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Information Security
- FeatureUnified threat management: Fortinet's FortiGate 3600A
- FeatureSecurity system products latest releases: Archsight, Finjan, Sophos
- FeatureEncrypt It
- FeatureVulnerability scanning review: PatchLink's PatchLink Update 6.3
- FeatureNew tools target ISPs to stop botnets
- FeatureIPS by the Numbers
- FeatureIntrusion Prevention: Juniper Networks' ISG 2000 with IDP
- FeatureInformation security blueprint for architecture and systems
- FeatureEndpoint Security: ScriptLogic's Desktop Authority 7.5
- FeatureHIPAA privacy records and guidelines: How to achieve compliance
- FeatureAt Your Service: February 2007 managed security services news
- FeatureCyber-Ark Enterprise Password Vault 4.0 product review
- FeatureGoing Global
- FeaturePing: Josh Seeger
- FeatureLayer8: Is risk management for real?
- FeaturePerspectives: Suite Spot
- FeatureEditor's Desk: Can someone call an exterminator?
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Encrypt It
Unencrypted data at rest is data at peril.
Unencrypted data at rest is data at peril.
Since Bank of America disclosed in 2005 that it lost a backup tape with customers' personal data, nearly 30 other companies have reported similar embarrassing mishaps. The list of organizations losing tapes with sensitive personal information includes many high-profile names: Ameritrade, Time Warner, CitiFinancial, ABN Amro Mortgage Group, People's Bank, Con Edison, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Chase Card Services. The breaches affected millions of people, resulted in millions of dollars in direct costs, and even more in indirect costs.
Direct costs include notifying customers of the breach, estimated at $5 to $10 per person, and the expenses associated with controlling damage to the brand, such as advertising in national newspapers. Indirect costs stem from damage to the brand. A loss of trust can easily cause some customers to depart, or potential customers to choose another company to do business with; either way, it's lost revenue.
The key to your organization avoiding this fate is encryption, as all unencrypted backup tapes are readable by determined cybercriminals, no matter what your vendor tells you. Some vendors claim that their backup format is proprietary and can't be read without their database and software--don't believe them. Backup formats are irrelevant to laws such as California's SB 1386; if you lose control of unencrypted personal information, you must notify the affected customers. If you can't notify them in a reasonable timeframe, you must contact the media. Several states have similar breach notification laws. As of the end of last year, these laws only apply to unencrypted data. You are not required to notify anyone if the data was encrypted.
It's a clear business case for encrypting tapes that are going to leave a company's physical location. It could save your organization millions of dollars if a tape is lost, and will ensure that any damage to your brand is minimal.
Look Before You Leap
When you consider encrypting backup tapes, you need to consider the risks of encrypting stored data. They're very different from the risks associated with encrypting data in flight. If you have a problem encrypting data in flight, you know it right away and fix the problem. For example, if an application is sending data across an encrypted channel, and something happens to the encryption, the application will crash. A root-cause analysis will determine that encryption failure was the culprit.
However, if you have a problem with encrypted data at rest, you may not know it for weeks, months or years--and probably not until it's too late. This is because unlike encryption of data in flight, the read step only happens when you verify or restore from a tape. Therefore, unless you're verifying every tape after you've written it, the only time you're going to test your encryption system is when you perform a restore--the worst time you want to find out your encryption system doesn't work.
The biggest risk with encrypting backup tapes is that you can make them so secure that even you can't read them. If you lose your keys, or if your processes break down, you end up with unreadable backup tapes. Unfortunately, you might not discover this has happened until the moment of truth: when you absolutely need to read that tape.
This is why key management is so important. Keys will be needed any time you attempt to read encrypted data, such as when performing a restore, and access to keys by the wrong person could render your encryption system useless.
Consequently, keeping track of the keys used to encrypt data is paramount. A database is critical for tracking what key was used on what day to encrypt what data. Any time you change the key, the database must be updated accordingly. You must also control and monitor access to the key database to prevent unauthorized access.
Although secure key management systems already exist for encryption of data in flight, they don't support multiple keys associated with a single system or tape drive over different periods of time. As a result, key management systems designed for encrypting data at rest are often much less mature.
Another risk with encrypting backup tapes is failure to strike a balance between security and usability. This is a constant battle in security circles. If you make a system too secure, it becomes unusable or difficult to manage. If it's easy to manage, it's usually not very secure. The goal here is to find a balance--making the system more secure without significantly increasing management costs, or changing the user experience.
There are three basic ways to encrypt backup data:
- Source encryption
- Backup software encryption
- In-line hardware encryption
Source Encryption
Source encryption systems encrypt the data at its source. A file system, such as Windows Encrypting File System, or a database encrypts the data stored therein. If data is stored encrypted, and it's not unencrypted when backed up, it would meet the encryption requirement of various breach notification laws; you wouldn't need to notify customers if you lost a tape with personal data on it. These systems have the added benefit of encrypting data while it's being transferred across the network. For those concerned about malicious insiders, this can be a real plus.
|The Classification Challenge
Classifying data is tough without help from appliances tailor-made for the chore.
If an organization wants to encrypt only data that would result in it having to do a public disclosure in the event of a breach, then it needs to be concerned about personal information. The challenge is in making sure you locate where such information is stored.
Some of the obvious locations are customer information databases, as well as imaging systems where contracts are stored. Other locations may be less obvious and very difficult to find.
The best way to ensure you've found all that personal data is to use a data classification appliance. Without one, data classification is near impossible. These appliances crawl your file systems, databases, Web pages and even backup tapes, looking for metadata to classify information based on sensitivity--and always seem to find data in places you didn't think it resided.
The cost of these devices ranges from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, and they support several different ways to access your files, such as HTTP, NFS and CIFS. They typically are very easy to use and install.
Source encryption systems suffer from a number of drawbacks. First, they typically impact the performance of the file system or database in question. Every file or database record must be encrypted when written, and then unencrypted when read, which can significantly impact performance.
Another challenge is key management, because each file system or database type would typically have its own encryption system and set of encryption keys to manage. Since key management is a top priority when storing data at rest, this is a big concern. If you've got several data types to encrypt, this may become a show stopper. Managing one key system is challenging enough; managing multiple key systems would be even harder.
Finally, encrypting data at the source removes the compression feature of any backup system since encrypted data cannot be compressed. This would result in a 25 percent to 50 percent loss in capacity and performance from Unix, Windows and MacOS backup environments. (Hardware compression increases performance as it reduces the number of bytes actually written to tape.)
As a result, source encryption is mainly applicable to encrypting very small amounts of data, such as a single file system or database storing personal information. It's also appropriate if you're concerned about encrypting data before it's transmitted across an unsecure network.
Backup Software Encryption
With backup software en-cryption, the backup ap-plication encrypts the data as it's stored on tape. Most backup software products have encryption options, and a number of vendors have beefed these up in recent months.
|PCI & Encryption
The industry standard for protecting cardholder data cites encryption as critical.
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard is a major initiative being enforced by Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, and is designed to ensure cardholder privacy.
The PCI DSS requires that organizations protect stored cardholder data and encrypt cardholder data when it's transmitted across public networks. While the requirement for stored data is to "protect," not necessarily "encrypt," the standard does say that it believes encryption is a critical part of protecting stored customer data, in case the other layers of the security system break down.
But PCI auditors say that even with encryption and other security measures such as network segmentation, retailers and others simply shouldn't store credit card data unless it's absolutely necessary. According to the standard, organizations should keep cardholder data storage to a minimum, and should develop data retention and disposal policies.
While this solves the multiple key problem with source encryption by employing a single key management system, the key management systems employed by many backup software applications are antiquated. A few vendors have updated their key management techniques, and some have partnered with other companies to do so. Others, however, are stuck in the '80s and use systems that are easily defeated.
For example, they use a single key that has no concept of access control; if you have that key, you can read the tape. If a rogue employee gains access to the tape and the key, he or she will be able to read the tape. If you change the key due to that employee, he will still be able to read the stolen tape that was encrypted with the old key, but you won't be able to read backup tapes that were written prior to the date you changed the key--you would have to temporarily put the old key back in place to read old tapes.
Backup software encryption will also impact backup performance since encryption done in software is very slow. Although faster CPUs and more efficient code will help, software encryption will probably always lose the speed battle. Like source encryption, backup software encryption will also remove compression from most backup systems, unless the customer uses client-side software compression that slows the backup even more.
