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Newsletter, March 2004

By Karen Lemke, Client Development Manager

Nonprofit Neighborhood

U of M uses Meeting tool to bring neighbors together

Students, alumni, and other constituents of the University of Minnesota recently used thedatabank's new Meeting tool to sign up for legislative briefings with their elected officials.  The 15 small group meetings gave citizens valuable face-to-face time with a member of the Minnesota Senate or House representing their district, allowing them to explain their concerns about funding for the University and other issues.  

Constituents received an email from the University, inviting them to visit a web site where they could enter their address and search for a meeting in their district.   Then, they registered for a meeting using a secure online form.  Staff were able to monitor sign-ups through the supporting database.  This is part of the University's effort to increasingly utilize the internet to interact with constituents.

Meeting tool can help you organize, fundraise, and more

Clients who use thedatabank's member management products, such as DonorMax, now have access to a new function: Meetings. With the addition of Meetings, our contact management system is even more robust.  And it's so flexible that you can use the same tool to record an appointment with a donor, schedule phone bank volunteers, and accept RSVPs for a gala event.  

Here are some of the features:

• Save meetings, events and activities in your database
• Publish meetings on your web site and accept online registration (using PowerMail, thedatabank's e-Marketing module)
• Monitor how many people have confirmed, attended, and cancelled, as well as how many slots are still available
• Schedule individual members or supporters for a meeting
• Assign a facilitator
• Search meetings by date, location, type, facilitator, and more
• Quickly select participants and send reminders, agendas or thank you notes

Recognition for being a good neighbor

thedatabank is proud to announce our membership in the  Minnesota Keystone Program .  Sometimes known as the 2% Club or 5% Club, this program recognizes Minnesota companies that have made a commitment to philanthropy.  For the past three years, thedatabank has contributed over 5% of its pre-tax earnings to address community needs. 

Tip Du Jour

Face to face with your neighbors

You can use the new Meetings tool, together with web site integration, to help your members connect with one another in person.  It's easy to do.  Just set up a time and place for the event.  Next, create an event registration web form that is integrated with your database.  (Contact thedatabank to assist you with this, or if you are an advanced user you can do it yourself.)  Then, select a group of members to invite, and send them a PowerMail containing a link to your online registration form.  Monitor the sign-ups and email reminders or agendas in advance.

By streamlining the registration process, you'll have more time to plan the agenda and give attention to the little details that make a meeting effective.  If you wish, thedatabank can even help you set up a page on your web site where members or facilitators can create and manage their OWN events!  Contact us for details at 1-877-603-0296.

Karen's Blog

Visiting the old neighborhood

I travelled to Seattle for AFP's  International Conference on Fundraising  last week.  Though I'm a Midwest native, I lived in Seattle from 1999-2001, and in many ways this trip felt like a homecoming to me.  I love Seattle's climate - those misty, mushroomy days with the occasional glorious sunburst - complain all you want about the rain, but you have to admit that a  Seattle spring really makes a person feel alive.

One of the best parts of my trip was the opportunity to re-connect with some old friends.  Someone remarked that even though we haven't been together in three years, we're as close as ever thanks to frequent emails. 

This theme was repeated by folks I met at the AFP conference.  It seems that email has become a very effective way to keep in touch with supporters.  Conference attendees heard inspiring stories about online success from some of the nation's leading nonprofits.  

Organizations of all sizes are embracing email and the internet.  Thedatabank clients are raising a significant amount of money through online forms and email solicitations.  Advocacy groups are seeing the potentail of the web as well; for example,  Maine Environmental Citizens Online achieved an 18% response rate on its very first Action Alert using e-ActionMax. 

I'll be at N-TEN's  2004 Nonprofit Technology Conference in Philadelphia, March 25-28, learning about the latest strategies and sharing our clients' successes.  If you're there, please stop by and say hello!

Karen

Announcements

thedatabank is moving!

We will move to a stylish new office in Minneapolis' warehouse district at the end of March.  Visit our web site for our  new contact information .

Offices closed Monday, March 29

Phones and computers may be disconnected, and staff will certainly be away from our desk as we move into our new digs.  We ask for your patience in responding to your requests on moving day.

Just For Fun

Remembering Mister Rogers

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