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Nonprofit Radio for September 21, 2012: Abbondanza Alliances & Claire’s Cliches

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

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Tony’s Guests:

Rosanna Imbriano
Rosanna Imbriano: Abbondanza Alliances

Rosanna Imbriano–a true Italian–and principal of RI Consulting, encourages you to secure strategic alliances that expand your marketing and save your marketing budget–because they cost you nothing.

This segment with Rosanna has a survey. Please take a moment to answer three quick questions. You’ll find it below. Thank you! If you could also share it with other nonprofit professionals, I would appreciate it.
 

Claire Meyerhoff
Claire Meyerhoff: Claire’s Cliches

Claire Meyerhoff returns. She’s principal of The Planned Giving Agency and creative producer of Nonprofit Radio. This week she’s got cliches aplenty for you to avoid and simpler words to replace them with. The show’s Jargon Jail is sure to suffer overcrowding.

 
 

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Here is a link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZK698ZR


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Zoho dahna oppcoll hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for your for the other ninety five percent. I’m the aptly named host. Oh, do i hope you were with me last week? I’d be in distress if i learned that you had missed last week’s show, which started with small shop planned e-giving claire meyerhoff is the principle of the plan giving agency and this show’s creative producer. We talked about marketing gift planning in ways that are not same old, same old for small and midsize charities. Claire turned the tables and interviewed me at last year’s national conference on philanthropic planning and last week events technology, scott koegler was with me to help you with event planning, he shared free tools to collaborate with the volunteers, employees and vendors who were putting your events together. Scott is our regular technology contributor and the editor of non-profit technology news this week aban danza alliances roseanna imbriano a true italian and principle of our eye consulting encourages you to secure strategic alliances that expand your marketing and save your marketing budget because they cost you nothing and claire’s cliches. Claire meyerhoff returns two weeks in a row it’s too much already she’s, principal of the plan giving agency on dh, still creative producer of this show this week, she’s got cliches, plenty of cliches for you to avoid and simpler words to replace them. Jargon. Jail is sure to be overcrowded this week between the guests on tony’s take to my block this week is seven tips for small shop planned e-giving. I don’t think that requires any explanation. Are you on twitter while you’re listening? If you are, use the hashtag non-profit radio to join our conversation at this moment, we take a break, and when we returned roseanna imbriano and a bonanza alliances stay with me. They couldn’t limp dick, dick tooting, getting thinking, you’re listening to the talking alternative network, itching to get anything. E-giving, you could joined the metaphysical center of new jersey and the association for hyre awareness for two exciting events this fall live just minutes from new york city in pompton plains, new jersey, dr judith orloff will address her bestseller, emotional freedom, and greg brady will discuss his latest book, deep truth living on the edge. Are you ready for twelve twenty one twelve? Save the dates. Judith orloff, october eighteenth and greg brady in november ninth and tenth. For early bird tickets, visit metaphysical center of newjersey dot, or or a h a n j dot net. Hi, i’m donna, and i’m done were certified mediators, and i am a family and couples licensed therapists and author of please don’t buy me ice cream are show new beginnings is about helping you and your family recover financially and emotionally and start the beginning of your life. Will answer your questions on divorce, family, court, co, parenting, personal development, new relationships, blending families and more. Dahna and i will bring you to a place of empowerment and belief that even though marriages may end, families are forever. Join us every monday, starting september tenth at ten a m on talking alternative dot com. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent with me now is roseanna imbriano. She is a marketing strategist and consultant, she’s, the owner of our consulting, which you’ll find it r ight consulting llc dot com she is past president of the essex chapter of new jersey association of women business owners and his marketing director for the center for italian and italian american culture. Mary-jo no, senora, welcome, amjad no, tony, actually bump a gritty joe. Oh, i’m stumped already. What does that mean? Good. I mean, good afternoon. Okay. Thank you. I said, well, good one, john doe is ok. Can i use that? Anytime? Of course. Okay. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for you to correct me, so don’t don’t don’t jump it small, small things that i get the half right. Well, you’ve already tagged me as a true italian, so i have to live with that. All right, all right. We’re talking about strategic alliances. Abbondanzieri, alliances. What is your definition of a strategic alliance? Ah, a strategic alliance. Our two entities that are committed to each other’s success. It’s that simple. That simple. Okay, what do they what sort? Of things, do they do they do together? What? Where they committed to each other’s success. Well, uh, first of all, because it’s beneficial to both of them, uh, you want to start when you’re dealing with a non-profit teo, look at where are their supporters coming from eyes their common thread. Is there something that is unique to both of them? And you start to develop a plan of what do they need to do together? What are their goals? What? What were they looking to accomplish? Okay, so i put it down on paper. Okay, so we’re starting to look. We’re sorry. Look, for commonalities, something in common maybe could be same constituency could be related. Work would be one’s work and maybe one’s interest in in joining that work. But they’re not currently doing it. Would that be acceptable, partner? Yes, acceptable. Someone whose mission statement is similar. Okay, i pulled the listeners before the show and asked, have you looked outside your organization for other charities or cos you can ally yours with? And i think it’s very positive. One hundred percent said yes, they have done that. And the other option was no, i better listen to the show, hopefully people other