Sometimes I cannot believe my good fortune.
This past Monday, I posted a blog entitled It’s Now Official. For those of you who may have missed it, the point of the blog was to raise the fact that if your organization is not generating 30 and 40-year-old donors, that should be a red flag for the future financial health of your organization.
Well, guess what?
As first reported in the online edition of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the 2012 Millennial Impact Report detailed the results of a new survey of 6,500 people ages 20 to 35, which finds that 75% said that they gave money to a nonprofit in 2011. And 70% said they have helped solicit donations by encouraging colleagues and others to support a cause.
Okay, so how many Millennial donors, let alone late 30 year olds and 40 years olds, do you have on your donor files? And your excuse is that young people don’t have money to give?
The report detailed that 58% reported that their largest contribution was $100 or less, but 16% gave $500 or more. Isn’t your average gift in the 20 or 30 dollar range? Sounds to me like Millennials give the same amount as your current “older” donors.
Hummmm?
So what’s the problem? This new report kind of takes away the excuse that “young people don’t give because they don’t have money.” Turns out that not only do they have money, they are donating just like the older cohorts that donate to your organization. Or, maybe a more favorable read of the report is that although Millennials don’t have as much disposable income as older donors, they actually give more of what they have. Sounds to me like donors you should get to know.
So what’s the problem?
You know what? I’ll bet it isn’t one thing, but rather a host of things that are keeping Millennials, as well as Gen Xers, and even the younger Baby Boomers from donating to your organization in proportion to their percentage of the population.
If you’re concerned… and you should be… put together your own focus group of age groups who used to be represented in your donor base but aren’t there today. Show them your donor acquisition material. Show them your appeal letters. Ask them about what media they connect with. Ask them to comment on your messages. This is a great first step to addressing a big problem.
Then, maybe it’s time to think about formulating a new fundraising plan.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
BROWNE INNOVATION GROUP
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
BIG’s Blog: Accelerators
Our economy is changing and reshaping, and driven by the Internet. Literally… there is not a business or industry (including the nonprofit fundraising industry) that is not affected by the new digital platform that is called the Internet.
Not only are long-established companies re-doing their processes and communications to adapt to the new capabilities offered by the Internet, but there are tens of thousands of new companies starting up every day that are, at their core, built around a new competitive advantage that the Internet platform offers.
And there is a whole new industry that has emerged to help these young companies get started. These companies that help would-be entrepreneurs get started are called Accelerators. And as you might expect, they proliferate in the tech hubs of Silicon Valley (San Francisco area), New York, Austin and Boston. But there are Accelerators in Chicago, LA and most major cities as well.
Most young entrepreneurs understand their market niche and, if they are technology companies, they are fluent in all aspects of their technology. But when it comes to business matters, such as creating a business plan, raising capital, creating a financial proforma or dealing with H/R issues… not so much.
Not only do these Accelerators help them (school them) with the business issues of starting and managing a company, but they act as ongoing mentors to these fledgling start-ups.
It has occurred to me that fundraising leadership is in a similar – yet different – position to these start-up entrepreneurs. Fundraising professionals clearly understand the business aspects of directing and managing their organizations as well as having long-since mastered all aspects of fundraising methodologies as they have been practiced for 60+ years. Yet, most are less than clear on the impacts and implications of the new Internet technologies and how they create a new cohesive fundraising model that can work for them over time.
Too bad there isn’t a similar-type organization for fundraisers like the Accelerators for entrepreneurial start-ups.
Well, maybe there is.
There are already fundraising organizations that are transforming their basic approach to fundraising… based upon the fundamental transformative change provided by the Internet. These fundraising organizations have obviously connected the dots and, frankly, many of these organizations are our clients.
So, what is it that they know that other organizations haven’t yet figured out?
At Browne Innovation Group we are always thinking of how we can meet the needs of the fundraising community in a better and more effective way. In the very near future, we will be announcing a new online course for fundraisers which will accomplish two goals. First, it will help explain what fundraisers will need to know to successfully transform their fundraising organization. Second, the course will illustrate what this new fundraising business model looks like.
