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With all the economic uncertainty right now, you may be worried about your nonprofits finances. Maybe your giving has gone down and youve cut back on some expenses. While thats understandable on one level, you need to be careful before you nix something you think you cant afford. It may be something you should be investing in. Instead of going on autopilot and saying We cant afford this, think about how you can make the right investments.
Your donor database is an effective tool for boosting engagement at your nonprofitif you optimize and leverage it strategically. Learn more in this guide. By Sarah Tedesco Its no secret that effective donor engagement is vital to your nonprofits success. Individual donations make up a large portion of most nonprofits funding, and those donors generally want to feel connected to and appreciated by the organizations they support.
Our world is chock full of information. When I was growing up, we just had a few TV channels to choose from. Now there are countless streaming options. We also have email, the internet, and social media, just to name a few. Its not only the volume of options, its also the content. And in our current climate of crisis and uncertainty, its information overload on steroids.
In an ideal world, a newsletter can be a great way to engage with your donors. In the real world, that doesnt often happen because most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. Theyre too long and filled with boring articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is. A newsletter is a vital part of the ask, thank report, repeat formula and you cant just go on autopilot.
As you work on your nonprofit messages, remember the word why. Why, you ask? Because a lot of nonprofit communication doesnt focus on why something is important. Theres usually a lot of what and how, but not much why. The typical fundraising letter and newsletter article rambles on about accomplishments without explaining why something matters. Some organizations also like to pour on the statistics.
You may think youre practicing donor engagement by sending thank you letters and newsletters, but is the content actually engaging? Its often formulaic and just downright dull. Many nonprofits send all their donors the same appeal and thank you letters. In these letters, they never thank a donor for their past support or acknowledge theyre a monthly donor.
Donor retention is a perennial problem for nonprofit organizations. Many organizations spend a lot of time and energy on acquiring donors, concentrating more on volume, and dont seem concerned that theyre churning through different donors year after year. Another perennial problem is uncertainty and disruption in our world. Right now were dealing with cuts in federal funding, tariffs, a plunging stock market, etc, which are creating constant chaos for us.
Your nonprofit needs a skilled, dedicated team to advance its mission. Use these onboarding best practices to set your new hires up for lasting success. By Debbie Willis Every new employee brings passion, talent, and a fresh perspective to your nonprofit. However, recruiting and retaining these essential team members is not always easy. In fact, 60% of nonprofit leaders report experiencing staff-related concernswhether thats a lack of staff capacity or losing staff because they cannot provide co
Its important for you to remember these four words – Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat If your nonprofit follows this fundraising formula, you should be more successful. Many organizations just practice Ask, Ask, Ask. If thats what youre doing, are you raising the money you need? Because whats most important is to thank and report before you ask for another donation.
Is your nonprofit still producing one of those multi-page annual reports? If so, why? Anything thats more than four pages is too long. Besides that, theyre often boring, they focus too much on the organization and not on the donors, they require a lot of time and effort from staff, and theres no guarantee donors will even look at them. Now you have a dilemma.
Diverse revenue streams provide a sustainable financial foundation for nonprofits. Explore revenue streams your nonprofit should pursue in this guide. Its important for you to diversify your revenue sources. This is especially important now because of the current chaos of eliminating (and then not eliminating, at least for now) federal grant funding.
We all like to feel appreciated and that includes your donors. Thanking your donors should be a priority for your nonprofit organization. Is that the case? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Thanking your donors is not just something you do after you receive a donation and then do nothing for a while. You need to show gratitude all year round and with Valentines Day coming up, thats a great opportunity to thank your donors and show them how much you appreciate their support.
Monthly giving is one of the few types of fundraising that does well. If your organization doesnt have a monthly/recurring giving program or its fairly small, why is that? Whether youre a big or a smaller organization or your fundraising went well last year or it didnt, monthly giving makes so much sense (or cents). In this post, Ill tell you why monthly giving is important for your nonprofit, how to start or grow your program, and how to nurture it going forward.
Why does making a donation often feel like a transaction? Organizations get so caught up in the raising money part that they forget about building relationships with their donors. Giving Tuesday is the worst example of this, with Year End close behind. Generally, it happens way too often. Remember this Building relationships is just as important as raising money.
Happy New Year!Its hard to believe its already 2025. I hope 2024 was a successful year for your nonprofit organization. If it wasnt, you can work to make 2025 a better year. And if you were successful, you want that to continue. Many individuals make New Years resolutions and set goals. Your nonprofit should do the same. As with personal resolutions, you want your goals to be realistic and attainable.