As a result, backup software encryption, like source encryption, is mainly applicable to encrypting small amounts of data. For instance, if you have a single database that stores personal information, you could encrypt the backups of just that database. However, it can be quite difficult to identify all databases and file systems that store personal information. If you can't be sure you've identified all such databases, you'd have to encrypt all backups to make sure you don't have to notify any customers if you lose a tape. If that were the case, this option would probably not be viable due to its impact on performance and capacity. Backup software encryption is appropriate, however, for backing up systems across unsecure networks.
Hardware Encryption
The relatively new option that has increased interest in encryption is a hardware appliance that sits in the physical data path and encrypts data on its way to tape. Because the encryption is done in hardware, it can be done much faster and does not slow down the backup. In addition, encryption appliances designed for tape compress the data before it is encrypted.
These systems typically have very sophisticated key management systems that cannot be defeated by a single malicious employee. For example, they often separate the keys used to encrypt the data from the keys used to authenticate and authorize systems and personnel. They also offer features that ensure keys never get lost, such as replication and key vaulting. These systems are advanced because they were all developed within the last five years, and take advantage of decades of lessons in data security.
The first encryption appliances available were single-purpose appliances with a few ports in and out. As of late last year, these systems owned the lion's share of the backup encryption market. At the same time, encryption functionality is now being included inside tape libraries, intelligent switches and tape drives. This leads to the question: where should hardware encryption reside? As long as the hardware system compresses, encrypts and has a strong key management system, it doesn't really matter.
Hardware encryption is the most viable option for anyone wishing to encrypt a large amount of data on its way to tape. Customers can compress their backup data without any performance or capacity loss; they just need to buy enough appliances to handle their backup bandwidth requirements. The only drawback is cost; these appliances typically start at $20,000. However, their costs pale in comparison to the costs of a public breach disclosure.
Which One?
What matters most to your business operations and which problems you're trying to solve will determine the best approach for you. If you want sensitive data to always be encrypted, then you'll want to choose source encryption. If you just want to make sure data is encrypted as it's leaving a system on its way to backup, you'll want to select backup software encryption. Just keep in mind that both of these methods have serious performance and capacity drawbacks. If you don't want to figure out what should be encrypted, and simply want to encrypt everything on the way to tape--plus avoid any performance or capacity loss in the backup system--then you'll want hardware encryption.
Whatever encryption method you pick, it should provide some peace of mind if a backup tape goes missing. Ultimately, it's a decision an enterprise can't afford to avoid in this age of data privacy regulation.


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Bucknell's CDC assists in all stages of career development. Explore Resources for Students.
The CDC assists in all stages of career development with a variety of resources and tools.Learn more about Student Resources
The Career Development Center is located in Botany Building (along 7th Street).
During the academic year, we are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summer hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
Fax: 570.577.3028
The following links are virtual breadcrumbs marking the 27 most recent pages you have visited in Bucknell.edu. If you want to remember a specific page forever click the pin in the top right corner and we will be sure not to replace it. Close this message.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
You've seen plenty of ParaNorman featurettes and behind-the-scenes videos showing the wonder of creating a madcap supernatural adventure, using miniature sets and stop-motion animation. But what about actual footage? Three newly released clips gives you the first real taste of the creepy world which Norman and his friends live in.
And here are a few little zombie Olympic shorts that have been shown around town. Super adorable.


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A Stephanie Plum NovelBook - 2017
From the critics
Community Activity
CommentAdd a Comment
JE always makes me laugh and puts me into a great mood. I'm not young enough to be Stephanie, nor big and flashy enough to be Lulu, so will have to plan to be Grandma Masur. This book delivers a great adventure with 3 characters who have skipped their bail, zombies, and a big snake. Sounds like Florida rather and NJ. Enjoy!
Having lived in New Jersey I love the references to the area. Always get a few laughs from this series. Fun and easy to read.
I had a few good laughs from this story but on the whole the storyline is rather implausible. Best part was Stephanie and Ethel the snake, followed by Judy and the gnomes. Mystery involving zombies, drugs and missing heads and brains, not so much. Stephanie and friends feel a bit like caricatures of themselves. At least they are quick reads.
If you're down and out, this is a writer who knows how to make you laugh. I thoroughly enjoy her series, the description of characters, and the details of location; transports you into the story. Her plots are bizarre, but possible which makes them even more entertaining. A good light read with aloud laughter. Turbo Twenty Four is one of my favorites.
March 14.2018
I still love this series, no matter the fact that no one seems to get any older. I read this just purely for the entertainment factor. Is it great writing? No, but does it entertain me? Absolutely! I look forward to my yearly dose of crazy nonsense. For anyone that finds that they have not enjoyed them, there is a simple solution....stop reading them! I will however continue as they are just a fun read.
Contrary to all the negative comments I thought this was a great book. Funny, suspenseful, a wacky and wild escapade that only Stephanie Plum would find herself in! Another great book by Janet Evanovich!
I read this book with the hope that it would be better than the last 10 but sadly it wasn't. I really need to stop reading this series. I really enjoyed the first 9 books in the series but the story line has gotten progressively worse. Even Grandma and Lulu couldn't save this book. Oh well.
Thought this book was good. Typical Stephanie and Lula drama but it would be nice if Morelli finally manned up and married Stephanie.
Reads like it was created with random items plucked from a hat. Very flat. And seriously, Plum One was 23 years ago. I miss that Stephanie, VI Warshawski in training heels. Reminded me of the real "Jersey girls" in my family, like Mabel and Laura from Trenton. This last book is just sad. Very "peter pan". Nobody ever grows up.
The story line was fine, the usual fun silly ideas - that part didn't disappoint... But, there was everything wrong with Stephanie and the other main characters, and even the side kicks - they were barely cardboard cut-outs of themselves, with no life whatsoever. I always look forward to relaxing with Stephanie Plum sequel, no matter how silly and repetitious; but this one is lifeless.
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Iranian in Kenya bomb plot says Israeli agents questioned him
Two suspects arrested last week with explosives; Israeli-owned sites in Mombasa were bombed in 2003
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — One of two Iranians facing charges related to accusations that the pair planned to carry out an attack with explosives in Kenya told a court Wednesday he had been interrogated by Israeli agents while in detention.
Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi were arrested last week with 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of explosives.
Mohammad on Wednesday said the two were interrogated by Israeli agents, a claim that, if true, would suggest security officials believe the Iranians might have been targeting an Israeli-owned property. Iranian agents are suspected in several attacks or thwarted attacks around the globe in the past year, including in Azerbaijan, Thailand and India. Most of the plots had connections to Israeli targets.
Several resorts on Kenya's coast are Israeli-owned. Terrorists in 2002 bombed an Israeli-owned luxury hotel near Mombasa, killing 13 people. They also tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner at the same time. An al-Qaida operative was linked to those attacks.
Israel's deputy ambassador to Kenya, Yaki Lopez, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "this whole incident is an internal Kenyan issue." He said he had no further comment, including on whether Israeli agents were involved in interrogations.
Human rights lawyers say interrogations of suspects by foreign security agents in Kenya are unconstitutional unless the suspects were also to be taken to face charges in the foreign country.
Mohammad also told the court he was tortured in Kenyan custody. He said he went without food for long periods and that he was forced to sleep on a cement floor with only his jacket to keep him warm. Police prosecutor Daniel Musangi denied the accusations that the suspects were tortured. Magistrate Paul Biwott said the allegations were serious and ordered an investigation.
Days after the arrest of the Iranians, the U.S. government, citing information about an imminent terrorist attack, withdrew its government workers from Mombasa and issued an alert last Friday warning against non-essential travel to Kenya's second largest city. But the warning may not have been linked to the Iranians. On Sunday attackers carried out a grenade and gunfire attack on a bar outside Mombasa, killing three people and wounding 25.
Kenya has seen a spate of attacks in recent months following the country's decision last October to send troops into neighboring Somalia to fight al-Shabab militants. However, al-Shabab and its partner organization al-Qaida have not traditionally used Iranian operatives in its operations.
The two Iranians were charged Monday. Prosecutors say they were in possession of explosives known as RDX "in circumstances that indicated they were armed with the intent to commit a felony namely, acts intended to cause grievous harm."
RDX is a powerful military-grade explosive. They denied both charges and through a translator asked for bond.
On Wednesday, lawyer David Kirimi, who represents Mohammad and Mousavi, argued that the two suspects are investors and their arrests will harm Kenya-Iran relations. But Biwott dismissed that argument, citing the magnitude of the accusations. Musangi, the police prosecutor, said the two were likely to flee if released.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


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Purchasing stove/materials
What is a multifuel stove? And other terminology explained…
Wood burning or multifuel stove?
