A little off topic, but still exciting stuff: e marketing for nonprofits!

Good afternoon my fellow Celiacs,

I have decided (thanks to an e-marketing course) to divert slightly today and give you some tools for social media and nonprofits. I know that some of you either work with nonprofits or own small businesses with very little money to advertise your brand, so I feel as though this blog post may be helpful to you! Even though the main reason for the post is to satisfy my course requirements, I have found in doing the research that it is actually quite interesting stuff.

And don’t worry… for all of you who check this for recipes, I will make sure to give you a new recipe very soon. I have been home dealing with strep throat and/or mono for a few days so my recipes haven’t been all that exciting…. Unless you think oatmeal and soup are exciting!? Either way, stay tuned… a yummy treat will greet your inbox in the next few days.

Now on to the academic slide deck review: (please keep reading!)

FYI… a slide deck is exactly that, a deck of slides that are now available to you online. This one is from a presentation done in 2008 by a consulting organization called Idealware.

I came across this “Communication on a Shoestring” article the other day while searching for information on online marketing for nonprofits. (I guess you could say this is a new “passion” of mine.) Although it is a few years old (published in 2008) I wanted to browse through it and comment on its content as well as compare it to the resources and tools that are available now, as we near 2011.

The slide deck and presentation were put together by Idealware (http://www.idealware.org/) An organization that helps nonprofits with their IT needs. I was interested in this particular slide deck because it claimed to be able to give tips on how to use social media and other tools on a tight budget.

One of the largest issues faced by nonprofits is the lack of funds available, followed by a close second: lack of time and manpower. Larger corporations have IT departments and marketing departments, but many nonprofits don’t have those resources. They have the passion but not the expertise to help move their cause forward to the masses.

Communication on a shoestring is an informative document that gives nonprofits some helpful links and tools to get started in the world of e marketing. They focus on tools for email, outreach and websites; three very important tools for nonprofits to get their message to the masses. The slide deck shares tips and tricks on how to create informative and captivating websites; how to use email to create awareness for your campaign and finally how to reach a wide audience by using social media.

I personally like how the slide deck also helps an organization decide how to prioritize what to do with a minimal budget and also gives examples of alternatives to websites, such as a blog or facebook page for organizations lacking in expertise and money. There is also a list of website links with a breakdown of what the host can provide… this helps remove the guess work for organizations who don’t quite understand the inner workings of servers, hosts, etc…. I thought it was helpful seeing how I am a person who doesn’t quite understand all the tools available to me on the Internet.

The information about emailing is also fairly helpful and provides nonprofits with a semi step-by-step guide on how to create an effective awareness email campaign. There is nothing worse than getting tons of spam from an organization you have never heard of!!!

Searching through this slide deck and making notes of the websites listed “way back” in 2008 made me curious to see what was available to a nonprofit nowadays. Lets say you are a new nonprofit with a few employees and no money to spend on advertising…. What do you do?! I’ve decided to put together a list below outlining my opinion about new tools and resources available to the organization with a shoestring budget. Although the slide deck that I reviewed was helpful, it is also dated (I find it surprising that 2 years is considered dated information), so here is some new information to get your organization moving.

Socialize your Cause: http://www.socializeyourcause.org/

Such a cool site with many resources for nonprofits in the area of social media!! It was created by IT and marketing people who wanted to help nonprofits. You can submit your cause for it to be showcased on their site or use their consulting service to help your organization understand how to use social media. It is an up-to-date site with links, tools and resources. One I would recommend checking out!

Nonprofit technology Network: http://www.nten.org/about

A network for nonprofits… there are some good resources on this site, but it’s also pretty cool that there is now a network for technology and nonprofits.

Nonprofit Marketing Guide: http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/resources/articles/

This site is essentially a blog, but offers many links to other articles and tips for nonprofits, such as fundraising, media relations, etc. Scroll through the list provided by this link and see for yourself!!

Finally… I don’t want to bombard you with too much information seeing how this is already too much about nonprofits and you’re probably thinking… come on where is my recipe or gluten free tip already!!!! But I did need to showcase this fun tool that YouTube offers to nonprofits:

http://www.youtube.com/nonprofits?info_lang=ca

YouTube allows nonprofits to apply to become partners and share in some of the revenue that YouTube makes off of videos. This tool may only work for larger nonprofits with ad-worthy campaigns, but I still think it’s a pretty cool resources. And I like to see companies like YouTube helping with nonprofit causes!

Well that is all folks! I hope you found this post to be helpful and maybe informative for your next dinner conversation or something you can take back to your office or boardroom and discuss with your team! Either way, it was fun doing the research and I hope many nonprofits start using these tools to create more awareness about their cause!

Recipes to come… but until then, check out this company in Vancouver, Gluten Free Epicurean…. I love her J The treats are so yummy, and she makes Nanaimo bars, and many other non-healthy, delicious goods! http://www.glutenfreeepicurean.ca/

Lots of love,

Your gluten free friend xo