EveryJoe » Housekeeping

From the Trenches…

Amanda Brandon — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:54:43 +0000

Working in the trenches of nonprofits has its advantages. You get big responsibilities with a small pay check. Doesn’t sound too advantageous, huh? Well, what isn’t reflected in the paycheck is apparent in the experience. We work in nonprofits for a number of reasons, but mostly because we believe in what we do.

As the new voice of the b5media blog, 501(c)Files, I bring a lot of experience from the trenches. For the past 10 years or so, I have been working with nonprofits in some respect, whether as a volunteer or as a communication professional. I actually stumbled into the nonprofit trench one day by telling my boss I liked to write press releases. He put in charge of publicity for his nonprofit project. Since then, I’ve not been able to separate myself from the trenches of nonprofit communications.

In the past, this blog has explored the relationship between mission and business in nonprofits. We’ll explore that relationship, but I will also bring some nonprofit marketing ideas to the table. That’s where my interest lies. We’ll explore what nonprofits in many cause sectors are doing to spread their message and gain support for their organizations.

So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to dive into the trenches.

Post from: EveryJoe

From the Trenches…

The Busy Nonprofit Sector Claims Another Voice

Tom Durso — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:06:58 +0000

In launching this little effort nearly a year ago, I wrote that “I’ve seen firsthand the sweat and effort that go into making [nonprofits] run well.” Extraordinarily dedicated people doing amazing work have helped the sector not merely survive during these tough times, but thrive. I know — the client base for my freelance writing and editing business is largely nonprofit, and I remain a very busy contract worker.

So busy, in fact, that I need to hand off the 501(c) Files to someone who has the time and energy to give it the attention it deserves. This was not a decision made lightly: I’ve had tremendous fun exploring the intersection of nonprofits and business, and my eyes have been opened to a host of initiatives — and to a wealth of passion — that I was only dimly aware of before. Well, it’s time to let someone else step in and explore for himself or herself.

My thanks to b5media for giving me this outlet. The people at that company are exactly the kinds of colleagues you want to have — funny, nurturing, smart, supportive. Make sure you check out the Business Channel’s other blogs — the work being done there is nothing short of remarkable. I hope to return to b5 in some sort of blogging capacity, so do keep poking around b5’s various efforts, please.

Finally, thanks to you for reading. I’ve so enjoyed getting to know some of you online, and our conversations have challenged and enlightened me in all the best ways. I’d love to keep those conversations going, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. (See my website for contact info.)

And keep those missions alive, wouldya? | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

The Busy Nonprofit Sector Claims Another Voice

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:09:34 +0000

Tell Uncle Sam not to bail out credit unions, please. | The Wall Street Journal
The link between communication and funding. | NetSquared
Delegates to this week’s Democratic National Convention will lend Denver nonprofits a helping hand. | The Rocky Mountain News
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:34:15 +0000

A very visible, if somewhat basic, call to arms. | The Huffington Post
The sad state of nonprofit jargon. | The Chronicle of Philanthropy
New Jersey’s Blue opts to turn green. | NJBIZ
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:19:28 +0000

How to use the world’s greatest food to raise money. | FundraisingIP.com
A call for greater nonprofit investment in policy work. | Stanford Social Innovation Review
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:25:36 +0000

The importance of policies encouraging and protecting nonprofit whistleblowers. | All Things Fundraising
What?! A nonprofit consultant might have something to teach to — gasp! — the for-profit sector?! | Getting Attention
A terrific primer for what to do when your organization’s CEO gets outta Dodge. | The NonProfit Times
The growing M&A trend among nonprofits. | Corporate Dealmaker
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:21:52 +0000

Debt forgiveness for young nonprofiteers holding student loans. | Mission-Based Management
A call for fundraisers to watch what they say. | the fundit
How do you stay focused on the mission when the work pushes you to the brink of exhaustion? | Perspectives from the Pipeline
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:37:47 +0000

An L.A. Times expose of for-profit fundraisers elicits a good amount of citizen journalism exploring same. | Los Angeles Times
Ten things most people don’t know about nonprofit careers. | CTW Features
How effective are British nonprofits? Maybe not so much. | Financial Times
Two very different ways of dealing with nonprofit embezzlement. | New York Times
Microsoft gets into the nonprofit software resource game. | WebProNews
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

ProPublica’s GM Responds to the 501(c) Files

Tom Durso — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:16:18 +0000

After reading my post yesterday about ProPublica’s collaboration with 60 Minutes on a story that the Washington Post also delved into, the journalism nonprofit’s general manager, Dick Tofel, wrote to me with “two factual assertions I hope you’ll reconsider”:

60 Minutes “likely would have done [this story] anyway.” What’s your basis for that?
Our Alhurra story is “nearly identical” to that in the Post. Do you really think that’s a fair reading of the two stories?

My response to Tofel’s note:

In my haste to post this morning, I used sloppier language than I should have. It would have been more accurate to say that the Al-Hurra story is the kind of story 60 Minutes does with some regularity. Regarding the content issue, I used Wasserman’s assertion that the Post’s story, like yours, “was a distressing chronicle of ineptitude and incoherence, and it too was all about Al-Hurra.” “Nearly identical” may be too strong a characterization.

I then asked Tofel if I could post our exchange, and he assented, adding, “I’d also urge you to re-read the Post story and ours and reach your own conclusion about their similarity.”

Duly noted. And good advice always. | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

ProPublica’s GM Responds to the 501(c) Files

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week

Tom Durso — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:14:57 +0000

In addition to brewing a hell of a beer, Sam Adams’s Jim Koch is linking with a nonprofit to help entrepreneurs get off the ground. | Boston Globe
The nonprofit appeal of Barack Obama. | Blue Avocado
The difficulty in laying down mission-based metrics. | The NonProfit Times
The Federal Housing Administration casts a sharp eye at nonprofits loaning money for mortgage down payments. | National Public Radio
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

Post from: EveryJoe

Notes, Follow-Ups, and Reminders | Nonprofit Tidbits from the Last Week