This post is part of a continuing weekly series previewing the topics that will be discussed at CNM’s May 12th Nonprofit Conference: Bridge to Excellence. Click here to register for this exciting day long learning event featuring keynote speaker Geoffrey Canada of Harlem Children’s Zone.

Jeremy Scott of Keystone Business Solutions is a CNM trainer that has conducted several workshops on how nonprofits can utilize the internet effectively. He is leading the session entitled “Nonprofits Embracing the Web: Fundraising, Recruiting, & Marketing Online” at the CNM Conference.

Road to the Conference: Featured Presenter, Jeremy Scott

I have the privilege of speaking at CNM’s 2009 conference, Bridge to Excellence.  I’ve facilitated a few classes on search engine optimization and blogging at the CNM offices over the last year or so, and my employer, Keystone, has their own line of technology classes we’ve been putting on for our clients and the surrounding community for quite a while now-we call it Keystone University.

The most popular class in the history of Keystone University is the one we’ve been doing for about six months now, called “Internet Marketing 101: How to Use the Web to Market and Grow Your Business in a Down Economy.”  Clearly there’s something about the current state of our nation’s economy that has people more ready than ever to embrace this crazy new world of the web.

When we were invited to submit a topic to CNM for their 2009 Conference, it was a no-brainer for us to adapt that class for the nonprofit world.  We decided to call it Nonprofits Embracing the Web.  I’m thrilled to be able to talk to you guys about all the fantastic opportunities there are online for your nonprofit-most of which are either super cheap or flat-out free. 

Continue reading ‘Road to the Conference: Featured Presenter, Jeremy Scott’

Jeremy Scott of Keystone Business Solutions was kind enough to conduct our December Lunch & Learn series yesterday. Here is Jeremy’s Power Point presentation, and below is summary of the workshop. Put your blogging skills to work, and help us continue the discussion online by posting your comments!

 Nonprofits & Blogs

I recently had the privilege to speak to a group of CNM members for their December Lunch & Learn. Our topic for the day was “Blogging and Your Business.” Mostly I wanted to cover the whole gamut of blogging issues, so that everyone in attendance could get something out of the discussion regardless of how familiar they were with blogs coming into the event.

So we talked about what blogs are, why they’re popular, and why a nonprofit or business should definitely be thinking about blogging. The benefits to blogging are too numerous to count, but include improved search engine rankings, community-building with core audience, establishing authority in your topic, and even making a bit of money.

Continue reading ‘Guest Blogger Provides Follow-Up to Lunch & Learn’

Those of you familiar with the CNM Blog know that every once in awhile, we have a guest blogger put together a post on a topic that we think is of interest to nonprofits. This week, Jeremy Scott of Keystone Business Solutions, was kind enough to put together an interesting post on Search Engine Optimization. Read on to understand what SEO means, and why it matters to your organization:

The current economy creates some unique challenges for nonprofits. You need to continue getting your message out to as many people as possible while increasing the level of donations and grants you are able to bring in-and you need to do it spending less money than ever.

The Internet is the single most powerful tool at your disposal. Today’s donors and volunteers will slowly be replaced by tomorrow’s donors and volunteers-college students and young adults who are “wired” in a way a lot of us can barely understand. This generation speaks the language of the web, and small businesses and nonprofits who wish to remain relevant will soon be forced to find a way to connect with this demographic online if they hope to prosper.

One of the basic ways most nonprofits have embraced this idea is in setting up a Web site. Ten years ago, it was novel for a business of any kind to have a Web site. Today, it’s commonplace.

According to the Kelsey Group, 54% of people have ditched phone books in favor of search engines for their local search needs. This means that if Bob needs a mechanic, he’s now more likely to look for one on Google than he is to use the Yellow Pages.

That’s a sobering thought. Do you know what comes up on Google if people search for you? Do you know what keywords and phrases they’re typing into the Google search box when they search for you?

Simply having a Web site is no longer enough… the Web site also needs to be easy to find.

Research shows that if people can’t find what they’re looking for within the first two pages of Google results… they give up and try something else.

So the straightforward question is this: How many young people are out there, passionate about your issue or cause, but unable to find you online?

Search Engine Optimization (or “SEO”) is the process of writing and coding your Web site to most effectively communicate to the search engines what your nonprofit is all about. It involves keyword research to determine what search phrases your target audience is using, and then inserting those phrases into the on-site text and behind-the-scenes HTML code of your Web site.

There are many reputable SEO firms to choose from, though you should take care to be cautious of those that make bold guarantees and use buzz-words like “magic” or “mojo.”

Typical SEO services can run anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, depending on the size of your Web site and the work required to help it rank better-but it’s well worth the cost.

I’m sure each of you has budget constraints-it’s one of the hallmarks of running a nonprofit. But I urge you to strongly consider your marketing budget for the coming year. Traditional marketing like print, radio, and television, isn’t obsolete… yet. But online marketing and advertising simply cannot be ignored any longer.

Today’s young people, who will fuel your nonprofit’s future, are looking for you on MySpace. They’re looking for you on Facebook and Twitter. They want to read your blog. And they’re definitely using Google to discover things that move them.

You can throw up a billboard for a few thousand a month, cross your fingers, and hope that the right prospective customers see it and remember to call you. Or you can spend that money with a search marketing firm, get your site ranking well on Google, and know that your message will be right there in front of the very people who are already searching for you.