1. Using “please” on Twitter increases your chances of getting re-tweated by 60%.

2. Pittsburghers watch the most live TV of any city in the country.  Time to invest in television advertising?  There has to be a way to unite Pittsburghers’ love of sports and television with nonprofit marketing. What do you think?

3. 20 Percent of people abandon web pages when the load time increases by half a second.  Find out why you need a mobile website and mobile-optimized email.

One of the great things about this event is that attendees can submit headlines that they would like the panelists to talk about.  I’ve been thinking about my own suggestions and the mayoral race keeps stands out in my mind.  I overheard a conversation this morning on a bus in Squirrel Hill between two young professionals.  They were supporting each others’ beliefs that local politics were irrelevant and that presidential elections are the only thing that matter.  They were also commenting that the backdrop in the democratic debate last night looked like the “upgraded” version of the laser background from their elementary school photos. Only the latter part of their conversation was accurate.   Maybe they were just grumpy because they watched poor Crosby get injured again in the Pens game instead of the debate (what is the deal with this scheduling?!).

I will admit that I am jaded about our political candidates at all levels, especially when it feels like my vote is just for the lesser of two (or more) evils.  Local politics is different though.  Not only are some of our candidates genuine hard-working people, but they are also the ones who make decisions that affect our lives every single day.   If you want to see improvements to our city and to your day-to-day lives, I encourage you to get on board with these debates and vote.

The Democratic primary is coming up May 21.  The two front-runners are Bill Peduto and Jack Wagner—these two are very different, so please take the time to get to know their platforms.  The single Republican candidate is Josh Wander.  Don’t forget to do your homework in November too.

My friends and colleagues want options and some leave Pittsburgh because it’s a hassle to take advantage of the opportunities that the city is offering up.  It isn’t easy to widen the roads and build bike lines in a city like Pittsburgh (or find parking, for that matter!), but it is possible to educate drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians so we can make the most of the space we do have.

Money is tight for structural changes, but this recent Post-Gazette article gives us at least one angle that lawmakers care about—obesity prevention.   I won’t bore you with all of my ideas about how to fix this problem, but why does this matter to nonprofits?  I think it is important because nonprofits need to look for every advantage they can to recruit and retain staff.  “Benefits” like good transportation options can give Pittsburgh nonprofits an edge that similarly-sized cities don’t have.  Besides, the consumers of our services rely on a variety of transportation methods and we can’t serve them best without a foundation to get them where they need to be. Our city needs to keep up by owning the problem as one that affects all of us.

Interesting, we tend to value intensive strategic planning in nonprofits that lays everything out in front of us for the long-term.  If you’re like me, you’re less likely to take that careful approach in the areas that affect you most.  I am not the kind of planner who knows exactly what I want my career trajectory to be, or precisely what “success” and “failure” would look like for me 10 or 20 years from now.  Life has too many pleasant twists and turns.  So, I’m taking Harris’ advice liberally and I hope that some part of it will make you think too.  My trimmed-down strategic plan will consist of re-evaluating the direction of my career and taking steps to progress and evolve; I will write these down every three months!  Hold me to it!  Does anyone else have a loose strategic plan that might help us all out?

Pallotta is known for creating events like AIDS Rides and Breast Cancer 3-Day walks.   His company, Pallotta TeamWorks, collapsed in 2002 after bringing these multi-day high-stakes charitable events to our attention.  Now his mission has shifted to teaching others about how to re-think nonprofit fundraising and efficiency; his latest gig is with the Charity Defense Council, a 501(c)(3) he  founded in 2012.

What do you think?  Is Pallotta selling himself or is there something to this?  Is low-overhead actually a gauge of efficiency?  Or, could nonprofits do more if they started thinking like entrepreneurs and attracting the best talent (not just for the short-term!)?  I think all are probably partially true.  Pallotta has given us a lot to think about—right or wrong.

So, I’m taking the pressure off of myself today and asking for your help.  What do you do to stay engaged in your field?  What kind of productive and stimulating activities will keep my mind from atrophying?  Do you have any words of wisdom for dealing with a major lifestyle change?

Through my revelation, I’m going to be more realistic about finding the PERFECT mentor.  I’m going to take a step back and appreciate all the inspiring people I’ve met.  Who knows, there might be a potential mentor sitting in my midst just waiting to be discovered.

So…  I went searching for a post to share with my friends that I saw about a year ago by Avi Kaplan who writes for frogloop.  Even if you have already seen this one, I promise that you’ll get something out of it a second time.  There is a bigger community of users on Pinterest now (especially women—remember that they comprise the majority of donations) and Kaplan tells you exactly why you should use Pinterest for your nonprofit, AND how to use it based on the type of organization you are working in.   Check it out.

Even though I don’t use them, I started wondering if other people do.  The only large-scale research I could find was from 2011, when approximately 6.2% of mobile users had used them.  Since then, some people say that they are being used more and others say that they are on the decline.  I see them everywhere now, but I think it is too soon to tell whether they’ll become enticing to people like myself.

A post I read the other day made me question whether nonprofits had any success stories from using QR codes in fundraising.  Almost all of it is anecdotal.  Have you used them in your organization?  What was the outcome?  I would love to know whether you think QR codes make sense in Pittsburgh.

In my search, I found a few creative uses that could be adapted if you decide to try them out.

1. Business cards with QR codes have become fairly popular.  Usually, the code links to an organization’s website; why not put the web address directly on the card?  A better use of QR codes would be to link to creative digital content.  How about a digital portfolio? Or, a video of a recommendation or success story from one of your clients?

2. Most people have a PayPal account and they trust the security of PayPal.  QR codes can be used on event days to link to PayPal accounts for fundraising.  People feel more comfortable scanning a code and entering their personal data through PayPal than handing over a credit card.

3. What better way to follow up with potential donors and partners than baked goods?  How about QR code cookies.

While the event is a ton of fun, I love it because it is truly board-run.  It is a great example of what engaged members can do.

The experience I have had with this event made me think about some of my friends and colleagues who are serving for the first time on a nonprofit board.  I asked them to share resources that they used to get started.  The most popular advice (next to shadowing effective boards/board members) was put together by Idealist and the National Council of Nonprofits. On the other side of the coin, I would recommend that you check Scott Page’s work on diversity if you are trying to build a board.