In addition to the new website, NPC now has it long awaited for Forum. It is a space where newly established nonprofit executives can meet other nonprofit executives, and share struggles, roadblocks, and most importantly solutions. This Forum is not only for new executives, but established one as well. If you are inclined to help a neighbor get a much needed community project started, then I would encourage you to sign up for NPC’s Forum.

It has been my vision for years to bring to the newly formed nonprofit community a way to connect, and support other nonprofit organizations in their growth. Especially during this time of economic distress, we must find more ways to work together to share resources; thus causing growth for all involved.

Nonprofit Connectors would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit our website, and take advantage of our FREE Forum by signing up today

Weekly I’m off on a quest to meet with my networking group. I enjoy this time because we share business ideas, resources, referrals, and most importantly we are moving forward to building relationships. One other aspect included in networking, is being with individuals of similar profession/passion/interest. Definitely we all come together for the same reason, to build our resource pool, and to expose others to our businesses.

About a month ago, a nice lawyer reached out to me because he liked what he read on my website. He and I chatted, and instantly found ways to promote each other’s business. Over the course of time, we’ve been exchanging referrals and resources. He forwarded me an invitation to his exclusive nonprofit networking group, and I’m writing this post on the subway on my way to the first event. I am moments away from meeting not just one new business ally, but at least 20. I would say lunching with strangers definitely has its rewards.

So, do you have plans to lunch with a stranger anytime soon? Consider the possibility for the growth of your business.

We chatted about the importance of growing personal skills useful for business.
We talked about the importance of professional exposure: using press releases,
marketing tools, seminars, etc. Then we talked about personal health. Deborah
exercises every day. I, on the other hand, think about it every day. Yet, I
always talk about doing more.

Then Deborah said the dreaded words that confirmed my true heart, “Oh, I see, you're
not serious.” She said it in a way that conveyed it was fine that I wasn’t; so,
she just wasn’t saying any more about that subject. She switched the
conversation, and started talking about all the bible studies I attend.

Wow! I love that most about Deborah, she cuts to the chase.
It reminded me of Proverb 27:6a “Wounds from a friend can be trusted…”  Do you have someone in your life that gets to
the point with you? I highly recommend that you find that person. It was very
beneficial for me to have had that conversation with her, because I immediately
came home and started exercising. I’m not consistent. Yet, I know beyond a
shadow of a doubt that before my lunch with her next month I will be more
active.

I also take this approach with her when it comes to business
advice. Deborah is a very savvy business woman. She has successfully launched
her language programs for children throughout the region. Yet, the most
important lesson that I’ve learned from her is the giving of herself to help
someone else get ahead. However, that person must be ready to take action; as
you can see my friend is not into wasting time (yours or hers)!

So, I hope you find someone to invite alongside you in your
business that will be honest with you, and challenge you to move forward.

Once a quarter, Esther Fleming and I set aside a weekend
to work on our businesses.  We call them,
If I Only Had A Weekend (IIOHAW). Our time during these IIOHAWs has been spent
praying, fasting, and focusing on our businesses. We come to the weekend
prepared to give advice, encouragement, and complete attention to each other
and our respective businesses.

This weekend was very special as we each are saying goodbye
to a client. This gap in our businesses has given us a clearer purpose for
meeting and strategizing. So, we spent a lot of time looking for direction,
being clear about action steps, and identifying our motives. This may be hard
to grasp, but neither one of us wants to run a business for the sake of running
a business. We want the passion we had when we first started our businesses, me 9-years ago and Esther 5-years ago. We spent quite a bit of time this weekend
falling in love with our businesses again.

For me, I can say that I like things plainly defined. I
want to look at a map and understand exactly where I’m to go next. So, I went
back to my life map I created earlier this year. It sits in a prominent spot in
my office (on the wall above my monitor). In the center of my life map is a
picture of the world with God spelled out in the middle of it. For me, taking
my business back to the beginning means reconnecting with my faith. This is what
this IIOHAW afforded me. On the first day, I organized my office, my thoughts,
and created my plan. On the second day: I sat quietly in meditation and prayer,
I revised my business budget (cutting costs and adding expenses for training),
I created the beginnings of a marketing strategy (get out of the office once a
week for business development), and I just did a lot of soul searching. On the
third day, I finalized my budget (I still have a few cuts to make, but it is
pretty much done), and I finalized my marketing strategy by creating a plan
with activities listed for the week and month. I am excited about what I’ve
created with the help of Esther. We have even added an accountability component
this upcoming quarter, to meet weekly for 15 minutes to talk about our progress
in keeping with our plans.

