This evening I was the featured speaker at the Boston Nonprofit Connector Meetup group.  The topic was “Demystifying Online Fundraising.” You can download my PowerPoint file from the evening here.  (Please note, the file is large.)  Here’s the program summary:

Explore some myths and facts about social fundraising with Jeremy Sher, president of Grassroots Giving Group, Inc.  Social fundraising works by letting nonprofits harness the strength of people’s connections with each other: People give more, and they give more often, when they’re asked to give by someone they know and trust. Technology makes this easier — but social fundraising is about people and relationships, not about gizmos and I/T.  Learn about the history of social fundraising, including its formative years in walk-a-thons and (separately) in politics, and how the field continues to evolve.  We’ll distinguish myths from facts, with a keen eye toward demystifying the field, and including a brief discussion on how to recognize a good consultant.  Emerge with a clear sense of what social fundraising is useful for, how it fits within your existing fundraising program, and how to get started.

In March 2009, just as our company was starting, MIT’s Science and Engineering Business Club invited Jeremy to speak about GGG’s business plan as part of a four-speaker alumni panel.  It was a time to share with current students what it’s like to run a business.  Jeremy presented GGG as an example of a business that’s adopted a bootstrapping strategy, as opposed to seeking venture funding; he talked about the basic elements of a business plan and shared how GGG has thought through them.  Watch a QuickTime video of the PowerPoint presentation here (it’s 11MB).