Allison Carney Consulting

Author: ahcarney

  • Is a Facebook Group Right for Your Association?

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    The following is a guest blog I wrote for Williams Whittle. I hope you enjoy it! There’s one piece of feedback that every association hears: their members want to connect with their peers. They want more networking, and they want more opportunities for discussion. So associations are looking for ways to help their members connect,…

  • What To Do When Your Giving Day Goes Wrong

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    On May 3rd, nonprofit staff members across the country cried out in frustration as their giving day platforms shut down during Give Local America, a single day of giving across 54 communities. The failure came after weeks (or months) of nonprofits communicating with their donors to build momentum for this fundraising blitz. And on the day, around 10am EST, it all…

  • 5 Hashtag #Mistakes Your Nonprofit May Be Making

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    The following is a guest blog I wrote for Williams Whittle. I hope you enjoy it! Hashtags are so commonplace now, they’ve become a part of daily life (at least on the internet). They are a quick, easy way to join an existing conversation and amplify your message to even more people. However, if you…

  • 5 Ways to Make the Most of your New GuideStar Nonprofit Profile

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    The following is a guest blog I wrote for Williams Whittle. I hope you enjoy it! GuideStar has announced a complete website redesign, which included a vastly different way nonprofit information was shared with the public. The design did away with the old style tabs structure, and instead shows an entire Nonprofit Profile, featuring modular…

  • Bizsplaining: Mansplaining for Nonprofits

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    A few years back, I was getting pro bono advice from a few PR folks who worked at big firms. They had fancy degrees and long, unintelligible titles. I showed them a few examples of our collateral, our website, and our social media posts, and sought their advice. “Well, first you need a completely new website.…

  • The Importance of Sitting Down: White People and Equity

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    In the nonprofit sector, discussions of diversity and equity are everywhere. Sometimes it feels like the statement, “But we need to make sure [blank] is equitable,” is said in every single meeting. But too often it’s said by white people. To white people. About people of color. Last week, Rainier Valley Corps hosted its third…

  • How to Create a Nonprofit Communications Plan from Scratch (Part 2)

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    This month, YNPN Seattle is posting blogs about “starting from scratch.” They’ll be giving you tips and advice on how to build things from the ground up—without burning out. My installment in is focused on creating an attainable, effective, and measurable communications plan. So last week, I shared some tips for sketching out the main…

  • How to Create a Nonprofit Communications Plan from Scratch (Part 1)

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    by

    ahcarney
    in

    This month, YNPN Seattle is posting blogs about “starting from scratch.” They’ll be giving you tips and advice on how to build things from the ground up—without burning out. My installment in is focused on creating an attainable, effective, and measurable communications plan. If you’re anything like me, starting from scratch is terrifying. You’re watching…

  • Thanking Rick Cohen

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    A great loss reverberated throughout the nonprofit sector this morning when Nonprofit Quarterly announced Rick Cohen’s passing. I don’t know how to process what his death means to philanthropy, nonprofits, or even journalism as a whole. Frankly, what I’m thinking of is when I first met him, when I asked him to speak at an event.…

  • Why Demi Lovato is Right about Nonprofits

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    Nonprofit leaders are constantly writing about the unequal relationship between nonprofits and the people and institutions which fund them. Pieces like Dan Pallotta’s famous TED Talk, the Overhead Myth, NCRP’s blog post on reverse grantmaking, Chronicle of Philanthropy op-eds, and Nonprofit with Balls’ Nonprofit Hunger Games all show specifics ways this plays out in the…