than the survey listeners are listening to the show because it is only that i mean the survey completed because it was only a survey complete er’s then they wouldn’t be listening to the show unless they wanted to get even more than just strategic alliances from it. So hopefully there’s other people, but i’m sure there are no yes, and it also is that maybe those people who actually doing things on and have developed these strategical lines can do it more efficiently. They want to learn more exactly it’s where they’re listening to the show. What? What a business development person you are for me. Thank you. So now we have identified that we can save some money at this too. These don’t need to be costly, right? Yes. It is a miss in the marketing community. Uh, that in order to create business or create revenue, you need to throw money at marketing. Okay, you don’t really have to spend thousands of dollars. Some of it is right underneath your nose in terms of developing business, it’s just a different way of thinking outside the box. And so for little. Or no money. We can also get sort of ah, multiplier effect, because you’re going to be learning and gaining from your your alliance partner correct, i have actually had non-profits i’m working with or have worked with in the past that have increased their donations, or they’re giving ten percent with a one strategic alliance, okay? And but of course, it doesn’t end with increased giving. You could maybe increase volunteers or maybe gained new board members, right? I mean, there’s other things besides just giving go ahead so well in the nonprofit world, we’re always looking to do a lot more with less, and we all know that if you have been in non-profit you know that especially in these economic times, so you’re trying to think outside the box of what can you d’oh? How can you multiply your success? Whether it’s having people attend an event, whether it’s donations, whether its membership, um, there’s so many different ways and you can have strategic alliances in different areas, they don’t necessarily all have to result in just donations. So that’s the in the box thinking you need to step out of the box. Okay, so are there. Other things than the ones i mentioned that could be gained from a strategic alliance. Yes, um for instance, who you definitely have membership. You have donations. You have attendance at different events from you. If you’re doing a huge fundraiser, uh, and you want to have two hundred people that will how do you get for hundred people there? So it’s it’s different things that you want to look at? You wantto align yourself with maybe a different venue vendors that air providing services to the non-profit different other organizations that have the same mission statement. It’s endless. Okay, okay, way have just about a minute before a break. So why don’t we just start to talk about how do you start to find these partners? And then we’ll take a break and continue it. Okay, what i usually do when i’m working with non-profits has asked them where their supporters are coming from and kind of get a baseline of what they’ve done in the past and what they haven’t tried. And then then i go a little bit further and then start to do the creative part. Okay, the that thinking beyond what they’ve been doing, correct. Okay, all right. We’re going to take our break when we returned. La senora, the true italian. Rosana imbriano stays with me, she’s, a marketing strategist and consultant, and we’re going to continue talking about strategic alliances. Stay with us, talking alternative radio, twenty four hours a day. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Dahna are you fed up with talking points, rhetoric everywhere you turn left or right? Spin ideology, no reality, in fact, its ideology over in tow, no more it’s time, join me, larry shot a neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven easter for the ivory tower radio in the ivory tower. We’ll discuss what you’re born, you society, politics, business and family. It’s, provocative talk for the realist and the skeptic who want to know what’s, really going on. What does it mean? What can be done about it? So gain special access to the ivory tower. Listen to me, larry sharp, your neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven, new york time go to ivory tower radio dot com for details. That’s, ivory tower radio, dot com e every time i was a great place to visit for both entertainment and education. Listening. Tuesday nights nine to eleven it will make you smarter. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com wait! Duitz honey. Way i see the marquis. Miree tim that’s not booker t and the mgs that is michael castaldo, he’s singing brooch piela terra the theme from the godfather the reason i decided to play that is because michael introduced metoo roseanna and i wanted teo give a shout to michael. You can hear more of his music at michael castaldo dot com sabelo j c senora altum piela sabelo chairman’s what a beautiful grayce voice, of course, let’s see, i’m all i’m all a flutter now with different music. I’m i’m used to booker t and the mgs singing jelly jelly jelly roll okay, way. We’re talking about how you start too find the strategic partners are going to be that are going to be with an alliance with you. So how do we how do we get started with that? Well, we definitely have tio have a baseline when i’m working with a new non-profit you need a baseline, you need to know what they’ve done in the past and what they have not tried, according to to the strategy i implement with them and start to look at, uh, alliances that they currently have and then look at alliances that they may need to. Develop uh, i am definitely in the frame of mind to understand and teo latto isolate that this doesn’t does not need to be a process in which you need to spend a lot of money to do. You may spend the money in furthering relationships, but not necessarily to develop them on. And then once you’ve identified, you know and you’ve identified a partner, you want to know what their goals are, what goals are what your goals are. Wait, let’s, not go let’s, not go too fast. We still have to need some help identifying the right partners. You and of course, a consultant could be indispensible for this. But there are small charities that may need to do it on their own. I would think networking is a part of trying to find the right organization, right? You want to be out there in the community? Absolutely. You want to have a very professional web presence? Some of the charities that i have work with, uh, have excellent websites. Very easy to use. Very that you can maneuver and find them very easily. They have very clear, clean