What size stove for my room?
Fireplace opening side air gaps
What to look for when buying a stove.
Chinese wood burners – should I buy one?
Smoke Control Areas and wood burning stoves. You can burn wood!
What are DEFRA approved stoves?
SIA Ecodesign stoves: will they suck the slippers off of grandma?
Do I need an air vent for a wood burning stove? If I do not bother?
Stoves 6kw and higher that can have a 5″ liner
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Beginner's Guide
The links below are all aimed at self installers (builders, tradesmen, competent householders etc.). Building regulations for wood burning stoves: The manual is designed to be used alongside Document J of the Building Regulations for wood burning stoves, England & Wales (stoves without boilers) and Document G of the Building Regulations England & Wales (stoves with boilers) coupled with any advice provided by your local Building Control. Note that regulations for Scotland and Northern Ireland differ slightly and precise details should be checked for compliance. Other regulations may be applicable (e.g. for electrics if adding controls to wet systems). In all cases you should not rely on this manual alone.
Stovefitter's TV (Youtube)
Vitreous flue pipe dimensions
Terminology (by Stove Fitter's Warehouse)
Installers (happy to do labour-only)
Before you start
Self installing: Introduction
What's with all the terminology?
Legally, can I fit a solid fuel stove?
What's it going to cost me?
The SURVEY of your property
If using an existing chimney – are you going to fit a chimney liner?
Links to Building Regulations
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Fireplace opening
Building regulations for the fireplace
Opening up a fireplace
Fireplace opening too small?
Air gap above & behind stove
Removing a back boiler
Fitting a fireplace lintel
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Lining a fireplace
Simple paint job of a fireplace
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Rendering a fireplace
Register plate or closure plate?
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Simple slate or limestone
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Stove, chimney liner and fitting materials: create your own shopping list
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What is chimney liner (flue liner)?
Do I need to line my chimney?
Cheap chimney flue liner?
Regulations for lining a chimney
Most common liner diameter is…
Can I. should I, fit a 5″ chimney liner?
Stoves 6kw and higher that can have a 5″ liner
What grade of chimney liner? 316 or 904?
How much liner in metres should I order?
Should I insulate my chimney liner?
How to line a chimney with chimney liner – easy peasy
Fitting a chimney liner to a pot or cowl
Chimney stack ends in loft (somebody took it down)
Access and safety when fitting liners (and some quick-build platform ideas)
Simple guide to ordering liner and fitting pack
Stove Fit: To Flexible Liner In Chimney
Stove to flue to adaptor to liner
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Do I need to line my chimney flue?
Connecting a wood burning stove direct to a chimney
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Stove Fit: If You Have No Chimney
Fitting A New Twin Wall flue
Twin Wall Flue design service by Stovefitter's (FREE)
Distance to combustibles
Regulations and rules for the chimney
Small boats and caravans
Chimney stack ends in loft (somebody took it down)
Example twin wall job: off back of stove and outside building
Example twin wall job: off top of stove and outside building
Example twin wall job: off top of stove and internal within building
Rosettes and cover plates for twin wall
Stove Fit: Inset/Cassette Stoves
Inset and cassette stoves – general fitting guide
Fitting an inset with integral front face (Pevex Bohemia X40)
Fitting a cassette with removable front face (Scan DSA 11)
Stove Fit: Boiler Stoves
Boiler stoves: an introduction
Boiler stoves: key concepts
Heat sink radiator
Injector T meets pumped radiators on a solid fuel system
The classic diagram
Boiler stoves key building regulations
Cylinder or thermal store downstairs?
Thermal store system
Dunsley neutraliser system
Before you light your wood burning or multifuel stove
Solar Thermal


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When You're Strange
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|A look at the late '60s and early '70s rock band The Doors, including rare exclusive footage.
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|Johnny Depp, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison, Jim Ladd


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AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan says it is prepared to deal with any potential chemical weapon threat posed by the ongoing violence in neighboring Syria, but adds it will not enter "any alliance" to protect itself.
Jordan, the U.S. and others have expressed concern that Syrian President Bashar Assad could use chemical weapons in a last-ditch effort to save his regime.
Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah did not provide details on Jordan's capabilities to thwart a chemical attack in remarks carried by the official Petra news agency Sunday.
But other Jordanian officials have said U.S. and British military experts have provided training in protecting civilians in case of a chemical attack on Jordanian territory.
Maaytah also said the 21-month Syrian crisis has put enormous pressure on Jordan's infrastructure as it now hosts 275,000 refugees.


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Gold Is Today's Safe Bet
Holding out for $970 gold.
Editor's Note: The following was posted in real time on our premium Buzz & Banter (click for a free trial).
It's a good time to reflect on my previous thoughts that a move to S&P 1100 was possibly in the cards, as unbelievable as it has been to actually witness it -- the "straight shot thesis" for all of you who get my newsletter.
After seeing a top tick around 1096 on the S&P, there's obvious hesitation in holding onto excess futures positions at current levels, speaking silver and gold.
I'll flat out admit it, the COT structure has me scared. I'm quick to hit bids. I've always condoned holding onto a physical amount of metal that suits ones risk profile/liquidity needs, and I won't touch that, in terms of hedging strategies going forward.
With that said, the paper I often use to augment a position has been late in and quick out. Sure, the COT structure has damaged my psyche, despite gold's rather "on time" technical breakout. At this point, I do believe the breakout was for real. I do see a vibrant December and maybe even January. It's hard not to envision a peak in March, right on time, like the rest of them, except those that push a bit further into April.
So here's my strategy -- I'll continue to hold out for $970 gold.
See also, Gold Bulls May Get a New Way to Own It
With that said, I fully assume the COT won't be in "flat out buy" territory if those prices are seen this winter, simply because it's so stretched in the bullish direction. Obviously some may say that a down move of epic proportions is in store, but I don't subscribe to that. More likely, we're seeing the characteristics of Phase 3 unfold, namely a much wider level of participation among the investing public.
As such, perhaps inflated COT levels reflect a new normal, much like analysts are struggling with their broad-based comparisons of an economy stuck in the mud when you view it through a lens oblivious to financial trickery.
Yes, a new normal. I greatly suspect that any selling, still a pipedream, will be caught at technical support, currently a tad lower than $970 gold and the resulting bounce could very well be of the V-variety. For now, caution reigns again.
Yes, yes I know I've been reluctant versus other writers. But the breakout is still young, and many reasons behind the reluctance have served to limit its scale thus far, about 90 points. Not a shabby run, but not explosive either.
Anyhow, not much fundamental analysis here. I assume it's clear that this government has chosen the option of inflation. The exit strategy has many questions. First off, does one exist? Second, when will it be implemented? Third, how? And then the big one, will it be orderly or not?
See also, Deliberating the Fed's Exit Strategy
Gold seems to be adjusting for these odds. Unfortunately for those that keep the bulk of their savings in US dollars, a miscalculation on the part of our leaders, shame on us, could prove particularly painful.
That's why I keep my bars. Just in case. Silver and gold, though my futures account is currently barren like a desert. Just putting it out there.
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Summary: Colicin-like bacteriocin tRNase domain
Pfam includes annotations and additional family information from a range of different sources. These sources can be accessed via the tabs below.
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Colicin Edit Wikipedia article
Structure of TolB in complex with a peptide of the colicin e9 t-domain
|Pfam clan
A colicin is a type of bacteriocin produced by and toxic to some strains of Escherichia coli.[1] Colicins are released into the environment to reduce competition from other bacterial strains. Colicins bind to outer membrane receptors, using them to translocate to the cytoplasm or cytoplasmic membrane, where they exert their cytotoxic effect, including depolarisation of the cytoplasmic membrane, DNase activity, RNase activity, or inhibition of murein synthesis.
Channel-forming colicins (colicins A, B, E1, Ia, Ib, and N) are transmembrane proteins that depolarize the cytoplasmic membrane, leading to dissipation of cellular energy.[2] These colicins contain at least three domains: an N-terminal translocation domain responsible for movement across the outer membrane and periplasmic space; a central domain responsible for receptor recognition; and a C-terminal cytotoxic domain responsible for channel formation in the cytoplasmic membrane.[3][4] One domain regulates the target and binds to the receptor on the sensitive cell. The second is involved with translocation, co-opting the machinery of the target cell. The third is the 'killing' domain and may produce a pore in the target cell membrane, or act as a nuclease to chop up the DNA or RNA of the target cell.
