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Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Fundraising Tuesday: How You Spend Your Summer Vacation

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For many nonprofit organizations, summer is a slow time. If you are in Development and Communications, you know that many of your supporters are at the beach or running “mommy camp” at home.

They are not spending as much time looking at the communications you send them, so you might be tempted to take the summer off.
That would be a big mistake.

Right now, you have the luxury of time. You can spend hours or whole days thinking about the basics of donor communications. When are you going to have that luxury again? Certainly not in September!

So, let’s revel in the slower pace of summer and tune up your communications with your donors. Let’s start with the fundamentals: your email list, your database, and your website.

See my tips for summer nonprofit fun at

https://developmentconsultingsolutions.com/how-your-nonprofit-should-spend-its-summer-vacation/pink flamingo water balloon

Nonprofit Voices, How Do You Go on Vacation?

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vacation calendarYou’re responsible for all your nonprofit’s social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, the works.

You post–and just as important, you listen–on every platform.

You might be the one who updates the website, too, and the one who answers the messages that come in through the website.

How do you go on vacation?

You could be lucky and have a partner, or staff, to pick up the slack.

You could be super-organized and have all your posts set up in advance.  (But then what do you do when they bomb the Boston Marathon and you’re still tweeting cat videos?)

You could go radio silent.  Will you still have a job when you come back?

Here’s How to Take a Real Vacation

Whatever you choose, let people know about it in advance.  Say, “For the next two weeks, my colleague Pamela will get to read and respond to what you post.  You will love her. See you when I get back!”

Or, “I’m taking a vow of internet silence for the next two weeks. It’s good for the soul.”

You deserve that vacation, so take it and do not look back.  Just let us know.  We’ll miss you…and look forward to your return.

Thank-You Thursday: Take a Vacation

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Vacation proudlyThank you for taking a real vacation.

You will be happier and easier to get along with when you get back. Chances are, you’ll be healthier, too, and more productive.

But only if you take a real vacation. Not a “working vacation.” Not a “I’m splashing my kids on the beach and wondering if I should check my phone” vacation.

As Beth Kanter has pointed out, not all vacations are created equal. You only get the benefit of taking time to yourself if, first of all, you actually take it–and second, if you remove stress and replace it with something you really enjoy.

I’m in the communications business. I know how to plan my posts ahead. I could fool you into thinking that I’m at my desk today, and all the next week, instead of spending quality time with my wife.

I’m not going to do that. Know that today, this post is ALL you’re going to see from me. And for the next week, I’m going to be online less. If you write me, I’ll get back to you eventually.

Project Time Off is leading a national movement to transform American attitudes and change behavior. They hope to shift culture so that taking time off is understood as essential to personal well-being, professional success, business performance, and economic expansion.  You will find useful research, resources, and other information to help you make the case for taking your vacation time.

But if you work for yourself, don’t wait. Take a vacation. It’s the best way to say “Thank you” to yourself.

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