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Practical Strategies for Growing a Nonprofit Organization

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Media Monitoring: Tools for Mastering the Management of Digital Information

March 15, 2020
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Evernote, Netvibes, Nozbe, Personal Growth and Productivity, Start.me

Among the many responsibilities we have as nonprofit leaders is media monitoring: serving as air traffic controllers for the daily, ubiquitous flow of digital information from social media, websites, email and the like. For the sake of simplifying the discussion that follows, let’s put the information in two buckets: Current Events: In this category are things like a local elected official introducing a bill that stands to impact our organization, the local paper reporting on an issue related to our…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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How to Write a Fundraising Plan: A Nonprofit Primer

July 22, 2019
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Fundraising, GrantStation, Marketing, Marketing Plans, Social Media, Websites

There is probably nothing more daunting in trying to grow a small nonprofit than drafting and implementing a fundraising plan. You know you need money to grow. There are many things you could do, but because you have limited time, hands and financial resources, you need to be selective. Board members press you to organize a “big event” because that’s what most people think brings home the most bacon for nonprofits. (While it’s not the purpose of this article to…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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The Remote Nonprofit: Meeting Your Mission Virtually

May 31, 2019
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Blinkist, Books, Evernote, G Suite, Management and Leadership, Nitro Pro, Nozbe, Personal Growth and Productivity, Remote Work, Snagit, Software

In thirty years’ time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed. (Richard Branson, CEO, The Virgin Companies) Remote nonprofit work is more prolific than you think. The 2018 Digital Adoption Report found that 41 percent of employees at nonprofits it surveyed were working exclusively outside the organization’s office delivering programs and services, working from home, or telecommuting. (NTEN, Digital Adoption in 2018). The report also found that roughly 12…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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Google for Nonprofits: Why It Makes Sense for a Small Organization

February 14, 2019
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G Suite, Management and Leadership, Software

In the early years of running my nonprofit, I would often think about what would happen to our digital files if I “got hit” by the proverbial “bus.” Yes, I had things backed up to Dropbox, but I was the only one with access to it. And then there is everything in my email account – literally thousands of conversations about our projects to which only I had access. If I succumbed to the bus injury, my board was going…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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How to Thank Nonprofit Donors

January 13, 2019
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Akubo, Camtasia, Fundraising

The focus on fundraising that comes with #GivingTuesday and the typical December annual appeal make this time of year ripe for focusing on how to thank nonprofit donors. But, as one source points out, thanking and recognizing donors is something that should be at the forefront of our minds year round: “It is important to embed the spirit of gratitude in the very fabric of your organization.” (I. Ibrisevic, 10 Ways to Thank Your Nonprofit Donors). You also want to…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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An 800-year-old Antidote to Information Overload: The Fine Art of Commonplacing

September 9, 2018
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Evernote, Personal Growth and Productivity, Software

American author and philosopher, Criss Jami, has aptly described the challenges we all face every day in our personal lives and organizations in dealing with information overload: In the age of technology there is constant access to vast amounts of information. The basket overflows; people get overwhelmed; the eye of the storm is not so much what goes on in the world, it is the confusion of how to think, feel, digest, and react to what goes on. (Criss Jami,…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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Financial Productivity at Your Fingertips: The FileThis App

July 28, 2018
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Evernote, FileThis, Personal Growth and Productivity, Software

Keeping all of your various financial statements in order can be a real drag, particularly if they’re still arriving by snail mail. But even if you’re getting them delivered electronically, you’ve still got to figure out where to store them. You’ve also got to do that filing regularly if you don’t want to have a mess on your hands. What a pain! Enter FileThis: financial productivity at your fingertips. FileThis is an app that acts as your personal and business…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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Favorite Evernote Integrations: Easy Expense Tracking Using Evernote, Zapier, and Google Sheets

February 18, 2018
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Evernote, Personal Growth and Productivity, Software, Zapier

Favorite Evernote Integrations: Easy Expense Tracking Using Evernote, Zapier, and Google Sheets It’s no secret that I’m an Evernote fanatic. The reason is really simple. Because it integrates so well with many other applications that we all use, Evernote saves me from doing a lot of small but necessary tasks. This allows me to focus confidently on other more important things, which is a key to being more productive both personally and professionally. As author and financial advisor, Nathan W.…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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Integrate Evernote: Add a Note to Evernote for Every New Calendar Entry

January 27, 2018
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Evernote, Personal Growth and Productivity, Software

Integrate Evernote: Add a Note to Evernote for Every New Calendar Entry It’s no secret that I’m an Evernote fanatic. The reason is really simple. Because you can integrate Evernote with so many other applications, you can automate a lot of small but necessary tasks and save time. This allows me to focus confidently on other more important things, which is a key to being more productive both personally and professionally. As author and financial advisor, Nathan W. Morris, has…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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4 Travel-related Evernote Uses to Enhance Productivity

December 9, 2017
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Evernote, Personal Growth and Productivity, Software

Back-to-back conferences took me from Baltimore to Los Angeles to Denver and then back to Baltimore over a period of 2 weeks this fall. That led me to thinking about these 4 travel-related Evernote uses to enhance productivity: (1) keeping track of travel reservations and receipts, (2) catching up on reading while en route, (3) chronicling the journey, and (4) making the most of time spent in conference sessions. 1. Tracking Reservations and Receipts One challenge of a relatively long,…

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By Barbara Hopkins
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