Most colicins are able to translocate the outer membrane by a two-receptor system, where one receptor is used for the initial binding and the second for translocation. The initial binding is to cell surface receptors such as the outer membrane proteins OmpF, FepA, BtuB, Cir and FhuA; colicins have been classified according to which receptors they bind to. The presence of specific periplasmic proteins, such as TolA, TolB, TolC, or TonB, are required for translocation across the membrane.[5] Cloacin DF13 is a bacteriocin that inactivates ribosomes by hydrolysing 16S RNA in 30S ribosomes at a specific site.[6]
Because they target specific receptors and use specific translocation machinery, cells can make themselves resistant to the colicin by repressing or deleting the genes for these proteins. Such resistant cells may suffer the lack of a key nutrient (such as iron or a B vitamin), but benefit by not being killed. Colicins exhibit a '1-hit killing kinetic' which does not necessarily mean a single molecule is sufficient to kill, but certainly that it only takes a small number. In his 1969 Nobel Laureate speech, Salvador E. Luria speculated that colicins could only be this toxic by causing a domino effect that destabilized the cell membrane.[7] He was not entirely correct, but pore-forming colicins do depolarize the membrane and thus eliminate the energy source for the cell. The colicins are highly effective toxins.
Genetic organisation
Virtually all colicins are carried on plasmids. The two general classes of colicinogenic plasmids are large, low-copy-number plasmids, and small, high-copy-number plasmids. The larger plasmids carry other genes, as well as the colicin operon. The colicin operons are generally organized with several major genes. These include an immunity gene, a colicin structural gene, and a bacteriocin release protein (BRP), or lysis, gene. The immunity gene is often produced constitutively, while the BRP is generally produced only as a read-through of the stop codon on the colicin structural gene. The colicin itself is repressed by the SOS response and may be regulated in other ways, as well.
Retaining the colicin plasmid is very important for cells that live with their relatives, because if a cell loses the immunity gene, it quickly becomes subject to destruction by circulating colicin. At the same time, colicin is only released from a producing cell by the use of the lysis protein, which results in that cell's death. This suicidal production mechanism would appear to be very costly, except for the fact that it is regulated by the SOS response, which responds to significant DNA damage. In short, colicin production may only occur in terminally ill cells. The Professor Kleanthous Research Group at the University of Oxford study colicins extensively as a model system for characterising and investigating protein-protein interactions and recognition.[8]
BACTIBASE[9][10] database is an open-access database for bacteriocins including colicins (view complete list).
- ^ * Feldgarden M, Riley MA (1999). "The phenotypic and fitness effects of colicin resistance in Escherichia coli K-12". Evolution. 53 (4): 1019–27. doi:10.2307/2640807. JSTOR 2640807.
- ^ Kang C, Postle K, Chen G, Park H, Youn B, Hilsenbeck JL (2004). "Crystal structure of the cytotoxic bacterial protein colicin B at 2.5 A resolution". Mol. Microbiol. 51 (3): 711–20. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2003.03884.x. PMID 14731273.
- ^ Cramer WA, Zakharov SD, Antonenko YN, Kotova EA (2004). "On the role of lipid in colicin pore formation". Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1666 (1): 239–49. doi:10.1016/j.bbamem.2004.07.001. PMID 15519318.
- ^ Cascales et al. (2007). Colicin Biology. Microbio. and Mol. Bio. Rev. 71(1), 158-229. Abstractpdf
- ^ Cao Z, Klebba PE (2002). "Mechanisms of colicin binding and transport through outer membrane porins". Biochimie. 84 (5-6): 399–412. doi:10.1016/S0300-9084(02)01455-4. PMID 12423783.
- ^ van den Elzen PJ, Veltkamp E, Nijkamp HJ, Walters HH (1983). "Molecular structure and function of the bacteriocin gene and bacteriocin protein of plasmid Clo DF13". Nucleic Acids Res. 11 (8): 2465–2477. doi:10.1093/nar/11.8.2465. PMC 325896 . PMID 6344017.
- ^ Luria, S. E. (1969) Nobel Lecture
- ^ "Kleanthous Research Group". Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ^ Hammami R, Zouhir A, Ben Hamida J, Fliss I (2007). "BACTIBASE: a new web-accessible database for bacteriocin characterization". BMC Microbiology. 7: 89. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-7-89. PMC 2211298 . PMID 17941971.
- ^ Hammami R, Zouhir A, Le Lay C, Ben Hamida J, Fliss I (2010). "BACTIBASE second release: a database and tool platform for bacteriocin characterization". BMC Microbiology. 10: 22. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-10-22. PMC 2824694 . PMID 20105292.
External links
- Molecular mechanisms of colicin evolution pdf
- The newly characterized colicin Y provides evidence of positive selection in pore-former colicin diversification
- Colicin OPM database
- 3D interactive pages about colicins
- Transport Classification Database listing for colicin
- Protein Data Bank colicin listing
This article incorporates text from the public domain Pfam and InterPro IPR000290
This page is based on a Wikipedia article. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
This tab holds the annotation information that is stored in the Pfam database. As we move to using Wikipedia as our main source of annotation, the contents of this tab will be gradually replaced by the Wikipedia tab.
Colicin-like bacteriocin tRNase domain Provide feedback
The C-terminal region of colicin-like bacteriocins is either a pore-forming or an endonuclease-like domain. Cloacin and Pyocins have similar structures and activities to the colicins from E coli and the klebicins from Klebsiella spp. Colicins E5 and D cleave the anticodon loops of distinct tRNAs of Escherichia coli both in vivo and in vitro [1]. The full-length molecule has an N-terminal translocation domain and a middle, double alpha-helical region which is receptor-binding [2].
Literature references
Masaki H, Ogawa T;, Biochimie. 2002;84:433-438.: The modes of action of colicins E5 and D, and related cytotoxic tRNases. PUBMED:12423786 EPMC:12423786
Soelaiman S, Jakes K, Wu N, Li C, Shoham M;, Mol Cell. 2001;8:1053-1062.: Crystal structure of colicin E3: implications for cell entry and ribosome inactivation. PUBMED:11741540 EPMC:11741540
Internal database links
|Similarity to PfamA using HHSearch:
External database links
This tab holds annotation information from the InterPro database.
InterPro entry IPR016128
This entry represents a structural domain with a complex fold made of several coiled beta-sheets. This domain is found at the N-terminal of both colicin E3 and colicin B, and acts as a translocation domain. It also occurs in S-type pyocin. Both pyocin and cloacin are bacteriocins, protein antibiotics that kill bacteria closely related to the producing species. Colicins are a subgroup of bacteriocins that are produced by and target Escherichia coli. The lethal action of most colicins is exerted either by formation of a pore in the cytoplasmic membrane of the target cell, or by an enzymatic nuclease digestion mechanism [PUBMED:12409205].
Gene Ontology
The mapping between Pfam and Gene Ontology is provided by InterPro. If you use this data please cite InterPro.
|Biological process
|pathogenesis (GO:0009405)
Domain organisation
Below is a listing of the unique domain organisations or architectures in which this domain is found. More...
The graphic that is shown by default represents the longest sequence with a given architecture. Each row contains the following information:
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Pfam Clan
This family is a member of clan Bacteriocin_TLN (CL0446), which has the following description:
A number of different bacterial species produce bacteriocins to kill competitor species, and the colicin class is a group of complex three-domain structures. The receptor-binding domain recognises and binds to specific cell surface receptors on the target cells; the N-terminal translocation domain interacts with cell membrane proteins to gain access to the cell interior; the C-terminal domain specifies a killing activity, such as pore formation or nuclease activity. This superfamily is a collection of the translocating domains.
The clan contains the following 2 members:Cloacin Pyocin_S
We store a range of different sequence alignments for families. As well as the seed alignment from which the family is built, we provide the full alignment, generated by searching the sequence database (reference proteomes) using the family HMM. We also generate alignments using four representative proteomes (RP) sets, the UniProtKB sequence database, the NCBI sequence database, and our metagenomics sequence database. More...
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We make a range of alignments for each Pfam-A family. You can see a description of each above. You can view these alignments in various ways but please note that some types of alignment are never generated while others may not be available for all families, most commonly because the alignments are too large to handle.
|Representative proteomes
1Cannot generate PP/Heatmap alignments for seeds; no PP data available
Key: available, not generated, — not available.
