Each month we highlight the blog posts and articles that received the most votes on Association Jam - a community website that offers a forum for association, non-profit and membership managers, staff and volunteers.
In August, the top-rated posts on Association Jam were in the
Leadership, Fundraising and Social Media categories.
Here are the most
popular posts in all of the AJam categories for this month:
Leadership:
60 Seconds to Failure...or is it Success?
Kerry Stackpole | Acronym
Innovation is defined as the introduction of something new--a new
idea, method or device. But which innovation does one embrace? In a
world of increasingly scarce resources, organization leaders are faced
with a dizzying array of choices.Embracing an increasingly complex and
divergent population requires laser-like focus on getting the
essentials right. Our fear of missing the next great leap forward
propels us, our customers, clients and members toward early adoption of
all means of innovation. All at a price.
Fundraising:
Crowds: What are they Good For?
Elisa Birnbaum | Charity Village
Crowdsourcing is defined as the outsourcing of tasks by way of a
general call-out to a large, undefined group of people. There's also
crowdfunding, which relies on the power of crowds to fund projects. No
matter its iteration, the idea of crowds and the power they potentially
hold for nonprofits is gaining much attention these days.
But while leveraging technology and the power of the group seems a
good idea on its surface, how effective are crowds in helping
organizations reach fundraising goals?
Harry Potter and The Fundraising Conundrum
Dan Portnoy | Portnoy Media Group
This past weekend was a big weekend for movie theaters and for
Warner Brothers with the triumphant return of “Harry Potter” to
theaters for its final installment.
As I sat in the dark theater this weekend, surrounded by a myriad of
ages and ethnicities, I started to think about the series, the
business, the franchise and what made it work. Next I thought about my
clients. What principles could we glean from this success? How could
these principles be used to cultivate community?
Social Media:
16 Ways To Get More Comments On Your Facebook Page
John Haydon | JohnHaydon.com
Getting fans to comment on your Facebook Page can take a lot of time
and effort. And it can sometimes be painful seeing other Facebook
Pages who make engagement look easy. But even the most active Facebook
Page walls began from a standing start. And many of them got to where
they are today by making it easier for fans to comment on their
Page.Asking questions is probably the easiest way to get fans
commenting.
Membership:
4 Ways To Build A Stronger Online Community This Summer
Joshua Paul | Online Community Blog
Summer is upon us and that means many members of your online
community are not as engaged as they are during the “school year.”
Don’t despair! This is a great time to strengthen your online community
so that your organization is ready to provide even more value when
your audiences make it back from the beach or lake.
Fun:
Create an Extreme Creativity Makeover Project Team
Mike Brown | The Brainzooming Group
Today’s post is inspired by seeing Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
reruns on the TV ...What a great creative idea that’s ripe for stealing
and adapting to turn a business project into an Extreme Creativity
Makeover.
Next time you have a project team where everyone receives a
traditional functional responsibility, assign Extreme Creativity
Makeover roles to each person, too. These could include creative
responsibilities for:
Other:
Oodles of Time Management Tips: July Nonprofit Blog Carnival Round-up
Britt Bravo | HaveFunDoGood
A big thanks to everyone who contributed a post to this month's
Nonprofit Blog Carnival. Below is a selection of folks' answers to
this month's topic: Time Management Tips. I've highlighted one tip
from each post.
Events:
The 5 W’s for Inviting Media to Your Event
Julius Solaris | Event Manager Blog
Inviting media or bloggers to your event is one public relations
tactic to increase awareness of your event before, during and
afterwards. But reporters and bloggers are inundated with email
pitches. Whether this is for an online or in-person event, your
invitation must include the Five W’s – who, what, when, where, and why –
to stand out from the crowd. And in turn, entice reporters and
bloggers to attend your event.
Technology:
How Are People Using Twitter? [Infographic]
Charlie White | Mashable
Okay, I admit it. I’m addicted to Twitter. But this infographic made
me feel a lot better, because it shows me that I’m not alone.
Take a look at Lab42‘s findings, all dolled up for you in an
infographic that asks 500 Twitter users how they use the service, how
they determine who to follow and a whole lot more.
Volunteers:
6 Tips for Writing an Awesome Volunteer Position Description
HandsOnBlog
When you’re recruiting volunteers for a project, it’s nearly
unavoidable that you’ll have to write a position description for the
position you’re recruiting volunteers for. Recruiting volunteers
face-to-face is great, but you might not find all of the volunteers
your organization needs while you’re waiting in line at the grocery
store.
The position description for the volunteer position you’re
recruiting for might be the first contact a potential volunteer has with
your organization, here are some tips for making it great!
Do you have something to say to Associations?
If
you’ve got a stand-out blog post, article, presentation, video, or
other online resource to help associations and non-profits be more
effective, we invite you to submit your links to AssociationJam.org and vote for your favorites. Follow @associationjam on Twitter to see which stories make it as #ajam front page news!