Recent Articles

The by-law conundrum: amend, start over, or a mixed approach (in: Home)
Feb 20, 2012

Not-for-profits and registered charities incorporated federally under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act have until October 17, 2014 to continue under the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act.

How do you ensure that you can keep the by-laws that work for you, update the ones that aren't so helpful, and bring everything into compliance with the new legislation? Lawyer Joel Secter has some recommendations.

Annual reports – the “just right” message from the CEO (in: Home)
Feb 18, 2012

Many nonprofits waste the opportunity that the opening message of their annual report provides. You want to give context for the publication, personalize it and point readers to key information and calls to action. Here are Kimberlee Roth's tips to help you craft a welcome message that motivates your supporters to read on.

Twitter for Good - Change the world one tweet at a time (in: Home)
Feb 16, 2012

Claire Díaz-Ortiz leads Corporate Social Innovation and Philanthropy for Twitter, Inc. This means her day job is to send tweets to help nonprofit organizations, foundations and corporate brands run prosocial campaigns and determine how best to use Twitter to reach their goals. She’s just spent her weekends and week nights writing a guide that contains the most effective tactics for tapping into Twitter’s power as a real-time information system.

"Operation Eyesight Universal calling ..." (in: Home)
Feb 16, 2012

There's a world of difference between strangers who interrupt your supper, mangle your name, then try to sell you new windows - for your apartment - and an effective, properly targeted telephone campaign. Do it right and you can raise more money, says Lynne Dulaney, director of communications at Calgary's Operation Eyesight Universal.

"Doing it right" means working with people who've already shown some interest in your organization. Operation Eyesight contacted lapsed and annual donors to renew awareness and giving from the first group and offer a monthly giving plan to the second group. Later they used callers to follow up on a holiday mailing to lapsed and inactive supporters.

How a small charity turned a C+ website into “an unequivocal hit” (in: Home)
Feb 16, 2012

Ryann Miller and Kori Brus revisit a website they critiqued six months ago. With a higher profile for social media, more ways to give, better navigation and a revamped home page, it's now a winner.

Check out the improvements they describe, then use Ryann's and Kori's tips to boost engagement and giving through your own charity's website.