However, designers seeking to gain a toehold in the nonprofit market should be mindful of fundamental differences between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, however. The biggest and most obvious difference, of course, is for-profits seek to make money for owners or shareholders. Nonprofits seek to achieve a purpose.

While customers of goods and services support a for-profit, nonprofits get the bulk of their money from sources that include supporters, donors who believe in their mission, grants, and public funding.

Why nonprofits are good prospects

There are a number of reasons to solicit business from nonprofits, reasons that can vary at various stages of a career.

If you’re just starting out, nonprofits can offer the opportunity to build a portfolio if you offer free or reduced price services. Perhaps a nonprofit will consider promotional considerations in lieu of payment, acknowledging your services on their website, in printed materials or in other ways. If services are rendered in connection with an event, for instance, programs, tickets and other items carrying your name and logo can be invaluable advertising.

More seasoned designers might choose to pursue nonprofits because there is less competition for their business and it can be a profitable niche if approached correctly.

Profiting from more than just money

Even if you’re an established business, offering free or reduced price services can be extremely beneficial. A nonprofit can offer a great opportunity to showcase your work, especially to its board members, who are often business and civic leaders. And nonprofit work can create excellent opportunities to network with those board members.

Self-promotion of your charitable work can also be highly effective advertising, since it conveys positive attributes other prospects will find appealing. And since self-promotion is a natural consequence of promoting the nonprofit, it doesn’t appear self-serving.

Also, staff and board members of nonprofits in particular geographic areas typically network, and a job well done for one can easily translate into work from others. Naturally, the ripple effect of a job done poorly can have opposite results.

Finally, there’s the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping a good cause, especially if it’s one you have a personal stake in. But for most designers, the best reward is fair and reasonable pay for their services.

Pitching to nonprofits

While the cost of services is a big consideration for most nonprofits, it is not the only or always the most important.

Show empathy – Since nonprofit directors are typically idealists, it’s natural they prefer to do business with individuals and companies of like mind. Doing your homework to understand a nonprofit’s history, mission and needs can go a long way in getting your foot in the door.

Multiply your value – Nonprofits typically work on long-term goals with long-term budgets and are always looking to stretch their dollars. With website design, for instance, one obvious way of doing this is for an organization to handle its own routine maintenance and upkeep of the site. While some designers might consider offering training to help a nonprofit accomplish this is losing potential business, it and similar cost-saving solutions can help seal the deal.

Don’t limit the possibilities – Just because nonprofits keep tight reigns on their budgets doesn’t mean they’re not open to new ideas, especially if those new ideas help raise more money or better disseminate their message. What social networking and ecommerce needs might you offer, for instance, and how would an organization benefit?

Don’t sell cutting-edge technology – While many for-profit businesses want to be seen on the cutting edge of technology, most nonprofits could care less. They don’t have the budgets or existing infrastructure. Instead of selling the latest technology, concentrate on how your knowledge, the organization’s existing technology and low-cost or no-coast technologies can best serve their mission.

Getting started

Getting started with marketing to nonprofits is as simple as an online search for “Yourtown nonprofits” which should result in a number of directories listing nonprofits in your area.

For more in-depth research, Guidestar offers nonprofit reports and IRS Forms 990, which lists where an organization’s money came from and how it was spent. A free registration is required. A similar site geared more toward nonprofits seeking funding is FoundationCenter.

Other websites worth checking out include VolunteerMatch, which can help target organizations seeking specific services like website design, and the federal government’s official nonprofit web portal.

About the Author: This guest post is written by Eric Nacul, a tech enthusiast who enjoys writing freeware reviews at BestFreeOnline.net.

1. Determine your areas of interest for freelancing

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You might think that all writing is the same however this is a myth. Writing could vary from business writing to creative writing. It could mean writing for the web or writing for magazines or writing for online media or offline media. Choose the area which fascinates you. You should have flair for writing for that specific area. Only then will you able to excel in freelance writing.

2. Set attainable goals and targets

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Establish the time you can dedicate towards freelancing writing. Make clear decisions – do you want to quit your job completely or do you want to freelance as a part time writer. How many hours in a week can you contribute being a part time freelancer.

3. Self-Discipline

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During freelancing, you are your own boss. You need to be self motivated and committed to your work. Being your own boss gives you the freedom along with added responsibility to maintain professionalism while you work.

4. Create some writing samples for yourself

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When you start approaching clients to trust your writing skills, first thing you would be asked would be your writing samples. If you have samples relevant to your client’s requirements, half of your battle is won. When you prepare your portfolio of writing samples, consider compiling a variety of work rather than restricting it to a particular industry or style. Get a business card for you to be more presentable in front of clients.

5. Understand the scope of work

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Before you begin working for a particular client, understand what is required from you. Get all the necessary clauses in writing. Get clarifications in case you are not sure about any aspect. Attain a clear picture of all the essential information and do not leave anything ambiguous.

6. Understand your contract terms

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Know your contract before your begin working on a project. Agree on your fee in writing in advance. Understand the payment terms which should include date of payments, mode of payments and more. Various aspects like word limit should not be left ambiguous to avoid any miscommunication and re-work at a later stage.

