AE offers Constant Contact services!

AE is now a Constant Contact partner! Constant Contact is a service offering email marketing, event marketing, and online surveying. We like it because as a partner of Constant Contact, we now can provide these services to our clients! Here’s the scoop:

Email marketing is a quick and efficient way to communicate to your audience by email. With email newsletters, there’s no more stamp licking and you save on the print and postage costs of regular snail mail. You can send E-newsletters more frequently than newsletters without making such a large dent in your wallet.

E-newsletters have the potential to reach a larger audience because they can be forwarded with the click of a button. In contrast, the only audience a paper newsletter is going to catch is someone snooping through the recipient’s mail.

AE starts by choosing a template for your email newsletter. Constant Contact offers a variety of templates to choose from and for those who dare, Constant Contact allows for HTML editing. Luckily, AE knows how to tread the murky waters of HTML coding, so we can custom fit your E-newsletter to match your brand. AE can also assist in researching and writing content for your newsletter.

We then import your email contacts into the Constant Contact database, which can be saved for future use. These contacts can be grouped based on demographics or interests so specialized E-newsletters can be sent out targeting a particular audience. Need more contacts? AE can add a “join mailing list” button to your website or social media page.

In one click, we can send your E-newsletter to your chosen email contacts. We can also schedule the delivery of your email newsletter to target recipients during times when they are most likely to check their email.

Constant Contact provides tracking and reporting so you can see who read, clicked, and forwarded your E-newsletter as well as who shared it via social media. You can see which links had the most click-throughs giving you an idea of what types of content your contacts are interested in. You can also learn who unsubscribed to your email list and why. Constant Contact’s tracking and reporting features help you measure the success of your email marketing campaign and improve future E-newsletters. See an example email report here.

Another useful tool is event marketing. Constant Contact is a great way to spread the word about your organization’s upcoming events. For example, AE used this service to market our annual Nonprofit Conference this last February. We were able to solicit potential attendees, update existing ones, and offer a way for our attendees to register early just by sending out simple E-newsletters. This was especially handy when we needed to send out last minute reminders the night before, which would have been impossible by regular mail.

Constant Contact also provides an online surveying feature, which allows you to distribute an online survey by linking from your blog, website, Facebook page, or email newsletter. Online surveys have a better response rate compared to direct mailings and responses are received sooner. Also, there is no need to spend all that time compiling survey responses because Constant Contact does that for you, providing detailed reports of your survey data.

To learn more about AE’s services through Constant Contact, please contact us.

2011 North Idaho Nonprofit Forum

This forum, presented by the Idaho Nonprofit Center, will feature local and regional grantmakers for round table discussions. These funders will represent private foundations and corporations.

There will be three 20-minute opportunities to hear funders discuss giving priorities, deadlines, application processes, contact information, and all the basic facts relevant to their grant programs!

The forum will offer:

• Unique access to prominent funders;
• Unique Thought-provoking panel and breakout sessions;
• Roundtables with regional and local grantmakers; and
• Networking with your peers.

When: Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 8 am - 4 pm

Where: Coeur d’Alene Inn at 506 W. Appleway Ave., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

Cost: $89/Person; $59/Member or

Early Bird Special: $75/Person; $49/Member (Deadline April 20)

Registration: Idaho Nonprofit Center website

Check out what funders are attending so far by visiting the Idaho Nonprofit Center website.

Free Charity and Nonprofit Education Symposium on May 4th in Spokane

The first regional full-day Charity and Nonprofit Educational Symposium, presented by the Office of the Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division, is open to anyone involved in the administration of charities and nonprofits. This is an opportunity for those who work in nonprofits to learn more about what they must do to be in compliance with state and federal law.

The presenters will be Washington Secretary of State, Washington Department of Revenue, Washington Liquor Control Board, Washington State Gambling Commission, Internal Revenue Service, and WAACO (Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations).

The agenda is as follows:

• Registration requirements of Washington state
• IRS requirements for charities and nonprofits
• Washington state tax requirements
• Bingo, raffles and adult beverages – How to do it all legally
• Maintaining nonprofit status & legal obligations of boards

Lunch will be provided free of charge. Registration is limited, so sign up today!

