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January 18, 2007

Why CFCC is a Smart Online Organization

We were recently listed as one of the top 59 smartest organizations online. It's quite the compliment, but we thought it might help if we spelled out what we actually do online that makes us so smart. Or smart enough to make the list anyway.

• Blogging - Church Marketing Sucks is our flagship blog that draws thousands of readers every day. This is where it all started and the primary place where we spread our message. It comes with all the bells and whistles like comments and RSS feeds and helps generate conversation among other bloggers. We also do more organization-centric blog posting right here. It's a cheap and easy way to communicate our message and connect with our audience.
• Community/Photos - The Church Marketing Lab is a Flickr group we started in early 2006 to help church communicators share their work and get feedback from others. Since its launch we've had more than 600 members join and more than 1,000 pieces posted. This is definitely a case of empowering a community and letting them take over. We have a handful of moderators who keep things in check, but this is mostly a community that runs itself.
• Events - We launched our Events Lab in 2006, which utilizes Google's Calendar to share church marketing and communications related events. It also offers easy syncing with iCal and Outlook so anyone can subscribe to our calendar and be aware of upcoming events.
• Squidoo - We launched a pair of Squidoo lenses on Church Marketing Sucks and Center for Church Communication. These lenses are simple ways to introduce people to the work we do and just another hook to pull people in (like when we were chosen as the Lens of the Day). Plus as a bonus, we're listed as a charity with Squidoo, so any lensmaker on Squidoo can choose to donate all or some of their income to us. Every little bit helps.
• E-mail Newsletters - We send monthly e-mail newsletters highlighting news and updates, as well as less regular announcements about important updates. It's another avenue to keep in touch with our audience.

These are some of the major online tools we've taken advantage of to spread our message, build an audience and keep in touch with our supporters. These are also all great ways for local churches to do the same.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:08 PM
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2007 CFCC Events

CFCC founder Brad Abare will be speaking at several events in 2007:

• NRB Reach 2007, Feb. 17-19 in Orlando, Fla. - Brad is doing the "They Aren't Getting It" workshop with Brad Hill on Sunday.
• National New Church Conference, April 23-26 in Orlando, Fla. - Brad is doing a Creative Communication pre-conference workshop with Mark Batterson.
• MinistryCOM Conference, September 13-14 in Nashville, Tenn. - Brad will be serving again as a general session speaker.

Show up to cheer him along and, more importantly, learn a few things about church communications from Brad and the many other speakers and workshop leaders.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:47 AM
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January 16, 2007

CFCC is One of 59 Smartest Organizations Online

Seth Godin's Squidoo, Net Squared and Get Active have put together a list of the 59 smartest organizations online and the Center for Church Communication made the list.

These charities were chosen for their excellence in online storytelling and collaboration with their donors. We didn't play favorites to one cause over another, nor did we look at their fundraising goals or number of members. Instead, these organizations are winners because of their web 2.0 smarts and a willingness to engage their constituents far beyond asking them to dig into their pockets.

These are organizations that give their volunteers and members a voice and get out of the way. They're pros at mobilizing awareness online. They're experimentors. Innovators. On a mission. They're fearless.

And now we're blushing.

You can also vote for your favorite organization and CFCC is currently ranked 10th. That ranking will likely change, but hey, 10th! (link via Seth Godin)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:03 PM
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January 15, 2007

CMS is Top 5 Fundraising Blog

The writer of the Donor Power Blog, Jeff Brooks, listed Church Marketing Sucks as one of the top five must-read fundraising blogs:

Part of the Center for Church Communications, this blog is, as described in its tag line, “the blog to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ.” Brooks says he likes this blog for its edge in critiquing church marketing efforts. “It’s got a real point of view,” he adds.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:52 AM
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January 11, 2007

Top 20 Web Sites for Church Communicators

Outreach magazine recently ran the web exclusive article The Top 20 Web Sites for Church Communicators, written by yours truly. Check it out for more than your daily requirement of webby goodness.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:40 AM
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