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	<title>Blue Trolley Press</title>
	<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com</link>
	<description>e-philanthropy, social media, software, technology, and more!</description>
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	<item>
		<title>Delivering Wow!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Has your organization delivered Wow today?  Have you exceeded the expectations of your clients, your volunteers, or your donors?  Have you done something remarkable?  Tony Hsieh and the team at Zappos have given us a marvelous insight to how they do this everyday with the best selling book Delivering Happiness.
Foundational to their approach are the 10 Core Values. Take some time on your own to dive into them, but today I wanted to touch on #1: Deliver Wow Through Service. 
Service seems to be a dying art in America. I ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/07/delivering-wow/</link>
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		<title>Introduction to WordPress for Nonprofits and Small Business</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Is your nonprofit looking for personalized instruction for WordPress?  Learn how to use WordPress in a safe intimate setting at Indy Media School.  Learn more about the course here.
Indy Media School offers small class sizes for more personal attention. Learn from the same team that brings you Blue Trolley Press!
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/06/introduction-to-wordpress-for-nonprofits-and-small-business/</link>
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		<title>Are There Too Many Nonprofits?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Check out this post over at the Donor Power Blog, written by Stephen Ferrando.  It raises some interesting questions about the sustainability of the 1.5 million charities in the United States.
The pot of charitable dollars that the U.S. population is willing to contribute annually is rapidly approaching its threshold, which means that either charities need to redefine what a successful year means – where growth from one year to the next might not be possible – or larger organizations may need to begin to consider acquiring or absorbing smaller organizations ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/04/are-there-too-many-nonprofits/</link>
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		<title>Make-A-Wish On Verge of Bankruptcy!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
Child Bankrupts Make-A-Wish Foundation With Wish For Unlimited Wishes
Happy April Fools Day!
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/04/make-a-wish-on-verge-of-bankruptcy/</link>
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		<title>Mobile Giving To Haiti Relief</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A recent study of mobile giving during the Haiti crisis shows how effective &#8220;text to donate&#8221; campaigns can be. Convio, Edge Research, and Sea Change Strategies collaborated on the project and it is available to download in pdf format.
Some of the key findings include:
•77% knew that they could donate via texting to support Haiti relief work
•17% of Gen Y &#38; 14% of Gen X donated to Haiti via texting
•3% of both Boomer and Mature donated via texting
•36% of all respondents would consider texting a donation after a crisis
•31% would text ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/03/mobile-giving-to-haiti-relief/</link>
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		<title>Eventbrite Makes Managing Your Event Easy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Need a simple solution to manage your event? Consider Eventbrite for Causes as your do-it-yourself event management solution.  This web based application allows you to create an event page with a customized URL, sell tickets, and conduct online registration. You can even sell from your own site with their customizable widgets.
Once your event is created, the real fun begins. You can leverage social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote your event and send emails to prospective attendees. All of these features are available via their easy to use dashboard (screen ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/03/eventbrite-makes-managing-your-event-easy/</link>
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		<title>PR TIP: FORGET ABOUT NEWS RELEASES. UNLESS &#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Many organizations fail to realize news releases (sometimes known as media advisories), done right, can help get free publicity.   The reality is most major news organizations get literally hundreds of them a week.   They read few of them.   To stand out, you need to develop personal relationships with major editors, news directors and those who are responsible for public service.    It takes time, but it&#8217;s worth it.   Contact those who are most important to you.   Ask for five minutes of their time.  Visit them.   Let them know that you value ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2010/02/pr-tip-forget-about-news-releases-unless/</link>
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		<title>2009 America&#8217;s Giving Challenge</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Facebook&#8217;s Causes Exchange is helping nonprofits leverage social media to participate in this year&#8217;s America&#8217;s Giving Challenge.
The competition is sponsored by the Case Foundation and Parade magazine and it launches October 7th.
Nonprofits can compete for awards of up to $50,000.  More details can be found on the Case Foundation Blog and in the October 11th issue of Parade. 
Causes Exchange has provided several useful tips to help nonprofits be more competitive:
Gather together your best videos, pictures, and links so you can start your Giving Challenge campaign with a clear case for the ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/10/2009-americas-giving-challenge/</link>
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		<title>Sometimes It Takes An Outsider</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve preached this sermon. Over and over again, as I&#8217;ve worked for one of the nation&#8217;s largest nonprofits, I have pushed us to move into the new millennium. As I have spoken to groups and fundraising professionals, I have hear them lament the same issues. Well, on behalf of all of us, thanks to Seth Godin for his post today.
We&#8217;ll blog about it, forward it to our Nonprofit Boards and Executive Directors and hope that this is the time they listen. Sometimes it takes an outsider with the marketing chops ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/09/sometimes-it-takes-an-outsider/</link>
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		<title>Happy Birthday, Internet!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s official. The Internet is is turning the big 4-0. I cannot think of a single discovery, generation, human or earthly development that has impacted so significantly a majority of the world&#8217;s population. And yet many individuals, companies and organizations are not yet taking advantage of the wonderful tool. The World Wide Web&#8211;one of the Internet&#8217;s children you could say, about 20 years old, is much more than a marketing opportunity. Coupled with the Internet and many of the Internet&#8217;s other &#8220;children,&#8221; we are able to connect, make financial transactions, ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/08/happy-birthday-internet/</link>
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		<title>Connecting with Resources through Search</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Running a non-profit may be one of the most challenging jobs in the country.  Budgets require decisions that impact peoples&#8217; lives and non-profit managers have to make these terrible decisions every day.  With the decline of the dollar, the deep recession we&#8217;re in, many non-profits are having to close their doors.
You don&#8217;t need to.
There are people with money out there right now &#8211; looking to donate that money to charities and non-profit managers who need and deserve it.  These philanthropists are becoming more intelligent and doing a lot of research ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/08/non-profit-search-engine-optimization/</link>
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		<title>Managing Your Time and Creating Content</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Content Creations Strategies for Nonprofits
View more documents from kivilm.
Kivi Leroux Miller posted the above presentation to SlideShare. It contains a lot of useful tips and information to help you generate content efficiently. Check out her website at Nonprofitmarketingblog.com and find more about her webinars on our calendar page.