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HMM logos is one way of visualising profile HMMs. Logos provide a quick overview of the properties of an HMM in a graphical form. You can see a more detailed description of HMM logos and find out how you can interpret them here. More...
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This page displays the phylogenetic tree for this family's seed alignment. We use FastTree to calculate neighbour join trees with a local bootstrap based on 100 resamples (shown next to the tree nodes). FastTree calculates approximately-maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees from our seed alignment.
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This section shows the detailed information about the Pfam family. You can see the definitions of many of the terms in this section in the glossary and a fuller explanation of the scoring system that we use in the scores section of the help pages.
|Seed source:
|Previous IDs:
|Sequence Ontology:
|Griffiths-Jones SR
|Number in seed:
|Number in full:
|Average length of the domain:
|273.90 aa
|Average identity of full alignment:
|30 %
|Average coverage of the sequence by the domain:
|53.55 %
HMM information
|HMM build commands:
build method: hmmbuild -o /dev/null HMM SEED
search method: hmmsearch -Z 45638612 -E 1000 --cpu 4 HMM pfamseq
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Species distribution
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This visualisation provides a simple graphical representation of the distribution of this family across species. You can find the original interactive tree in the adjacent tab. More...
This chart is a modified "sunburst" visualisation of the species tree for this family. It shows each node in the tree as a separate arc, arranged radially with the superkingdoms at the centre and the species arrayed around the outermost ring.
How the sunburst is generated
The tree is built by considering the taxonomic lineage of each sequence that has a match to this family. For each node in the resulting tree, we draw an arc in the sunburst. The radius of the arc, its distance from the root node at the centre of the sunburst, shows the taxonomic level ("superkingdom", "kingdom", etc). The length of the arc represents either the number of sequences represented at a given level, or the number of species that are found beneath the node in the tree. The weighting scheme can be changed using the sunburst controls.
In order to reduce the complexity of the representation, we reduce the number of taxonomic levels that we show. We consider only the following eight major taxonomic levels:
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Segments of the tree are coloured approximately according to their superkingdom. For example, archeal branches are coloured with shades of orange, eukaryotes in shades of purple, etc. The colour assignments are shown under the sunburst controls. Where space allows, the name of the taxonomic level will be written on the arc itself.
As you move your mouse across the sunburst, the current node will be highlighted. In the top section of the controls panel we show a summary of the lineage of the currently highlighed node. If you pause over an arc, a tooltip will be shown, giving the name of the taxonomic level in the title and a summary of the number of sequences and species below that node in the tree.
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There are some situations that the sunburst tree cannot easily handle and for which we have work-arounds in place.
Missing taxonomic levels
Some species in the taxonomic tree may not have one or more of the main eight levels that we display. For example, Bos taurus is not assigned an order in the NCBI taxonomic tree. In such cases we mark the omitted level with, for example, "No order", in both the tooltip and the lineage summary.
Unmapped species names
The tree is built by looking at each sequence in the full alignment for the family. We take the name of the species given by UniProt and try to map that to the full taxonomic tree from NCBI. In some cases, the name chosen by UniProt does not map to any node in the NCBI tree, perhaps because the chosen name is listed as a synonym or a misspelling in the NCBI taxonomy.
So that these nodes are not simply omitted from the sunburst tree, we group them together in a separate branch (or segment of the sunburst tree). Since we cannot determine the lineage for these unmapped species, we show all levels between the superkingdom and the species as "uncategorised".
Since we reduce the species tree to only the eight main taxonomic levels, sequences that are mapped to the sub-species level in the tree would not normally be shown. Rather than leave out these species, we map them instead to their parent species. So, for example, for sequences belonging to one of the Vibrio cholerae sub-species in the NCBI taxonomy, we show them instead as belonging to the species Vibrio cholerae.
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For large species trees, you may see blank regions in the outer layers of the sunburst. These occur when there are large numbers of arcs to be drawn in a small space. If an arc is less than approximately one pixel wide, it will not be drawn and the space will be left blank. You may still be able to get some information about the species in that region by moving your mouse across the area, but since each arc will be very small, it will be difficult to accurately locate a particular species.
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The tree shows the occurrence of this domain across different species. More...
Species trees
We show the species tree in one of two ways. For smaller trees we try to show an interactive representation, which allows you to select specific nodes in the tree and view them as an alignment or as a set of Pfam domain graphics.
Unfortunately we have found that there are problems viewing the interactive tree when the it becomes larger than a certain limit. Furthermore, we have found that Internet Explorer can become unresponsive when viewing some trees, regardless of their size. We therefore show a text representation of the species tree when the size is above a certain limit or if you are using Internet Explorer to view the site.
If you are using IE you can still load the interactive tree by clicking the "Generate interactive tree" button, but please be aware of the potential problems that the interactive species tree can cause.
Interactive tree
For all of the domain matches in a full alignment, we count the number that are found on all sequences in the alignment. This total is shown in the purple box.
We also count the number of unique sequences on which each domain is found, which is shown in green. Note that a domain may appear multiple times on the same sequence, leading to the difference between these two numbers.
Finally, we group sequences from the same organism according to the NCBI code that is assigned by UniProt, allowing us to count the number of distinct sequences on which the domain is found. This value is shown in the pink boxes.
We use the NCBI species tree to group organisms according to their taxonomy and this forms the structure of the displayed tree. Note that in some cases the trees are too large (have too many nodes) to allow us to build an interactive tree, but in most cases you can still view the tree in a plain text, non-interactive representation. Those species which are represented in the seed alignment for this domain are highlighted.
You can use the tree controls to manipulate how the interactive tree is displayed:
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Please note: for large trees this can take some time. While the tree is loading, you can safely switch away from this tab but if you browse away from the family page entirely, the tree will not be loaded.
There are 4 interactions for this family. More...
We determine these interactions using iPfam, which considers the interactions between residues in three-dimensional protein structures and maps those interactions back to Pfam families. You can find more information about the iPfam algorithm in the journal article that accompanies the website.
For those sequences which have a structure in the Protein DataBank, we use the mapping between UniProt, PDB and Pfam coordinate systems from the PDBe group, to allow us to map Pfam domains onto UniProt sequences and three-dimensional protein structures. The table below shows the structures on which the Cloacin domain has been found. There are 17 instances of this domain found in the PDB. Note that there may be multiple copies of the domain in a single PDB structure, since many structures contain multiple copies of the same protein sequence.
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Tue, September 01 2015
How to Shift Giving: New Money for Good Research Released
Filed under: Big Thoughts on Giving • Fundraising essentials •
Of all of the research I reference in webinar and conference presentations, the Money for Good studies are a longtime favorite. By delving into the true giving motivations and habits of donors, fundraisers can create more effective strategies and stronger appeals to inspire more giving. These are exactly the kind of insights that the Money for Good research offers.
That's why I'm happy to share that the latest Money for Good report from Camber Collective, the result of Hope Consulting and SwitchPoint LLC's merger, has been released today. Money for Good 2015 seeks to answer the question, "Why has giving been stuck at 2% GDP since the 70s?" and offers three key areas of focus to attempt to unlock $47B in U.S. charitable donations.
In particular, the research uncovers four key barriers that are likely preventing donors from giving more to your cause:
1. Donors want clearer communication with nonprofits: 49% of donors don't know how nonprofits are using their money, 34% feel hassled, and 20% are unsure who benefits from the work they're funding.
2. Donors don't know how much they give compared to peers: 75% of Americans think they donate more than average, yet 72% are contributing at a rate that's below the national average.
3. Name recognition trumps impact: 61% prefer to give to well-known nonprofits but not necessarily the most effective organizations.
4. People tend to give the same way year after year: 67% of donors are loyal to primary causes while only 13% intend to give to different nonprofits and only 9% compare nonprofits before giving.
So, how do you break through these barriers? Camber Collective's researchers have provided a deep dive on philanthropic segmentation that uncovers five distinct donor types and their attitudes, and offers ways to reframe giving appeals to better communicate to these giving profiles.
Want to dig into the research for yourself? Read the full report and learn more about the Money for Good 2015 segmentation toolkit.
Thu, August 27 2015
6 Quick Behavioral Economics Lessons for Fundraisers
Filed under: Fundraising essentials •
Last month I had the chance to listen to Professor Judd Kessler of the Wharton School during the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Annual Fundraising Conference in Minneapolis. He shared insight on how behavioral economics can affect nonprofit fundraising.