look, help them. Whatever makes the process simple and if you make it difficult for feeding people to find you, they’re not going to find you, obviously, and and while they’re looking for you, you could be out on the web looking for for for partners as well. How would that research where’s that research look like? Well, it depends on, you know, again identifying what you’re looking for, that’s half the battle on, once you identified the type of person that the type of alliance that you want, then it makes it easier to search the web, of course, okay, and we’ve been talking about outside partners, but this you could have an alliance with people that are already known to you, they’re just they’re not sure how to how to help you write direct or they’re not sure how to help you. So when you have these partners, they act as an advisory board as a board of directors that can help you grow your business and buy-in versa. Okay, i got to send some live listener love out. Troutdale, oregon welcome carrollton, texas welcome, dalton, georgia. Welcome, welcome live listener love going out to the pacific northwest. This and the south, mid and southeast. You talked? A little about goals. What might some of our goals of these strategic alliances b the goal for any non-profit of courses is donation worships? Uh, getting people out to events, tendencies if you have a gal, a golf outing and you have no one that comes so you know, it makes it’s no use or if you’re promoting that gal thought in three weeks before the event it’s not working, but if you take your database and within the database, you have organizations that you are aligned with that have, um, you know, an email database of ten thousand each, then multiplied your success. Okay, right. So, there’s, your multiplier, because you’re going to be sharing marketing in your example, you’re going to be sharing marketing with them, and they’ll be sharing with you and correct there’s, your there’s, your multiplayer. Okay, those of course, our relationships that are concrete that are developed and there’s a win win for both parties, right? What? So now, how do you translate some of your goals or your specific goals for the alliance into the right strategic alliance partners? Well, because you’re you’re going to determine what the goal is for both. Parties, you’re going to determine what are what are both parties looking to get out of the relationship? And is it feasible? Okay, i’m going to evaluate that over a period of time. But, i mean, as you’re doing your research to try to find the right partners, how do you go from the goal of, you know, we want more people at our golf outing next year to finding the partners that are going to help you do that to researching, you know, finding the right potential partners, right? You’re going to see if you can find the people who are commited the people who are have a vested interest in your organization in your mission and may be a partner for that particular event. A corporation, you know, a donor aa sponsor. Okay. Okay. Um and when we have identified the right alliance partner or partners, then i assume there’s some negotiation that goes on, say little about that. Yeah, you want tio? I don’t get too involved in the process. What i’d like to do is basically to write the goals down and tow. Have both parties sign it so that we know six months from now. What have we committed to and what was your portion of the deal? And what is my portion of the deal and agreed to that? Because over a period of time, people tend to forget what they promised each other, right, so and then evaluated. Okay on, we’ll get to those steps, but but the process of negotiating what’s going to be in the agreement, you know, you’ve got to give some i’ve got to give some and there’s just going, tio, we’re trying to accomplish i’m sorry. So based on what gold both parties are trying to accomplish, okay, right? And now you said you like to see this in a assigned writing should both parties actually be signing this? I believe that you should have the commitment. Yes, my my attitude has changed quite a bit over the last couple of years on that tony on ly because, like i said, i people have short memories. Sounds like you got your client’s got screwed is what you’re saying. Well, now, you know they’ll say, well, now i didn’t promise you that. Well, yes, you did. Uh, people forget what they always sit down when you’re having a meeting. And people forget so a one page document of both parties. Responsibilities signed by both parties, i think, makes more sense. Okay. And isn’t usually the executive director seo’s that you see having these conversations or is it somewhere lower or board level? What, depending on mott non-profits it’s usually the executive director? Yes. Okay. Okay. And of course, there’s an important something else you touched on evaluation, of course. So you say something about evaluating this? Well, in order for this strategic aligns tow work, both parties have to be committed. It has to be a win win if one party is winning and the other one is losing than over a period of time. It’s just going to fall apart. So you want to make sure that you evaluated every three months hyre so that neither one of the parties is wasting too much time. If the alliance is not working or if the alliance is working, just how do how do we make it work more efficiently? Okay, so we’ll go back to that written document and evaluate based on that correct and then makes the adjustment. Okay? And we can’t be afraid. Teo cut ties when things aren’t going so well, correct? There is not working for either party. It really is not it’s a waste of time and money. Okay. You have, ah, client example of successful alliance that you want to share. Yeah, actually. For the non-profit i am currently involved with, uh, which is the centre for italian? Italian american culture is an organization that has been in existence twenty one years. Um, i been in my position for the last three and a half. Last year. We were able to produce for our annual fundraiser events seventy two thousand dollars in one night. Okay. And that was significant increase, i assume, over past years, correct. It was one of the most successful in twenty one years. Okay, so it’s, not like the year before was seventy one thousand five hundred. Okay, we probably took it to the point where we did double or tripled. Um, the success. Okay. Okay. I pulled listeners for their own success around strategic alliances. And about eighty five percent said either they’ve done this either very successfully or somewhat successfully. About fifteen percent said no, not not so successful. What? What problems have you seen that we can help listeners overcome onda void when you’re