]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/08/managing-your-time-and-creating-content/</link>
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		<title>Online Donation Pay?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee placed an iron kettle at a corner on Market Street, at the Oakland Ferry Landing across from San Francisco. He had a vision of serving a Christmas meal for the destitute and poverty-stricken in the San Francisco area and need the money to do so. Captain McFee placed this pot at a spot where he knew there would be a lot of foot traffic, and that those feet may have some money to spare for those in need—namely sailors landing at the harbor ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/08/online-donation-pay/</link>
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		<title>Intro to YouTube for Nonprofits (video)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
YouTube is an inexpensive way to leverage the power of video to reach your audience. Not sure where to start? If you are new to YouTube, watch this video to learn some of the basics. If your nonprofit is already using YouTube, send us a note and we will post your video to Blue Trolley Press.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/08/intro-to-youtube-for-nonprofits-video/</link>
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		<title>Twitter Jump Start by John Haydon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Twitter Jump Start is a fantastic tool for nonprofits that have been wondering what all that &#8220;twitter stuff&#8221; is all about. John Haydon, of Corporatedollar.org, lays out a simple to follow plan for setting up your account, customizing your profile, and conducting a campaign. 
Particularly useful is a &#8220;Twictionary&#8221; that helps you understand the language of twitter and &#8220;10 Twitter Tips to Increase Online Donations.&#8221; You will want to share this free download with your development staff and board. For those who are skeptical about how Twitter can help your ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/twitter-jump-start-by-john-haydon/</link>
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		<title>Three Steps to Making Your Research Report More Usable</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Policymakers, journalists, nonprofit practitioners and activists rely on nonprofit research to do their jobs. Are you giving them what they need? To generate the biggest impact from the knowledge shared, your research report should be engaging to the various audiences it will touch, and not simply to a narrow group of analysts or academics. Today, a very wide range of readers engages with nonprofit research, not only because of a growing desire to learn and educate about causes individuals support, but also because Web 2.0 and initiatives like IssueLab have ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/three-steps-to-making-your-research-report-more-usable/</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Using eBay for Cause Marketing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[eBay Fundraising &#124; Branding your Cause
View more presentations from davacado.

Auction Cause recently gave a presentation called: eBay Fundraising: Branding Your Cause. Thanks to the magic of SlideShare.com, we can share it with you. Let us know how your organization is using online auctions to raise money and raise awareness.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/using-ebay-for-cause-marketing/</link>
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		<title>Getting the Most From Twitter</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve added a new feature to BTP that will really help save you time. Our Free Downloads page is a collection of free applications and white papers that we believe will keep you informed make you more efficient. We will be adding to it regularly and welcome your suggestions.  
We&#8217;ve started the page off with a Twitter theme.  Three white papers and your choice of Tweet Deck or Twirl as free downloads to manage your nonprofit&#8217;s Twitter account more effectively.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/getting-the-most-from-twitter/</link>
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		<title>Facebook Causes Top $10,000,000</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Facebook Causes has topped $10,000,000 in funds raised in just 2 years. Surprisingly, half of that came in the past 6 months. Despite the lousy economy, people are still giving and an increasing number are giving via Facebook.
Consider these numbers from the Causes blog:

26,000 Causes have received a donation
$25 median donation
$5,000,000 donated in 2009
$1.4 million donated via the Birthday Wish feature

The Birthday Wish feature is of particular interest because it has raised so much money in such a short time. It&#8217;s a very simple app that allows a user to donate ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/facebook-causes-top-10000000/</link>
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		<title>Blog Indiana 2009 Offers NonProfit Summit</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Blog Indiana 2009 will feature a one day Nonprofit Summit in addition to the regular line-up.  The event takes place August 13-15th with the nonprofit track taking place on Friday the 14th.
Sessions include:

&#8220;Using Social Media for Real-World Community Improvement&#8221;
&#8220;Microblogging (Twitter)&#8221;
&#8220;Choosing a Blogging Platform&#8221;
&#8220;Promoting Your Blog Through Social Media&#8221;
&#8220;Three Effective Blog Writing Techniques&#8221;
And others to be announced. 

Tickets for just the nonprofit session are $79.  As we get closer to the event we will post more info.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/blog-indiana-2009-offers-nonprofit-summit/</link>
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		<title>Blog World Expo Update</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
Blog World Expo 2009 will take place in Las Vegas October 15-17. On the 15th, the Social Media Business Summit will take place.  We had hoped to give you the speaker lineup before the early bird registration deadline, but as yet they haven&#8217;t released it. I know that&#8217;s been frustrating for some of you that were waiting for the schedule to make the decision on whether you would go.
We will keep an eye out for any special discounts that might pop up via a particular sponsor/vendor. And, we will post ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/07/blog-world-expo-update/</link>
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		<title>Good news! The cost of fundraising just went down&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Your gift planners can personally connect with more donors and prospects than they could have in an entire month in the 1990’s. Personally connect with record number of donors and prospects this month!
When I was a kid, friends were the other kids you hung out with, playing homerun derby in the street, building forts in the woods, facing off on Nintendo and just chilling during recess. I knew my friends’ faces, physical attributes, and mannerisms because I spent hours with them every week, if not every day.
When I was a ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/06/good-news-the-cost-of-fundraising-just-went-down/</link>
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		<title>Extra! Extra! Read all about it!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Newspaper model broken. Americans get their news more from blogs and Twitter than they do from this newspaper. How can you, as a nonprofit marketer and fund raiser take advantage? Read on.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/06/extra-extra-read-all-about-it/</link>
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		<title>Cone Releases Power Brand 100 List</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Cone, in association with Intangible Business has released the Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 for 2009.  You can view the the report and the top 100 list at their website. According to the report,
&#8220;Through this valuation, we hope to help all nonprofits better understand how to protect and evolve their brands to generate as much revenue as possible. Valuing brands gives organizations a license to demonstrate to companies and other partners that there is an established and justified cost to aligning with nonprofits.&#8221;
The report also includes a variety of good ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/06/cone-releases-power-brand-100-list/</link>
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		<title>This Calls for a Toast</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today it&#8217;s official! We&#8217;re actually going to do this crazy thing -launching an online magazine in the middle of a down economy and with a shoestring budget. We&#8217;re still working out some glitches, but we&#8217;re happy to be here!
So, what is Blue Trolley Press?  We&#8217;re an online resource for nonprofit professionals.  We will focus on websites, social media, software, and technology.  We will strive to be a safe place for you to ask questions (We promise we won&#8217;t roll our eyes at you like your IT guy does!).  If we don&#8217;t know ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/06/this-calls-for-a-toast/</link>
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		<title>Online Fundraising in a Down Economy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Downturn Guide to Online Fundraising &#38; Marketing
View more Microsoft Word documents from NetworkforGood.
SlideShare is a great resource for nonprofit professionals to find useful tips.  We will try to post some of the best presentations here so you don&#8217;t have to sift through their large database. Today we&#8217;re featuring this presentation by Network for Good.  They&#8217;ve done an excellent job of putting online fundraising into perspective. 
Please let us know if this was helpful so we can continue to bring you the best content available.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/06/online-fundraising-in-a-down-economy/</link>
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		<title>Charity Junk Email?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Jeff Brooks at Donor Power Blog has a great take on Charity Navigator&#8217;s recent rant on direct mail. Check it out and consider how it relates to your email campaign. The same rules apply online as in the mailbox.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/06/charity-junk-email/</link>
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		<title>Quick List: Ten Ways Nonprofits Can Use Twitter</title>
		<description><![CDATA[So, you&#8217;re thinking about jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. Not sure if Twitter is right for your nonprofit?  Check out this Quick List of things nonprofits can do with this unique micro blogging platform. If you don&#8217;t need to do any of these 10, don&#8217;t bother!

