My new storm shelter

I usually don’t write about this kind of stuff, but since there were storms in the Oklahoma City area last night, I thought I would share my experience getting a storm shelter for me. Since last May, you haven’t been able to turn on the TV or browse the web without seeing the flood of ads for the various Oklahoma City storm shelter companies promising to keep you safe. I decided to give in a get one. Choosing one can be an overwhelming task, but here’s how I got through it.

Choosing the Right Type of Shelter 
Storm shelters come in many forms with varying sizes, features, and installation locations. If you are like me and clueless to the various types of shelters and the locations they can be installed, National Geographic has a great article on the various types of tornado shelters. Most companies only specialize in one or two types of shelters. Figuring out which type of shelter will best accommodate your house and your budget will help you narrow down the list of companies to a more manageable size.

Since my house is already built and has a backyard prone to flooding, I chose to go with an underground garage storm shelter. I don’t park in the garage anyway, so this option worked out perfectly for me.

Scouring the Reviews 
A storm shelter is only as reliable as the company that installed it. I scoured the various review sites and testimonials. I tend to put more trust in independently verified reviews from third party sites like Angie’s List that are much less susceptible to manipulation and fraudulent reviews.

After I got my short list of companies together, I called each of them for a quote and asked for references. Most all of the companies were happy to provide them. The ones that were not seemed like they had something to hide and I immediately crossed them off. The fact a business is unwilling or can’t give a reference usually matters more than what the reference actually says.

I find the fact a business is willing to give a references more impactful than what the reference has to say in most cases.

Who I Went With Ultimately 
I decided on a storm shelter from Oklahoma City based storm shelter company Thunderground. I liked the fact that they are local and not based out of state. Also, they were one of the few Oklahoma City storm shelter companies specializing in underground garage storm shelters.

I just needed a small shelter so I went with their “standard regular” shelter. I was surprised to learn that their price included the taxes and installation.

They were booked a few weeks out on installation, which I expected given that it was at the start of the storm season when I reserved mine. The actual installation was surprisingly quick. It only took them around four hours from start to finish.

I haven’t had to use my shelter yet, but I’m glad I got one. It gives me piece of mind knowing I don’t have to scramble to find somewhere for me and my dogs to go.

It's a new year!!! What now?

The new year is upon us and now it's time to make some decisions for your organization. You've already forecasted your upcoming year but did you remember your website? Anymore, it's not just enough to build a website. It's got to stay fresh in the minds of your donors. How about a redesign? I'm not saying you have to redesign it every year but you should consider giving it a face lift every couple of years. Technology changes from year to year so you want to be sure that your website is up to it's top potential. So how do you know if you need a redesign? Definitely look at how long it has been. If it's been two or three years, consider it. If you are using a content management system like Joomla or Wordpress, this is even easier than you know. There are so many fantastic templates out there that have been designed for these CMS you can easily purchase one and use it. In some cases, you may need some assistance from a designer/developer to maybe make sure it's loaded correctly and all the features are up-to-date. A good designer can also take a template you purchased and make modifications to match your brand a bit better. Just consult with your favorite designer for options on this.

Marketing and Fundraising Sessions

The Center for Nonprofit Management (Dallas) is offering several sessions on Marketing and Fundraising. Some topics are:

The most powerful tool in fundraising - Writing the case statement clinic.
Building donor partnerships - Beyond the sponsorship package: creating donor partnerships
Attract new donors - Web design do's and don'ts and how to's
Tell your story - Write to be heard! secrets of a PR Pro

You can read more about these sessions by visiting their website at www.cnmdallas.org

Free EBook from Network for Good

Network for Good has released a new EBook titled "How to Raise A Lot More Money Now - 50 Great Ideas from 11 Top Experts." The book gives you creative ideas on how to raise money for your organization. In past postings, I've talked about strategic ways to get donations. People like to see where their money is going. So being creative with that part of your website can really get peoples attention. Take a few minutes to review this EBook.

If you need help with getting your website designed or redesigned to draw in donors, visit www.gogreencre8tive.com.

Don't forget your networking tools. Get help with you networking as well. I have packages exclusively for non-profits to manage your networking.

Joomla 1.5.20 Security Release

Yes, I know we just upgraded a release a few days ago. But now Joomla has another security release that fixes some bugs and a couple of security issues. Because it's a security release, everyone needs to really update their sites. To view a list of the fixes, visit the Joomla website.

New and Improved: The Witte Museum

The Witte Museum got an amazing face lift with the assistance of myself (the designer) and NPower Texas. The original website was outdated in appearance and structure. They wanted a more interactive site that would draw in visitors to the museum. They also wanted an easy way to update it regularly. I implemented the Joomla CMS so that making changes and managing the website are a breeze. I also implemented a rotating banner on the homepage where they could highlight features and exhibits as they occur. On every page is a row of "call to action" items that fade in and out and are scrollable. On every page, a visitor can do things like plan their visit, donate, get involved and learn more about their capital campaign. The Witte Museums mission of “promoting life-long learning” has been accomplished by making it easy for visitors to have a clear path of action when on the website.

