Managing your Best Non-Profit Marketing Resource: Time

Every afternoon as I walk to the kitchen in our office to make a cup of coffee, I think about how quickly time has gone by.

It’s already 3:15 p.m., and there is so much more to get done. Time has run out on me. Our clients echo the same sentiment in emails:

“Something else popped up. Can I get my feedback on those Facebook images tomorrow?”

“Our server crashed today so I am busy getting our email back up. Can we postpone our meeting until Friday?”

“I don’t know what happened, but its 5:00 and I still have 15 unread emails I need to get to before I leave. Catch up tomorrow?”

As an nonprofit digital advertising agency, time is a precious resource, so we are pretty protective of it. We’ve found a few tools along the way that have helped us gain better insights into how we spend our time. This isn’t Six Sigma black belt material, rather just some cool life-hacks we discovered to make the most of every day. As a nonprofit employee, you are probably in the same boat. Check out these three simple tips to get your day back and enjoy that afternoon coffee without the anxiety of looking at the clock.

STEP 1: CREATE A GAME PLAN

What is on your plate? Facebook? Twitter? Email? Google Analytics? Be realistic about how long it takes to effectively handle these tasks. Take into account how much total time you have to complete everything — 10 hours? 15 hours? Based on that, set aside time for each task. Having a strong grasp of how to utilize various platforms efficiently can play a big role in saving time. Check out our 10 tips for an effective nonprofit content strategy.

STEP 2: STICK TO GAME PLAN

We are big believers in technology being a force for good. We use two web-based apps to help us stick to our game plan.

1. RescueTime.com This tool runs in the background and lets you know your productivity based on web activity. It also has a great feature called “Get Focused” that will block distracting sites like funnyordie.com for a certain period of time.

2. Toggl.com  This is a time-tracking software that is simple to use. It can be downloaded to your desktop, smartphone and tablet. It can also run in your browser. It has a one-click timer function and gives you the ability to edit any entry if you forget to turn off the timer. But here’s the best part: The company offers a nonprofit discount!

STEP 3: REEVALUATE GAME PLAN

You found out you are an efficient and effective time management machine, but it still didn’t help you find 10 more hours in your week to get another handful of emails out or to better segment your messaging. Maybe it’s time to re-allocate some staff hours? Tell your boss you want to put in some overtime? Or go with our favorite solution: Hire Media Cause to be your new nonprofit marketing resource. Not only can we give you more time, but we can make you a mean cup of joe.

By Cody Damon Posted in Nonprofit Marketing Agency 

What to Answer When the Interviewers Ask "Why Should We Hire You?"

We often go into an interview prepared to answer technical questions regarding ourselves and the job that we are applying for. Being prepared is a good thing, but there would always be a question or two that would catch us off guard. One of these questions would be “Why do you want this job?”.

A lot of people would consider this a silly question and give a random answer such as “because I need a job”. To an interviewer though, this is not any silly question. It asks why you want it, and gives you an opportunity to tell them why the job attracted you, and how interested you are in getting the position.

Here are a few tips to consider when coming up with an answer to this crucial question:

1) Consider the company:

It would not hurt to say that you would want to be on a winning team, as this would give the interviewer the fact that you did your research about the company. Something such as this would be able to convey this idea:

I have been following the rising performance of the company, and would want to be part of the team that makes it to the top of the industry

2) You’re prepared for the part:

Another good answer to this would be to talk about your qualifications and how they compliment the needs of the company. This would let the interviewer know that you are not fooling around with your application and the company’s need. An answer showing this would go something like:

The subjects I took up while working for my degree in management accounting have prepared me for this particular post. My two year experience working with company x has given me the experience that I need to deliver what is stated in your job posting. It is as if I was prepared all my life to land this job.

3) It can further your career and you can help the company in return:

One thing that recruiters want to see is hunger. They want to see this because it gives them the impression that you are willing to go the distance, and even further, in order to get the job done, get recognized and move up. You can express this by saying something like:

I want the job because it can give me a chance to prove myself at this level. My plan is to do an awesome job and move up the ranks of this company, helping the company improve and getting me the job experience in the process. It would be a win-win situation for both parties.