If you would be interested in receiving the announcement of this online course, drop me an email and I will make certain you receive it.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Not only are long-established companies re-doing their processes and communications to adapt to the new capabilities offered by the Internet, but there are tens of thousands of new companies starting up every day that are, at their core, built around a new competitive advantage that the Internet platform offers.
And there is a whole new industry that has emerged to help these young companies get started. These companies that help would-be entrepreneurs get started are called Accelerators. And as you might expect, they proliferate in the tech hubs of Silicon Valley (San Francisco area), New York, Austin and Boston. But there are Accelerators in Chicago, LA and most major cities as well.
Most young entrepreneurs understand their market niche and, if they are technology companies, they are fluent in all aspects of their technology. But when it comes to business matters, such as creating a business plan, raising capital, creating a financial proforma or dealing with H/R issues… not so much.
Not only do these Accelerators help them (school them) with the business issues of starting and managing a company, but they act as ongoing mentors to these fledgling start-ups.
It has occurred to me that fundraising leadership is in a similar – yet different – position to these start-up entrepreneurs. Fundraising professionals clearly understand the business aspects of directing and managing their organizations as well as having long-since mastered all aspects of fundraising methodologies as they have been practiced for 60+ years. Yet, most are less than clear on the impacts and implications of the new Internet technologies and how they create a new cohesive fundraising model that can work for them over time.
Too bad there isn’t a similar-type organization for fundraisers like the Accelerators for entrepreneurial start-ups.
Well, maybe there is.
There are already fundraising organizations that are transforming their basic approach to fundraising… based upon the fundamental transformative change provided by the Internet. These fundraising organizations have obviously connected the dots and, frankly, many of these organizations are our clients.
So, what is it that they know that other organizations haven’t yet figured out?
At Browne Innovation Group we are always thinking of how we can meet the needs of the fundraising community in a better and more effective way. In the very near future, we will be announcing a new online course for fundraisers which will accomplish two goals. First, it will help explain what fundraisers will need to know to successfully transform their fundraising organization. Second, the course will illustrate what this new fundraising business model looks like.
If you would be interested in receiving the announcement of this online course, drop me an email and I will make certain you receive it.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Sunday, June 10, 2012
BIG’s Blog: It’s Now Official
The news last week in a new report from Pew Internet, a project of the Pew Research Center, shows that for the first time, fully half of adults aged 65 and older are online.
The same report also reported that after age 75, Internet and broadband use drops off significantly.
That last part about the 75 and older crowd probably didn’t surprise you. This real news that half of our population, 65+, are online probably did surprise you; it did me.
But that shouldn’t worry you. The 65+ crowd will still open your direct mail appeals. But now you know for certain that you need to be asking them for email addresses and logging them into your donor management system (database).
No, your real concern should be how you are not communicating and connecting with 30 and 40 year olds. If half of the 65+ population are online, what percentage of the 30 and 40-year-olds are online? Try close to 100%.
In the 70s, 80s and most of the 90s, you were getting a significant portion of 30 and 40-year-olds, at least representative of their percentage of the population. You may still be getting a few, but nowhere near their percentage of the population. How do I know this? Because over the last 15 years the donor files have aged dramatically.
Why aren’t you getting 30 and 40-year-olds?
Answer: Because it’s easier to keep using the same methodology of fundraising as if nothing has changed.
But, of course, things have changed dramatically.
I recently visited a number of faith-based fundraising organizations. Did they all have Web sites? Yes. We’re they all doing social media? Most of them were. Were they sending emails following a direct mail appeal? Most were doing this.
But the reality is that these organizations… like so many long-established fundraising organizations… are really just tinkering around the edges with online. They know that their direct mail isn’t producing 30 and 40-year-old donors in any significant numbers. And when they listen to people like me or others talk about doing things differently… even reorganizing how they do fundraising to reach younger cohorts… they acknowledge the need. But is there a sense of urgency?
