As non profits climb out of the deep hole created by the recession, volunteer managers and fundraisers are more than a little weary. But some have used the recession to get creative when asking donors for help.

In Virginia, an art museum asked its top donors to give even more so it could eliminate its entry fee and open the museum to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Believing that the economic situation was exactly the time when folks needed access to art, four donors gave $150,000—and the fee was eliminated.

But free admission created another issue: how to appease the members whose annual fees give them the important perk of unlimited entry? The museum approached the problem with a creative solution: they changed their marketing message to help members understand all the other benefits they receive, such as invitations to special exhibits and events, and to point out that it is their membership fees that are helping others enjoy the museum.  The museum also instituted an entry fee for four special exhibitions per year, which members could still attend for free.

How is it working? The first week of September, when free admission began, saw three times the usual attendance and double the voluntary donations at the museum’s door.

Other non profit organizations are polishing up their donor and volunteer relationships. The head of a youth services foundation in Washington decided that the economic slump was not the time to do just an annual report or stage the same tired annual fundraising event. Personal cards and more frequent updates kept the charity’s name top of mind throughout the year. And when it was time for the annual fundraising event, she took a bold step by ramping it up into an elegant affair—a big change from the simple thank-you dinner of years past.

Instead of charging nothing to attend and hoping for donations at the event, the organization hired an exclusive caterer and held the function in the nicest ballroom in town. They charged $75 per ticket, and quickly sold out. Additional fundraisers at the event brought in even more cash. And, she had more volunteers than ever before, because the event was more fun than ever before!

The lesson as we come through the end (hopefully) of the recession is to be bold, come up with new ideas, and go big! Put your non profit ahead by giving people something to talk about.

It’s November, which means you have just a couple of months to wrap up your 2009 non profit marketing plan (if you even had one!). If you’ve been sending and/or emailing a newsletter out regularly—great! If not, a year-end wrap up is a great way to get in the habit. Newsletters don’t have to be long to be effective. In fact, most folks prefer shorter bits of easy-to-read news. Four short paragraphs are sufficient. Choose from these ideas:

Accomplishments, or Goals Set and Achieved: Here’s where you list all the good things your non profit organization did in 2009. Pull data from board reports and meeting minutes. If you submit a monthly or quarterly report to your Board of Directors, then you probably have all the information you need to compile your list of accomplishments.

Thanks to our Volunteers: Include the number of hours your volunteers donated to your organization, the number of events they helped organize, or actual jobs they performed. Statistics are compelling and impacting, so use numbers like “3,782 meals served,” or “62,000 dollars worth of time donated.”

Event Highlights: Add ohotos and description of the fundraisers thrown, programs given, trade shows attended, schools visited, or races run. Any group photos with your charity’s t-shirt or logo prominently displayed are effective ways to communicate involvement and support in your community

Volunteer of the Year: Choose a volunteer to honor. Include a photo and bio, including why they chose your organization when offering their volunteer services. Volunteers love to see their names and photos, and to know they are appreciated. Plus, showing them a little love will help you recruit more volunteers.

Board Members: Introduce all the members of your board, especially new members. Be sure to mention any board members who left or rotated off in 2009, and thank them for their service.

Goals for 2010: Let your supporters and community know what you plan to accomplish next year. Then at the end of 2010, you’ll know exactly what goals were met, and where you need to keep working.

Lives We’ve Impacted: Make a personal connection with your organization’s work by telling clients’ real stories. Include a photo if privacy is not an issue. Telling stories is the best way to make your organization’s mission resonate with your supporters and community.

Marketing communications are a vital link to your supporters, volunteers, and community. Keep yours consistent and interesting, and you will see a return for your efforts!

Developing a strong presence on social media outlets is a proven marketing tool for businesses and non profit organizations. Increasing awareness for your cause, making it easier for supporters to donate time and money, and promoting events are just a few ways that Facebook and Twitter are used successfully by non profits every day.

And now, social media savvy non profits have an advantage—by spreading the word quickly, they can compete for cash through America’s Giving Challenge, a daily giveaway that rewards causes with the highest number of donations each day through November 6, 2009.

Non profits that connect with supporters through a regularly-updated website, blog, email newsletters, and on social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have already built the infrastructure that allows them to take advantage of a contest like this. Causes was built on Facebook, with the sole purpose of putting power, in the form of dollars, in the hands of the people. Every 24 hours, whichever charity gets the most donations—of any amount—gets $1,000. Second highest number gets $500 each day.

The grand prize for the contest awards $50,000 to the non profit that gets the highest number of individual donations. Second prize is $25,000, and $10,000 goes to each of the next five causes.

It’s easy to sign up your cause, donate to a cause, and see how the contest is going. (Today’s leader is Overseas China Education Foundation, with 101 donations.) Set a goal for your organization to gather 100, 150, or 200 small donations, and you could be in the running for the $1,000 daily prize. And the way social marketing works, you could soon see thousands of donations for your cause, along with increased awareness, more volunteers, and engaged supporters!

Sponsored running events can be a great way to raise funds for your non profit organization. Runners and walkers are a close-knit group in most communities, and enjoy entering 5K, 10K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon races for charity. In return for their entrance fee, participants get a chance to post a good race time, reach a personal goal, and receive a goodie bag, a shirt, and free food. Your non profit organization receives free publicity, increased exposure, and a portion of the entrance fees!

Your first step should be to form a race committee. Dedicated volunteers who are committed to putting in the time necessary to pull off a race are a necessity. Plan on at least six months for your volunteers to plan the race.