developing these alliances, they both parties need to be committed. Okay, sometimes you have situations in which one party is not as committed as the other, and so there’s sort of an imbalance there. So even though even though they commit, they’re not really committed, correct? They make promises, they don’t promise, they promise and don’t deliver. Yeah, okay. Okay. So how do you how do you make sure that you’re alliance partner is serious. Ah, well, you start by choosing the right partners. It’s, just like a marriage. You start by choosing the right partner, right band. If if if. If you’re not choosing the right partner from the beginning, it really makes no difference how much effort of time or money you’re putting into it. It’s really not gonna work? So, exactly. But how do we do? Make sure that we’re getting the right partner, like instinct and research of you know what? What’s your advice around, making sure we got that right, partner. You have to kind of feel it out. It’s every every relationship is different. Every it depends on whether it’s a new relationship or something that has been there’s a history there. You have to really evaluate each individual situation is different, but you want to trust your gut instinct if your instinct for me it’s instinct, not for a lot of other people, i can pretty much read whether the relationship is going to work or not work for the non-profit or a client. Okay. On dh. Probably a good idea to maybe start small in your alliance. Start with a smaller project to do together is what i mean, something like that. Something maybe that works that way. But there many times, like in your particular industry, finding a person who has ah, ah, lot of money that they want to donate to a tower charity would be wonderful. Uh, and you know, something like that. How do you start small? You really don’t it’s a person who either want to do it or they don’t. So it’s. Very simple, simple process and my job as a consultant to these entities, there’s, just to make the process simple for both parties. Okay. Um rosanna, why don’t you share with us? What? What is what is it that you that you really love about bringing? The right parties together what really moves you about this work? Okay, we’re fortunate to live in the united states of america where non-profits thrive and that there’s a non-profit so for every mission, every possible issue out there and what what brings me the satisfaction i had for many years and continue to have a client who every christmas donates to annoy organization called oasis in patterson, and the client donates thousands of dollars every year to this non-profits the women and children could have a wonderful christmas, which they wouldn’t ordinarily have. And for me, those kind of matching up people to for a greater good is really what i live for. Ok? And how long have you been doing this work? I’ve actually been doing this all my life, but in my own business for about twelve years. All right, now you contributed to a book by new jersey women business owners. Why don’t you tell people what? What about that book and where they can find it? Okay, the book is called jersey women mean business. The big both business advice from new jersey business women owners, business owners. I’m sorry. And they could get the book at. Uh uh. Woodpecker, press dot com www dot woodpecker press dot com it is a compilation of seventy two business women across the state of new jersey. It was the brainchild of the publisher, dahna thompson. Yeah. To bring all these business women and their expert teeth to the economy and to grow the economy. Okay. Now all the contributors are not italian, though, are they? They are not, but added seventy two, we have about twenty one, twenty two women that are italian in italian american descent. Dahna third. Okay. That’s pretty good. Right? Was still still recommend the book. Okay? Yep, yep. Way. Okay, you’ll find that it woodpecker press dahna dahna thompson, by the way, is italian american. So is our editor, joyce christine. Oh, and our graphic design who person? Richelle bonem isa. So all these women together are a force to be reckoned with. Okay, alongwith you. Rosana imbriano is a marketing strategist and consultant. You’ll find her at our eye consulting. L l c dot com assume our eyes is not rhode island. That’s who’s on imbriano. Okay, it’s. Quite a coincidence. If you were in rhode island that we even better. That would be even roseanna, thank you very much for being against tony is my pleasure, it’s, always a pleasure to spend some time with you, and i think what you’re doing for non-profits is is a tremendous asset said in that industry. Oh, thank you, thank you so much, although buttering me up is not going to get you on the show. So it’s too late for that, but thank you for your kind words. I’ve gotta send live listener love, teo, somerset, new jersey, mountain view, california. Cool rest in virginia, all these different states, i love it, live listener, love out, tio, california, virginia and new jersey, where rosana imbriano was from stay with me. And when we returned, it’s tony’s, take two, and then claire’s cliches. Told you. Hi, this is nancy taito from speaks been radio speaks been radio is an exploration of the world of communication, how it happens in how to make it better, because the quality of your communication has a direct impact on the quality of your life. Tune in monday’s at two pm on talking alternative dot com, where i’ll be interviewing experts from business, academia, the arts and new thought join me mondays at two p m and get all your communications questions answered on speaks been radio. Have you ever considered consulting a road map when you feel you need help getting to your destination when the normal path seems blocked? A little help can come in handy when choosing an alternate route. Your natal chart is a map of your potentials. It addresses relationships, finance, business, health and, above all, creativity. Current planetary cycles can either support or challenge your objectives. I’m montgomery taylor. If you would like to explore the help of a private astrological reading, please contact me at monte at monty taylor dot com let’s monte m o nt y at monty taylor dot com how’s your game want to improve your performance, focus and motivation? Than you need. Aspire, athletic, consulting, stop second guessing yourself. Move your game to the next level, bring back the fun of the sport, help your child build confidence and self esteem through sports. Contact dale it aspire, athletic consulting for a free fifteen minute power session to get unstuck. Today, your greatest athletic performance is just a phone call away at eight a one six zero four zero two nine four or visit aspire consulting. Dot vp web motivational coaching for athletic excellence aspire to greatness. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business, why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com if you have big ideas and an average budget tune into the way above average tony martin any non-profit radio ideo, i’m jonah helper from next-gen charity. Welcome back, it’s, time for tony’s take two at roughly thirty two minutes into the hour. My block this week is seven tips for small shop planned e-giving and i want to focus on just the very first one of those seven, which is you don’t have to be big to be successful at planned e-giving lots of opportunity in planned giving for small shops you basically to start with big quests or iras or something that’s, just simple for people to understand and easy for them to execute and that’s very common in people’s lives like a will or like an ira or a pension, and you just encourage people to include your charity buy-in one of those methods, you don’t have to have expertise and sophistication either on your board or as consultant, or even now in your development staff. I just want to break down the the perception and the myth that you have to be a big shop to be successful in plant e-giving it’s just not so, and there are six other tips for small shop planned e-giving on my block, which is that tony martignetti dot com and that is tony’s take two for friday, september twenty first, the fortieth show of the year. Now at the break, i had a text message. Someone requested that i play mala femina which again, my bad italian. But i’m gonna soon. Mala femina means bad lady and here’s our bad lady clare markoff climb arika half. How are you? Welcome. Hi, tony. Thanks for having me on the show. It’s. My pleasure always to have you back. Claire’s, of course, principal of the plant e-giving agency and she’s, creative producer of this very show. And this week we’re talking about claire’s cliches. Why are cliches bad, claire? Well, cliches, they’re bad because they’re old and they’re tired and they’re worn out and when you’re a non-profit trying to inspire people to volunteer for your cause, care about your cause and especially donate money your cause then you’re writing should not be tired and worn out. It should be fresh and vibrant and draw you in ok, but these air phrases that we phrases and sometimes just single words that we all understand that is a is a common understanding, even if there may be a little wordy. What’s what’s the problem with everybody, you know, if you’re using something that everybody, everybody grasps easily, well, you know, it depends on every single situation, so in some situations, when you have no time to think and you’re in a real hurry and, you know, a cliche is what comes to mind? Well, yeah, then just, you know, spit it out and use it and if your audience is, you know, inspired by that word great, but for the most part, what i find is that when people do use cliches and these air things like, you know, staying ahead of schedule or, you know, there’s millions of them and we’ll go through a list, but when people use cliches often times it’s just because they were in a habit, right? It’s a habit of using it and a lot of times what it signals to me is that if you’re in, like, a habit of using these phrases over and over, like, make a difference, make a difference, maybe it’s time for something new, and perhaps you need to re think your entire communications system and what you’re doing and what you’re telling people if you’re falling back all the time on cliches and jargon, okay, i assume you would you also would argue for economy of words, maybe using fewer words sometimes to say the same thing. Like you said the example you gave forget which phrases but another one at the present time or something you like. You like it exactly, because tony, think about how most people learn how to write you learn how to write when you’re in school, especially when you get to college so your college freshmen and you have to turn in a paper and the teacher wants fifteen pages. So as you write, you’re just like your so effusive you do just like all these words come out of you because, you know, gosh, i’ve gotta fill up fifteen page if i need to sound smart and important, so you start writing like that. But then when you get to the real world, not that many people are looking for a fifteen page paper from you’re either a five page paper from you, bennett, he needs five words from you write like a really nifty thing on a twitter or facebook or or in a postcard or something that you’re sending to your donors just a few lines to really? Did someone excited about something? It’s, not a fifteen page paper, even a two page paper. So economy aboard is really, really important to sort of change your whole mindset from that writing for writing sake to writing for, you know, being exciting and being interesting and really making your point in in a clear way that paints a picture in the person’s mind, okay? And you’re not being paid by the word. No, you’re not being paid by the word, not at all. A matter of fact, you should be thanking yourself is being paid for the fewer words, maybe you get a bonus instead of getting paid like, you know, ten cents a word instead, you’re getting paid like you know, one hundred dollars if you khun, if you could do it in half the words or something, if you think about if you think about okay, you want you want charity clarity, right? Hey, that’s! Good. I like that charity clarity. Okay, cool. You’re always pointing new phrase change one letter. I know charity clarity school alright. Came up with one the other day with one of my clients at the national wildlife federation and we had something that at first seemed terrible. This thing happened right with the letter we were sending out, and we thought it was a terrible thing. But then, all of a sudden, we realize, wait a minute, maybe that’s. Not a bad thing to think that through. And so the phrase we came up with horror and hope. Of course, i’m a fan of alliteration, ze mean, we’re here talking about claire’s cushions, so horror dankmyer strikes, right, right? Uh, right. So what? You’re gonna run time with something you think? Well, maybe there’s hope in this first you’re horrified, but maybe there’s, hope, horror and hope. Um, let’s. See? So your your interest in this goes back because you’re old radiohead, u did radio journalism? I mean that’s ah, you got to be concise in radio journalism, don’t you? Absolutely and that’s where? That’s where i come from, i’m a non-profit girl through and through mostly and fund-raising especially with plan giving, marketing and that’s what i do