Robert Weiner

JULY 24, 2014

The credit card scam/fraud attempt that many nonprofits have experiences starts with a very large online gift from an unknown donor. These attempts don’t cost nonprofits much in lost revenue, but can be a headache to clean up. These attempts don’t cost nonprofits much in lost revenue, but can be a headache to clean up.

Online 233

Online Giving Oregon Gift 233

Robert Weiner

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

If you technology decisions at your organization are driven by some of the following, we’d love to see you at NTEN''s Nonprofit Technology Conference (aka the NTC): We chose the system because we have a volunteer who knows it. It worked great at my last (completely dissimilar) organization. She’ll figure this out!”.

Problem 100

Problem Technology NTC System 100

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 27, 2012

While I generally think vendor consolidation is bad for the nonprofit world (unless the vendor being absorbed wasn’t a strong player to begin with), I’m less concerned about the impact on small nonprofits. There are tons of choices out there for small and mid-sized organizations.

Blackbaud 222

Blackbaud Convio Open Source Product 222

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 27, 2010

C3 is looking for examples of how organizations can increase internal communication, communication between donors, clients and communities, and/or effective communication strategies in times of crisis or other large scale campaigns. C3 will also provide complimentary training as needed. read more.

Grant 100

Grant Donation Audio Program 100

Robert Weiner

AUGUST 30, 2012

Blackbaud says that eTapestry and Raiser's Edge will be their solutions for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits, but I don't see either as a real replacement for Common Ground. the Salesforce world, Affinaquest and RoundCorner are getting good reviews, and lots of organizations are working with Salesforce's Nonprofit Starter Pack.

Blackbaud 264

Blackbaud Convio Database Austin 264

Robert Weiner

MARCH 5, 2011

They'll be awarding over $25,000 in grants to nonprofits, charities and voluntary organizations of all sizes in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Applicants are being asked to submit an original four-to-eight-line poem that reflects the work or mission of their organization.

Grant 131

Grant United Kingdom New Zealand United States 131

Robert Weiner

AUGUST 1, 2014

For example, one nonprofit archives records every year based on past giving or when someone last interacted with them. This doesn’t mean a nonprofit should send their glossy annual report or magazine to every $5 donor. Organizations need to have a policy about what level of donation gets a particular level of stewardship.

Donor 112

Donor Database Module Model 112

Robert Weiner

MAY 5, 2010

Convio released their 2010 Online Nonprofit Benchmark Study in March, based on results from nearly 500 clients. 69% of the organizations they looked at raised more online in 2009 than in 2008, while 31% raised less. Most organizations saw declines in average gift size. Most organizations saw declines in average gift size.

Stats 131

Stats Online Giving Convio 131

Robert Weiner

MAY 4, 2010

I often see RFPs that are quite lengthy and well-considered, and looking for a system that has huge strategic value to an organization, but the required turn-around time to respond to the RFP is very short – often only 2 or 3 weeks. In most cases I don't think nonprofits understand what they're asking of the vendors.

Software 112

Software Database Phase Proposal 112

Robert Weiner

JUNE 3, 2010

Yesterday I spoke on a fundraising panel at Compasspoint's Silicon Valley/Peninsula Nonprofit Forum and mentioned a variety of resources. “Homer Simpson for Nonprofits: The Truth about How People Really Think and What It Means for Promoting Your Cause&#. Tips for Entering Your Nonprofit into the Social Media Environment.

Resource 138

Resource eBook Social Media ROI 138

Robert Weiner

JULY 25, 2010

I get a lot of emails like the following from small nonprofits: We desperately need to get a new donor database and most of them are totally unaffordable!! I'd need to spend time learning about your organization to make any kind of informed recommendation. As you said, there are a lot of considerations. event_KEY=29015.

Database 180

Database Donor System Test 180

Robert Weiner

MARCH 10, 2009

Subsequently, TechSoup member schobert suggested checking out Razoo for Nonprofits. I looked at the service and spoke with Razoo’s CEO, Sebastian Traeger, last week and learned the following: Razoo is using Guidestar to list nonprofits and using Network for Good to process donations.