Next, talk to a local running or sporting goods store. You may find that they sponsor or help produce a number of charity runs, and have great experience to share.

Establish a budget. There will be plenty of out-of-pocket expenses, from fencing to timing chips, numbered bibs to advertising. Entrance and liability waiver forms will need to be printed, and you’ll need insurance, too.

Set up plenty of spreadsheets and checklists—you’ll need them!

Solicit sponsors. You’ll want to approach local businesses to give goods, services, or cash in return for publicity. Bakeries can donate bread, muffins, or bagels for runners. If asked, many grocery stores will donate fruit or water. Graphic designers might offer poster and ad layout services. Sign companies can give banners for the start/finish line, as well as directional signs for runners. Retailers can offer gift certificates for raffle prizes or goodie bags.

You’ll need loads of volunteers; from pre-race publicity, distributing flyers, and charting the course, to race-day check-in, logistics, handling runners, putting out food, staffing water and first aid stations, traffic flaggers, and an emcee for announcements. Solicit volunteers early and often!

Get the word out! Face-to-face networking at Rotary meetings and Chamber of Commerce events, along with social networking on Facebook and Twitter, blogging, and press releases are all going to be necessary. Get ready to start talking about your non profit fundraising race, stay within your budget and on schedule, and cross your fingers for fair weather on race day!

October 5, 2009 has been designated World Habitat Day by the United Nations. Its purpose is to call attention to the dire need worldwide for safe, adequate and affordable housing. According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people in the world today are homeless, while millions more live without adequate sanitation, electricity and security. One out of three city dwellers lives in a slum.

The need is truly staggering—more than 2 million housing units per year for 50 years are needed to solve the present crisis. Yet, even if they were all built, at the rate the population is growing, there will still be a need for another 1 billion housing units.

What can we do? The first step is to just be aware—and to care. Most of us are lucky to have more than adequate housing—we’re comfortable enough to have a difficult time imagining what it must be like to lack sanitary facilities and clean water for our families. Compared to most of the world, we live in luxury.

The housing crisis is not just some other nation’s problem—it’s a problem we can all come together to do something about. Advocating for change is the next step toward transforming the existing systems that perpetuate the global plague of poverty housing.

In the US, about 95 million people—one-third of the population, have housing problems such as high-cost, overcrowding, poor quality, and homelessness. These conditions contribute to health problems such as childhood asthma, viral infections, anemia and stunted growth. Approximately 180 children die each year in the U.S. due to house fires attributable to inadequate electrical systems and faulty heating.

Change can happen. Advocate for it by asking Congress to pass legislation to prioritize affordable housing. Educate yourself and your community about the problem here at home and around the globe. And donate to Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to end the global housing crisis.

My friend Kathryn recently joined a local non-profit board, on which I used to serve. She asked if for ideas for improvement, so I shared one. As a former board member, donor, and major supporter of the cause, it seems logical that I would receive frequent updates in the form of newsletters (online or in the mail), invitations to events, and other information. Because I do not, they are missing out on additional support—monetary and otherwise, that I could be providing, if only they were top-of-mind. As far as I know, they don’t even exist anymore!

This non profit organization’s outreach needs a lot of improvement. How about yours? How many supporters do you have who feel like I do? Who don’t hear from you enough?

As a non profit director or manager, you serve two masters (or mistresses, as the case may be!): your clients and your support base. To under serve either is a misstep. So, take a look at your outreach efforts:

• How often do your supporters hear from you? If it’s just once a year when you ask for a donation, consider increasing the frequency of your contact–and your message.
• How do your non profit’s supporters prefer to be contacted? You may be mailing printed newsletters to super-green folks who hate junk mail and wish you’d provide an online newsletter delivered to their email boxes.
• What are you sharing with your supporters? Believe it or not, they want to hear what you’re up to! Share success stories. Profile a client, employee, or volunteer who deserves praise. Communicate a particular need. You may be surprised at the response you receive!
• Are you saying “thank you?” If you let your supporters know that you appreciate their past support, they will be more likely to give again—whether it is of their time or their money.

What is your community saying about your charity? You can have thousands of fans and evangelists for your cause, who tell everyone they know about the work of your non profit origination, or you can have people who say nothing—because they simply don’t have any information to share. Give people something to talk about—keep your donors, volunteers, and former board members informed!

What is your nonprofit organization’s personality like? Is it pretentious, or welcoming? Will potential donors, staff, and volunteers think it’s stiff and formal, or casual and fun? More importantly, does the organization’s personality align with its mission and goals?

It is important to communicate your NPO’s personality in a way that resonatess with your targeted donors and supporters. The first place to analyze this piece of your communications strategy is your website—because that’s where most people will go to learn more.

Is your website content and design friendly or pretentious? Welcoming or chilly? Serious or upbeat? Determine what “voice” best matches your organization’s goals and its mission. Does the website content match that ideal voice? Or will visitors feel a disconnect between what they perceive about your organization and what is communicated on the website? Make sure your charity’s goals and needs are clearly communicated in a voice that matches your mission.

How easy is it to donate to your organization through your website? Will potential donors be turned off by too many steps and windows? Can visitors interact through comment boxes, easily sign up for a newsletter, or learn more about the organization? Are volunteers easily able to communicate their desire to help?

Picture your website visitors in your mind: are they happy and smiling, learning what they want to know, or are they frustrated and confused? You want them to think your organization has a good personality. You can help by ensuring the website is easy to navigate, that they clearly understand your purpose and needs, and that they can interact easily with your organization.

If your organization has a bad online personality, consider revamping your website.