as the people who write them. But the blogs that generally work the best are the ones that focus on a particular topic and are updated on a frequent basis (usually more than once a week).

For an example of a good local blog, visit Arbor Update.

Why should a nonprofit set up a blog?
If you haven’t already noticed, your donors, volunteers, board members and prospects are online. And they may be online right now, trying to find a way to connect with you.

In my opinion, a blog is a great way for a nonprofit to create a connection to others online. Unlike a webpage, a blog is constantly changing and is usually written in a conversational tone. The timeliness and personal nature of a blog makes it a great medium to share a wide range of information with your target audience while allowing them to share their thoughts as well.

How do you set up a blog?
First of all, check to see if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will host a blog for you. Depending on your web hosting package, you might be able to set up your blog right away with them.

If your nonprofit is like mine, however, you are probably looking for a cheap (read free) way to set up a blog. There are several programs that allow you to do this, including Blogger, which I use, and Wordpress. Typepad, offers a low-cost blog service with more features, such as allowing your own domain name.

Every one of these blog services gives you the ability to create a template for your blog so you don’t have to worry about having any web design skills to set one up. Posting to a blog is generally as easy as writing a Word document, with the added benefit of being able to upload pictures and create links within your posts. If you want to track the traffic to your blog, you can use a program like Site Meter, which Blogger helps you set up, or you can use Google Analytics.

If I build a blog, will anyone read it?
A blog is only as good as your ability to get people to read it. There are several things to keep in mind:

• Post often (at least every other day, if possible) and consistently.
• Read and comment on other blogs. When you comment on other blogs, be sure to leave your blog’s URL. I have definitely seen people come to my blog after they read my comment on someone else’s blog.
• Develop relationships with other bloggers with shared interests. You can ask them to blog about your organization, you can blog about them, and everybody wins.
• Mention your blog URL everywhere, including your print newsletter, your email newsletter, your brochures, your website, . . .
• Write blog posts that people will find interesting and then spread the word. I recently wrote a post and put up pictures from a visit I made to Concordia University when they were making bowls to use at an SOS event. I emailed my contact at Concordia and told her about the post (including the URL). Within the hour, I had around 20 hits to my blog because she forwarded that email along to her students and they all visited the SOS blog!
• Write blog posts with words that search engines will pick up. Last year, I wrote a blog post on Oprah’s “The Big Give.” Now, forever after, when someone searches for “The Big Give” on Google, my blog post shows up.
• Never underestimate who could be reading your blog. Last winter I wrote a blog post explaining ways that people could give to SOS over the holidays. After that post, we got a call from the Wall Street Journal; they were interested in talking to us about one of the ideas I had mentioned!
• While you are at it, it’s a good idea for you to have an RSS feed (learn more at Feedburner) which allows people to subscribe and receive notice of new entries to your blog. (You can easily set one of these up with blog services like Blogger, and you can see the one I have on my blog.). An RSS reader is like a personalized homepage that allows you to see what’s new on all of the blogs you subscribe to. www.bloglines.com

So I’ve done all of this, I’m set, right?
Well, not quite. The online world is always changing. And who knows, blogs may morph into something else entirely. They are a great medium now, but they're not the only thing out there. I encourage you to continue to research other social networking options like Myspace and be open to what’s new and interesting.

Resources to keep you going
There are a multitude of blogs out there. Here are a few I find especially interesting on the topic of nonprofits or marketing

The Nonprofit Blog Exchange
Donor Power Blog
Getting Attention
Nonprofit marketing blog
Have Fun Do Good
Seth’s Blog
Give and Take

Please feel free to contact me if I can help get you started in the world of blogs.
Nancy Shore

FEATURED ITEMS

BoardConnect® Trainings

Strengthen your board’s capacity to govern your nonprofit effectively. Take advantage of these learning opportunities from BoardConnect® in various locations in Southeast Michigan.

• Leading Your Board Beyond the Basics (Board Chair 101)
  Thursday, May 8, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  NEW Center, 1100 N Main St., Ann Arbor
  
  Join board chairs and executive directors to learn and share ideas for managing the board, strengthening the partnership of the chair and executive director, and leading the board and staff through visioning and strategic planning. Network with your peers to share common struggles and successes.
  
  
• Rejuvenating Your Board
  Tuesday, May 22, 9:00 a.m. – noon
  Michigan Nonprofit Association, Detroit
  7375 Woodward Ave (Youthville), Room 1060
  
  Is your mature board showing signs of fatigue? Do you need a fully engaged, active board? This new workshop focuses on methods and strategies to keep the engaged members enthusiastic, rejuvenate trustees with potential, and transition trustees who have reached their limit of service into different roles in support of the nonprofit.
  
  
• Building Your Board
  Wednesday, May 23, 9:00 a.m. – noon
  MADD Wayne County
  19650 Harper Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods
  
  Learn strategies for recruiting, cultivating, and electing new members to your board of directors. Also, get information about BoardConnect's® matching services and boardnetUSA, a national online database that connects candidates and nonprofits.

BoardConnect® is a nonprofit board training and matching service that builds the leadership skills of nonprofit and community members. The program was founded by NEW and is operated in collaboration with the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Michigan Nonprofit Association. Members of these organizations receive a discount on trainings.

Individuals wishing to learn more about board service are invited to attend “Serving on a Nonprofit – Essentials of Becoming a Nonprofit Board Member.” Wednesday, May 2, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., NEW Center Ann Arbor.

Find more information and register for these and other sessions on the BoardConnect® website.