Track info related to your cause
Notify your followers about critical updates
Announce new blog posts
Dialogue with constituents
Sending reports in an emergency
Update campaign results.
Thank your donors
Raise money!
Track specific keywords
Disaster updates

]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/05/quick-list-ten-ways-nonprofits-can-use-twitter/</link>
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		<title>3 Reasons to Create an Event Page</title>
		<description><![CDATA[You&#8217;re planning a big event this fall and you want to include your website into your marketing mix.  You might have added it to your volunteer opportunities page or even an online event calendar. You may even be planning a feature story on your front page. All of these are good steps, but have you considered a unique web page for the event?
Purchasing a unique URL for your event costs less than 10 bucks -it won&#8217;t break your budget. With a simple WordPress based site, you can create an inexpensive ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/3-reasons-to-create-an-event-page/</link>
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		<title>Only Mostly Dead</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I love the movie Princess Bride. One favorite scene is with Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) when he makes the comment, &#8221; It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There&#8217;s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.&#8221;
For quite a while, I&#8217;ve viewed the newspaper business as dead. Turns out, it was only &#8220;mostly dead.&#8221; Check out this blog post from Chris Anderson (Author of the Long Tail). Some good food for thought when considering your marketing mix.
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/only-mostly-dead/</link>
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		<title>Why Bother?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I serve on the board of another nonprofit here in Indianapolis.  We were soliciting proposals from marketing firms to help us sharpen our focus and reintroduce our brand after a significant change in programing.  One firm sent us a folder with the following in the cover letter:
&#8220;We&#8217;re currently reviewing ********&#8217;s request for services to ensure we don&#8217;t have any business conflicts to be concerned about. Assuming not, we would look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and your Executive Committee to further discuss your needs and how we ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/why-bother/</link>
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		<title>Don&#8217;t Make the Yahoo Mistake</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Yahoo usually gets it right. Why else would Microsoft be trying to buy them for $44.6 Billion?  However, Yahoo recently made a move that really irritated their sports content readers. It was a move motivated by profit, that actually may cost them money in the long run.  Luckily, we have their bad example to help keep us from making the same mistake. (Hopefully)
The problem started when Yahoo formed an agreement with Rivals.com to place college football and basketball content on Yahoo&#8217;s team pages.  It&#8217;s an interesting marriage because one company ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/dont-make-the-yahoo-mistake/</link>
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		<title>Play Like the Yankees, Pay Like the A&#8217;s</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Filling the roster of your development team is a lot like being the GM of a small market baseball team. You can&#8217;t compete with the for profit companies on salary. So, you have to field a team with the best players available in your price range. But that doesn&#8217;t mean you can&#8217;t field a winning team.
So, how do you get quality people at a discount?  First, if you&#8217;ve never read the book Moneyball by Michael Lewis, I recommend starting there. It follows the Oakland A&#8217;s baseball team as Lewis tries to ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/play-like-the-yankees-pay-like-the-as/</link>
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	<item>
		<title>How NOT to Write a Letter</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I received a letter recently from a company called Corporate Rain International.  Actually, I didn&#8217;t receive it -it was addressed to someone else in our organization, but we will get to that in a minute. This letter so effectively sold me on NEVER using this company that I thought I would share it with you.
First, let&#8217;s look at the pitch. Corporate Rain Founder &#38; CEO Timothy Askew wants to request the opportunity to meet with me (sort of) to discuss his recent successful work with Easter Seals, Lighthouse for the Blind, ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/how-not-to-write-a-letter/</link>
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		<title>Good Idea of the Day</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today, I just wanted to pass along an idea that I think is fantastic.  The Salvation Army in Dubuque is giving a free senior citizen tour of the John Deere Dubuque Works.  Absolutely brilliant!  The Army gets to play PR middle man for John Deere and in the process, reinforces their relationship with donors.  John Deere gets to tell its story while the Army acts out theirs. It&#8217;s a three game sweep! (I absolutely hate the overused &#8220;win-win&#8221; phrase!)
]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/good-idea-of-the-day/</link>
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		<title>Let the Donor Speak</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Chris Anderson writes in The Long Tail, &#8220;For a generation of customers used to doing their buying research via search engine, a company&#8217;s brand is not what the company says it is, but what Google says it is.&#8221; 

This applies to nonprofit fundraising as well.  People under 40 are more apt to believe what their peers say about a nonprofit than what we say in a mission statement.  Amazon gets this better than any for profit or nonprofit.  Of course, you have to be prepared for the good and the ...]]></description>
		<link>http://bluetrolleypress.com/news/2009/03/let-the-donor-speak/</link>
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