100 Nonprofit Blogging ideas

Transcription

1 100 Nonprofit Blogging ideas Who To Write For Worksheet The Ladder of Engagement: No awareness of problem: Level 0 You can't write to these people, so don't even try. If this person has never experienced the problem you help solve, it's no use trying to convince them it matters. Awareness of problem: Level 1 -They know this problem exists. They don't know what to do about it. Let's say your cause is domestic violence. They are looking for solutions. Solution to problem: Level 2 -They may be confused about what effective solutions to domestic violence are. You can talk about the different ways different nonprofits solve this problem. Then you can introduce what you do. Your solution to the problem: Level 3 -This is the place where you start to talk about what you do to solve your issue. Your program areas. The research behind why your approach works. Benefits of your solution: Level 4 -This is where you talk about all of the people you've helped, and the impact you've had since your nonprofit started. This is where you show, for example, stats on the incidence of domestic violence going down. And stories from people helped by your programs. Donating to your solution: Level 5 -now they're convinced you are helping to solve the problem. Why is it urgent for them to donate NOW? You can create blog posts for each level of this awareness ladder, but you'll be most effective focusing on level 1 and 2, because that's where most people are. Think of all of the different ways people find your cause. Topical: Is it a newspaper article they've read? Refer to that article Is it something they've just started to notice? Interview your current donors. Ask them how

2 they started to care about your cause. Is it a specific piece of a program that spoke to them? Was it interacting with you as you were tabling at an event or festival? What Your Potential Donor Wants Worksheet Do you tailor content for each particular kind of donor that comes to your website? Would you have a place on your site for each kind of person who comes there? 7 different types of donors Most common types of donors: Communitarian donors: These are business owners who see being involved in your cause as good for their business. They may also be former board members. They care about the community, and leadership. Highlighting why they give on your website, interviewing them as donors, will make them interested in doing more, in giving more. Investor Donors: They look for evidence that your nonprofit is business-like, efficient. The Better business bureau logo, the charity navigator logo and an endorsement by an elected official will mean a lot to them. They'll also be interested in a pie chart of your financials. They will give at the end of the year, for tax purposes. A blog post interview with an elected official or community partner about why your nonprofit is so important will speak to this kind of person. Socialite Donors: They want to do something fun with friends to help your cause. This is the people who come to your event every year, or do your walk-a-thon, or who throw house parties for you. Big pictures of the events you throw, with an easy online signup will help these people give to you. Blog posts highlighting what a fun time people have at your events will speak to them. Devout Donors: These people give because your cause echoes their values in their religion. These people may give you a percentage of their income. The things that will matter most to them are being acknowledged within their faith community. Having pictures of how you are active in the faith community will be beneficial for these kinds of donors. Give-back donors: These people give because they, or someone they know, has been helped by your cause. Most often, they will give to someone like me when they give to your cause. Often, health clinics, universities, hospitals or schools will have this sort of donor. The best way to speak to these donors is figure out which people from which

3 programs tend to give back, and highlight that sort of person you're helping in your materials. Less common types of donors: Dynast donors: These are the people who have a history of giving in their family. These are people with family foundations. Self-Actualized donors: These people give to you because they know someone who is running your nonprofit, either a board member or the executive director. They are hard to influence. They see their own giving as an outgrowth of their self actualization. This next section speaks to people who have an awareness of the problem, who may know of other solutions, but do not know about your solution yet. Problems Agenda Costs Rewards How you help Example: Have been burned by nonprofits that didn't appreciate them. Now it's your turn. Need reliable, efficient, and attentive nonprofits that show how they solve the problem. It's hard to find a good nonprofit. Once they find you, they will want to engage with you. Want to get this problem solved. You help the problem get solved, doing the work they do not have time to do.

4 My Nonprofit Name: Which kinds of donors will you write to? Communitarian? Devout? Socialite? Investor? What problems does each kind of donor have? How do you show them you'll help? Problems Agenda Costs Rewards How you help

5 What To Write About Worksheet Update your blog, word posts, or interviews, or videos or radio shows with KEYWORD RICH TOPICS. At least once a week. The reason my traffic started to spike after February 2010 is because I started posting 5 days a week and commenting every night. My best advice about writing is, Do not wait for inspiration. There is no inspiration. Only work. By the time you've got done waiting, two weeks may have passed, and you're no better at writing now than you were two weeks ago. So begin. How can you begin? Remember Your Awareness ladder: No awareness of problem: Level 0 Awareness of problem: Level 1 Solution to problem: Level 2 Your solution to the problem: Level 3 Benefits of your solution: Level 4 Buying your solution: Level 5 Write to levels 1-2. This is where your most likely potential donors are. What are some blog posts you could write for when people are first aware they need your nonprofit? What problem do they have? What agenda do they have? What are some solutions to the problem? Who are your competitors? What do they offer?

6 Top Tips if You're Stuck Write down everything you can remember about your cause and why people should care. What are all of the programs you have? Write these down. What are things you find so fascinating that you could spend weeks on the topic? What are some hot button issues in your cause? Research in the library and online. Go to your topic in the library. Scan tables of contents, and consider if you have things to say about these topics. Go to your RSS feeds and scan your blogs. What are they writing about that you would like to comment on? Turn those comments into blog posts. Go to your local association meeting or read a newspaper. What are they talking about or writing about? Turn their conversation into a blog post. Find your heroes and heroines in your cause area, and interview them. It could be a gathering together of your heroines at a conference. It could be an imaginary interview with a person who has passed on. Glean wisdom however you can, and help your name be associated with people who have already made it.

7 Possible Blog Post Topics Checklist When You're Stuck, Try 50 Blog Post Ideas Stop worrying about being wrong. Ask a question. Think about your pain. Do a book review. Think funny. Tweet about needing ideas. Mine your hobbies. Try a new medium. Do an interview. Take a hike. Have a debate. Write something else. Talk about your mistakes. Make a prediction. Review the past. Create a regular feature. Where are they now? Change your view. Eavesdrop. Take a bath. Take a poll. Read trade publications. Skim national newspapers and magazine stories. Ask yourself, What s missing? or What will happen next? Read small publications. Riff on a popular post. Read your social-media group s questions. Talk to a friend. Tackle a controversy. Join a blogger s group. Scan industry conference schedules. Get a critique. Hold a contest. Keep a journal. Free associate. Do a mind map. Do a product review.

8 Run your analytics. Read your comments. Read your competitors. Read your competitors comments. Hit an industry networking event. Attend a local community event. Google alerts. Set an alert with a few industry keywords. Review your greatest hits. Write a sequel. Participate in a blog carnival. Recruit a guest. Take an entire day off every week. * Go back to your ideal reader, or people who have donated to you in the past. What information do THEY need to know? How do THEY like to think of themselves? What problem of theirs can you help solve? What questions can you help answer? What are typical confusions people have in your cause area? I hope this is enough to get you started!

9 Interviews Worksheet Coming up with content, the sneaky way: What do you wish you knew more about, in your industry? Who does know more about it? People you can guest post for: Heroes or peers (and have access to their audience!) People you can ask for guest posts or interviews PS. You can totally ask me for a guest post or interview if you want to! :)