now, but my background is i was a in the broadcast duitz business, so i worked in radio news as a reporter and anchor it all news radio station, and i’ve also worked at cnn as a news writer, writing especially on some of the international shows, so but i always like to tell people, is when they say, well, gosh, i don’t think that i can explain our mission, you know, in in three sentences final it’ll go on and do that. I always say, you know what? I think if i could explain the ethiopia eritrea border conflict in three sentences and tell you the latest what’s going on with that conflict, give you some person effective and some background and what’s next, if i could do that in three seconds, if i think we could talk about your food pantry and i love your drop names to national wildlife federation, cnn, you know, so she squeezes those in there it’s but their admirable well, they’re the truth that our revolution and and that’s the thing and it’s details and and when you talk about writing details are actually what make it interesting, because as soon as i say, like i was a writer at cnn, like, you know what that means, like you picture that you’re like, wow, you know, when i see the person reading that on tv and i see the person covering that story, yes, someone has to write that. So when i say national wildlife federation that’s so it’s a big non-profit that you know, that has a has a big old mission. You know exactly what it is. So details are really important and writing rather than a bunch of fluffy. Words aren’t any details? Ok? Charity clarity what i always love about cnn is the people who write the the crawl i always admire, but the you know, for listeners, i don’t know what the crawleys keep myself out of jargon jail that that those words at the bottom of the screen that air that air crawling across and describing you said, you know, ethiopian eritrean border conflicts, but they’re doing it in the twitter space one hundred forty characters or less. That’s that’s really amazing, right? Sort of the original twitter when you think about it long before twitter, you had the crawl across the bottom of the screen and crawl started pretty much with breaking news, even in your local television station, maybe dio something going on, you would see that it would be like, you know, weather alert, you know, tornado warning in effect for these areas so that’s really where the crawl started and then when cable news became all the rage, you know, they started doing crawls to and, you know, think about the crawl right it’s like you’re listening to a story about the economy and business, but then there’s a crawl on the bottom that’s telling you like fifty other things, including the fact that lindsay lohan has been arrested again. So it’s it’s it’s the crawl you khun and she just she just hit somebody in new york city i think just just, she said, but it is always time latto proportion he was just looking for the money. Ok, well, really interesting that you’re non-profit involves lindsay lohan called go for what we were talking about the crawl and we were talking about writing for writing for broadcast and here’s the really important thing that you learn what you write in broadcasting and it’s called the teas and it’s a little thing that you say before you know what’s coming up i hate those damn things i hate that cheez its such a tease in the shadows dankmyer get you to stay tuned. For instance, i just thought someone about about writing teases and teases that’s applicability to toe like facebook and to your block and you know headlines for block to get people to come and read your block to read the post so if you tell them what’s in it, if you say like, you know, unemployment is up sixteen percent, you know, or whatever. Then then you’ve already told them the news and there’s no reason st john to read your blood if you say, if you say, you know, fascinating news about unemployment statistics coming up next, you know, like, oh, god, i need to hear that e i know you’re complaining, but the fact is that work, you’re doing a good job and they were i know i’m complaining because they work, they keep me teased and then what? I really get annoyed with me. All right? I’m so annoyed i gotta send out live listener love because got to counteract my annoyance live listener love staten island, new york welcome international china non jin welcome korea welcome korea welcome china more close to home. Welcome staten island live listener love out to those three as well as we still got california, virginia, new jersey, georgia it’s, incredible, texas okay, i feel better know the reason i don’t like to tease is because it works, but you know, what really gets me about the tease is when they tease it and then there’s the commercial break and then they don’t, then they don’t fulfill and then and then wolf blitzer teases, and then he teases it again before the next commercial. Yeah, that’s, that that is very, very annoying. And i do if i’m going to be teased like that, i want i want to pay for it. And then and then, if there’s no real payoff like if it’s the greatest thing you’ve ever seen, like the greatest video you’ve ever seen in your life, then maybe that’s one thing, but if it falls flat, which a lot of times stories d’oh, it’s like you need to deliver. So let’s, think about that in your non-profit writing. So you have a newsletter and you know, it folded up four ways, right? Put in the mailbox and then it lands on your you know, boardmember kitchen counter with all her mail, and she picks it up, right and and it’s it’s folded over his little piece of tape. So you want her to open that. So if you if it’s really like boring on the outside, well, maybe should not even gonna open it, not gonna open it for days. So the thing is to think about what’s on the outside and that little space that you have right a tease. So instead of saying like news and information inside, well, that’s real estate that you’re wasting writing teams there say, like, you know, what’s what’s, the biggest thing that’s happened lately, you know what? That was totally i just thought of that. I mean, i don’t know what your biggest thing is. So even that’s better than then news and interesting information. You look out the information, look how good clarence c i was ranting about wolf blitzer, and she brings it back to the yurt fund-raising newsletter on the kitchen table so so well, so well, adjudicator so thank you. I know i’m grossly inelegant. That’s why claire’s associated with the show to keep me in. I’d like to give a little shout out to the person who taught me everything i knew and that was built. Torrey william tory who’s, the network newscaster worked in neutral radio news and nbc and everywhere