Look. Running a fundraising organization is tough, even when you have the wind to your back and times are good. But today, with revenue flat-to-falling year over year and expenses rising – IT IS TOUGH. I’ve run enough companies through good times and bad to appreciate the struggles of leadership.
But not having 30 and 40-year-olds coming in should be a big red flag.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
The same report also reported that after age 75, Internet and broadband use drops off significantly.
That last part about the 75 and older crowd probably didn’t surprise you. This real news that half of our population, 65+, are online probably did surprise you; it did me.
But that shouldn’t worry you. The 65+ crowd will still open your direct mail appeals. But now you know for certain that you need to be asking them for email addresses and logging them into your donor management system (database).
No, your real concern should be how you are not communicating and connecting with 30 and 40 year olds. If half of the 65+ population are online, what percentage of the 30 and 40-year-olds are online? Try close to 100%.
In the 70s, 80s and most of the 90s, you were getting a significant portion of 30 and 40-year-olds, at least representative of their percentage of the population. You may still be getting a few, but nowhere near their percentage of the population. How do I know this? Because over the last 15 years the donor files have aged dramatically.
Why aren’t you getting 30 and 40-year-olds?
Answer: Because it’s easier to keep using the same methodology of fundraising as if nothing has changed.
But, of course, things have changed dramatically.
I recently visited a number of faith-based fundraising organizations. Did they all have Web sites? Yes. We’re they all doing social media? Most of them were. Were they sending emails following a direct mail appeal? Most were doing this.
But the reality is that these organizations… like so many long-established fundraising organizations… are really just tinkering around the edges with online. They know that their direct mail isn’t producing 30 and 40-year-old donors in any significant numbers. And when they listen to people like me or others talk about doing things differently… even reorganizing how they do fundraising to reach younger cohorts… they acknowledge the need. But is there a sense of urgency?
Look. Running a fundraising organization is tough, even when you have the wind to your back and times are good. But today, with revenue flat-to-falling year over year and expenses rising – IT IS TOUGH. I’ve run enough companies through good times and bad to appreciate the struggles of leadership.
But not having 30 and 40-year-olds coming in should be a big red flag.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Thursday, June 7, 2012
BIG’s Blog: What’s the Square Root of …?
To those of you in management of a certain age, you remember when you began to hire tech staff. Technology, whether databases, computer networks, or a host of other things.
Well, now a new generation is preparing to one day lead organizations like yours. And as a peek into what educators believe will be the skills necessary to succeed, their curriculum is changing. But before the curriculum changes, the entrance tests change as well. In this case, the GMAT, (Graduate Management Admission Test) for those applying to business schools.
The new GMAT rolled out on Tuesday, June 5, of this week. What is changing gives us all a glimpse into what educators believe will be important skills for managers.
A new section on the new version of the GMAT entitled “Integrated Reasoning,” a group of 12 questions, is taking the place of a single essay question. The new Integrated Reasoning section requires test-takers to read and sort complex charts and analyze data from multiple sources. This new section is intended to gauge how well applicants can handle more data-driven courses that educators believe will mirror the more complex data analysis problems they will face in the real world.
You’re starting to hear the term “Big Data.” Nonprofit fundraisers, like all other sectors, gain more and more access to data, and must learn to analyze, make sense of, and correct decisions from the data. Successful fundraising organizations will need to be fluent in managing and analyzing data in the very near future. Their organizations will depend upon it.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Well, now a new generation is preparing to one day lead organizations like yours. And as a peek into what educators believe will be the skills necessary to succeed, their curriculum is changing. But before the curriculum changes, the entrance tests change as well. In this case, the GMAT, (Graduate Management Admission Test) for those applying to business schools.
The new GMAT rolled out on Tuesday, June 5, of this week. What is changing gives us all a glimpse into what educators believe will be important skills for managers.
A new section on the new version of the GMAT entitled “Integrated Reasoning,” a group of 12 questions, is taking the place of a single essay question. The new Integrated Reasoning section requires test-takers to read and sort complex charts and analyze data from multiple sources. This new section is intended to gauge how well applicants can handle more data-driven courses that educators believe will mirror the more complex data analysis problems they will face in the real world.