4) Passion:

Of course there is always an answer that shows that this is what you want to do.   A simple statement such as below would give a recruiter the idea that you just want to work in this field:

Since college, this has been the line of work that has always fascinated me. I have taken quite a few jobs in this area of expertise and I still keep on learning.

Conclusion:

Depending on the job that you are applying for, you can mix and match. If you are applying for a higher position than what you were previously in, then you would need to go for the stronger approaches. The biggest mistake you can make though is just pass this question off as a joke and say something such as you are just in it for the money. That would signify disinterest on your part, and you may very well lose that job opportunity. Play your cards right, show your interest, and you would not be jobless for long.

3 Steps To A Successful Cover Letter

Cover letters can be a chore to write for job seekers. Whereas the things that need to be in a resume are cut and dry, what to include in your letter is a little more ambiguous.

In article posted on Boxwood Tech’s Career Learning Center Marshall Brown, founder and CEO of Marshall Brown & Associates, explained that cover letters need to be tailored to the specific job for which you are applying. While it’s fine to have a template that you work from, Brown explained that you can’t simply copy and paste that template and call it a day. If you can, take the time to find out what the unique problems, challenges etc. of the organization might be. Show them how you have the qualifications to help them solve their problems.

When it comes to what you should include in your cover letter, Brown wrote that it’s okay to include information that already appears on your resume. Specifically, Brown states that the document should be no more than three paragraphs, containing the following information:

Paragraph 1: The “Hook”

• Introduce your qualifications up front.
• Tell them a story.
• Drop a name.
• Highlight something about their business.
• Jump right into your results.
• Ask a question that makes them think.

Paragraph 2: The “Pitch”

• Highlight your relevant qualifications and results.
• Target what the organization needs or wants.
• Make it clear and easy to read.

Paragraph 3: The “Close”

• Quick summary (one sentence).
• Call to action (request for a phone call or interview).
• Contact information.
• “Thank you.”

The Non-Profit Times is a leading business publication for non-profit management.

When Disaster Strikes - Give to You

Nothing breaks through our regular charitable rhythms like a natural disaster. When tragedies like Typhoon Haiyan strike, we feel compelled to respond charitably, most most often through donating to some form of relief effort. This is the essence of benevolence. It’s a beautiful thing, but quickly gets drowned out in the sea of appeal ads, deceptive matching offers and the sense that if the gift doesn’t happen within the next 2 days the consequences will be even more astronomical.

There are both rational and emotional reasons behind answering the question ‘should I give’ with a ‘yes.’  Rationally, we realize the country effected has suffered immense infrastructure damage, sanitary and food shortages and has incredible emergency health care costs among other expenses. We feel it makes “good sense" to give to help in some way relieve this expense and hopefully save lives in the process. Emotionally, we see pictures, hear a story, or read a statistic on the incredible death and destruction and are compelled to give. Pictures, videos and pleas move us to a compassionate outpouring of donations. A different kind of emotional giving also occurs. We are bombarded with advertisements (appeals) and an often corporate influenced peer pressure to respond through giving to a specific charity. The lure of matching incentives and the tyranny of the urgent causes the herd mentality to kick in, and we give.

Ultimately, dissecting the "why" behind our want to help may not entirely be useful in this case, so much as unpacking the "what.” Understanding the "what" when it comes to natural disaster giving is where we need to begin if we're going to ultimately tackle the question on many would-be donors minds: where should I give.

What is the effect I am hoping my gift will have? Put differently: “as a result of my gift, what am I hoping is accomplished?” I have not uncovered a shortcut or a simple answer to this question. I know better than to recommend one international charity over another, and instead would propose a few questions you could ask yourself to better uncover the answer for you. These questions would involve asking yourself what it is you’re trying to achieve, whether the country itself is the most important place to give to for you personally or whether it’s a broader ‘human lives saved’ question. Whether long term, systemic change is more important or immediate relief? These are all “good” questions to help uncover the ‘what’ answer for yourself.

