August, 2015

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HOW TO: Add a “Donate Now” Button to Your Nonprofit’s Facebook Page

Nonprofit Tech for Good

For years nonprofits have hoped for the capability to accept donations through their Facebook Page and although Facebook recently added a “Donate Now” option to their call-to-action buttons, only a handful of partner nonprofits have been selected to accept Facebook digital payments through a “Donate” button (see Oxfam America).

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[Guest Post] Telling Your Story In the Grant Proposal Budget

Fundraising Coach

I'm thrilled to introduce you to Diane H. Leonard, GPC. Diane is an accomplished grant professional who's been providing provided grant counsel to nonprofit organizations of all sizes for over a decade. Since starting her firm - DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services, LLC - in 2006, she has secured more than $32 million dollars in competitive grant funds for clients from the government (federal, state, and local) and private foundations.

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How You Can Share Accomplishments Without Bragging

Ann Green

We all know someone who talks too much about himself or brags about all the wonderful things she’s done. Once this person gets going, it’s enough to make you want to flee the room. Imagine your donors having the same reaction when all your communications sound like one big bragfest. You don’t want to be that guy. Of course, you want to share your accomplishments, and it’s possible do it without bragging.

Medical 110
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American Cancer Society Flops

The Agitator

If b t were the new cure for cancer then the direct marketing staff and consultants of the American Cancer Society should win the Nobel Prize in Medicine hands down. That was pretty much the conclusion of dozens of Agitator readers who phoned, emailed and texted following their attendance at last week’s presentation at the DMANF New York Nonprofit Conference .

Marketing 109
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6 Quick Behavioral Economics Lessons for Fundraisers

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

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.

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Using Facebook Targeting to Boost Performance on Organic and Promoted Posts

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Drew Bernard. Learn how to find your ideal audience on Facebook in this month’s guest post by Drew Bernard of ActionSprout. ~Kristina. Guest Post by Drew Bernard, Founder and CEO of ActionSprout. Facebook targeting is one of the most powerful ways nonprofit page managers can increase reach. The social network’s incredibly accurate targeting options for ads have long made it easy to control spend.

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From 2005 to 2015: The Radical Effect of Social Media on Nonprofit Web Design

Nonprofit Tech for Good

The average person worldwide has five social media accounts and spends an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks every day. In 2005 Facebook was only open to college students and professors, Twitter didn’t exist, and the iPhone was still in concept mode. The Internet was primarily a desktop PC or laptop experience and reading news and sending and receiving email accounted for the majority of time spent online.

Activism 100

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Is Your Website in Good Shape?

Ann Green

As summer winds down and you start getting ready for year-end fundraising, you need to make sure your website is in good shape. This means it’s up-to-date, easy to read and navigate, welcoming, and audience-centered. How does your website fare? Use the checklist below to find out. Home page. Your home page is often the first place a newcomer will visit.

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17 Reasons To Fire A Board Member

The Agitator

Without question the greatest barrier to great fundraising is a lousy board. Of course issues like staff quality, the necessary funds for investment, proper organizational structure, etc. etc. are important. But none is more important than a board. Because at the end of the day it is the board that ultimately determines the quality and culture of the organization.

Culture 95
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Nonprofit Love: A Music Playlist to Inspire You

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

Sometimes nonprofit fundraisers and marketers need to take a deep breath and then.rock out. Ok maybe not "rock out," but listening to music can help spark creativity , help you relax , or pump you up. I reached out to some of my nonprofit friends on Twitter and asked them what they listen to at work to get them "in the zone." You can see who contributed song ideas in this Storify.

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SHOW US YOUR LISTS! 8 Ideas for Nonprofit Twitter Lists 

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Every time I teach a Twitter class, I’m surprised at how many seasoned Twitter users DON’T use lists. A Twitter list is a curated group of Twitter users. It is an incredibly useful feature that makes Twitter much more manageable. You can create your own lists or subscribe to lists created by others. Here’s the help section on creating and using Twitter lists.

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10 Blog Design Best Practices for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Tech for Good

Your nonprofit could have a wide variety of excellent blog content , but if your blog’s design doesn’t make a positive first impression, then few will read it – much less share it with their followers on social networks. The same is true with website and web articles. Today’s fast-scanning Internet users need online content that is visually appealing and easy to read on desktop and mobile devices, and they have little patience with poorly designed blog and web content.

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[Guest Post] Communicate More Often to Renew More Donors

Fundraising Coach

Today's guest post is by Dennis Fischman. Dennis is the creator of the Communicate! blog, dedicated to helping nonprofits win loyal friends and getting the support they need. In this post, he shows you how to use what you already have to communicate in multiple channels through the magic of repurposing. Dennis will be presenting the next Nonprofit Academy session called: Delight Your Donors With Better Communication (and Spend Less Time Doing It).