If you're interested in getting a makeover for your website, contact me via email.

Visit the website at www.wittemuseum.org.

Giving in 2009 was still good

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported in their newsletter that "individuals, who make 75 percent of all charitable contributions, held steady in their giving, providing more than $227-million, the same sum they contributed in 2008, according to researchers at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy, who compile Giving USA."

View the source »

There's an App for that. How Charities are using the IPhone

Since the IPhone came on the market, we are mad about applications! Many non profits including the Monterey Bay Aquarium are using applications to educate the public about their organization as well as fund raising campaigns. And now with the latest Smart Phones like Android coming on the market, the opportunities are endless. Technology is a staple for non profits - some just don't know it yet.

View the source »

If you're interested in getting an application developed for your organization, contact patsy@gogreencre8tive.com.

Thousands of nonprofits may lose tax-exempt status

An article in the Associated Press says that many nonprofits will be losing their tax-exempt status because they didn't file a new form with the IRS. Just a reminder folks - get it done.

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New and Improved: Healing Hands Ministries

Healing Hands Ministries was chosen by NPower Texas to receive a free website makeover. Their site at the time had minimal content and was utilizing the free Mac website tool. They wanted a site that would clearly state their mission, one that was unique in design and easy to update. The site was designed to match the marketing materials and utilizes Joomla to manage the content. The organization hopes to improve donations so they can continue to further their mission to help those in the community with medical and dental care.

Members Project with American Express

American Express has teamed up with Take Part to reward its members for their volunteer efforts. If you volunteer with someone listed on the search page, you can earn bonus points through your AMEX card - up to 10,000 points per year.

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New to the Nonprofit World?

Are you new to the nonprofit world and want to know more about that to expect? The Center for Nonprofit Management out of Dallas is offering an orientation on March 23 from 9am - 1pm to discuss this very thing. The speaker for the seminar is Nancy Barry, Gen Y expert. She'll be sharing the secrets to being successful as a young nonprofit professional.

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Eventbrite teams up with Non-Profits

In the month of February, Eventbrite launched their partnership with non-profits called Eventbrite for Causes. It now allows non-profits to apply for reduced rates in using the tool and creates a community where they can share their best practices. Eventbrite is a great tool to manage your events with. It works with payment services like PayPal to make processing easier. Certainly a must try tool!

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Discovering the Secret Giver

I came across an interesting company called The Stelter Company. They help non-profits by providing services in "writing, designing, producing and distributing high-quality direct mail newsletters, collateral material and Internet-based products. In addition, through our knowledgeable field consulting staff, we will help organizations to determine their marketing needs and recommend appropriate solutions and strategies."

They have a variety of online tools that you can implement into your own website. An organization called The Children's Shelter, whom I designed their website, uses their online tools. They put it inside your website wrapper so you get that same look and feel. View the site now.

I wanted to direct you to a study that Stelter did on "Discovering the Secret Giver." It's a webinar presentation you might find interesting. View the webinar.

Dealing with Board Members

As a non profit, you rely on your board members for so many things. They are sometimes the back bone to bring in big money for your organization. They are a big connection to the community at large. The Center for Non Profit Management published two interesting articles about board members.

Should board members be required to give »
What to do with board members who don't give »

Publish your events to Facebook fan pages using Eventbrite

You've heard me in the past talk about Eventbrite. I really like this tool for managing events and ticket sales. It works well with PayPal which is an inexpensive option for payments. Recently, Eventbrite added a new feature that will allow you to post your events to your Facebook fan page. These networking sites are huge and are one of the best ways to get the word out. So check out

Learn How TechSoup Can Help Your Organization

TechSoup is such a great place to get anything as far as technical software for your organization. Software is so expensive so if you are a nonprofit, they can be your God Send. Anyway, they are conducting an educational webinar on February 11th to let you know how TechSoup can help you. Their introduction for this reads:

"Join TechSoup.org content, community, and customer service for a tour of how your organization can use all that TechSoup has to offer to improve your technology and help reach your mission. We'll walk you through the process of registering and requesting donated and discounted products from more than 35 donor partners like Microsoft and Adobe. We'll also take you on a virtual tour of other resources in TechSoup's tech arsenal."

Sign up for the webinar and read more »

Online Fundraiser's Checklist

Network for Good is offering up a new e-guide to help for planning for 2010. It is an Online Fundraiser's Checklist. There are six checklists that cover the homepage, donation form, writing style, email lists, email campaigns and thank-you programs.

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Online Fundraising in 2010

Network for Good talks about 5 Trends that are going to effect online fundraising in 2010. With the way the economy is, many people wonder if it will recover. It also talks about direct mail and if it's even going to be a useful item.

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The Society for Nonprofit Organizations

The SNPO offers certification programs for non-profits through their partnership with TechSoup. Some include:

• Courses in nonprofit leadership and management for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
• Course in nonprofit board governance for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
• Course in nonprofit marketing for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
• Course in nonprofit mission-based management for personal enrichment, certificate award, and CEUs
• And many more!

Through TechSoup, these individual classes are $77.50 but if you want to take all 8, it's a discounted $500.

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