Welcome to the Nonprofit Partnership E-News

In this Issue

	December, 2009
	What’s Ahead in 2010?
	So.... What’s the Good News for 2010?
	Ahead on The Nonprofit Partnership Education Calendar….
	The Case of the Timely Thank You Note
	Erie County Healthcare Resource Guide
	Free Computer Equipment at Knox Law
	Top Three Nonprofit Website Errors
	Happy Holidays from All of Us at The Nonprofit Partnership!

Visit our website
for a complete listing of Nonprofit Partnership programs and services

Contact Us:

Robert Wooler,
Director
Send Email

December, 2009

This edition of The Nonprofit Partnership e-news is sponsored by Malin, Bergquist & Co. 

What’s Ahead in 2010?

The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s December 10 issue pulls out a crystal ball for the year ahead and sees some ugly trends pressuring nonprofits from both the supply and demand side:
• Governments are in crisis at every level, bringing spending cuts and an end to budget being propped up by Federal stimulus.
• Strains in the safety net are exacerbated by the high unemployment rate and the shocking number of hungry Americans – 49 million people – or one of every seven.
• Working harder for smaller gifts in fundraising, but the good news is that giving trends are up – online donations, proceeds from stock market gains, and employee giving are all on the rise.
• Foundation grants will be flat in 2010 due to multi-year averaging and the fact that many foundation are now re-tooling to cope with a fundamentally changed landscape ahead.
• A thinner workforce at many nonprofits spells trying to do more with less, more multi-tasking, and the specter of burnout for many nonprofit professionals.
• Donors say they would give more if they knew about the impact of giving. So what’s the message? Measure and report your outcomes in simple, straightforward ways.
• Volunteerism and national service are on the rise, so nonprofits need to be prepared to take advantage of this talent pool, including many highly skilled volunteers.

For more, see the full article at www.philanthropy.com
 

So.... What’s the Good News for 2010?

Erie, PA is ground zero for nonprofit capacity-building nationally. As the only county below half a million in population that is home to two million plus dollar Federal capacity-building projects at once - and home to The Nonprofit Partnership - and the recipient of a Kresge Foundation grant for capacity-building in the arts, Erie will be distributing almost $1 million in nonprofit capacity-building grants in 2010 - over $3,000 per active nonprofit!  What does this mean? Grants and technical assistance will be available to strengthen infrastructure, management, governance, fundraising capacity, and marketing throughout the year. To find out more, contact The Nonprofit Partnership and monitor our website for grant announcements and program timetables. Yet another Erie distinction!

Ahead on The Nonprofit Partnership Education Calendar….

Book these dates now for 2010 and learn what you need to know to keep yourself ahead of the field:

Hello Productivity! Meet Microsoft Customer Relationship Manager
This powerful downloadable productivity tool from Microsoft has the power to revolutionize the way you schedule, communicate, and organize your work. In this workshop, The Nonprofit Partnership collaborates with the NW PA Technology Council for a revealing test drive of this CRM tool. Join Rick Gagnon and the staff of the Tech Council as they introduce this tool that works as part of your Microsoft Outlook program.
Wednesday, January 20 – 9:30 am to Noon at the Erie Technology Incubator, 130 West 8th St, Erie.

______________________________________________________________________________________

PA Act 141 – What All Nonprofit Organizations Need to Know About the Law and Financial Reporting for Their Endowments

Presented by Vincent Halupczynski, CPA, Malin, Bergquist & Co. and Thomas Tupitza, Esq., Knox Law Firm

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 8-9 am – Malin, Bergquist Training Room, 2402 West 8th St., Erie

Registration and breakfast (coffee, Danish, fruit) 7:30-8am  For reservations call or email Michele Mathers at 814-454-4008 mmathers@malinbergquist.com.  Co-sponsored by Malin, Bergquist & Co., Knox, McLaughlin, Gornall, & Sennett, and The Nonprofit Partnership.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Hands-On E-mail Marketing Workshop