Freelance income can prove to be really beneficial in meeting costs of your luxuries. This can be your additional monthly income or can also be your full-time earning source. If you are considering foraying into freelancing, make clear decision about the kind and style of writing. Trust your instinct and make wise decisions around your freelancing career. It could be a great self-employment opportunity for you, if you understand the market scenario well. A career in freelancing can give you the freedom of expression without any restriction or boundaries.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently did an article on automotto. These days she is busy in writing an article on gizmo watch.

Well let’s have a look at what Aleksey has come up with in the following illustrations.

Nightscape artworks are usually created by photographers, artists, or those who are fancied by the playing of lights with the darkness of time, yet anyone can try to make their own form as long as you have found an interesting event that is occurring as night falls. Nightscape art has been used on anything from big canvas prints to online brochure printing as well. The sky is the limit for the medium you want to use it on. Capturing every detail of the night sky and making it the foundation for your painting, photo, or drawing is the goal at the end of the day. You might even be lucky to find a once in a lifetime moment with your nightscape that no other person has seen before.

Just be patient, know what you want to express through nightscape, and let all of your artistic desires flow on your work like those shown in these 20 creative and captivating nightscape artworks from different places.

• The WordPress themes featured below have been launched in 2012; in other words these are the newest free WordPress themes.
• Each of the following WordPress themes differs in design and purpose. For instance, one WordPress theme is good for a personal blog; another one is perfect for a news site, and so on.
• And of course, not only we have included the latest free WordPress themes on the list, but the most impressive of them.

So if you’re looking for a free design for your WordPress site, take a few minutes to see this list and hopefully find what you need here.

Important: most WordPress themes offered for free come with credit links in the footer and users are asked to keep them there as a reward to web designers who created the freebies.

Quick earning
Yes, it is hard to be patient at first. There are still people in this world that doubt that freelance writers really make money. So when one of these people wants to build up their beliefs, they need some money quickly. Other forms of writing do not pay upfront and have a long process of approvals and revisions before one finally gets paid. Catalogs are easy, short and do not always require revisions and hence good option for new freelance writers to maintain their cash flow.

Low work pressure
The deadlines in catalog copywriting process are more reasonable than others. There are no last minute changes like sales letters and mailers. There will never be a crazy deadline that keeps you up all night and if you are a little organized you would be able to handle it easily.

It builds your skills
Catalogs have no place for fluff or bad grammar. The text should be to the point and if it goes in print, there is no way you can correct it. So you need to be perfect with your words and the punctuations. You need to be crisp and capable of creating an impact within a small space.

Leaves you time
Catalog copywriting is not as exhausting and leaves you the time to write for yourself. If you have a business and you write for your own products, they sell like a dream. If you want to work at your own blog or even write a book, you have time to work on your own project rather than just writing for money. You need not do it full time and can club it with another job or studies. There is also an option to remain a freelancer or get a full time high paying job in future.

Hassle free job
Writing for catalogs is relatively hassle free writing job. If you are into writing an ad copy, you might earn a lot writing just a few lines, but the responsibility is great too. The cost of such writing is not in the number of words but the impact they create. In addition, it is a big industry with lot of money so you don’t have to worry about things working out with one person or the other.

Of course, no job is perfect and every job requires hard work and sincerity. Once you do it, you know whether it is working out for you or not. There are many examples of successful writers starting elsewhere and making it big. There are good chances of you doing well if you start working as a freelance catalog copywriter.

About the Author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently did an article on styleguru. These days she is busy in writing an article on gizmowatch.

Concept of Logo

It is important to first understand the concept and purpose of logo before designing one. A logo is the recognition of a company or product and created in the form of a flag, symbol, signature or a mark. A logo does not describe a business nor does it sell the company. The characteristic of the business or product is conveyed through a logo. The objective of logos is to identify and not to explain. The appearance of a logo is not more important than what it means.

Logo Designing and Names of People

The concept of recognizing people is same when it comes to logo designing. People remember us by our names like Peter, Bob, Kate etc. as compared to descriptions like “girl with blonde hair who always wear pony tails”. Similarly, a logo is not supposed to fully explain about the business but it is intended to identify the business in a simple way which could be retained in the memory.
A logo has to be retained in the mind and to form some familiarity before its benefits can be actually reaped. It is just like remembering people’s names before we can identify them. A logo is the simplest way to identify a business or product.

Some important tips you should consider for creating an effective logo:

Mind retention
One should be easily able to memorize a logo which depends on its simplicity. An appropriate logo with a simple design can make it memorable.

Uniqueness
For a logo to be effective it should carry some uniqueness or surprising feature without overdoing anything. Hence the purpose of a good logo design should be versatility.

Lasting
A good logo is one which is able to cast a spell even after a considerable time. It should be futuristic and able to appeal even after 10 or more years.

Versatility
A logo should carry versatility. It should be consistent with scores of mediums and applications.

Appropriateness
Whatever the business or product for which you are creating a logo, the logo should have the capacity to match.