else and is a long time d c news guy. And when i was an american university in the early eighties, i’m dating myself here. Oh, my god, you’re really you’re in college in the early eighties. Oh, my god, i was in college in the early eighties, graduated college in eighty three along with my friends julie malkin and angie column these and these are all people now that work for top notch news agencies, and we were all in the same class together. We were young, twenty twenty one year old students in d c very excited about working in the business. Our teacher was built, torrey. And he came from the business which was so important, because in communications, sometimes you get these teachers that are academics, and they’ve never actually worked in the business. But bill had worked, you know, in news and was probably working at the time we had him and he would say things like the beginning of class you take, okay? Let’s say, something’s happening down on you? No dupont circle. How did you get there from here? And, you know, some of the kids to be like, well, i don’t know i’m not very good at directions, but i would raise my hand and say, oh, massachusetts having to make a left and it was it was really interesting. Way to see, like, who could be a reporter? Okay, that was you. Know it’s, that project stuff, so the writing that he taught us was great, because he would say, just say it. So the classic thing i always remembered, all right, one last shot, and then i got to just say, we got to take a break, go ahead, say it, we got to take a break, okay, we’ll make it really quick with the word used, bill said to us. Well, the last time you heard someone say, i saw three youths running down the street, youth, all right, i’m going to quibble with that one, okay, we got to take a break when we returned the way, come back with claire’s cliches, principle of the plan giving agency creative producer of this very show. You may be surprised to know that we have one, but you’re talking. You’re listening to her stay with us, talking alternative radio, twenty four hours a day. Joined the metaphysical center of new jersey and the association for hyre. Awareness for two exciting events this fall live just minutes from new york city. In pompton plains, new jersey, dr judith orloff will address her bestseller, emotional freedom, and greg brady will discuss his latest book, deep truth living on the edge. Are you ready for twelve twenty one twelve? Save the dates. Judith orloff, october eighteenth and greg brady in november ninth and tenth. For early bird tickets, visit metaphysical center of newjersey dot or or a nj dot net. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com way. Look forward to serving you. Dafs you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Welcome back with claire’s cliches, claire meyerhoff. And i just realized, of course mean, before every break i tease. So i’m a hypocrite. Well, learn. You learn from me. So i helped you build out the show. So i taught you about the cases on the brakes and things like that. But you did teach me that much let’s not get carried away. You talking a few things, but no, he taught me a lot about your hot considerably. Yes, my clock. My time sheet. Okay. So youth, you know, what’s. So what’s wrong with saying we do youth youth development or youth mentoring? Well, i mean, that’s. Fine, if that’s if you’re talking to another person in the nonprofit sector, so say you’re at a conference and you need someone and it’s that’s the easiest thing to say, like, well, you know what is what is? What is new beginnings all about? They see your name tag, right says you’re non-profit beginning what’s new beginnings. Hold over your development agency, that person that works in the non-profit they know immediately what that is it’s shorthand. But now when you’re in the real world, if you meet someone at a cocktail party and perhaps there your next big donor, and they say, oh, well, what do you d’oh? I haven’t non-profit called new beginnings really well, what’s that oh, used development, the person might be like let’s say they don’t work in schools or anything even remotely related to that you’re just gonna they’re gonna tune you out instead of saying, well, gosh, you know, we heat we help teenagers that are really having a rough time, and they come to a failing in school and they come to be of a program where they come every day for two hours and by the end of six weeks there, you know, now they’re they’re getting, you know, degrades and and they all have an after school job, right? A detail much richer. Um and yeah, just you, right don’t write for for people in the nonprofit world because a lot of times, you’re not talking to them, all right? Because, you know, shorthanded fine jargon is fine when you’re talking amongst yourself, and sometimes you come up with your own jargon, like like my my favorite client of the national wildlife federation, we have it, we have a term called block and it just means, like, make stuff like, like, oh, we have this new thing all of a sudden she’ll say what we need to block and that just means we know what that means, it’s like, okay, we’ve got to come up with, you know, like the mailings were going to do, and they were going to write things that were going off. We have all these things, and we already know, like what that means, but i can’t go to someone else and say, let’s, watch, right? Of course, that shorthand that we’ve come up with. Now you have a block post work together, you have a block post on this subject, which has a list of jargon, e words, a big list of words and phrases on we’re going to talk about a couple of them, but why don’t you tell people where they can see your comprehensive list of jargon offenses? Well, i’m i’m a frequent tour or sometimes frequent writer and blogger for non-profit marketing guy dot com, which is run by the marvelous stand kitty larue miller, who was really just a genius, and i tend to write for her all kinds of stuff about the media were related to the media, so i wrote a three part series recently about georgian and cliches and writing more concisely and writing more. Okay, where can we find it? Non-profit marketing died dot com mark non-profit marketing guide dot com con word not, or there may be a link to it on your i’ll have to put it on your page. Well, you’re welcome to put it on the show’s facebook page and also the show’s linked linked in group two don’t forget linked in okay, so you go if you go, you know you go to non-profit marketing guy dot com and you’ll see the block and i’m right now. In the second post, my most recent ones so titled jargon jargon, we got jargon, we just have about ninety seconds left. Claire meyerhoff what’s