Presented in collaboration with the eMarketing Learning Center at ebizITPA.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 8:30 - 12 Noon at WQLN, 8425 Peach Street, Erie

E-mail marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep in touch and build strong relationships with prospects, donors, partners, and more - all of your nonprofit audiences. This hands-on workshop is designed to help you learn how to do it yourself and create an e-mail that will generate results for your organization. In this session you will actually use the tools that help nonprofits design and launch campaigns that deliver results. Join Cathy vonBirgelen and partners from Ennect to learn:
+ E-mail marketing best practices
+ CAN-SPAM compliance training
+ How to build a list
+ How to create and launch a successful campaign
+ How to set up a free trial e-mail marketing hosting account
+ How to test, track, and tweak your e-mail marketing campaigns.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Social Enterprise 2010

Presented by Debbie Thompson, Strategy Solutions

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 9:00 - 11:00 am at Crime Victim Center, 125 West 18th St., Erie

The downturn in the economy has shifted our thinking about social enterprise. The paramount need to create new revenue streams, connect with new customers and users, and move outside the traditional box has given rise to real creative thinking and social entrepreneurship in the nonprofit community. Join us for this provocative session on rethinking social enterprise for 2010. What's new in the field? What new resources are available? Who else is being enterprising in Erie? Take the first steps toward re-tooling your business plan.

RSVP to 454-8800 or tnp@thenonprofitpartnership.org.

The Case of the Timely Thank You Note

In this season of giving when your donors’ contributions are pouring in, please remember the first rule of fundraising – your prompt and sincere thank you letter is your easiest and most important step in building the relationship and securing follow-up gifts. But consider this…..

With the rising popularity of third-party giving channels like Network for Good and even the new Erie Community Foundation online donations, there is increasing lag time between the timing of the gift and when you at the recipient organization become aware of it. Given the paramount importance of the prompt thank you, be on your toes with these new elongated timetables and be prepared to drop everything and say thank you whenever you hear of the gifts.
 

Erie County Healthcare Resource Guide

The Erie Community Foundation, with assistance from the Northwest PA Area Health Education Center, is publishing a Healthcare Resource Guide, Healthy Connections, to be circulated throughout Erie County via the Erie Times-News. The guide will feature community health centers, dental centers, and other community healthcare resources along with their contact information and the services they offer. Please take advantage of this opportunity to have your organization’s name and information included in this resource guide. Your help in publishing a resource guide will allow our community to gain better access to quality healthcare in Erie County.

If your organization or facility would like to be included, please complete the entry form at this link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M23G6Y8.

Free Computer Equipment at Knox Law

The Knox Law firm has a wide variety of excess computer equipment available on a first-come first served basis – everything from servers to ethernet cables. For a spreadsheet of what’s available, please use this link to our website, download the information, and contact Fran New at fnew@kmgslaw.com.

Top Three Nonprofit Website Errors

1. Outdated Content:
If you go to a website and see old content the first reaction is negative. The organization is not up to date, so why should you donate or volunteer with them? Try to have fresh content weekly. The best way to do this is to showcase a new article and picture of something at your nonprofit. For example, tell a story of how your org impacted someone, give an update of your current donations and tell how much more money you need to reach your goals, or talk about an upcoming event.

2. Lack of Contact Information:
Provide contact information on your website; DO NOT provide a contact form for someone to fill out. People want to be able to contact you on their time and many get frustrated having to give out their information and quit halfway through. Provide email and phone number. Even better: connect the phone number or email to a person and give the name and maybe even a photo.

3. Designed by an Amateur:
“Websites are worth good design”. Having a static website is almost worse than no website at all. Hire a professional to give you easy site navigation, a content management system for simple updating, and a clean layout. “It will be the best investment you have ever made”.
 

Source: http://nonprofit.about.com/od/online/a/websitemistakes.htm.

Happy Holidays from All of Us at The Nonprofit Partnership!