Service 100

Service Donation Free Online 100

Robert Weiner

AUGUST 17, 2009

Although some recent news stories have reported postive economic signs, the outlook for the nonprofit sector still looks bleak. For the first time since the index began in 2002, overall revenue per donor declined; revenue per donor declines were experienced by two-thirds of the organizations in the index. He says: read more.

Retention 100

Retention Metrics News Analytics 100

Robert Weiner

SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

Looking for an innovative and compelling way to tell your organization's story? We will help you learn how to maximize the impact of your organization's message with online audio, video, and images. My friends at TechSoup asked me to pass along info about their upcoming digital storytelling event.

Storytelling 122

Storytelling Digital San Francisco Free 122

Robert Weiner

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

NetworkforGood’s Katya Andresen’s blog, Nonprofit Marketing, offers nonprofits 5 suggestions for surviving the economic downturn. She advises organizations to: Give donors what they want: To feel good. To hear from people they know. Tangibility.

Advice 100

Advice Tag Marketing Donor 100

Robert Weiner

OCTOBER 17, 2009

Our friends at NTEN have launched a survey to examine nonprofits' data ecosystems. NTEN describes it as follows: The nonprofit ecosystem is a way of thinking about how data is shared by and flows across the different departments and activities in your organization. Your first question is probably "what is a data ecosystem?"

Data 100

Data NTEN Survey Software 100

Robert Weiner

SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

The Nonprofit Times recently published an article called Is It Donor Management Software Or Business Intelligence. I've heard countless organizations describe their donor databases as "roach motels" or "data vaults" -- the data goes in but it doesn't come out.

Track 112

Track Business Donor Database 112

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 21, 2009

The Chronicle of Philanthropy held an online discussion on January 21, 2009 about how nonprofits can publicize their work. What can your organization do to make sure these efforts are meaningful?

Philanthropy 100

Philanthropy News Public Discussion 100

Robert Weiner

NOVEMBER 14, 2009

The first from Philanthropy Action , has the depressing title, " Social Networking and Mid-Size Nonprofits: What's the Use? " The survey is based on responses from about 200 mid-sized nonprofits (defined as having revenues between $1 and $5 million annually) between July 2008 and March 2009.

Social Media 100

Social Media Volunteer Media Social 100

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 22, 2009

The results come from 2,000 nonprofits using Blackbaud’s online fundraising tools. An average online gift of $152.12, although organizations focused on event-based and peer-to-peer online fundraising had lower average gift amounts. The average online gift for the organizations studied increased to $248.82 in December.

Trend 100

Trend Online Giving Summary 100

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 8, 2009

As part of its We Are Media program, NTEN is offering a 2-day training in San Francisco on how nonprofits can use social media. They describe it as follows: This two-day, intensive workshop will immerse you in the world of social media and nonprofits.

Social Media 100

Social Media NTEN San Francisco Media 100

Robert Weiner

JUNE 9, 2009

As I mentioned last week , the Chronicle of Philanthropy held a live online discussion about how nonprofits can use social networks to promote their organizations. On the panel, was Danielle Brigida, social-media-outreach coordinator at the National Wildlife Federation; marketing and communications consultant Nancy E.

Social Network 100

Social Network Network Causes Online 100

Robert Weiner

FEBRUARY 11, 2009

I’m organizing two workshops for NTEN’s upcoming Nonprofit Technology Conference on the topic So You Want To Be A Consultant? ( The workshops are described here and here.) Holly Ross, NTEN’s Executive Director interviewed me via Skype a few weeks ago and posted the video at www.ntconnect.org/content.php?&cid=159&uid=13.

Consultant 100

Consultant Skype Audio NTEN 100

Robert Weiner

JUNE 23, 2009

This Tuesday The Chronicle of Philanthropy will host another free online discussion about how nonprofits can use social media.

Discussion 113

Discussion Stumbleupon Social Network Digg 113

Robert Weiner

MARCH 25, 2009

Convio has released a new online fundraising benchmark report that is based on data from 600 of Convio’s nonprofit clients from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. The average gift amount was unchanged at many organizations, with the average gift hovering around $67.50 in 2007 and 2008.

