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A New Year's Resolution: Don't Cut Off Your Nose

January 20, 2009 By Larry Checco
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Also, it's wise to include testimonials on your Web site, as well as on your printed materials, including brochures, fliers and annual reports. Personal testimonials carry powerful messages. It's always more impressive when someone other than an organization representative speaks positively about you.

5. Create points of entry.
Invite prospective donors, community leaders, media representatives and others to your organization so they can see firsthand what it is you do, as well as get answers to any questions they might have about your organization.

Despite the economic chill, don't bite off your nose. Instead, get your face out there!

Larry Checco is president of Checco Communications and author of "Branding for Success: A Roadmap for Raising the Visibility and Value of Your Nonprofit Organization.” This article originally appeared in the Winter 2009 edition of his e-letter, Branding Bytes.
 
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Most Recent Comments:
SocratesRedux - Posted on January 20, 2009
I have written for some time about problems caused by "mission creep" wherein a nonprofit constantly expands it's mission and goals because of the "need."
The result is easily apparent in a failing economy; whereas a well-defined and coherent mission with limited scope may maintain funding sources, even make a better case for it's funding during a recession, the negative "leverage"of substantially declining support combined with the increased resource needs of an expanded mission becomes all to evident when it happens.
So, getting out the message may not help a lot when the process includes a call for funding beyond what the organization can reasonably expect.
This is also the time for me to repeat the call for "Ten Year self sustaining fund raising projects" wherein ten percent of the funds raised each year are endowed into a long-term investment plan which has a goal of being a self-sustaining funding source for the organization and it's limited-scope mission. That program would ensure that limiting the mission and managing resources would allow the mission to be fulfilled each and every year, during and at the conclusion of the program.
Also, see an expanded version of this proposal at (if linknot highlighted,just http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/402630/a_new_non_profit_mission_stopping_mission.html?cat=48
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Archived Comments:
SocratesRedux - Posted on January 20, 2009
I have written for some time about problems caused by "mission creep" wherein a nonprofit constantly expands it's mission and goals because of the "need."
The result is easily apparent in a failing economy; whereas a well-defined and coherent mission with limited scope may maintain funding sources, even make a better case for it's funding during a recession, the negative "leverage"of substantially declining support combined with the increased resource needs of an expanded mission becomes all to evident when it happens.
So, getting out the message may not help a lot when the process includes a call for funding beyond what the organization can reasonably expect.
This is also the time for me to repeat the call for "Ten Year self sustaining fund raising projects" wherein ten percent of the funds raised each year are endowed into a long-term investment plan which has a goal of being a self-sustaining funding source for the organization and it's limited-scope mission. That program would ensure that limiting the mission and managing resources would allow the mission to be fulfilled each and every year, during and at the conclusion of the program.
Also, see an expanded version of this proposal at (if linknot highlighted,just http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/402630/a_new_non_profit_mission_stopping_mission.html?cat=48