Hafele quips: “You can make a news story from Groundhog Day—if you’re a homeless shelter!  Contact your local media and invite them to do a story on what difference it makes to the homeless and those who care about them if winter continues for six more weeks!”

Brent Hafele, CEO of NewDay Nonprofit Solutions, promises to ignite your creativity as you learn how to make headlines and increase your nonprofit’s exposure and income using the news media.  He’ll cover media basics (we all need a review!) and help you see how Your Organization can develop stories the media will want to run.

Hafele’s first caveat is that your organization has two media publics:  1, obviously, the donor or prospective donor; 2, not so easy to see from where we usually sit, the reporter.  To place a story with the media, you need to think about your story from the perspective of the reporter—who needs a quick story, with a new angle that his readers will relate to.  If you are supplying the story idea and the facts, he needs to trust that you have your facts straight.

So, for the groundhog story, you’d have contacted him last week with some stats, experts, locals who can provide a picture of what six more weeks of winter means to your city’s homeless. You’ve given him enough time to do some prep work, interviews, photos, and earn him/herself a front-page story for February 2!  It will be a great success for the reporter and for your organization; and the reporter will be eager to entertain your next story idea!

Learn how to get your stories placed and your message out. Raise more money as potential donors learn more about your nonprofit. Leave with practical tools and tips from a veteran who successfully placed over 90 different stories in just four years.  This three-part series will take you through the four steps of Media Relations: Developing Your Story, Pitching Your Story, Interviewing Success, and Following-up with Style.


Join GiftWorks and Brent on Thursday, February 9^th, March 8^th, and April 12^th, at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET!

Email subject lines should be short.  Without a quick attention-getter, your message will get no more than two seconds as the reader’s eye scans downthe list of the morning's emails.

Email subject lines need to put the punch in the first word (it’s capitalized!)  Not:  “Wondering how to help in the crisis in Haiti?”—but: “Haiti: Help Now!”  The reader knows your topic at the first glance.

Email subject lines need to identify the immediate benefit. In “Haiti: Help Now!” there’s an implied urgency which may well match up with your reader’s pangs of guilt about not acting yet. You want the readers to open your message right now, not later in the day when other matters are swirling in their minds.

Email subject lines should provide a specific value proposition. Implied in “Haiti: Help Now!” is the message that your gift will get there quickly; the donating will be easy—directly from the email--; there’s no sluggish bureaucracy which will tie up your money for six months while some board struggles to determine which phase of the crisis to support. The donor reaps the tangible benefit of acting to help, acting now, with little hassle and no further delay.  “Haiti: You Can Help Now!” might improve this, but you have to decide whether the shorter title is more effective.

Take a look at your own inbox right now.  Which subject lines are “grabbers,” and which are “ho-hum”?  Need I say more?

Whether your organization is embarking on a capital campaign, preparing grant proposals or developing your annual fund materials, the Case for Support is the first critical element in your fundraising program. In this webinar we will discuss the importance of the case and how it is used, list the key elements in a case for support, and learn how to evaluate case statements.

Please register here for this webinar: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/914495824

Linda is one of fewer than one hundred professionals worldwide to hold the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive designation. In her seventeen years as a philanthropic consultant, she has managed capital campaigns; helped dozens of nonprofit organizations achieve their development goals, and has trained more than 20,000 professionals in Mexico, Canada, Egypt and most of the fifty United States, in all aspects of development. 

Thank you for your interest in this GiftWorks webinar.
You can always download a free 30 day trial of GiftWorks 
and also attend a 1-hour tour of all that GiftWorks has to offer.

Have a fantastic day!
              -The GiftWorks Team

Special #2
Get over 6 hours of GiftWorks training for only $275.
Want to start off the new year with some in-depth training for GiftWorks?  Perhaps you or others in your organization really want to grow stronger in your GiftWorks skills.  Now is your time.  Take advantage of these saving to get over 6 hours of training for GiftWorks.  The GiftWorks University series is split into 5 different sessions and is delivered by video which can be watched at your convenience.  Now is the time to get trained.  Call our sales team to order the GiftWorks University series or you can click here to purchase it at our GiftWorks store using the coupon code: gwu-74-off when checking out.

Special #3
Buy GiftWorks Events and save $60 off each license you purchase
Do you need help managing your events?  Get even more out of GiftWorks by using GiftWorks Events to help manage your events with ease.  You can find out more about GiftWorks Events by viewing these helpful videos.  Until the end of February you can save $60 off each license.  And if you already own GiftWorks Events, you can get an extra license for $90 off!

Special #4
Buy GiftWorks Volunteers and save $40 off each license you purchase
Do you need to help manage your volunteers, jobs, and recording volunteer hours?  GiftWorks Volunteers can help you track and manage your volunteerism.  You can find out more about GiftWorks Volunteers by viewing these helpful videos.  Until the end of February you can save $40 off each license.  If you already own GiftWorks Volunteers, you can get an extra license for $60 off!

We’re about turning the defeated into the determined.
So we’ll be taking that white flag. You won’t be needing it with GiftWorks.

In our January 24^th  webinar, philanthropic consultant and friend of GiftWorks Linda Lysakowski will offer valuable insights into why you should think more seriously about how to best approach businesses in this challenging economy.

Our free webinar on Tuesday, January 24th at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. will be one you don’t want to miss!
Please register here for this presentation: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/639069849

One big reason is that building relationships with business leaders can help you tap into businesses’ philanthropic dollars, but also give you access  to the personal giving of these business leaders—many of whom make up  that 80% of giving that comes from individuals.

These leaders may be lying dormant in your database as individuals, but once you make the business connection, that individual becomes a most interesting prospect.  Also many business leaders may not know much about your organization, but what they learn from the corporate solicitation, and from rubbing shoulders with your other corporate givers, may spark the interest of the leader (and spouse) and lead to further engagement.

Sign up for this webinar to learn from a pro, not only why business and corporate giving is important for your organization,  but also how to build business relationships, how to work with business leaders as volunteers, and how to effectively raise more money from your business community.

Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE,   is President/CEO of Capital Venture, a philanthropic consultant and author of numerous books for fundraisers.  She has managed capital campaigns, helped dozens of nonprofits achieve their goals, and trained more than 16,000 development professions.

By Ewlacasse