Benchmark 100

Benchmark Report Online Fundraising 100

Robert Weiner

DECEMBER 6, 2012

The premise is that complaints about an organization's database may be misdirected: the problem is how the system is being managed (aka management problems disguised as technology problems). I'm working on an article with the title, "Maybe It's Not Your Database, It's You."

Database 156

Database Law Policy Training 156

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 13, 2009

Firstgiving is holding a free webinar TODAY designed to help nonprofits build their email lists, What: Advanced Email Fundraising: Building Your List. Join us in this practical and informative webinar about best practices for building and maintaining your organization’s email list. Cost: Free.

email 100

email Build Free Practice 100

Robert Weiner

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Keith urges nonprofits to look before they leap into new software, cautioning that "new software may not make anything better — in fact, it could make things worse." Idealware just published an article by Keith Heller called Do You Need New Donor Management Software?

Software 100

Software Management Donor Summary 100

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 15, 2015

A few months ago I wrote a post on the topic of whether nonprofits should delete old donor records. The original question: My organization is working on a data retention policy and wondering if others have insights to share. The same topic came up recently on the APRA''s listserve, PRSPCT-L. Not wanting mail?

Retention 100

Retention Discussion Data Donor 100

Robert Weiner

JULY 10, 2012

Here's how I responded: I’ve yet to see a published report that provided a convincing general argument that [insert any nonprofit name here] will raise more money by using [insert database name here]. I would welcome replies either to the list or directly to me. But a big part of the analysis has to be “who’s the project sponsor?”

Database 181

Database ROI Donor Listserv 181

Robert Weiner

FEBRUARY 10, 2009

Beth titled her post Are Fundraising Groundswells A Massive Opportunity or Distraction for Nonprofit Organizations? But I think that smart nonprofits will add social media as one more tool for engagement and fundraising. and didn’t reach a conclusion either way.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media Fundraising Social 100

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 12, 2009

I’m thrilled that their 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference will be held at the San Francisco Hilton this year, April 26-28. Here’s what the NTEN folks have to say: The 2009 NTC will be THE place to engage around the technology issues that face the nonprofit sector.

NTEN 100

NTEN San Francisco Registration Conference 100

Robert Weiner

DECEMBER 12, 2011

It's in their DIY series -- short tips for implementing something for your organization without extensive tech know-how or extra budget. NTEN just published a short piece of mine on data management in their Change magazine. The topic they gave me was managing decentralized data entry.

Data 122

Data NTEN Tech Tips 122

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 7, 2009

I’ve previously posted resources for nonprofits coping with the economic downturn ( Coping with a Troubled Economy , Fundraising Survival Guide , Economic Effects on Philanthropy ). Not all organizations, or types of groups, experience the same changes in giving, even in recession years. in years with a recession.

Gift 100

Gift Fundraising Comparison Foundation 100

Robert Weiner

JULY 17, 2009

SupportingAdvancement.com has published the results of their 2009 survey on how nonprofits are handling corporate matching gifts --their fourth such survey. The responses came primarily from academic institutions, but also included significant numbers from healthcare, religious, and social service organizations.

Gift 100

Gift Practice Survey Technique 100

Robert Weiner

JANUARY 27, 2009

SupportingAdvancement.com has published the results of their 2008 survey on how nonprofits are handling corporate matching gifts. The responses came primarily from post-secondary schools, but also included elementary schools, healthcare, museums, gardens, performing arts, and service organizations. 63% raised over $50,000.

Gift 100

Gift Practice Survey Museum 100

Robert Weiner

JULY 17, 2009

This is the third in a series of posts aimed at new consultants in the nonprofit sector. Will you tier your fees for different sized organizations? Browse the back issues of CharityChannel's Nonprofit Consultants Review: [link]. The previous posts are at Part 1 and Part 2. Will you charge for travel time?

Consultant 100

Consultant Advice Listserv Associations 100