You’re starting to hear the term “Big Data.” Nonprofit fundraisers, like all other sectors, gain more and more access to data, and must learn to analyze, make sense of, and correct decisions from the data. Successful fundraising organizations will need to be fluent in managing and analyzing data in the very near future. Their organizations will depend upon it.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
BIG’s Blog: Facebook Is Way More Than Just Marketing
From the May 17, 2012 USA Today:
When Red Robin Gourmet Restaurant introduced its Tavern Double burger line last month, the company had to get everything right. So it turned to social media… Instead of mailing out spiral-bound books, getting feedback during executives’ sporadic store visits and taking six months to act on advice from the trenches, the network’s free-wheeling discussions and video produced results in days.
The changes that are happening based upon the adoption of social networks go way beyond just marketing. Beyond advertising on Facebook or Twitter, companies (and soon nonprofits) are using social networks to build teams that solve problems faster andshare information better among their employees.
“At a very basic level, Facebook is the most popular application ever, with a billion people that know how to use it,” said Marc Benioff, chief executive of salesforce.com… the ability to access information is much better because it’s easier to get to it.”
“Social platforms have the potential to be as important to the broader economy as other information technologies,” said Stacy Bishop, a technology investor.
Whether it’s making connections, listening to your constituents and donors, or internal communications with your employees, social platforms can help your fundraising organization do more than just raise more donations.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
When Red Robin Gourmet Restaurant introduced its Tavern Double burger line last month, the company had to get everything right. So it turned to social media… Instead of mailing out spiral-bound books, getting feedback during executives’ sporadic store visits and taking six months to act on advice from the trenches, the network’s free-wheeling discussions and video produced results in days.
The changes that are happening based upon the adoption of social networks go way beyond just marketing. Beyond advertising on Facebook or Twitter, companies (and soon nonprofits) are using social networks to build teams that solve problems faster andshare information better among their employees.
“At a very basic level, Facebook is the most popular application ever, with a billion people that know how to use it,” said Marc Benioff, chief executive of salesforce.com… the ability to access information is much better because it’s easier to get to it.”
“Social platforms have the potential to be as important to the broader economy as other information technologies,” said Stacy Bishop, a technology investor.
Whether it’s making connections, listening to your constituents and donors, or internal communications with your employees, social platforms can help your fundraising organization do more than just raise more donations.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Sunday, June 3, 2012
BIG’s Blog: Think About This!
Recently, I watched an interview on Charlie Rose with Larry Page, founder and CEO of Google.
I know a lot of my blog readers in nonprofit fundraising struggle with the concept of’ “How do I get people on the Web to become donors?” And that QUESTION either paralyzes them or gets them taking baby steps on the Web, such as building a new website or putting up a Facebook page.
I understand your question… really, I do. But if you are going to “sit tight” with your current plan and mode of fundraising while you “wait” for clarity to come or “take baby steps,” then very soon there is going to be a huge price to pay.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page are the two co-founders of Google. They are arguably two of the smartest people on the planet. Below are two quotes from Larry Page from the Charlie Rose interview that you have to read and internalize if you think you can “sit tight” and wait for clarity.
“Everybody in the world is going to have a mobile device hooked to the Internet.”
“The pace of change is changing. It is getting much faster.”
Do you see how those two quotes are interrelated?
Remember when we had to go to the library to the reference section to look up stuff? Now that happens on Google in seconds. And we can take information and study, analyze, or crunch it right at our computer with programs that are either on the computer or running in the cloud. The point is we do everything quicker.
That means that people are already going to the Internet to “check you out.” What will they see? Are you ready to engage them in conversation? Answer questions? What if they call after 5 pm in the afternoon?
Does your mode of fundraising still look the way it did 40 years ago? Okay, so you’ve added PCs, but the functions are still the same, aren’t they?
