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Newsletter, September 2004By Karen Graham, Client Development Manager
Nonprofit NeighborhoodBack to school: A VoterMax success in the makingThere's a school levy on the ballot in one Minnesota community this fall...and this time, supporters are making an extra effort to get it passed. A group of dedicated volunteers called Citizens Supporting Centennial Schools have chosen thedatabank's technology to manage an ambitious door-knocking, phoning and mailing effort in hopes of passing the levy. "We've lost levies two years in a row, after passing them with regularity, said Dave Bartholomay, a leader in the campaign. "This time we need more sophisticated tools to get our message across, to identify more supporters, and to manage our volunteers, yard signs, mailings and phone bank efforts." They have already seen the value of VoterMax, less than two weeks after going live. "We've already used VoterMax to not only manage our yard sign lists and communicate with our volunteers, but also to produce our walk lists for our targeted door knock effort. In past years we've never gotten to this level of efficiency and outreach, and already you can sense the difference in the community. Next on our list is to use VoterMax to target and produce mailings to important voting blocs, like seniors. Getting the right message to the right voters is what is going to make the difference this time around," said Bartholomay. Some other new clients include:
Tip du JourNo more substitute teacherThe Techno-Babble Briefings of the past two months, featuring our CEO Chris Hanson as guest writer, were a nice break from the ordinary. This month, Karen is back from recess, so prepare your mind to be edified with another database tip.
Karen's BlogHomeworkOkay, I'll admit it, I am a nerd. I loved school! When I was a kid, my little sister and I would "play school" all summer, acting out elaborate scenarios that usually involved a fire drill, with one of us cast as the mean teacher and the other as the precocious student. We had our own little desks, with chairs attached, and even ink wells. By September, we could hardly wait to go back. And I have gone back, over and over. Grad school, tango lessons, Intro Chinese...I just can't get enough. This year I have to decide between Composting Basics and Beginning Knitting. (If you've been reading this column for a few months, you'll understand that Cake Lady's got to keep up her domestic image.) When I'm not taking a class or workshop, I like to keep my mind sharp by reading. Here are a few recommendations - consider this your assignment. Reading List: Fundraising for Social Change, by Kim Klein - a straightforward guide for smaller organizations. Rules for Radicals, by Saul Alinsky - a community organizing pioneer. We owe a lot to his philosophy and methods. Managing the Nonprofit Organization, by Peter Drucker - I read this in grad school. Has some good high-level stuff about why we do the things we do. The interviews are my favorite part. Strategic Database Marketing, by Arthur Hughes - the database marketing guru. Not specifically about nonprofits, but it has some good applications. Karen
AnnouncementsEventsVisit with us at the following conferences:
Just For FunAn old favorite...
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