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50 More of the Best Nonprofit Twitter Accounts to Follow Right Now

EveryAction

A while back, we shared a collection of awesome nonprofits that are doing Twitter right and the response was overwhelming. That's why, just in time to revamp your timeline for the fall, we thought you could use 50 more social-savvy organizations to follow, fav, and RT. Here's a brand new list of some of the best nonprofit Twitter accounts in the Twitterverse!

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Breakdown In Trust Is A Good Thing

The Agitator

For too long too many nonprofits –especially those focused heavily on direct response –have behaved as though they’re still operating in a by-gone time when donors placed blind trust in nonprofits and their brands. This failure to recognize—not through lip service and jargon but by the way we practice our craft — the vast changes in donor and consumer mentality has led to overreaching, manipulation and donor abuse.

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Don’t Forget the Why

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

On a recent family vacation, I loved seeing these stickers on trash cans along the boardwalk and on the beach. As part of Virginia Beach’s “Keep It Beachy Clean” campaign , messages like “Thanks for not littering! You just kept a pelican from making bad choices.” or “Thanks for not littering! You just made a whale want to come back next year.” added a bit of humor to a reminder of why the message mattered.

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Mixed Links for Nonprofit Marketers and Fundraisers

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Happy Friday! Let’s celebrate the end of another week with some Mixed Links… Just a reminder, we are hosting this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and are taking submissions on how you share progress or communicate accomplishments. If you need some help spicing up your graphics, here are 5 Awesome Design Hacks to Create Highly Shareable Social Media Graphics.

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Why mistakes are awesome and what to do about them

iMarketSmart

I know the feeling. A supporter calls to tell you your email or letter spelled her name wrong. She’s pissed! You begin to sweat and your muscles become tense. You think to yourself – “This sucks!” But what you really should be thinking is, “This is a terrific opportunity to make things right and build a deeper relationship with a supporter who cared enough to call.” Let’s face it, if the supporter wanted the relationship to be over, they never would have

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Happy National Bow Tie Day!

Fundraising Coach

I love National Bow Tie Day! I knew I'd worn bowties since kindergarten but a while back, my mother found a picture of me wearing a bow tie when I was 3 years old! It seems that my father went through a brief bow tie phase back in the 1970's. I must've caught it from him - but never recovered! To celebrate, I'm sharing pictures of people who've "tried on" a bow tie with my bow tie business card.

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Still time: Summer-ize Your Marketing

Getting Attention

You know it, and I know it. Shaping content that matters to your readers is everything. But that’s tough when we’re all seasonally distracted by the fireflies, fireworks and family vacations. Even though schooldays ended eons ago for most of us, our focus, attitudes, and readiness to act change as the weather warms. But how to reshape your communications to meet your people where they are?

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Donor vs Fundraiser Fatigue

The Agitator

I might have been on vacation these few past days — The Agitator gives one day off for each year of service — but part of the deal is that I was still required, between gin & tonics, to do my daily scan of other fundraising blogs. One post that caught my attention was Jeff Brooks commenting about ‘donor fatigue’ As usual, calling a spade a spade, Jeff nailed it , arguing there’s no such thing as ‘donor fatigue': “What we sometimes identify as “

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How to Set a #GivingTuesday Goal

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

Are you ready for #GivingTuesday 2015? This annual day of generosity continues to grow, and we expect this year’s event to be even bigger. According to a recent webinar poll, 30% of nonprofits are planning to participate in #GivingTuesday for the first time and 39% are planning to do more for #GivingTuesday than they did last year. Whether you’re launching your first #GivingTuesday campaign or planning a triumphant return, the first step in planning your success is to set your sights on a clear

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7 Tips for Building an Incredibly Useful Email Swipe File

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

A few weeks ago, the question of the week at Nonprofit Marketing Guide was “Where do you get your best writing ideas?” Your answers went from cleaning to riding in the car to making something with your hands. Me? I steal. And it’s great! Let me teach you how. It’s called a swipe file, a collection of proven or inspirational creative that copywriters and art directors keep as a ready reference of ideas for projects.

Retail 78
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8 posts that will help you develop a solid planned gift marketing strategy

iMarketSmart

Here’s a sort of “Greatest Hits” list. Each post containing outstanding tips that will help you develop a solid planned gift marketing strategy. Read these 8 blog posts and you should have all you need to decide where you want to go, and how you want to get there. First, take a look at 7 planned gift marketing strategies for a thorough overview of the directions you can take.

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Are you giving donors the right clues?

Fundraising Coach

When we're close to a system or procedure, we just assume everyone else knows what we know. We do this all the time with donors and board members. It's like we've set up a system of roads but only put half the road signs up. I explain more in this short video. (I tried to do a Periscope broadcast, but it failed. So I created this video instead!). The post Are you giving donors the right clues?

