It was my idea, and everyone agreed it was a win-win until the Development Director got a copy of the company's news release sent out via ...Tags: image via DefenseTech This This week I was involved in a minor flap with the Development Director at a private agency I used to work for. The for-profit for which I'm now a contractor put out a news release about something we were doing in tandem

Image by Ed.ward via FlickrBig companies and big funders are slowly coming around to the idea of social media. Some small nonprofits have jumped on it, but plenty more aren't sure where to start and whether the effort would be worth it.Right now I'm working with two small nonprofits. One has a Marketing Director who is excited about using social media.

34;…according to Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer, the number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company dropped by almost half, from 45% to 25%, since 2008." 34;If consumers stop believing what their friends and the "average Joes" appearing in testimonials say about a product or company, the implications could be significant not just for marketers but for the social networks and word-of-mouth platforms selling themselves as solutions to communicating in a jaded world. If there’s one approach marketers have been united in touting as the best form of advertising or promotion, it’s word of mouth recommendation … referrals and endorsements from friend to friend, colleague to colleague, relative to relative.

For a US company that helps you send bulk text messages, you could try Mobile Commons . Also, here’s a comprehensive list of companies in the US currently doing text message services. If you can’t be bothered to DIY, and just want a SMS fundraising solution out of a box, it will cost you, but here are two US Companies that are currently set up to help you with SMS fundraising: mGive and Mobile Giving Foundation (pictured above). $37 Million given in January 2010. Incredible. Incredible.

How many times have we seen a theatre or a dance company do incredible work and then fall apart - in a spectacular fashion - for reasons that had very little to do with the work they were putting up? When I look out into the arts world, I don't see a lack of talent.  0160; I see a lack of great arts organizations.