Nonprofit Blogging January 4, 2006

Would you blog? What would you blog about? Tech Soup has been chatting up blogging over at Net Squared, and a number of people in the nonprofit community have been pushing blogging as a way of building audience (some links on lwoer right of page). But not everyone is cut out for blogging.

Mom runs two nonprofits--one is a conservancy (Lake Makoma) and one is a fundraiser for the Nazareth Hospital. I think she should start a blog--she uses GiftWorks for tracking donors and Skype for international calls, so why not a blog? The cool thing it's not the tech that prevents her from doing it. It's time and inclination. She's a good writer and can figure out how to do it, but there's more to it.

Think of blogging as a conversation, and that conversation as reality tv, in a sense--the behind the scenes narrative of your nonprofit. Be engaging (not that I am on this blog, but hey, I'm boring).

Why blog? When you build that conversation, your audience grows. As your audience grows, so does support for your mission. Wanna try? I use Typepad here and Blogger over at my own blog. Dave uses DasBlog. They're free--go for it!

oog

Comments

After seeing your blog, I brought blogging up to our Board, and didn't get much interest from them. I think it's a great idea, though. It definitely heightened my interest in GiftWorks to see some of the behind-the-scenes thoughts.

Not everyone is going to get it. I might be something to start informally so you can find your voice, and then show some examples. It's not just another website/pamphlet for your cause--it's a dynamic, living conversation to your supporters. I encourage you to try it for a bit on your own; over time it will become clear how well it can fit in the context of your mission.

Let's not forget about Word Press as an application.

Funny thing -- I just posted on this topic this morning: http://www.donorpowerblog.com/donor_power_blog/2006/01/how_blogs_can_w.html

I think nonprofits should seriously think about blogging. A blog is a great tool. But consider a few things: It doesn't work directly, the way direct mail does; blogs create conversations, not gifts. And if you can't be totally focused on your audience (donors), don't bother; your blog will be too boring to read!

I think it is a great idea for a non-profit to remain connected to their audience (donors and future donors). I created OMLOG at http://www.omlog.org/ for a non-profit eye institution that my father founded in Chennai, India. We are still working out the kinks in the system - much of the news has to come from India but I continue to oversee the quality control aspect of the blog. I would love to hear your thoughts on making it better. The idea of making it "conversational" is important. Too often a blog ends up becoming a glorified newsletter.

I am glad I stumbeld across your blog and software product. I'll let the board know about GiftWorks.