Your website can be a great marketing tool, but it can also help your nonprofit raise funds. Learn how to encourage donations on your nonprofit website. By Ira Horowitz Your nonprofits website is more than just a hub for your online presenceits a versatile platform that can help you connect with supporters, amplify your mission, and make a lasting impact.
Year-end fundraising is in full swing. I hope your campaign is going well so far. Perhaps you also participated in Giving Tuesday. The latter often brings in new donors, which you never want to take for granted. These donors saw a need and found a connection to your cause. Or maybe they were drawn into whatever Giving Tuesday promotion you initiated, but I like to think they wanted to help you make a difference.
Effective financial management is critical for your nonprofit to grow and thrive long-term. Explore four considerations for achieving financial sustainability. By Jon Osterburg If you work for a new nonprofit, your team’s primary goal is probably to get your operations off the ground and start furthering your mission. But once your organization has existed for some time, you’ll likely start considering how to make it thrive long-term.
Your email inbox can look downright scary these days. This was especially true during the long U.S. election season. Soon we’ll be bombarded with Cyber Monday and Black Friday ads. And then there’s Giving Tuesday. All of this can be too much, too much, and many of these messages look like spam. In an ideal world Giving Tuesday wouldn’t be associated with political emails and Cyber Monday ads.
Year-end fundraising coincides with the gratitude season, which includes Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the December holidays. This is appropriate since thanking your donors is part of the fundraising equation, even though many nonprofits don’t always realize this. Now is a great opportunity to show some gratitude to your donors. You could hold a thankathon , especially if you haven’t launched your appeal yet.
Year-end fundraising season is here. I’m already seeing appeal letters in my mailbox and this is just the beginning. Speaking of appeal letters, you should plan to send one by mail. I know email is easier and less expensive, but people respond better to mail and it’s well worth the investment. However, if you just send one fundraising letter and wait for the donations to come in, prepare to be disappointed.
Segmenting your donors makes sense on every level. If you’re running a campaign, you can send different letters to different types of donors or segment by gift amount and encourage them to upgrade. You can also create a new donor welcome series, a special thank you mailing for monthly donors, or reach out to lapsed donors. Your donors are not the same.
I imagine many of you are working on your year-end fundraising campaign. You may have started working on your appeal letter, which is great, but how much time have you spent thinking about how you’ll thank your donors? Maybe not that much. If that’s the case, you’re making a mistake because it’s just as important, if not more important, to plan how you’ll thank your donors.
Want to reach new audiences to expand your nonprofit’s supporter base? Explore these ideas to engage with new groups of potential supporters. By Jay Love Is your nonprofit looking to reach new audiences with your fundraising appeals , volunteer events, and advocacy opportunities? You’re in the right place! Reaching new audiences is critical to growing your organization’s supporter base and fostering reliable revenue to fund your cause.
Can you believe it’s already September? Depending on where you live, you may or may not be getting that nice refreshing air September often brings. After a hot summer, I’m ready for that. September also brings us to the start of the busiest time of the year for nonprofit organizations, especially if you’re doing a year-end appeal. Even though you may not launch your campaign until later in the fall , you should get started on your appeal letter now.
Although nonprofits and businesses seem different, they share many similarities. Discover lessons nonprofits can learn from their for-profit counterparts here. By Kyle Cannon Although businesses and nonprofits operate in two different worlds, governed by their own unique rules, these organizations are more alike than one might initially think. Certain strategies apply to organizations in both industries—and nonprofits can experience major benefits from following in the footsteps of certain succe
Stories come in many forms. You can tell a story with words, pictures, and videos. I prefer written stories, but others are drawn to videos. Some people might not have the time or energy to look at anything but a photo or infographic. Your nonprofit organization needs to share stories using all these forms. Sharing stories will help you connect with your donors and improve your engagement.
Thanking your donors is just as important, if not more important than fundraising. Yet many organizations spend a lot of time putting together a fundraising campaign and then treat thanking their donors as an afterthought. Donor retention continues to be a problem. One of many reasons is because people don’t feel appreciated. Prioritizing gratitude and donor relations will help.
Can you believe it’s August already? Time flies and soon it will be September. I know It’s hard to think about fall when it’s been sweltering in many parts of the world, including places where it’s usually not that hot. Even so, September will be here before you know it. I’m already starting to see ads for back-to-school sales…. If you’re doing a year-end fundraising campaign, the time to start planning it is now, hopefully in an air-conditioned space.