What’s your plan for speeding up changing your organization to keep up with all those connected people?
In 1997 Google didn’t exist. That’s right, a mere 15 years ago, Google as a company did not exist. Then they changed the world.
But here is the real deal: everyday, your organization’s work and mission is CHANGING THE WORLD. And that “change” may be more important to one person than all the technological changes that Google has ever made.
But, if your organization’s financial oxygen dries up because your historically successful fundraising program doesn’t develop a “new plan” to take advantage of the online, real-time, always-on Internet. . .
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
I know a lot of my blog readers in nonprofit fundraising struggle with the concept of’ “How do I get people on the Web to become donors?” And that QUESTION either paralyzes them or gets them taking baby steps on the Web, such as building a new website or putting up a Facebook page.
I understand your question… really, I do. But if you are going to “sit tight” with your current plan and mode of fundraising while you “wait” for clarity to come or “take baby steps,” then very soon there is going to be a huge price to pay.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page are the two co-founders of Google. They are arguably two of the smartest people on the planet. Below are two quotes from Larry Page from the Charlie Rose interview that you have to read and internalize if you think you can “sit tight” and wait for clarity.
“Everybody in the world is going to have a mobile device hooked to the Internet.”
“The pace of change is changing. It is getting much faster.”
Do you see how those two quotes are interrelated?
Remember when we had to go to the library to the reference section to look up stuff? Now that happens on Google in seconds. And we can take information and study, analyze, or crunch it right at our computer with programs that are either on the computer or running in the cloud. The point is we do everything quicker.
That means that people are already going to the Internet to “check you out.” What will they see? Are you ready to engage them in conversation? Answer questions? What if they call after 5 pm in the afternoon?
Does your mode of fundraising still look the way it did 40 years ago? Okay, so you’ve added PCs, but the functions are still the same, aren’t they?
What’s your plan for speeding up changing your organization to keep up with all those connected people?
In 1997 Google didn’t exist. That’s right, a mere 15 years ago, Google as a company did not exist. Then they changed the world.
But here is the real deal: everyday, your organization’s work and mission is CHANGING THE WORLD. And that “change” may be more important to one person than all the technological changes that Google has ever made.
But, if your organization’s financial oxygen dries up because your historically successful fundraising program doesn’t develop a “new plan” to take advantage of the online, real-time, always-on Internet. . .
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Thursday, May 31, 2012
BIG’s Blog: How Big is the Internet?
Most fundraising organizations that do direct mail fundraising consider one million pieces a large mailing. In fact, many groups don’t even mail one million pieces in a year. Nonetheless, we all understand that one million pieces of mail is a lot of mail.
Do we even get how large the Internet is?
Quick story:
A year ago my wife decided to get rid of a swing set we had built for our kids almost 20 years ago. We live in Lincoln, Nebraska, population 250,000. When you leave Lincoln you drive into the country, which just illustrates that Lincoln is an island of a relatively small population.
My wife decided she was just going to give away the swing set so she posted it on Craig’s List.
Within 20 minutes three people had responded. Within an hour and a half one of the people called a buddy, got a truck, came to our house and disassembled the swing set and took it away.
Swing set gone in 90 minutes from its post on Craig’s List.
Lincoln doesn’t have a large population like Washington DC, New York, Chicago, or LA. But there were at least three people looking at Craig’s List that presumably wanted a swing set at approximately the same time my wife posted the note.
I know that you understand the dynamics of direct mail; you mail… you get donations. You’re probably less clear about the dynamics of the Web to get donations.
But consider this… there are millions and millions and millions of people on the Web every second of the day. My swing set story is an example.
How many are looking for you but don’t know you are there?
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Do we even get how large the Internet is?
Quick story:
A year ago my wife decided to get rid of a swing set we had built for our kids almost 20 years ago. We live in Lincoln, Nebraska, population 250,000. When you leave Lincoln you drive into the country, which just illustrates that Lincoln is an island of a relatively small population.
My wife decided she was just going to give away the swing set so she posted it on Craig’s List.