Nonprofit Directory Upgraded

Welcome to a more dynamic Directory of Nonprofits. This popular tool is the region's only comprehensive online guide to nonprofits in Washtenaw County. It is now expanding to include organizations throughout Southeast Michigan. Also, a new “Wish List” field has been added to help nonprofits reach out to donors.

The Directory is a heavily traveled section of NEW's website. Visitors check in regularly looking for particular services, potential collaborators, volunteer opportunities, or ways to contribute.
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Create a new online portal to your nonprofit and enter a profile today! An automated update request every year will help keep your record current. Use the comprehensive questionnaire to tell the world about your organization. If it is already included, use the “update entry” link in the header to receive a password to make changes or add terms in the wish list field.

Contact Ann Gladwin (734-998-0160 x 218) for assistance.

Detroit Area Emerging Leaders

Be sure you're subscribed to Community Matters the online newsletter of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. Among other activities and items of interest, the most recent issue tells us about the upcoming Emerging Leaders launch event on Thursday, May 10, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. at McNarney's Public House 673 Franklin St, Detroit (upstairs) . All metro Detroiters are invited to network with professionals from a variety of industry sectors and hear about volunteer projects, professional development programs and ways to collaborate with others to create positive, tangible, lasting change in the region. Contact the United Way for more information (313-226-9200).

Nonprofit SuperConference 2007

NEW staff members look forward to seeing you at the upcoming conference – we wouldn’t think of missing it! Our friend Robin Lynn Grinnell, Director, Michigan Nonprofit Leadership Institute Michigan Nonprofit Association, says it best:

You’ve got places to go and people to see – and they'll all be at Nonprofit SuperConference 2007. You've probably heard a bit about it already -- May 15 and 16 in Lansing. Registrations are rolling in, keynote presenters are confirmed, workshop presenters are making last minute tweaks to their sessions, menus have been selected (there will be chocolate) – AND YOU SHOULD BE THERE!

Registration for this awesome event is open until May 4, 2007. This is your chance to collect a variety of great information from potential vendors, explore new topics and trends affecting nonprofits, connect with the people you should know, and re-energize yourself for another year of good work.

Lots of people will be there… executive directors, board members, program staff, national service participants, volunteers, funders, business partners, the list goes on and on… how about YOU???

Career Change Boot Camp Series

Are you contemplating a change of careers? Thinking of starting your own business? A series of Boot Camps are being offered to help you with these big decisions. Several intensive one-day sessions will provide the opportunity to learn from area experts, obtain information about resources and get one-on-one mentoring.

Where: Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building
Price: $25 per session. Scholarships are available.
Schedule:

• Careers in Health Care, May 7
• Careers in Information Technology , May 14
• Starting Your Own Business Basics, May 31
• Career Change Exploration, June 7

Find registration and additional information online or call Washtenaw County Works! Service Center (734-484-6707).

These Boot Camps are being offered by a partnership of county organizations including Ann Arbor SPARK, Chambers of Commerce of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan University, The University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College and Washtenaw County’s Department of Employment Training and Community Services.

Creative Connections

Creative Connections is a bi-monthly after-work program that enables those involved in arts and culture in Washtenaw County to build networks, discover new venues, and strengthen the county-wide cultural community. Mark your calendar for Monday, May 14 at the Peter Sparling Dance Co., 815 Wildt Street, Ann Arbor. Contact A5 Director Tamara Real (734-214-0112) for more information.

DTE Workshop on Green Buildings

Wednesday, May 9, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
NextEnergy Center, 461 Burroughs, Detroit

DTE Energy will host a free workshop for executive directors, board members and facility directors of nonprofit organizations to educate on “green” building initiatives, energy efficiency, business strategies, and fundraising in tough economic times. The keynote speaker will be Sandra Ambrozy, program director of the Kresge Foundation's Green Building Initiative. A panel discussion will cover best practices for nonprofits. Reservations are required by May 4. Contact Regina Lloyd-Hawkins (313) 235-5112 to register.

Online Surveys are Easy and Effective

Surveys are an important part of the nonprofit toolbox. A well-designed and strategically targeted survey can help your organization gather valuable information about community needs and your constituents' ideas about service delivery. Previously labor-intensive and expensive undertakings, survey systems now offer ease of design, distribution, and tabulation on the Internet.

Online surveys offer one other important feature: a better return rate than more traditional survey instruments. NEW recently used Survey Monkey.com to ask 1,400 nonprofits about their need for and experience with professional services. Within 48 hours of distribution, over 10 percent of the recipients had completed the survey, exceeding the standard 3-5 percent return rate. Thank you to the many readers of NEWSNOTES who responded to the survey!!!

Find more information and resources for online surveying.

Independent Sector 2007 Annual Conference

Opportunity and Responsibility
October 21-23, Los Angeles

NEW is proud to be working with Independent Sector in welcoming the leaders of the nation’s charities, foundations and corporate philanthropy programs to Los Angeles this fall for the IS Annual Conference, October 21-23. Join 900 CEOs and senior-level executives as we strengthen the nonprofit community’s ability to improve lives.

For conference details and to register, visit the Independent Sector website.

Reminders

Women's Leadership Day, Saturday, May 12, Ann Arbor

REGULAR FEATURES

PNDCONNECTIONS is a bi-weekly compilation of news on grants and philanthropy. Sign up for free newsletters from the Foundation Center.

Nonprofit Bulletin Board

Visit NEW's Nonprofit Bulletin Board to post and view notices about free resources, fundraising opportunities, and other items relevant to the southeast Michigan nonprofit community.

Events Calendar

Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau calendar of events. E-mail Nick Miller to request a password to submit an event.