Wait, what the heck is "behavioral economics"? Think about it as simply understanding the factors and situations that influence behavior and motivate people to take action. Many researchers have tested which scenarios prompt more charitable donations, many of which are illustrated in The Science of Giving.
But behavioral economics isn't only the territory of PhDs. Professor Kessler encourages all nonprofit marketers to consider themselves to be scientists and to use simple A/B tests as experiments in their fundraising laboratory to sort out what will drive their donors to give more.
So, what are the principles that can affect fundraising for both small and large nonprofits? Here's a quick overview of six common concepts and how you can use them in your fundraising strategy.
1. Accountability & Recognition
What it is: This is the idea that if someone cares what other people think of them, they may give to appear more generous, responsible, or important.
The research: Gerber, Green & Larimer (2008) showed that voter turnout in Michigan was affected when registered voters received a message that indicated other voters would be notified of their neighbors' voting habits. In a different study, donors were found to give more when they were recognized as consistent donors to a fund.
How to do it: Accountability and recognition are two sides of the same coin, with recognition being usually perceived as the more positive of the two. Offering public recognition for donors can inspire donors to give to achieve and maintain the recognition, and this same attention can influence others to give to gain the same status. Give donors a special status when you feature giving opportunities on your website, in your newsletter, and in upcoming appeals.
2. Peer Pressure
What it is: In this case, the peer pressure comes from the simple power of the personal ask. If someone personally asks you to do something (especially in person or on the phone), you're more likely to go along with the request to avoid embarrassment and disappointment, or to win praise.
The research: Meer and Rosen (2009) showed that those who were called in addition to receiving a mailed solicitation were more likely to give.
How to do it: In addition to your direct mail and email appeals, make sure you are calling or meeting with key supporters to make that personal connection and encourage them to complete their gift. Bonus: you'll likely learn more information that will help you nurture the relationship or fix issues that may have prevented future giving.
3. Social Information/Social Proof
What it is: This is really peer pressure of a different kind. We take our cues on what to do to fit in (and avoid guilt) by looking to social norms—what other people are doing in the same situation.
The research: Frey and Meier (2004) studied the decision to give to student funds at the University of Zurich. When students were told that historically more than half of students gave to the fund, they were more likely to also contribute. Shang and Croson (2009) also showed that when donors were told what others had contributed, it affected the size of their gift.
How to do it: In all of your fundraising materials, make it clear that others support and value your work. Some of the easiest ways to show this social proof include: donation tickers and thermometers, testimonials and quotes from current donors, and charity ratings badges based on positive reviews of your work.
4. Gift Exchange/Reciprocity
What it is: A gift exchange happens when people feel obligated to repay gifts or return a favor, even if they know the gifts are intended to get them to take action.
The research: Falk (2005) found that illustrated cards from street children in Bangladesh increased the relative frequency of donations.
How to do it: Although address labels and totebags come to mind, get more creative when it comes to using the idea of reciprocity in your fundraising. Think about how your incentives or tokens of appreciation tie back to your mission and connect your donors with the end result of their gift. This could mean an exclusive tour of your facilities, a personalized note from a beneficiary, or a custom video from your volunteers. A gift exchange doesn't need to be expensive, it just needs to be sincere.
5. Identifiable Victim
What it is: When our minds turn to statistics or large numbers, we tend to think about problems in abstract, and feel less connection to them. To be inspired to give, donors need to be able to connect with your ask on a personal and emotional level.
The research: Small, Loewenstein and Slovic (2007) discovered that highlighting an "identifiable victim" made donors give twice as much as when donors were presented with an abstract story or "statistical victim."
How to do it: We've written a lot about this phenomenon on this blog, but essentially it all boils down to focusing on one person to illustrate the human impact of your issue. Tell a compelling story that donors can comprehend, and they'll be moved to give.
6. Donor Identity
What it is: We tend to think of ourselves in a certain way or with certain ties to our social groups, community, or experiences. Therefore, when we are reminded about the identity, we are compelled to act in ways that feel consistent with it.
The research: Kessler and Milkman (2015) showed that when donors were reminded of their identity as previous donors, they were more likely to give again.
How to do it: In your fundraising appeals, invoke the idea of your donors' identity to make your ask feel more relevant and personal. This might mean underscoring their connection to a certain neighborhood in your community, a specific alumni group, or a special factor that binds them to your cause.
Want more ideas on how to implement these concepts into your fundraising communications? Check out our guide on
How to Make the Case for Giving or enroll in The Ultimate Donation Page Course.
Tue, August 25 2015
Ignite Action with a Powerful Data Story
Filed under: Fundraising essentials •
[Editor's note: Today's post comes from Lori Jacobwith, founder of Ignited Fundraising. Lori is a fundraising culture change expert and master storyteller. Be sure to register for tomorrow's Nonprofit 911 webinar to hear Lori tell you all about how you can change your nonprofit's data story.]
As a master storyteller people often mistakenly think I only tell stories about people. The truth is, I find stories everywhere: In a glance between a client and staff, at board meetings, and even in financial data.
The question is what to do with the stories you find, especially the stories in your data?
One of the best ways to use some of the data you have is to share it in a visual display that paints a clear picture AND gets people to take actions to change the data. That might mean taking action to increase your fundraising, retain loyal donors, maintain an ample cushion of cash on hand at all times or, well, you decide.
The question then is: What actions do you want your staff, board and your community to take?
A good place to start is to create a board activity dashboard based on the actions your board has decided will make a difference.
A few metrics I like to see on a board dashboard are:
- Attendance at board & committee meetings
- Annual financial giving
- Participation in donor stewardship activities: story sharing, thank you calls, guests brought to events
Creating the dashboards is the easy part. Deciding what to show on the dashboards is what takes time and focused conversation.
Here are some simple steps to get you started:
Step 1: At a retreat or during a board meeting, provide ample time for your board members to answer a few key questions. You can refer to this post 5 Questions Every Board Should Ask for some helpful questions.
Step 2: Once the board has determined the ways they will be of most value AND what they want to track, the role of staff is to create a dashboard to support their actions.
Step 3: Make sure your dashboard shows both what has happened in the past AND what actions you want to cause in the future.
Step 4: Review dashboards regularly with time to discuss activity updates and what new actions must be taken next.
Whether you use a traditional bar graph or you use something different (Blue Avocado has an excellent example), your goal is to cause new actions that support your mission and your bottom line.
Simple Board Activity Dashboard
On August 26 on the Nonprofit 911 Network for Good Webinar I'll take you through a deeper dive into how to Change Your Data Story.
Join me to view samples of what your dashboards should look like and how best to use them to inspire action. I'll share six of the most common mistakes when designing dashboards and some examples of what you can do differently.
A nationally recognized master storyteller and fundraising culture expert, Lori L. Jacobwith has coached thousands to raise nearly $300 million dollars from individual donors. And counting. Her proven strategies & tools teach nonprofits and their boards to share stories powerfully and easily. Lori holds a BA from the University of Minnesota, has additional training from Indiana University's Fund Raising School and is a longtime member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Follow Lori on Twitter @LJacobwith or Facebook
Fri, August 21 2015
Master Monthly Giving (Part 2: Expert Interview)
Filed under: Recurring Giving •
I'm thrilled to share more monthly giving mastery with you from my recent interview with leading monthly giving expert Erica Waasdorp.
Nancy: Once you have a new monthly donor in the door, what's the best way to welcome him?
Erica: If donor signs up online, make sure you get a warm, appreciative email to him ASAP. Automate that via your donor management system.
In addition, I recommend that you always send a snail-mail thank you letter to new monthly donors. I'm a strong proponent of including a certificate in that mailing.
Skip the premium—thank yous are not the place—but make sure to include a personal contact at the organization, who signs the communication, and that person's phone and email so its easy for donors to get in touch. You don't have to send a monthly thank you letter in hard copy, but monthly emails are great. In both your email and thank you letter, include the fact that donors will receive a tax statement the following January.
Nancy: What are the best channels for monthly giving campaigns—email, direct mail, or something else?
Erica: Nothing works better than telemarketing. The response rate is simply higher than mail or email. Unfortunately, most organizations don't have the budget for this. When that is the case, email and direct mail are the next best thing.
Most important, putting monthly giving front and center in your outreach is absolutely vital. Make it easy to find on your website and other appeals. Then ask and ask again via every main channel and piece that makes sense.