Within 20 minutes three people had responded. Within an hour and a half one of the people called a buddy, got a truck, came to our house and disassembled the swing set and took it away.
Swing set gone in 90 minutes from its post on Craig’s List.
Lincoln doesn’t have a large population like Washington DC, New York, Chicago, or LA. But there were at least three people looking at Craig’s List that presumably wanted a swing set at approximately the same time my wife posted the note.
I know that you understand the dynamics of direct mail; you mail… you get donations. You’re probably less clear about the dynamics of the Web to get donations.
But consider this… there are millions and millions and millions of people on the Web every second of the day. My swing set story is an example.
How many are looking for you but don’t know you are there?
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
BIG’s Blog: The Billion-Dollar Gift to Fundraisers
A couple of weeks ago, the Internet company Facebook went public. “Going Public” is the term used to describe the process a privately-owned company goes through which allows their shareholders to sell their shares on a public stock exchange. Likewise, it allows the general public to acquire shares (ownership) in the company.
As a private company, there are not a lot of rules and regulations as ownership is somewhat limited. But when a company goes public, there are a lot of disclosures of information that the management of the company must release. Facebook was no exception.
Although there has been a lot of press about Facebook selling initial shares at $38 per share, and the price of the shares subsequently falling (as of the writing of this blog the share price was approximately $33 per share), the hubbub over the stock price misses the bigger point… at least for fundraisers.
The CEOs of companies that are going public always walk a fine line. They clearly believe in the growth prospects of their companies, but they also are aware of potential pitfalls. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is no exception. Or, is he?
In financial disclosure documents, where potential investors are interested in the prospects of growth and profits, those topics are typically what CEOs eloquently expound upon.
But Mr. Zuckerberg is decidedly different. Zuckerberg writes in the disclosures that “Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected.”
Huh?
Did you just read what I read?
The CEO of Facebook is essentially saying, “Look folks, this organization wasn’t conceived to make money but to connect people all over the world. We think we have figured out how to generate profits for investors, but you need to understand up front, profits were not the driving force behind creating Facebook.”
Okay, as a potential investor, you might want to sit back and watch the financial performance of Facebook before investing in it. But as a fundraiser… Hello??
Zuckerberg and Company have just built you a billion dollar platform to connect with people all over the world.
And it costs you how much to use Facebook?
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
As a private company, there are not a lot of rules and regulations as ownership is somewhat limited. But when a company goes public, there are a lot of disclosures of information that the management of the company must release. Facebook was no exception.
Although there has been a lot of press about Facebook selling initial shares at $38 per share, and the price of the shares subsequently falling (as of the writing of this blog the share price was approximately $33 per share), the hubbub over the stock price misses the bigger point… at least for fundraisers.
The CEOs of companies that are going public always walk a fine line. They clearly believe in the growth prospects of their companies, but they also are aware of potential pitfalls. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is no exception. Or, is he?
In financial disclosure documents, where potential investors are interested in the prospects of growth and profits, those topics are typically what CEOs eloquently expound upon.
But Mr. Zuckerberg is decidedly different. Zuckerberg writes in the disclosures that “Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected.”
Huh?
Did you just read what I read?
The CEO of Facebook is essentially saying, “Look folks, this organization wasn’t conceived to make money but to connect people all over the world. We think we have figured out how to generate profits for investors, but you need to understand up front, profits were not the driving force behind creating Facebook.”
Okay, as a potential investor, you might want to sit back and watch the financial performance of Facebook before investing in it. But as a fundraiser… Hello??
Zuckerberg and Company have just built you a billion dollar platform to connect with people all over the world.
And it costs you how much to use Facebook?
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Monday, May 28, 2012
BIG’s Blog: The "Social" Epiphany
Today’s blog marks an “intentional” shift in focus on my part for my blogs. Of course my blogs will continue to cover nonprofit fundraising, but today marks the introduction of “the” major theme of my blogs going forward. And that major theme is the Web evolution to the “Social Web.”