When: May 4, 2011, 8:30 am – 4 pm

Where: Spokane Falls Community College

Cost: Free!

Registration: http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/

Contact: Teresa Glidden, (360) 725-0373

Tenacity. Don’t pursue grant funding without it!

According to Webster, tenacity is defined as “holding firmly; strongly cohesive or adhesive; persistent or stubborn.” Each of these phrases can be applied to the strategies and tactics of obtaining grant funding.

There’s temptation to expect immediate results from seeking funding support for the organization you’re in support of or working for. The need you serve to your constituent base always seems unfulfilled when funds were needed yesterday, which is why when you ask for a year-end donation you expect it relatively soon after the email or mail campaign or when you request sponsorship support for your upcoming event it should at the very latest come to you post-event. But when it comes to grants, dig your heels in and approach it like a marathon, training and all.

I was just informed that a recent grant proposal for one of our long-time clients was declined for the request of $75,000, but was instead allocated a $25,000 contribution. This same funder gave us $80,000 three years ago, declined us the next year, and then gave us $25,000 this year. Fickle? Yes. Frustrating? Sure. Worth the effort? Of course.

This long-haul funder relationship and funding pursuit has ultimately provided our organization the much needed support of $105,000 over three years, or $35,000 a year. How this breaks down:

• Over 1000% return on investment of time and resources from the organization;
• Approximately 455 constituents served; and
• Imperative operational support, particularly post-recession.

The value is apparent. However, let’s take it one more step: Had we not continued our relationship and tenacious pursuit of this funder’s support, we could have missed an opportunity to receive support that was much needed in our current economic state and whose fallout effects were largely unpredictable. Remain tenacious in pursuit of grant funding. Otherwise, stick to the short sprints, but be weary of burnout for you and your organization.

Special Thanks!

Thank you to all the attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and staff at our inaugural Inland Northwest Nonprofit Conference. We’re in the throes of analyzing the feedback in preparation for future educational events. Stay tuned!

Many folks have asked if they can contact their speaker. If your speaker opened up that opportunity during your session, then please feel free to connect with them. If they didn’t provide their contact information that day, you can find their name and company on our blog and Google for specific contact information.

Throughout your sessions, you may have realized that your needs as an organization call for to change. Should you want to discuss consulting services or recommendations on services that would help facilitate your needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. All initial consultations are free. And if we cannot help you, we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.

If you have any additional comments, concerns, or suggestions, please go to our website’s Contact Us page and email us.

Conference Day Info

We're finally here! Today's our conference. Over 100 people will be coming through the doors today!

We cannot take walk-ups, sorry.

All participants who have signed-up should have received an email via Constant Contact from AE that contains the location (Spokane Masonic Center), directions, and parking pass. We will not have parking passes available. Please print one before you arrive.

Check-in is in the Ballroom on the 2nd floor.

All classes are on the 4th floor. Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your first class.

Thank you.

Conference Speaker: Grants Panel, Open-forum Discussion

Panelists: Patty Gates, Executive Director, Community Building Foundation; Kristine Meyer, Executive Director, Avista Foundation; Sarah Smith, Strategic Grants Program Assistant, Empire Health Foundation; and Jennifer Pearson Stapleton, Spokane County Grants Administrator

Moderator: Sandy Gill, Northwest Nonprofit Resources

(www.nnr.org)

Each panelist will discuss the specific details of their grant making process from matching their funding interests to positioning your organization for funding to their expectations on administration and reporting. The open-forum will be moderated by Sandy Gill, who will facilitate the discussion with the audience and guide with relevant questions as needed.

Whether or not you are new to grant seeking, this panel discussion will provide immense insight into northwest funders explaining detailed information that will help streamline the funding process. Join this panel and come prepared with your questions about grant seeking.

Registration closes February 11th. The first annual Inland Northwest Nonprofit Conference – Fund Development Series will be held Thursday, February 17th, 2011, at the Spokane Masonic Center. For more information visit the AE website.