I’m always checking out new resources to see how we can improve.  Today, let me share some new things I learned from a new fundraising guide produced by Network for Good.
25 STEPS TO FALL & HOLIDAY FUNDRAISING SUCCESS: Meet (and exceed!) Your Fundraising Goals offers a wealth of information and is free to download [...]

As we have previously mentioned, Atlas hosted it’s first Think Tank 101 program last week. Below is the program for the conference, as well as power point presentations from several of the speakers. Many of you, in addition to the TT101 participants will find these presentations quite useful.

November 10, 2009   1:30-3:00 – Management [...]

Fundraising Success magazine has some tips for writing a compelling profile that will interest your audience:
When selecting people to profile, ask yourself the following questions:

Why this person?
Why now?
What’s the point from a marketing perspective? What are you trying to achieve by telling this particular story about this person?

The article continues with loads of great tips [...]

How many of you remember seeing the surprising Susan Boyle video from Britain’s Got Talent or perhaps you’ve seen the more recent Jill and Kevin Wedding Entrance?  These videos were fun, positive, and inspirational videos that struck a cord with viewers which made them go viral.  The first video helped promote the TV show the [...]

“The Way We Write Is All Wrong” summarizes the results of a recent computer analysis of fundraising language.  And it’s not pretty.  The author, Frank Dickerson, of Claremont University points to two primary problems.  He says fundraising copy:

Lacks linguistic features that create an interpersonal, emotional connection with readers (e.g. personal verbs like I feel and I [...]

Jo Kwong recently sent this useful article around to the Atlas staff. It discussing the importance on linking your work to an interesting and relevant  story, this will engage and inspire your audience to act.
Fundraising Success- Using Storytelling to Motivate Constituents
By Abny Santicola
Storytelling — “social-networking tool 1.0″ — is the single most
powerful communications tool [...]

I’m going to gamble that if you’re reading this, you want to “advance freedom around the world.” That’s good since that is the mission of the Atlas Foundation. A question that you may ask yourself from time-to-time is “what is the most effective way to use use my limited resources (time, talent, treasure) to advance [...]

Have a compelling story that lacks an outlet?  Want to pitch in the big leagues of major U.S. publications?  Here is a helpful collection of successful story pitches to help you hone a proposal for your next big story.  The authors also offer up an inspiring shot of humility by listing rejected story pitches here.
Link [...]

How often do you read the emails and solicitations that show up in your mailbox?  We all know that’s one of the biggest challenges in our donor outreach efforts. Like me, you probably spend countless hours writing about your organization’s work, sharpening your story-telling skills.
But that’s only part of the effort.  Besides the actual content, [...]

Last month, Cindy unveiled the Freedom Network to the world:
This site will serve as Atlas’s new and improved Think Tank Directory of Free Market Think Tanks. Here, you can search and find think tanks around the world by location, age, or research topic. In addition, you can interact with these organizations, by making “friends,” sending [...]