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On the Calendar
10/01: National Homemade Cookie Day or World Vegetarian Day. Share your favorite cookie or vegetarian recipes or have your staff or supporters shares theirs.
10/05: Do Something Nice Day. Encourage your supporters to do something nice for someone else in your name.
10/05: World Teacher’s Day. Point out some of the educators in your field and what they have done for your cause.
10/07: World Smile Day. If cooking isn’t your thing, share photos of your volunteers or clients smiling and tell their stories. If you are a health related org, you can promote dental health.
10/09: Curious Events Day. Are people curious about a certain program or person regarding your organization? Or are there any “curious events” related to your organization or cause?
10/10: Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day. What new frontiers are you exploring? Or how can you honor those who lived here first?
10/10: Canadian Thanksgiving Day. Thank your clients, volunteers and supporters.
10/12: Moment of Frustration Day. Vent away or provide some ideas on releasing frustration in a healthy way. Encourage your readers to share what frustrates them on Facebook, Twitter or in the comment section on your blog.
10/13: Train Your Brain Day. Share some brain teasers, word puzzles or riddles that relate to your organization and get your supporters using their brains in a different way.
10/16: Bosses Day. Do a “Day in the Life” of your boss feature or highlight the “real” boss of the organization.
10/16: Dictionary Day. Help your readers define some of the jargon associated with your cause. (Then stop using it in communications to them!)
10/19: Evaluate Your Life Day. Report back to your donors on what’s happening at your nonprofit.
10/22: Make a Difference Day. This is a day to encourage volunteers and community service.
10/30: Mischief Night. Encourage your supporters to make a little mischief and flood your legislators inboxes, voicemails, and mail boxes with concerns on a vote or issue that affects your cause.
10/31: Halloween. Give us some insight into staff personalities and let us know what they will be for Halloween. Tell us what your favorite candy is. This can be a great time for lighter updates if your org deals with heavy topics.
October is also:
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
- Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Sarcastic Month
- Vegetarian Month
- Global Diversity Awareness Month
- National Disability Employment Awareness Month
- ADHD Awareness Month
- International Walk to School Month
Week 1 of October is “Getting Organized Week”
Week 2 is “Fire Prevention Week” and “Pet Peeve Week”
The 9th – 15th is “Earth Sciences Week”
Other Dates:
- 10/01: International Music Day
- 10/01: International Coffee Day
- 10/04: World Animal Day
- 10/10: World Mental Health Day
- 10/11: National Coming Out Day
- 10:16: World Food Day
- 10/17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
- 10/20: LGBTQ+: Spirit Day
- 10/29: National Cat Day
Metaphor of the Month
This month’s metaphor is Fall. Think about leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice everything, Halloween, fears, costumes, cooler weather, Fall Festivals, football, apple picking, sweater weather, bonfires, Thanksgiving, shorter days, Black Friday, Giving Tuesday, the color orange, and falling leaves.
How can you relate these things to your organization?
Pop Culture, Events, and News
Many organizations’ Fiscal Years begin on the 1st.
The MLB Playoffs will begin in October with the World Series scheduled to begin October 26th.
The NHL season stars October 7th and the NBA regular season starts October 18th.
Many communities will be hosting fall festivals like Oktoberfests again.
The world’s largest drawing festival, The Big Draw, takes place in October.
Movies coming out in theaters this month include Amsterdam, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Halloween Ends, Black Adam, Ticket to Paradise, Prey for the Devil, and Till,
Streaming movie premiers include Monster High: The Movie, Catherine Called Birdy, Hellraiser, Luckiest Girl Alive, The School for Good and Evil, All Quiet on the Western Front, Wendell & Wild.
TV shows returning or premiering include Ghost Hunters, Saturday Night Live, America’s Funniest Home Videos, East New York, The Equalizer, Interview with the Vampire, The Walking Dead, The Good Doctor, Alaska Daily, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, Walker, Blue Bloods, Derry Girls, The Midnight Club, Let the Right One In, NCIS: Los Angeles, All American and All American: Homecoming, Professionals, The Winchesters, Rosaline, Somebody Feed Phil, Documentary Now!, Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, The Good Nurse, and Big Mouth,
Source of the Month
Embrace your fears this Halloween season. Be bold and tackle an issue you have been too afraid to write about because it might ruffle some feathers. Or share what scares you.
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 November next Friday. Sign up now to get prompts emailed to you in advance monthly.