Donor motivations are the “why” that drives their support of your nonprofit. Learn how to uncover those motivations and inspire more support in this guide. By Ryan Carpenter For the last several years, nonprofits have struggled to make ends meet due to falling revenue, rising inflation, and an increase in community needs. Charitable giving saw a 2.1% decrease in 2023 after inflation, showing how challenging it is for donors and nonprofits to keep up with inflation rates.
Are you having trouble with your donor engagement? If you answered yes, it may be because your communication is well, just meh. The remedy I like to recommend is the 5 C’s of good nonprofit communication. Keep these in mind when you’re writing a fundraising appeal, thank you letter, update, or any type of donor communication. Is it Clear? What is your intention?
It’s summer! I hope you’ll get a chance to take a vacation or just some time off. It may be quieter at your nonprofit, but you don’t want to be too quiet and ignore your donors. Summer is a great time to do some relationship building. You should communicate with your donors at least once a month and that includes the summer months. Don’t make the mistake of taking a vacation from your donor communication.
Over the years I’ve realized the importance of keeping things simple. We have so many ways to fill our time (many of them involving screens), but I often find pleasure in simple things such as taking a walk, reading, and doing yoga. Keeping it simple doesn’t have to mean a bare-bones existence. There’s a Swedish term called lagom meaning everything in moderation or not too much, not too little.
Believe it or not, we’re halfway through 2024. The midpoint of the year is always a good time to see if you’re meeting your fundraising and communications goals. For this post, I’m assuming your fiscal year is the same as the calendar year. If you’re on a different fiscal cycle, you can make the appropriate time adjustments. Your fundraising revenue may be down.
Segmenting your donors allows you to send personalized messages that resonate with them and increase engagement. Check out these donor segmentation strategies. By Gabrielle Perham With so much information available at their fingertips, it can be overwhelming and difficult for your supporters to fully absorb it all. Among the thousands of brands, businesses, and other charitable organizations out there, your nonprofit has to figure out how to cut through the clutter and stand out to current and p
What kind of experience are you giving your donors when they interact with your organization? Is it good, bad, or somewhere in between? It’s important for you to look at things from their perspective, not yours. Let’s examine some of the different aspects of fundraising and donor communication to see what kind of experience you’re giving your donors.
I believe one of the most important aspects of communication (written and verbal) is to make sure your audience understands you. There are many reasons this doesn’t happen. In nonprofit communication, organizations will overcomplicate things or use jargon and other language donors don’t understand. Some people like to show off their big vocabulary or only think about things from their perspective.
People used to send postcards when they went on vacation, especially back in the days before we had email and social media. Now people are more likely to post pictures on social media, sometimes posting more than you want to see. We don’t use postal mail as much anymore and many nonprofits are a part of that group. This is a mistake. Direct mail is more personal and your donors are more likely to see something they receive in the mail, as opposed to any type of electronic message you send.
In most instances, nonprofit giving declined again in 2023. If you’re interested in the numbers, here are the latest results from M + R Benchmarks. If your giving has gone down, you may have cut back on some expenses. While that’s understandable on one level, you need to be careful before you nix something you think you can’t afford. It may be something you should be investing in.
Is your nonprofit poised for long-term growth? Check out these future-proof nonprofit fundraising strategies based on today’s top philanthropic trends. By Patrick Schmitt Achieving your mission takes time and resources. As a nonprofit professional, you know this all too well and likely implement all kinds of cost-saving and efficiency-boosting practices into your work.
Our world is packed with information, too much at times. When I was growing up, we just had a few TV channels to choose from. Now there are countless streaming options. We also have email, the internet, and social media, just to name a few. It’s a lot! How does your nonprofit organization compete with all this? You need to communicate regularly with your donors and you need to do it well.
In theory, a newsletter can be a great way to engage with your donors. In reality, that doesn’t often happen because most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. They’re too long and filled with boring articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is. A newsletter is a vital part of the ask, thank report, repeat formula and you can’t just go through the motions.
A common problem with nonprofit communication is that it’s not focused on why something is important. There’s usually a lot of what and how, but not much why. The typical fundraising letter and newsletter article rambles on about accomplishments without explaining why something matters. Some organizations also like to pour on the statistics. These numbers don’t mean much without more information.
In my last post, I wrote about potential missed opportunities for donor engagement. You may think you’re practicing donor engagement by sending thank you letters and an e-newsletter, but is the content actually engaging? It’s often formulaic and just downright dull. Many nonprofits send all their donors the same appeal and thank you letters. In these letters, they never thank a donor for their past support or acknowledge they’re a monthly donor.
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