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When I talk with clients I always ask them, “What do you want your website to do for you? What is its primary goal?” Sometimes I get a confused and glazed look, which is fine. The same thing happens to me when I watched that TV show "Lost." More times than not, people have a very long explanation about who they are and what they do and what makes them unique.

Let's say you are going to invest some time — and perhaps money — into creating content for your website. In most cases, this will take the form of a blog. But it's one thing to create content, and another to get it out there so others can read it. What are some things you can do to make your content more shareable? What can you do to get people to read it and pass it on to others? Take a look at this list.

Here’s the thing folks … You should write your appeals at about a 4th- to 6th-grade level. Simple sentences. Simple sentence structure. Simple words. Add a story. Add a call to action. And add some urgency … and you have a solid letter.

Why? Simply stated … it’s a matter of courtesy. Supporters of your mission can get sophistication from a bottle of wine or a good book. But when it comes to your letters, they just want to know what the problem is and how they can help.

After Superstorm Sandy hit in October 2012, individuals created campaigns and inspired people to donate money using online fundraising tools (including the ones mentioned in this article). These people raised millions of dollars and made many people’s lives a little bit easier.

This type of crowdfunding may not be new, but in increasing numbers, people around the world are creating all kinds of campaigns — for creative projects, technology, nonprofits and much more.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

Claire Axelrad’s Clairification blog, which was one of our Best Fundraising Blog winners in the 2013 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards, got more nominations than any single submission in any category of any year of the awards. Last month, we announced the award winners; this month we’d like to formally introduce you to the blog. Here are some of Claire’s favorite recent posts.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

Unfortunately, there isn’t one sure-fire event promotion vehicle or channel — it’s about finding the winning mix of communications for your audience. So if your organization has traditionally focused solely on a printed program sent by mail, maybe it’s time to shake things up a bit. Try a multi-touch approach by adding some new communications tools to your event promotion toolbox. There's a wide range of online and offline event promotion channels you can consider, including: direct mail, e-mail, social media, websites, PR, event calendars, paid promotions and so on.

Megaphilanthropy last year remained below levels seen before 2007’s economic shock, according to a new Chronicle of Philanthropy study. The top 50 donors on The Chronicle's list committed a total of $7.4 billion to charity in 2012. The median gift was $49.6 million, down significantly from 2007’s high of $74.7 million. Most of the money went to big, elite institutions. Seventy-two percent of the dollars pledged supported higher education, arts and culture, hospitals, and private foundations.