Nonprofit Blog Carnival: Lessons from the Olympics

I'm delighted to host this month's Nonprofit Blog Carnival and with the Opening Ceremony only a day away the 2012 Olympics seemed a natural choice for this month's topic.

The lead up to the Olympics has been marred with controversy over VIP bus lanes, corporate sponsorship and ticket scandals and Mazarine summarises some of these issues and also looks at the issue of sponsorship/fundraising for athletes.

However, on a gloriously sunny day in London I want to draw a line in the sand about the negative aspects of the Games and instead focus on the true Olympic and Paralympic spirit.

Volunteers

One of the most impressive aspects of London 2012 is the scale of volunteering. Nearly 70,000 volunteers have given up their time to help (over 250,000 people applied) and volunteering is a strong theme in this month's carnival.

We kick off with 5 tips for 'Olympic' volunteer recognition from the Volunteer Spot blog.

Wild Apricot make some useful comparisons between the passing of the Olympic torch and putting in place processes to manage volunteer transitions in your organisation.

Then comes a heart warming story from the Association of Junior Leagues International about one of their member's who carried the Olympic torch.

Finally, the Guardian asks if the Olympics can change the face of volunteering in the UK?

Marketing & Fundraising

Joanne shares some Olympic sized marketing tips for you to learn from.

Katya explains why your supporters should be your heroes.

Lucy Gower looks at the story of Roger Bannister (the first athlete to break the four minute mile barrier) and how to achieve more than you ever thought possible.

The Fledgling Fundraiser compares fundraisers with Olympic athletes.

Bluefrog Creative considers the success of the British Cycling team and how you can apply their recipe for excellence to your fundraising.

Grant Writing Confidential look at the differences between winning a gold medal and successfully applying for a grant.

Finally, in many ways the Paralympics represents the true essence of sport and competition. This emotional advert for Channel 4 (HT Paul de Gregorio) is something spine tingling and inspiring.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you'll enjoy London 2012 and draw inspiration from the volunteers, athletes and spectators who promise to deliver a month of thrills, spills and no doubt a few tears. Thanks for reading.

 

Next month's Carnival is being held by Kivi Le Roux Miller who asks 'How are Nonprofit Newsletters Changing?'

Do join in and submit your articles to Kivi on this important topic.