Top Tips for 2013

Happy new year! Here are five completely random tips that have caught my eye, all gleaned from clients, colleagues, newspaper articles, enewsletters, and the many blogs I read on nonprofit management:

• #GivingTuesday: Over 2,600 fundraising nonprofits from across the country participated in the debut of this national fundraising day on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving - and it was a rousing success! In fact, the online donation processor Network for Good experienced a remarkable 154% increase in gifts compared to the same day a year earlier. I suggest you put it on your calendar for 2013.

• MailChimp: The industry standard for enewsletters and email management has been ConstantContact, but many of my clients are starting to use MailChimp and really like it. It helps you design email newsletters, share them on social networks, integrate with services you already use, and track your results. Check it out at: http://mailchimp.com.

• Weebly: If you don't have a website and want to start one, or if you're looking to switch to a very user-friendly system you can manage without a lot of tech support, take a look at this free, easy website-building service: http://www.weebly.com. 

• Reply-to-All Monitor: Ever pressed the "rely to all" button and immediately regretted it? That button (along with our tendency to move too fast in this day and age) is the bane of email communication. For a mere $14.95 you can buy software that wisely asks you, every time you click that button, if you're really sure you want to reply to everyone. You can find information at: http://www.sperrysoftware.com/outlook/reply-to-all-monitor.asp

• Resilience: Sustainability is so yesterday; the new buzzword is resilience, with a focus on adaptability and how to bounce back in our nonprofit world of crisis and rapid change. Beat the rush, and start using the new terminology now in your grant applications and fundraising appeals.

And one last suggestion – be sure take the time to keep expanding your understanding and knowledge of nonprofit management. Join online networks, check out nonprofit blogs, subscribe to enewsletters (I recommend The Chronicle of Philanthropy at: http://philanthropy.com/page/Free-Newsletters-From-The/236/ ). And most importantly, take real time to meet, talk, socialize and learn from your professional colleagues. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel; there’s a wealth of valuable information and knowledge already out there for you.

Here's hoping for a productive and resilient new year for all of you and your nonprofit organizations!