NonProfit Pro

There is a lot of discussion in the nonprofit sector about Millennials (a.k.a. Gen Y) and Baby Boomers and a growing interest in Gen Z, a.k.a. #Philanthrokids, but almost no analysis of Generation X (aged 35 to 50 years). As the first generation to donate online and the generation that pioneered web design, email, blogging and online advocacy, ignoring Gen X is a big mistake.

As Gen X rebounds from the Great Recession, Gen Xers are entering their peak giving years and nonprofit fundraisers would be wise to pay more attention to how they give and why.

Some donors make gift decisions themselves and some make them involving their family. Some involve advisors and friends. So know who those advisors are—attorneys, accountants and others who are in a position to influence the gift.

Merkle announced that the Susan G. Komen organization has once again selected it as its integrated direct response agency of record for another three years.

The movers and shakers in politics have recognized there's a very important constituency with deep pockets: Taylor Swift fans. The Washington Post got their hands on invitations to Tay-Tay's upcoming 1989 World Tour stops at Nationals Park on July 13 and 14 that were just a little bit above the original $60 ticket price. For $2500, you can attend the sold-out show next to Democratic Representatives Gwen Moore (Wisconsin), Lois Frankel (Florida) or Cheri Bustos (Illinois). And for the bargain rate of $1500, you can watch it with Republican Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio.

One in three top charities' websites, including Oxfam, the Royal British Legion and British Red Cross, will fall down search rankings after failing Google's new mobile-friendly test.

Google started rolling out changes, which will mean that websites deemed to meet its mobile-friendly test will be tagged as such and appear more prominently in search results. Criteria for mobile friendliness includes text size, the amount of space between links and whether content fits across a mobile screen.

In a blog Google said the changes would have a "significant impact" on its search results.

Reputation matters in the nonprofit world. Few nonprofit boards exist today that don't worry about how they are perceived in the communities or associations they serve. And to make sure their images remain pristine, many turn to crisis consultants and other forms of expert assistance. A tarnished reputation can have a huge impact on a vast network of stakeholders as confidence in the organization ebbs and support starts to dwindle. Nonprofit board members must be sensitive to signals of impending reputation risk and immediately roll up their sleeves in an attempt to rebuild confidence.

Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend—not for what they get done.

Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let's change the way we think about changing the world.

Is your communication plan missing an e-welcome series? Do you have only a welcome email versus a series? Well, you should change your plan now. Here are a few helpful hints about a welcome series.

New York Life celebrated its 170th anniversary on April 12. In honor of the milestone, more than 5,300 employees and agents across the country voted for their 10 favorite charities out of a list of 35. Each organization in the top 10 will receive a $17,000 grant from the New York Life Foundation, for a total of $170,000.

Today Ted Hart, CEO of Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAFAmerica) and CEO of P2P Fundraising, GreenNonprofits.org and TedHart.com, speaks with Susan Schaefer, principal of Resource Partners LLC, and Bob Wittig, executive director for the Jovid Foundation, on Hart's Nonprofit Coach radio show.