However, before you dive into any of those questions, the most important thing you can do when it comes to giving and natural disasters is (drumroll please): give to yourself. Bear with me. Disaster strikes, you are compelled to respond financially - this is at the heart of charity and needs to be preserved in the midst of a crisis of options, media and matching manipulation and other things that prevent you from acting. Everything else is noise, so start with giving, but do it first and foremost by giving to yourself. What does this mean? It means setting aside the money you are able to give in a way that is ‘inaccessible’ for regular use because this is outside your regular rhythm of spending. I use a Chimp account because it sets it aside for charitable uses only (and for other reasons) but stuffing cash under your mattress could work as well. The point is, start with pulling money out of your bank account, setting it aside for this purpose - right now. Do this first because separating the ‘how much’ you are going to give with ‘where’ you are going to give is a critical first step.

Now, if you truly believe that money is ‘urgently’ needed immediately in the area where the disaster has struck, start unpacking those important ‘what’ questions. Do the hard work now of understanding what it is you want to achieve charitably and the ‘where’ the money should go and when it should go there will be exponentially easier.

Your charitable heart is too valuable to be colluded with the chaos of a crisis in decision or the  and your money too valuable to be given away without consideration. Start with giving, this is essential, but give to yourself. Set money aside, slow down (does the country need money now or in a few months when the media has forgotten about it), look at the options in front of you and make the decision that best aligns with your unique charitable intentions.

BIO: Jeff Golby works for Chimp Foundation, an online bank that allows people to manage and amplify their charitable giving. His role is to create a space where creativity, law, charity, money and trust come together in a way that inspires and motivates people to give.

Why Online Is The Future of Job Interviewing

Job interviews are daunting enough, but now more and more are moving online and using video. This infographic by iMeet explains why online is the future of job interviewing.

Takeaways:

• Since 2011, the use of video interviews has risen by 49%. 

• 66% of candidates prefer to use video during the interview process. 

• Communication is conveyed by the human face (55%), tone of voice (33%) and words (7%).

Source: The Undercover Recruiter

The Anatomy of an Ask [INFOGRAPHIC]

Nonprofit Hub's Interactive Media Strategist, Devin Thomas created this infographic to depict the delicate balance between success and failure when asking for donations:

Webinars to Jump Start Your Christmas Campaign

Some people’s jobs don’t excite them, but we absolutely love seeing charities take off. That’s why we’re ecstatic about our upcoming free webinar series in partnership with CCCC.

Our goal – to bring top-level marketing services to those who need it most – couldn’t be better achieved than through this free, one-time event. We’ll be touching some of the most sought-after topics including:

• Christmas campaigns
• fund appeals and website copy
• content and SEO
• effective grant writing
• expert storytelling
• best social media practices
• pay-per-click for charities
• your digital footprint
• social media and SEO
• media and PR
• alternative media sources
• press releases

And not only that, but we’re offering unparalleled bonuses for attendees:

1. A free assessment and strategic advice on your Christmas campaign (or a campaign of your choice)
2. A free SEO assessment and $150 in Google Adwords
3. 15-minute consult on media hooks & ideas for your organization

Join us on November 20th to solidify your year-end strategy with this free webinar series presented by Charity Wings and CCCC.

Fund appeals and website copy

Is there a secret to storytelling? What are the connections between content and SEO? How do I apply for grants effectively? Find out the answers to these and more.

Date: Nov 20, 2013
Time: 10:00am PST/1:00pm EST - 11:00am PST/2:00pm EST
Webinar ID: 144-991-491

Social media and pay-per-click for charities
It's everybody's burning question: can social media raise money? We'll tell you why the answer is yes as well as the difference between pay-per-click options, the importance of a digital footprint, and some best social media practices.

Date: Nov 20, 2013
Time: 11:15am PST/2:15 EST - 12:15pm PST/3:15pm EST
Webinar ID: 133-754-275

Working with media and PR for charities
Everyone wants to get the word out, but did you know there are some alternative sources of media you might have missed? What are the necessary elements of a press release and what does a healthy relationship with the media look like? Find out!

Date: Nov 20, 2013
Time: 12:30pm PST/3:30 EST - 1:30pm PST/4:30pm EST
Webinar ID: 135-493-395

See you soon!