wrong with despite the fact that despite the fact that it’s just long it’s long, why would does anybody say that when you, when you’re talking, despite the fact that no it’s just but okay, all right, i might quibble with some of these not that one i don’t really like, despite the fact that it’s funny it’s like they were, you know, these are from bill torrey, my college teacher had these years ago. And, you know, they’re collected from different sources, like the bbc, the ap, you know, put together by some of these teachers at american university that he worked with, like lincoln, ferber and and and all those guys. So these air list just kind of had around, and he scanned them and sentence which is and wonderful service. What if we render assistance to people? What? What? Everything render assistance to, would you say, would you say i was driving down the street and i saw this poor woman and she had a flat tire, so i immediately pulled over and rendered assistance. I would not say that. I would probably say something more like help. Yeah, i pulled over and helped her system. I would even say assisted right, helped helped. Right? And the thing is, when you use long stuff like that, you know, you could put more details in there. So instead of saying i immediately pulled my car over to the side of the road, you could say, like, you know, she was she was down on her, you know? She was sitting there on the ground that she looked so sad trying to figure out daddy is jack. So i came over and helped, so i helped her way have to leave it there. Claire meyerhoff, principal of the plant e-giving agency. And this show’s creative producer clare, thank you so much for being on again. Thanks, tony it’s. Always a pleasure. My pleasure as well. Even though it’s been two weeks in a row. Still my pleasure, claire. I hope you’ll be with me next week when emily chan will return she’s one of our legal contributors she’s going to be alone. Jean will not be with her she’s from the non-profit and exempt organizations more group and she’ll have something interesting and we’ll have some fun around the law. Have you joined arlington group? You heard me mention it for pete’s sake. Join the group and i’ll stop saying it. You can post your follow-up questions and the guests will answer on the linked in group i host a podcast for the chronicle of philanthropy. It’s called fund-raising fundamentals it’s, a ten minute monthly podcast. And that one is devoted to fund-raising topics it’s on itunes, it’s. On the chronicle of philanthropy website. If you like this show, please check it out. It’s called fund-raising fundamentals wishing you good luck the way performers do around the world. I’m keeping it up. I did italian a few weeks ago. That was in boca. Lupo, remember? And the answer the answer was crappy lupo in the mouth of the wolf and let the wolf die. But since we had the real italian roseanna imbriano on today, michael castaldo helped me out and we have another version of the italian as we robbed through with the italians today, michael costello taught me in the ass of the whale and let’s. Hope you don’t take a ship which sounds much lovelier as in cool. Oh, allah bolena and the reply would be sperry. Ah, mo can oncology so i wish you this week in cool. Oh, allah bolena, i hope it’s oh, it’s comfortable in there for you, our creative producers. Claire meyerhoff. Hard to believe, but it’s true. Sam liebowitz is our producer line producer on this show. Social media is by regina walton of organic social media. The remote producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is john federico of the new rules. Oh, how i hope that you will be with me for another live show. Next friday, one to two p, m eastern on talking alternative broadcasting. The singing live at talking alternative dot com. Dahna sending dick dick tooting, getting dink, dink, dink, dink. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Get anything? Nothing. You could. Hi, this is nancy taito from speaks been radio speaks been radio is an exploration of the world of communication, how it happens in how to make it better, because the quality of your communication has a direct impact on the quality of your life. Tune in monday’s at two pm on talking alternative dot com, where i’ll be interviewing experts from business, academia, the arts and new thought. Join me mondays at two p m and get all your communications questions answered on speaks been radio. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three the conscious consultant helping hunters. People be better business people. You’re listening to talking on their network at www dot talking alternative dot com now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. This is tony martignetti athlete named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting are you concerned about the future of your business for career? Would you like it all to just be better? Well, the way to do that is to better communication. And the best way to do that is training from the team at improving communications. This is larry sharp, host of the ivory tower radio program and director at improving communications. Does your office need better leadership? Customer service sales or maybe better writing are speaking skills? Could they be better at dealing with confrontation conflicts, touchy subjects all are covered here at improving communications. If you’re in the new york city area, stopped by one of our public classes or get your human resource is in touch with us. The website is improving communications, dot com that’s improving communications, dot com improve your professional environment. Be more effective, be happier. And make more money. Improving communications. That’s the talking.

Philanthropy Jargon

A Lot Of Jargon courtesy of kevinspencer on Flickr.
When someone creates a website to make fun of your profession, you have a perception problem. Fundraising has been so blessed.

Take a look at Philanthropy Jargon Generator. It’s a random selection of verbs, adjectives and nouns that creates such embarrassing phrases as “define emerging program criteria” and “target inclusive governance.”

Many of the combinations sound plausible. How disconcerting.

On Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio we have Jargon Jail. I strive to keep my guests out of prison and get them on parole quickly. We boast a low recidivism rate, though I do have trouble with the regular contributors from time to time. They tend to talk back to their jailor.

Do the people you talk to understand what you’re saying to them? Institutional funders? Individual donors? Your colleagues?

I’m consciousness raising. Let’s target extended low-bandwidth models. Got a favorite?