Updating Your ColoradoGives.org Profile: When Pigs Fly?

By Lisa Lujan, Online Giving Coordinator, Community First Foundation

It’s that time of year again; time to begin the seemingly intimidating task of updating your organization’s profile on ColoradoGives.org. At this point, you may feel as though the task will only be complete when pigs can fly, but I assure you it can be done with relative ease. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started:

Most important tip? Procrastination is not your friend here. Although it’s easy to get caught up in the fires of everyday nonprofit life, avoid the day-before binge rush, stress and challenges of waiting until the last minute. Spending even 30 minutes a week on the “easy” stuff is better than spending frantic hours on everything.
Get out of the office. We all know how easily distractions can get in the way of getting the large projects done. Do yourself a favor and take this project out of the office (even once a month or every two months). Grab your computer and head to your favorite coffee shop or library. One hour uninterrupted can make a world of difference.
Create a checklist or use the one that we’ve created for you. The Profile Update Schedule is a great high level overview of ColoradoGives.org profiles and summarizes the most important aspects and a suggested timeline.
Don’t let questions stop you from updating. We’re in the process of making enhancements on ColoradoGives.org, so you may come across things you’re uncertain about. E-mail us any time at COGives@communityfirstfoundation.org if you get stuck.
Check out our Nonprofit Resources section (under Menu when you log in as a nonprofit) for a plethora of resources from videos to documents.

Pigs may not be able to fly (unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your view) but completing your profile will feel like a major accomplishment and also provide you with a great toolbox to use for other projects, such as grant applications, meetings with prospective donors and materials for corporate sponsorships. You can even can copy and paste your ColoradoGives.org profile into GuideStar for national exposure.

The deadline to submit your updates is Aug. 20, 2014, at 5 p.m. Good luck!

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