Nancy: I recently wrote a case study about Global Giving, which included a call to action for both monthly and one-time giving in its disaster-relief appeal for Nepalese earthquake survivors.
Have you seen that kind of dual call to action work? I am a huge believer in putting out a single, doable call to action to prospects and supporters, and then following up with a second step once the first has been completed.
Erica: Yes, it can work, and it ties in with the answer above—ask, ask, and ask some more.
The more you put monthly giving out there, the more donors will start giving that way. I see some of the "big guys" putting monthly giving front and center. For example, they offer monthly giving first and one-time donations second.
Nancy: What's the greatest monthly donor recruitment case study you know?
Erica: Where do I start? I've done some huge monthly donor recruitment campaigns over the years, including one that raised $13 million. Most recently, I doubled the monthly donor base for a religious organization client, and those donors now generate 50% of the organization's annual revenue.
But remember that these figures are relative, because your dollar total depends on the size of your existing donor base.
Consider another client I helped get started with monthly giving: a small animal shelter with 500 donor emails. The only mechanism they had for online giving was PayPal, so we customized the PayPal recurring giving options, put it on their donation page, and directed folks there from a three-part email series asking donors to join the "Champions" program.
We used a small board challenge of $5,000 with a clear deadline. Now the organization gets $2,500 a year from its monthly donors, and they also got the $5,000. We're planning to do this again with the aim of doubling the monthly donor base every time. Cost is virtually nothing because it's all done online. For this organization, starting monthly giving is huge.
Nancy: What's the biggest monthly giving mistake you see fundraisers make again and again?
Erica: That's an easy one—the biggest mistake is not starting and not asking. And the second-biggest mistake is asking too high.
If you want to start asking for monthly gifts of $50 per month, you'll be disappointed if you see that the average gift is $23 per month for the first group of donors. Ask high and you'll get a low response.
Instead, ask low and you'll get a high response. In the case of monthly giving, you can absolutely upgrade monthly donors later. The key is to get them used to giving monthly first.
Nancy: What's your most vital advice for fundraisers hoping to grow their organization's monthly donor program?
Erica: We're all overloaded. That's why it's vital to organize and systemize your monthly giving program before you promote it.
If you don't set all steps up before you start recruiting, including assigning all roles and responsibilities, something's going to fall through the cracks.
That's why I'm so excited to have co-authored the ready-to-roll templates and tips in the no-charge Monthly Giving Starter Kit. It's a great help in getting started and keeping your monthly giving strong.
To learn more about monthly giving, download our free eGuide!
About Erica Waasdorp
Erica Waasdorp is one of the leading experts on monthly (aka sustainer or recurring) giving. She is the author of Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant and co-author of the DonorPerfect Monthly Giving Starter Kit. As president of A Direct Solution, she serves nonprofit organizations in their fundraising and direct marketing needs with a focus on monthly giving, annual funds, and grant writing.
With refreshing practicality, Nancy Schwartz rolls up her sleeves to help nonprofits develop and implement strategies to build strong relationships that inspire key supporters to action. She shares her deep nonprofit marketing insights—and passion—through consulting, speaking, and her popular blog and e-news at GettingAttention.org.
Wed, August 19 2015
Master Monthly Giving: Q&A with Erica Waasdorp
Filed under: Recurring Giving •
I'm thrilled to share this monthly giving mastery with you, drawn from my fascinating interview with leading monthly giving expert Erica Waasdorp.
In her unequaled guidebook, Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant, Erica walks you through recurring giving, step by clear-and-doable step. "Historically, U.S. fundraisers have focused on major gifts. I'm thrilled that organizations are widening their focus to include monthly giving and small to medium gifts. There's huge potential there," says Erica.
What do fundraisers need to know about how monthly giving has changed since the release of Sleeping Giant in 2013?
Erica Waasdorp: What's changed most dramatically, especially in the past year, is that monthly giving has exploded.
I think the main reason for this growth is fundraisers' laser focus on donor retention. That focus, already there for some, was further fueled by results of the 2013 AFP Fundraising Effectiveness study, which highlighted the fall of donor retention rates to 39%. That was a real wake-up call for all of us.
There are two more factors that I think have added to the monthly giving boom. First is the emergence of reliable, thorough monthly giving guidance—from me, Network for Good, and others. This abundance of content triggers interest and provides reliable results-based guidance for fundraisers. Fun features, such as Network for Good's monthly giving challenge, reinforce interest and skills.
The second factor that's boosted monthly giving is the ease of adding, processing, and managing monthly donors via many donor database and online donation systems. Despite these widespread improvements, automating this process remains one of the biggest hurdles for fundraisers.
Why should an organization convert its donors from annual to monthly? Is there any risk of losing existing donors?
EW: No, there's absolutely nothing to lose—as long as you target the right group. In other words, I do not recommend you ask your $250-plus donors to join monthly giving. Unless a donor at that level requests to be a monthly donor, don't ask. You risk decreasing her gift level.
But for those who make gifts of $100 and less annually, there's no way not to gain by converting them to monthly donors. You'll retain them as donors and increase their total gifts per year. Plus, monthly donors are six to seven times more likely to make your organization a beneficiary in their wills. Win-win all around, if you ask me.
What's the WIIFM (what's in it for me) for monthly donors?
EW: The WIIFM depends on which donor group you're talking to. For example, monthly giving is a fantastic way for donors on a fixed income to make gifts to favorite organizations. It's easy and convenient, and they can't forget it.
That's a perfect lead-in to my next question. Are all existing and new donors ripe for conversion for monthly donors, or is there a specific segment where fundraisers should start?
EW: Well, it depends on how many donors you have who give $100 and less annually. And it depends on how many times you ask your donors for money now—that is, how many times they can give.
Those donors who have given more than once are more likely to convert. But recent monthly giving stats indicate that even nondonor supporters, such as those who have signed a petition, can be converted. You do have to ask them, though.
If you have a robust email list, start there. Focus your first direct mail campaign to donors who give by credit card. Targeting is essential to boost monthly giving campaign results, just as for other types of fundraising campaigns.
What's the most reliable way to convert one-time or annual donors to monthly donors?
EW: There are three components of a reliable monthly giving strategy:
- To deliver the most cost-effective and effective monthly giving campaign, launch an email appeal series based on a deadline-driven challenge (matching gift or otherwise).
- To generate the highest response from your monthly giving recruitment campaign, include calls to your media mix. Email, direct mail, and phone all work, but a combination of all three works even better.
- To ensure monthly donors stay with you as long as possible, ask donors to give through electronic funds transfer (that is, via their bank accounts).
Thanks, Erica!
About Erica Waasdorp
Erica Waasdorp is one of the leading experts on monthly (aka sustainer or recurring) giving. She is the author of Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant and co-author of the DonorPerfect Monthly Giving Starter Kit. As president of A Direct Solution, she serves nonprofit organizations in their fundraising and direct marketing needs with a focus on monthly giving, annual funds, and grant writing.
With refreshing practicality, Nancy Schwartz rolls up her sleeves to help nonprofits develop and implement strategies to build strong relationships that inspire key supporters to action. She shares her deep nonprofit marketing insights—and passion—through consulting, speaking, and her popular blog and e-news at GettingAttention.org.


text:
Enter of the following codes as a name to active the corresponding cheat function. Note: The game's codes are matched to the bonus code of each game, which will vary. The following codes will only work with discs that have the same bonus code.
Two wheel drive vehicles for rally and stage mode
Enter "AVXBUL" as a code (bonus code 35628).


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The Guy Does Bento is back! This is one he made just for himself on a day I was feeling too sick to eat much of anything. Now that I am slowly getting my appetite back, just looking at it makes my mouth water.
The bento features two of our favorite bento items: Chicken Karaage (leftovers - he made them himself the night before) and 1-egg tamagoyaki. The tamagoyaki here turned out a bit on the brown side, but The Guy says it was still very good. He's filled out the rest of the bento with boiled broccoli and plain rice. He put a a bit of peeled broccoli stalk on top of the rice to add color. Notice he put in only one section's worth of rice, packed in a bit loosely, to compensate a bit for the fried chicken. Overall this bento is probably around 700 calories, even though he did smoosh in as many pieces of chicken as he could. (There's a couple of pieces tucked under the tamagoyaki too!)
Here's a dramatic closeup.
The box used is the LunchBots Quad. The Guy likes bento boxes with compartments, like this one and the Idea box (the latter one may be his favorite of them all) because it helps him to organize the food without thinking about it too much.