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Important Insights for Marketing Impact: Part 1

Getting Attention

Ever since super-smart statistician Nate Silver brought presidential campaign data to the headlines in 2012, we’ve become a metrics-obsessed nation. That’s changed the life of most marketers I know, who have been asked (pressured in some cases) to harvest more and more data. This laser focus on data parallels the growth of nonprofits’ use of social media and mobile channels—whether whole-hog or in experimentation mode.

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Sleeping Fundraising Giant Awakens

The Agitator

What advice would you give to Chinese fundraisers intent converting the world’s largest middle class into donors? That was Ken Burnett’s assignment at the First China Fundraising Conference in Beijing last month. The Conference, sponsored by the newly formed China Association of Fundraising Professionals (CAFP) and supported by four major foundations, aimed at putting increased attention on individual giving from a middle class that is projected to reach 630 million folks in the next 7 years.

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An Inside Look at The 4 Pillars of Donor Relations: Q&A with Author Lynne Wester

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

Tomorrow, donor relations expert Lynne Wester will join us for a free Nonprofit911 webinar: Donor Retention Isn’t Speed Dating. You don't want to miss it! Register now ! Lynne is not only an expert on donor retention; she has spent her career in donor relations and is known as the Donor Relations Guru. Earlier this year I published a Q&A with Lynne about her new book, The Four Pillars of Donor Relations.

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What’s Your Advice on Measuring Marketing Success?

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Here’s a question that came in last week. Hello Kivi, Do you have any resources that will help me to measure our communications effectiveness? Our numbers are increasing: clients served, sales at our thrift stores, donations, etc., since I was hired as the organization’s first Communications Coordinator a year ago. But how do I determine how much of the increased activity is due to the work I’m doing in marketing, communications and advertising?

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15 telephone call do’s for major and legacy gift fundraisers

iMarketSmart

15 Do’s. Be straightforward. Identify the reason(s) for your call. Ask great open-ended questions that encourage dialogue and show that you are sincerely interested and care about that particular person. Listen. Your supporters want to be heard. If you do it right, they’ll talk at least twice as much as you. Hopefully more. Your mission is worthy, so smile and be confident.

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Show Appreciation by Holding an Open House

Ann Green

Are you thanking your donors all year round? One special way to show appreciation is to hold an open house at your organization. If you can’t hold one on site, have it at a restaurant or other venue. You may be able to find someone to donate space. Invite other supporters, too. You could just have an event for donors, but why not invite other supporters such as event attendees, email subscribers and social media followers?

Food 73
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6 Now-or-Never Summer Reboots

Getting Attention

Our daughter Charlotte is finishing up a blissful summer at a few different day and overnight camps. At the end of each and every day, her mind and creativity are stimulated, she’s made new friends, and she sleeps solidly with a smile on her face. She finishes the summer inspired, energized and smarter than ever. I envy her greatly. But you and I are too old for summer camp (find me an adult camp, please!).

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2015 Half-time Fundraising Score

The Agitator

The Atlas of Giving , the resource that combines both past results along with forecasts of charitable giving in the U.S., recently issued its 2015 Mid-Year Report. The news is good. Giving in the first half of 2015 was “exceptionally (and unexpectedly) strong—up a total of 7.6% to $238.88 billion compared to $222.03 billion for the same period in 2014.

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Ignite Action with a Powerful Data Story

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

[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.

Culture 72
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The Downside of Personalized Emails

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Call me “Unknown” one more time. You absolutely need to include contact information in your emails (and other forms of communication). Including a first name in your email subject lines and greetings instantly personalizes your message and warms the reader to its content. It’s an email marketing best practice. But lots of times the only contact information you have is an email address.

Values 77
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6 best practices for delivering progress reports to your major gift and legacy supporters

iMarketSmart

Tony Robbins , author of Money: Master the Game, discussed ‘ How Progress Equals Happiness ‘ earlier this year on Oprah’s digital web-show – #OWNSHOW. So true! Your supporters want to see what you’ve done with their money. If you share that information with them, they’ll give you more gifts. Here are my 5 best practices for delivering fundraising progress reports: 1.

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The Power of Storytelling in Your Crowdfunding Campaign

NonProfit Hub

Josh Shukman is a guest contributor for Nonprofit Hub. He’s the writing whiz for WonderWe —a crowdfunding social network that provides free viral tools for non-profits to fundraise, recruit and measure impact like a pro. When not crafting beautiful musings for WonderWe, Josh can be found cooking up the latest Paleo dish (his fiancee’s fault), cycling all over God’s creation, and/or endeavoring to understand the mysterious ways of the universe.