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On the Calendar
9/2: National College Colors Day. Post pictures of your staff wearing their college colors. Highlight rivalries or local colleges. Or if you deal with inequities in education, etc, explain why not everyone has this opportunity.
9/5: Labor Day. Is your organization helping find jobs for those out of work? Interview a volunteer on how they juggle a career and volunteering.
9/6: Read a Book Day. Review a book that highlights your cause. Suggest books to your volunteers that will help them get fired up. (International Literacy Day is on the 8th)
9/10: Swap Ideas Day. Find another nonprofit to collaborate with to share ideas on a common problem. Find a staff member who works in another area and ask them their thoughts on a problem your area has (like what should we include in our content).
9/11: Grandparents Day. If you work with seniors, do a photo spread of them with their grandchildren. Or have people who have lost their grandparents write letters to them.
9/13: Positive Thinking Day. Share how you WILL eradicate the issues your cause faces. Or talk about toxic positive thinking as it relates to mental health issues.
9/22: Autumn Equinox. Relate the changing of the leaves or fall trends to your cause. Or just make fun of the pumpkin spice everything that’s coming.
9/25: National Comic Book Day. What comic book hero would stand for your cause? What villain would be against you? Can you compare these characters to real-life people in you organization? You can also create your own comic book hero!
9/28: Ask a Stupid Question Day. Is your organization one that’s hard to explain? Know some people who are embarrassed to admit they don’t know the answers? Do a top-ten list of stupid questions you have received. Or turn this idea upside down and take an “apathetic” question like “How can we possibly make a difference, so why bother?” and tell how you will.
September is also:
- Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th – October 15th)
- National Preparedness Month
- Baby Safety Month
- Self Improvement Month
- Classical Music Month
- Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
- Hunger Action Month
- Ovarian Cancer Month
- National Prostate Health Month
- Pain Awareness Month
- National Recovery Month
Other Dates in September:
- International Day of Charity is the 5th
- Stand Up to Cancer Day is the 9th
- World Suicide Prevention Day is the 10th
- 911 Remembrance Day is the 11th
- International Day of Democracy is the 15th
- Mexican Independence Day is the 16th
- Talk Like a Pirate Day is the 19th
- World Alzheimer’s Day is the 21st
- International Day of Peace is the 21st
- Business Women’s Day in the 22nd
- Native American Day is the 23rd
- Rosh Hashanah is the 25th – 27th
- World Rivers Day is the 26th
Metaphor of the Month
This month’s metaphor is School. Think about classrooms (both traditional and virtual), textbooks, a syllabus, principals, teachers, students, tests, desks, chalkboard, smartboards, recess, dress codes, subjects, computers, detention, field trips, homework, back-to-school shopping, and report cards.
How can you relate these things to your organization?
Pop Culture, Events, and News
This NFL season kick offs on the 8th.
The US Open for tennis will wrap up the 11th.
The Emmy Awards will be presented on the 12th.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival is the 23rd and 24th.
Movies being released in theaters include Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul., Barbarian, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, See How They Run, The Woman King, Dark Harvest, Don’t Worry Darline, Smile, Clerks III, and Bros.
Movies streaming are Hocus Pocus 2, Blonde, The School For Good and Evil, Pinocchio, Heathers: The Musical, Goodnight Mommy, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Final Alchemy, Ivy and Bean, Do Revenge, LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation, A Jazzman’s Blues, On the Come Up, and The Munsters.
TV premiers include The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Rick and Morty, American Dad, Tell Me Lies, The Good Fight, Cobra Kai, American Gigolo, Monarch, The Serpent Queen, The Handmaid’s Tale, Atlanta, Vampire Academy, Dateline NBC, Fate: The Winx Saga, Los Espookys, 60 Minutes, 9-1-1, Bob Hearts Abishola, NCIS, NCIS: Hawaii, The Neighborhood, Quantum Leap, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, 3 “FBI” shows, 3 “Chicago” shows, 3 “Law & Order” shows, Abbott Elementary, Andor, The Amazing Race, The Masked Singer, Survivor, The Kardashians, Shark Tank, Bob’s Burgers, Celebrity Jeopardy, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, The Rookie, The Simpsons, Bachelor in Paradise, Srat Wars: The Bad Batch, CSI: Vegas, Ghosts, Hell’s Kitchen, So Help Me Todd, The D’Amelio Show, and Young Sheldon
Source of the Month
Blog Round Up. Pick a topic related to your cause and create a blog post with links to recent articles, studies or blog posts. See our #NPCOMMLIFE and Mixed Links series for examples.
If you would like these ideas sent to your inbox a month in advance, sign up for our Monthly Nonprofit Writing Prompts. I send this email newsletter the first week of every month with prompts for the following month. For example, I will email the prompts for October this Friday. Sign up now to get prompts emailed to you in advance monthly.
