In preparing for my luncheon presentation for the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association on Why Nonprofits Should Blog (Tuesday, June 7, 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, at the Lenox Hotel in Boston), I have come up with a short list (below) of nonprofit organizations who have already established a presence in the blogosphere. If you’re in attendance next week (you can register here), you’ll hear me and special guest speaker, Emerson College faculty member Dr. Todd S. Gernes, offer kudos to these prescient organizations for being early adopters of an online communications platform that will likely have been put into play by more nonprofits than not come this time next year.

Nonprofit Blogs

Greenpeace
Action Without Borders
The Sierra Club
The Nonprofit and Foundation Advocacy Blog
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Watch
The Freeway Blogger
The Oceana Network
Vermont Nonprofit CommunIT
Project-Blog
Wired Communities
Common Cause
Operation Give
Simmons College
Charity Governance
Dean Nation
Supporting Advancement

By the way, if you know of any other nonprofit-related organizations in the blogosphere, please bring them to my attention by listing them in the comments section below. I’ll add them to this list, and perhaps over time I can compile a long master list of nonprofit blogs to which we can all refer. Thanks.

Helpful, relevant links:

Debbie Weil on “which is more effective… a blog or an e-newsletter?”

Christian Crumlish (Radio Free Blogistan) on blog strategies for nonprofits.

B.L. Ochman on do you really need a blog?

Phillip J. Windley (Windley’s Technometria) on how to start a blog.

Michael Hyatt (Working Smart, The Alternative to Working Hard) on, also, how to start a blog.

All experienced copywriters know how advantageous it is to establish common ground from the get-go with those on the receiving end of our messages and offers. Whether we’re selling products and services or raising funds for charitable organizations, like ambassadors of goodwill, it behooves us to speak the same language as the constituencies before us, it pays to strike a chord to which almost everyone can relate.

For instance, in the early ’90s I wrote a direct mail package for Science News magazine that featured the following copy on the outside envelope:

“Electricity so powerful it shocks a heart-attack victim back to life…

Whales so hungry they take a bite out of the beach…

Grasshoppers so smart they change coats to beat the heat…

And other things that will make you go hmmm…”

If that last line sounds familiar to you now, just imagine how many people took notice then when they saw it on the envelope. “Things that make you go hmmm” just so happened to be the name of a hit song at the time by C&C Music Factory as well as a popular skit on a syndicated, late-night talk show hosted by Arsenio Hall. It was almost universally recognized, a clever, common expression that couldn’t help but command attention.

I couldn’t have gotten away with using it just for that reason, though. That would have been gratuitous and superficial and possibly even ineffective. The fact is that Science News really is full of things that make you go hmmm, so I was simply calling attention to its Unique Selling Proposition (USP) with powerful, loaded language that was already embedded in the vernacular of the mainstream, using three of the magazine’s most fascinating stories to sell subscriptions.

And sell subscriptions is what this package did, bringing in thousands of orders over the course of the several years it reigned as a control for Science News, and being honored by the New England Direct Marketing Association with a first place award as a result.

That was more than ten years ago.

What conjures up such fond professional memories is an ad I saw just a couple of weeks ago in the May 9 issue of ADWEEK for The New York Times that adopted the same technique I used on behalf of Science News, leveraging the lexicon of popular culture as a way to build rapport. Promoting the new Business Day, “enhanced business coverage with a specific focus each day,” The Times used a play on the title of Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” as the headline for this ad.

“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Business People:

They read it Monday.
They read it Tuesday.
They read it Wednesday.
They read it Thursday.
They read it Friday.
They read it Saturday.
They read it Sunday.

The New York Times introduces the new Business Day.”

Now that’s powerful copy, the perfect marriage of concept and product, creative and message, all buttoned up and good to go.

And unlike the copy I used to promote the circulation of Science News (I had to assume potential readers would have at least heard of C&C Music Factory and Arsenio Hall, admittedly a big stretch when you factored in the different demographics), who among the The Times’ constituency isn’t familiar with Stephen Covey’s book and wouldn’t be able to relate to such a riveting, relevant headline?

Such fine distinctions aside, like my line of thinking way back when, the creative team behind this ad for Business Day obviously realized just how powerful it is to use double entendres and other such word plays to associate their advertising with what’s most popular in culture today. You might say they practiced one of the habits of highly effective marketers. And for that they deserve kudos, if not their audience’s, well, business.

While waiting to unveil my blog’s new look and feel, I can’t help but think there’s no better time than now to talk about good blog design. But, of course, that’s more Lisa Sabin’s bailiwick than mine. Owner and founder of E.Webscapes, Lisa’s services include blog and Web site design, maintenance and hosting. I’m glad to comment on blog strategies and content development, but when it comes to the layout, functionality and actual installation of such a newfangled, Web-based, self-publishing platform, I defer to Lisa. So without further ado, here’s what she has to say:

Top 6 Tips for Blog Design
by Lisa L. Sabin
Owner/Founder of E.Webscapes

1. Don’t underestimate the power of your blog’s logo. Site branding is popular terminology that basically means just what it says — your site logo, if not your design, gets “branded” into people’s memory, which is something that keeps them coming back.