When was the last time you stopped to survey the health
of your business? Is it still on track? Do you need to take a weekend to refresh
yourself on your mission? Take it! Do whatever you need to in order to build
(or rebuild) what your heart desires!

Have you ever played the Six Degrees of Separation game?
The idea is that we are all somehow connected by as few as six people. My
friend Angela and I were marveling at the number of people I know that she
knows, and these are people who we didn’t even know that the other knew.  Sorry, that sounded like a bad rendition of an
Abbott and Costello show. I think you get the point.

This made me think about nonprofit organizations. How
connected is your organization to others? Some people may not see the necessity
in it, but there is. No organization can survive/thrive without the support of
others. So, find complimentary organizations and form alliances. So, if your
organization feeds the hungry, you should be aligned with food banks, churches,
and maybe even other soup kitchens to provide overlap and support.

Find ways to connect to others. Do you need suggestions?

Just creating a listserv these days will not suffice. You need to have more functionality and flexibility to relay information in several formats. You can use AWeber, Constant Contact, and Vertical Response, just to name a few, to create marketing materials to send to your entire membership.

You can create a presence on Facebook or Twitter where your members can post comments and participate in group discussions. These social networks also allow the members an opportunity to really get to know one another. Don’t forget to investigate creating forums for your website where members can share information, ask questions, and find support with your organization being the catalyst for this one-stop-shop.

There are various tools to help us establish relationships, make connections both business and personal, and to become a little more real to people, who in this day and age are looking for authenticity. Study your market, and get a feel for the various ways they are reaching out to each other now; then use that as a starting point to build your member network.

1. Create a press release- checkout my previous Blog on press releases.
Send out a press release to the media when your organization has new employees or board members, partners with another business or organization, or sponsors an event or a worthy cause.

2. Get blogging- Blogs are all the rage. Blog about your nonprofit, the nonprofit world, volunteerism or anything related to your cause. The search engines love blogs, and blogs pull traffic (including journalists) to your website. In addition, post comments on other blogs devoted to your topic. This allows the nonprofit world to get to know you. (See “Blogging for Business“)

4. Write an article about your nonprofit and write letters to the editor -Write articles that are informative and helpful to your members and volunteers. There may be local magazines that will publish your articles, and then you can post them or link them to your web site. See “How to Use Newspaper and Magazine Editorial Pages”

5. Check out National Public Radio, a great resource for nonprofits. Search their site for previously aired programs about nonprofits. (See “How to Get Booked on National Public Radio“)

6. Call local TV and radio stations to spotlight your organization –Get FREE publicity on Radio with a well-crafted press release. Many radio and TV stations have programs in place that spotlights new organizations or events on a weekly basis. Check your local stations to see what they can provide.

7. Put out a monthly newsletter or email bulletin. Invite people to sign up for your monthly email bulletin in which you can provide news and helpful tips. You may want to publish “Top 10″ tips lists that explain how to do something, or solve a problem on a regular basis. (See “Special Report #16: How to Write Tips Sheets That Catch the Media’s Attention.”)

8. Spread the word. Word of mouth is the best kind of advertising and the most credible.

9. Make yourself available as a speaker at Chamber of Commerce meetings professional associations, community groups, and seminars: Announce your speaking engagement to the press in the form of a news release, phone call, email, or post card.

10. Teach a class at the local community college or continuing adult education program. It’s a great way to increase the credibility and visibility of your nonprofit.

Have fun and explore. Hopefully you will get the idea that marketing doesn’t have to cost you big bucks; it just takes effort and commitment on your part.

This isn’t necessarily a nonprofit specific topic, yet it is quite relevant. Press releases are an excellent source of marketing, and have the potential to connect you to the people you are trying to reach through your community work.

There are several great web resources that you can use to guide you through the process. Check out Microsoft Online free press release templates. There is no need to struggle in figuring out how to make this happen, just take the help and use it to your best advantage.

The key thing to note you must have a newsworthy piece to report. So consider what contribution your organization has, or will, make to the community, and write about it in five paragraphs or less.

Have fun spreading the word about the good works you are doing!

Visit your local library and start researching grants for your organizations type. If you are not sure start, ask the librarian. Librarians are trained to help draw you out in order to get you to the best resources for your needs.

Happy researching!

Included within your strategic planning section and your marketing plan are key items that will appeal to funders. Here is where you’ll talk about business growth and development. This will be essential information for grant makers to review. More than likely, they will be reviewing these sections of your business plan to determine your other means for establishing financial stability. Funders are looking for organizations that want a hand up to grow and invest in, not an organization that is looking for a hand out and total dependence.