Let me make this as clear as I can; the Social Web will be the salvation and the future of nonprofit fundraising.
To grasp the significance of the social web you must also understand a previous evolution in the Web. Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Media is commonly referred to as coining the term “Web 2.0.” And though others may have equal or more claim to originating the term, it was O’Reilly Media and MediaLive’s hosting of the first Web 2.0 conference in late 2003 that has connected the term to Tim O’Reilly. It was at that conference that John Battelle and Tim O’Reilly outlined their definition of a major evolution in use of the “Web as Platform.” Software applications were now being built on the Web as opposed to the desktop.
Essentially, Web 2.0 is a migration of Web use that breaks the old model of centralized web sites and moves the power of the Web/Internet to your computer or web accessible device.
This shift to Web 2.0 was the prelude to the Social Web. And it is the Social Web that will allow fundraisers to develop relationships… the core of all fundraising… and by extension, donations, from the millions that use the Web.
Next time, I’ll tell you about the Billion-dollar gift to fundraisers.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Let me make this as clear as I can; the Social Web will be the salvation and the future of nonprofit fundraising.
To grasp the significance of the social web you must also understand a previous evolution in the Web. Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Media is commonly referred to as coining the term “Web 2.0.” And though others may have equal or more claim to originating the term, it was O’Reilly Media and MediaLive’s hosting of the first Web 2.0 conference in late 2003 that has connected the term to Tim O’Reilly. It was at that conference that John Battelle and Tim O’Reilly outlined their definition of a major evolution in use of the “Web as Platform.” Software applications were now being built on the Web as opposed to the desktop.
Essentially, Web 2.0 is a migration of Web use that breaks the old model of centralized web sites and moves the power of the Web/Internet to your computer or web accessible device.
This shift to Web 2.0 was the prelude to the Social Web. And it is the Social Web that will allow fundraisers to develop relationships… the core of all fundraising… and by extension, donations, from the millions that use the Web.
Next time, I’ll tell you about the Billion-dollar gift to fundraisers.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Thursday, May 24, 2012
BIG’s Blog: Texting Codes
We all either have kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews who are in their teens, twenties, and thirty-something age groups. Texting is a major form of communication with these groups.
Young texters have developed their own shorthand or acronyms for common phrases that they all use and know. So rather than type out the whole phrase, they just text the shorthand version.
Examples include:
ATM – At the moment
BTW – By the way
WAM – Wait a minute
For more involved phrases, the shorthand gets longer such as;
YGTBK – You’ve got to be kidding
Or one that I get a lot:
YYSSW – Yeah yeah, sure sure, whatever.
But did you know that our senior citizens are also getting heavy into texting, and sure enough, they too are developing their own shorthand or acronyms for common phrases in their life? And just like the youngsters, they are unique to their age group.
Examples include:
ATD – At the doctor
BTW – Bring the wheelchair
BYOT – Bring your own teeth
FWIW – Forgot where I was
GGPBL – Gotta go, pacemaker battery low
LMDO – Laughing my dentures out
And my all-time favorite: ROFLACGU – Rolling on the floor laughing and can’t get up.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Young texters have developed their own shorthand or acronyms for common phrases that they all use and know. So rather than type out the whole phrase, they just text the shorthand version.
Examples include:
ATM – At the moment
BTW – By the way
WAM – Wait a minute
For more involved phrases, the shorthand gets longer such as;
YGTBK – You’ve got to be kidding
Or one that I get a lot:
YYSSW – Yeah yeah, sure sure, whatever.
But did you know that our senior citizens are also getting heavy into texting, and sure enough, they too are developing their own shorthand or acronyms for common phrases in their life? And just like the youngsters, they are unique to their age group.
Examples include:
ATD – At the doctor
BTW – Bring the wheelchair
BYOT – Bring your own teeth
FWIW – Forgot where I was
GGPBL – Gotta go, pacemaker battery low
LMDO – Laughing my dentures out
And my all-time favorite: ROFLACGU – Rolling on the floor laughing and can’t get up.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)