The visual identity of your blog is sometimes as important as the writer’s content. It will give your readers insight into your blog’s basic identity — and with a unique logo and design, that identity will become your brand. If your blog is about Nashville nightlife and your blog design is centered on a graphic of Iowa’s rolling wheat fields — it’s not going to communicate the purpose or theme of your blog to your readers.

2. Does your blog design communicate the goal of your site? For instance, if I were attempting to sell my original music CD’s on my blog — I would make sure to have them showcased front and center — in an attractive way that makes it easy for the reader to understand what it is, and how to obtain more information. Every blog owner has expectations set for their site — make sure that your design follows the expectations that you’ve set.

3. Your blog layout should be well organized and easy to navigate. Keep the posted items nicely separate from your side columns that contain your links and site information. Don’t make your readers go on a treasure hunt for your blog’s content and information. Make it as easy as possible for your reader to navigate their way through your blog.

4. Utilize CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to drive the formatting and style of your blog design. This will ensure consistency in the format of fonts, colors and overall layout and positioning of your blog design. Implementing CSS into your overall blog layout and design will improve the readability and navigation — making it a better experience for your readers.

5. Cross Browser Compatibility: A good thing to keep in mind is that your blog is going to be viewed in a variety of different computer platforms and browsers. To ensure readability — be sure to check your design in different browsers to make sure your blog renders correctly. Some recommended browsers would be: Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox, Netscape, Opera and Safari (Mac).

6. Don’t be afraid to hire a professional to create the site you’re looking for. Your time is valuable and you have big plans on the content development for your blog — let a professional do the dirty work of creating the foundation of your site while you work on developing the content. An effective website isn’t one that just exists, or even looks nice. Effective websites generate leads, sales, company and product awareness.

After 15 months and some 33,000 words, A Fine Kettle of Fish is finally getting a makeover. That’s right, in just a few days my blog will have a brand, new look and feel (thanks to Lisa Sabin of E.Webscapes), not to mention a number of bells and whistles that are long overdue. Call it a redesign. Call it a relaunch. Call it A New Marketing Commentator. Yes, I’m even giving it a new name. While it’ll still be comprised of insightful, candid commentaries on direct marketing and advertising trends, developments, topics and issues, this second incarnation of my blog will not only be more visually engaging, but it will also incorporate the functionality of some of today’s most sophisticated blogs. See for yourself. Come back soon. It should be all ready and good to go by the end of this week. And as soon as it’s up, I’ll be looking for your feedback.

A few months ago, I read an article in The NonProfit Times suggesting that most nonprofit organizations don’t collect enough feedback from their constituents. I couldn’t have agreed more, and said as much in a letter to the editor of the publication. It’s as clear as the day is light that many organizations, nonprofit and commercial alike, don’t engage openly enough with the marketplace because they’re reluctant to leave themselves exposed to the possibility of negative comments and criticism. By not even attempting to close the loop, however, they don’t know what people really think about their services, products, mission and values. By keeping their donors and customers at arm’s length, they’re fostering relationships that, in effect, can’t possibly live up to their full potential.

…which is one very big reason why nonprofits should blog.

As I wrote in my letter to the editor of The NonProfit Times on January 20, 2005, “a blog is humanizing, engaging and empowering. It is an addictive, grassroots communications platform with an incredibly high trust factor. A blog involves its constituency by providing the opportunity to respond almost instantly to any and all organizational news and information. It allows a nonprofit to draw out invaluable feedback, establishing a mutually-beneficial dialogue with donors, prospects and friends, increasing the potential for more successful fundraising, activism, participation and volunteerism.”

I’m sure that’s what Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, has in mind with his blog, Taking The Initiative.

And what The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog has been doing on behalf of so many who were in the way of that dreadfully fierce wave that mercilessly struck and ravaged southern Asia the day after Christmas.

But those aren’t the only nonprofits you’ll find in the blogosphere. Greenpeace has a blog, too. As does Oceana, the Alliance for Justice, Common Cause and Operation Give, among others.

Even Simmons College has jumped on the blogging bandwagon, using a handful of student blogs to reach out to incoming freshmen.

If you’re interested in learning more about the many benefits of blogging for nonprofit organizations, I’ll be speaking on this very subject at the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association (DMFA) luncheon (11:30 AM — 2:00 PM) at the Lenox Hotel in Boston on June 7, 2005. You can register for this event here. Questions? Thoughts? Feel free to contact me anytime at Cargill123@aol.com or simply post a comment below. I’d have no business calling myself a blogger if I didn’t practice the transparency that I preach, which includes soliciting your feedback and leaving my door wide open.