Habitat for Humanity has become an iconic American charity. One reason for that is its strong and far-reaching network of local organizations that extends the Habitat mission throughout the U.S. and beyond. The Bend Oregon chapter is one great example of this network. Its particular version of the Habitat mission of providing affordable housing to deserving individuals is the addition of green technology... (more...)

Yesterday, Mark Walsh, on the MOBlog, asked Will Giving ‘Fatigue’ Curb Chile Text Donations? I’m not sure that I would call it ‘fatigue,’ but I do think that we will not see even close to the response, through mobile giving and otherwise, that we had to the Haiti devastation. There are a number of reasons for this: The death toll will not be even a fraction of the Haiti... (more...)

Geri Stengel is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. With her experience in both business ventures and nonprofit organizations, she is uniquely positioned to bring the two fields together. And that is what she has done, devoting herself to social enterprises. Stengel, through her organization, Ventureneer, educates and mentors individuals as they establish businesses with a heart; and nonprofit organizations... (more...)

Update: As the situation in Chile deteriorates and with many without shelter, electricity, or water, the government asks the U.N. for help. The death toll in Chile has risen to over 700 as reported by the NY Times. A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck near the city of Concepcion in central Chile early this morning, killing nearly 400 people and displacing some 1.5 million. Tsunami warnings were issued... (more...)

Social Media From NTEN: Making Event Participants More Successful with Social Media Tools. A survey reveals that people who raise money for, say, your walk-a-thon through social media, raise a lot more. From Fast Company: The Case for Handcrafted Social Media (Or Why You Should Stop Auto-Updating Your Feeds) Yes, auto-updating is effifcient, but does it work as well as personally grooming your status... (more...)

Your cause is compelling. Your reasoning and arguments impeccable; your fundraising letter a paragon of virtue. So why aren’t people clamoring to help you solve that terrible problem? It would be so much easier if everyone acted rationally and in expected ways. But, as any fundraiser has discovered, people don’t always act rationally or according to formula. There has recently been a slew... (more...)

The Kiwanis International Foundation, Inc. entered the Chase Community Giving competition for nonprofits in late 2009. Kiwanis International won $25,000 in the contest, after receiving enough votes to place in the top 100 charities. We interviewed Chip McComb, New Media Specialist at Kiwanis, about his organization’s participation in the contest…More… Twitter | Newsletter... (more...)

Those Women! They’re Everywhere. Future Fundraising Now explores how to shape your fundraising copy to appeal more to women in Romance Your Donors with Feminine Copy. These are very interesting suggestions and I didn’t feel insulted once. Frogloop is sponsoring a free webinar, The She Spot: Best Practices in Marketing to Women Webinar. Learn about best practices for recruiting and retaining... (more...)

The tagline for Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey says it all: Regular kids…Special Care. The hospital specializes in treating children with neurological problems ranging from brain injuries to autism. The hospital, with the support of Kohl’s Department Stores, has set up a model program to help communities and businesses understand autism and make it easier for parents... (more...)

I’ve recently discovered InsideFacebook, a blog dedicated to teaching about and keeping up with how Facebook works. InsideFacebook recently provided 10 Tips for Non-Profits on Facebook that are extremely helpful, whether your organization is already on Facebook, but looking for ways to make it better, or you are just beginning to move into social networking. The tips that spoke most eloquently... (more...)