Tip: To keep chicken karaage as crispy as possible in a bento box, make sure it, and any other food packed in the box, has cooled down completely before you close the lid. The rice in particular needs to be completely cooled, to room temperature or less, otherwise the condensation from it will make your chicken a bit soggy. It will still taste good though! That's the beauty of karaage over other deep fried chicken methods.
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That really does look like a tasty bento! I've been having bento lunches at uni and it's something I look forward to during the day :)
Nice job, Guy!
Yay, an easy starter Bento I can make with what I have in the house. Your book arrived last week, and I am so excited to mark the pages that have these recipes! Thank you for a wonderful resource. Hope you feel better soon.
I'm new to bentos. I just received my medium size (850ml), black, Ideal bento box from Bento&Co, and now planning which yummy items to fill it with. I also ordered a 4-pack of tiny animal bottles that you can fill with sauces hahaha. I plan to do some fun grocery shopping tomorrow!
btw: I had to email Bento&Co to ask if they still carry the medium or large sized Ideal boxes. They promptly replied and explained the maker of that box stopped making that product in 2011! They had only one medium left and so they removed the link from the website, then mailed to me the link so I could be sure to get the item. Very kind of them!!! So if you don't see an exact size of an item you want, best is just ask them; they may be able to help!
Thank you for posting this! My son would love it because it has his least disliked vegie, broccoli :) Maybe next week.
Looks tasty! If I were making this for me, I'd drop one of the proteins in favor of another vegetable. I've made quite a few tamagoyaki so far, but I haven't tried your Chicken Karaage yet. I should - it looks really good!
The bento restaurant I work at has a menu item called Tatsuta-age. I was wondering if you knew the difference between that and karaage? Or at they pretty much the same thing?
Inspired by your blog, I bought the Ideal bento box (as it's called on Bento & Co's site, along with the name "Shikiri Bento"). I learned that, unfortunately, the manufacturer has gone out of business, and the distributor, Bento & Co., is selling the last of them. Only the small, kiddie size is left. :-( I wish another company would buy the rights to start making it again, because it's GREAT!
I've really enjoyed filling the compartments with several foods of various colors, deciding which of the mix-and-match compartments I'll use today. I'm not much into cooking at all, but the bento box has gotten me at least to make red-cabbage slaw, steam some broccoli, and do a few other low-effort food preparations that I wouldn't have bothered with for lunch before. And it's fun to put in small amounts of favorites like pickled pearl onions and roasted red pepper from jars.
Because I have only the kiddie size, I bring my entree separately and use the bento box for side dishes. It works well, since I like to break my lunch into 2 mini meals anyway.
Thanks for the inspiration, and I'm glad you're starting to feel better!
I like that he added broccoli for color. Not something many people would think of!
Your post just made me hungry. I really have to buy a bento box myself which will be useful too when my girl starts school. Ah, this just looks so delicious!
Oo that looks good. I didn't know you have been sick; I'm so sorry. That sucks. I hope all is much better.
I have a question for you guys.. Just like 90% of all Germans, we don't own a deep fry and I'm not planning to buy one (especially since I'm moving to Norway in August).
Is it possible to instead fry the chicken/etc in a Wok pan with lots of oil? It doesn't matter if it goes a tiny bit less crunchy, as long as the taste will be good.
You don't need a deep fryer to fry foods at home. You can use a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot, but it needs to be heavy so that the heat will be evenly distributed. To compensate, you'll also need a thermometer that can be affixed onto your pot, to keep an eye on the oil temperature. And don't forget, make sure you put the food in carefully, with tongs or the like.
Hope this helps!
P.S. Check out my blog, Conquering the Cookbook on Tumblr and follow me, if you can! I'll be updating tomorrow and hopefully every Sunday!
Nothing beats the combination of katsu and those Japanese potato balls in bento!
Would this keep in the fridge or should it always be cooked fresh the night before?
@justbento - strictly site updates
@makiwi - Maki tweets at random


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10 November 2009 at 4.08pm | Comment on this article
A lot of the work the Royal Opera House does with young people takes place away from the Royal Opera House building itself, in school halls and classrooms, community centres and other arts venues. But we're also keen to encourage people to come here: to explore the building and encounter first-hand what we do both on the stage and behind the scenes (since far more people work behind the scenes than in front of them!).
Last Friday we held an event called Open Up, which brought nearly 1,500 people into the building, the majority of them students. The title's pretty self-explanatory. The Royal Ballet rehearsed three different ballets in the Hamlyn Hall (our big Front of House space); there was special access to the stage rehearsal of the opera The Tsarina's Slippers on the main stage; there were participatory workshops in which you could sing and act in Carmen alongside our Jette Parker Young Artists; and everywhere you looked our craft and backstage departments were demonstrating and talking about what they do.
We do quite a lot of similar events during the course of a year but this is the biggest, since it involves all three of the performing companies (Royal Opera, Royal Ballet and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House) and so many of our staff (over a hundred of them). It's the second time we've run Open Up and the feedback from people who attended has been great. Just one comment I saw today: "It was the single most interesting half-hour I have ever spent enlarging my appreciation of ballet." Just as importantly, the feedback's been equally positive from our artists and staff, who really enjoyed having the opportunity to share their skills 'up close', and talk to people face-to-face.
Also last week I visited the YO! Opera Festival in Holland. For the best part of a week a theatre in Utrecht was teeming with young performers, directors and composers, and audiences. Just as with our own Open Up event, the atmosphere was fantastic. With those two events taking place in the same week, walking into ROH yesterday I was quite taken aback to see so many older people around!


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Earlier this month, Gallup pollsters called up 1,024 American adults and asked them, supposing that she attained the White House in 2016, to name "the best or most positive thing about a Hillary Clinton presidency." The largest group, 18 percent, said the most enticing part of this hypothetical was the fact that Clinton would make history as the first female president. Just under 10 percent were taken with her foreign policy experience, and 8 percent liked the idea that she would break with the failures of the Bush and Obama administrations.
Because every yin has its yang, the second question asked people to choose "the worst or most negative thing about a Hillary Clinton presidency." Tied for first place at 6 percent were the notion that Clinton would only defibrillate Obama's lusterless policies and the opinion that she is "unqualified." Four percent said the worst part of a Clinton White House would be that she is a Democrat, which is very sophisticated thinking on the part of the respondents, and another 4 percent said they simply didn't want a female president.
I'm not sure how enlightening these results are. Instead of telling us what percentage of Americans hold the various attitudes—that Clinton is deceitful, for instance, or that a woman should not helm the ship of state—they only reveal how many respondents view such factors as the best or worst thing about her as a candidate. I can imagine very few people admitting (to themselves or to a stranger on the phone) that their No. 1 problem with Clinton is that she aspires to lead the free world while in possession of ovaries. (To be fair, this probably isn't even the biggest reason most of her detractors dislike her.) But that doesn't mean her ovaries aren't in play. For some, Clinton's gender may contribute to a nebulous sense of unease about her suitability as president; no wonder a more popular reservation than "AHH!!!! SHE-POTUS!!!!!" seems to be that Clinton is "unqualified," despite her experience as secretary of state, senator, and first lady.
In the same way, I can imagine, as the Atlantic's David A. Graham does, commentators looking at the 18 percent figure and entering rage-spirals that people might elect Clinton just because she's a woman. But even Clinton's most ardent fans must concede that the shattering of a centuries-old glass ceiling would represent a highlight of her presidency. That doesn't mean she's not shrewd or experienced or that her policies are bad. For that matter, making history doesn't necessarily outweigh the negatives—which include Clinton's (some would say disingenuous) support for an immensely costly and painful war in Iraq.
Maybe what these results really illuminate is how thoughtless Americans can be about politics. A combined grand total of 16 percent of Americans balk at specific Clintonian policies rather than her vague "lack of qualifications." Likewise, just 13 percent of respondents said they were rooting for Hillary because of her stance on a particular issue, such as health care or immigration. Read this aside from the researchers (and weep):
A little less than half of Americans did not give a substantive answer in response to the positive question, and about the same percentage didn't give a substantive answer to the negative question. This is in large part because the majority of Republicans have no specific thoughts about the best thing about a Clinton presidency, and a majority of Democrats do not have specific responses to the question about the worst aspects of a Clinton presidency.
In other words, a lot of Republicans cannot dream up a single upside to having Hillary Clinton in the White House, and a lot of Democrats cannot fathom a single drawback. Step up your game, electorate!