Nonprofit Tech for Good

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'With 51% of Facebook’s referral traffic now coming from mobile and more than two-third’s of Twitter users being mobile, many nonprofits are finally starting to come to the realization that their social media campaigns are doomed unless they embrace a mobile-first approach to online communications and fundraising. Your nonprofit must now assume that the majority of website and blog content you share on social networks is being read on a mobile device and if that content is not mobil

Ethics 111

Ethics Nonprofits Foundations Communication 111

Fundraising Coach

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'An executive coaching client recently asked me about my favorite 2 or 3 leadership books. Here are the first five that came to mind. Not surprisingly, each one is within easy reach of my desk. And I find myself thinking about their concepts or quoting them practically every week. Influence, Robert Cialdini. In most of my coaching sessions and media interviews, I find myself quoting Cialdini''s work.

Leadership 110

Leadership Ethics Nonprofits Management 110

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'A logical argument? Well researched and presented facts? Proof of results? Hyped-up urgency? A promise of recognition? Any of those might suffice. But perhaps you’ll find a better answer in this video … “Giving is the best communication.” Not bad for a commercial! Tom Thanks for the pointer Ken.

Philanthropy 106

Philanthropy Communication Fundraising Fundraising 106

Mission Minded

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'If you’re responsible for raising money for an arts organization, you know this challenge: your donor appreciates your mission and values what you do, but can’t rationalize making a gift when there are others who “need it more.” So how do you frame your arts organization as critical when other needs are competing for donor […].

Values 90

Values Communication Marketing Marketing 90

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

FEBRUARY 28, 2014

'Next week, we have a treat for nonprofit fundraisers and communicators alike. Taylor Corrado , Nonprofit Marketing Manager of HubSpot will join us for a free webinar to talk about the ins and outs of great content for nonprofits. As far as I’m concerned, HubSpot is one of the very best examples of a company who gets it right when it comes to publishing useful resources and delighting their audience.

Management 89

Management Communication Fundraising Fundraising 89

Getting Attention

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

'Guest blogger, Julie Brown, Program Director at the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. Julie is intrigued by storytelling, and the opportunity it offers to inspire donors and volunteers to act. As storytellers for a Community Foundation, we find ourselves in the enviable position of having too many stories to tell: agency stories of great grant-funded programs, emotional client stories of lives transformed by these programs, and donor stories about those special folks who make all of

Foundations 89

Foundations Nonprofits Marketing Marketing 89

Nonprofit Tech for Good

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

'Instagram’s current tool set makes it very challenging for nonprofits to convert their Instagram followers into donors. Over time through powerful visual storytelling a nonprofit can build a strong brand and grow their Instagram following, but without the ability to link to a donate page inside of Instagram, it’s difficult to inspire your Instagram followers to do more than simply like and comment on your photos.

Fundraising 111

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits Activism 111

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

'The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports a new study which gives a ‘F’ grade to most nonprofits for their online fundraising. The study of 151 charities, including 100 on the Chron’s Top 400 list, points to many shortcomings in these organizations’ online fundraising practices. Here’s where to download the Online Fundraising Scorecard , prepared by Dunham+Company.

Philanthropy 99

Philanthropy Marketing Marketing Fundraising 99

Mission Minded

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

'Let’s face it. Private Foundations don’t have the same reasons as nonprofits do to build a strong brand. Foundations already have money. What does it matter what anyone thinks about them? Plenty, it turns out. Recently, one of our clients, who serves as the head of a family foundation, said to me, “Grantmaking is the […].

Foundations 81

Foundations Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 81

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'Don’t miss it: today, Kivi Leroux Miller , author of Content Marketing for Nonprofits , is our guest expert for a free webinar where she’ll show you how quality content can improve your nonprofit outreach. There’s still time to join ( register here ), but if you can’t attend the live session sign up anyway —we’ll send you the recording so you don’t miss a thing.

Nonprofits 88

Nonprofits Education Education Production 88

Getting Attention

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

'Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for full-time or part-time staff, consulting or internship opportunities. New Opportunities. Business Development & Market Expansion Director , The Canadian Hearing Society (Toronto, Canada). Communications & Marketing Coordinator , The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (Ontario, Canada).

Non-Profits 77

Non-Profits Marketing Marketing Associations 77

Nonprofit Tech for Good

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

'With 51% of email now being opened on a tablet or smartphone, nonprofits would be wise to redesign their e-newsletter as soon as possible. Long-standing e-newsletter design best practices such as a two or three-column-fixed layout, 12 point font size, and text-based links only are officially 51% less effective. Unless your nonprofit embraces responsive design or mobile-first design aesthetics, your stories and calls-to-action will go unread and untapped.

Nonprofits 93

Nonprofits Communication Fundraising Fundraising 93

Fundraising Coach

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'More and more of people coming to me for coaching seem to think that fundraising can be done 100% online. They want help setting up a website and getting on social media. It''s as though there must be a great pool of donors just waiting to give and putting up a website will funnel all their money to them. It''s a digital version of the Field of Dreams Fundraising Myth.

Fundraising 106

Fundraising Fundraising Finance Communication 106

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

'If Roger’s recent post, Fundraising Land Grab , didn’t motivate you to take a fresh look at your monthly giving or sustainer program (or worse, lack of such a program), I’m not sure what would. As he wrote: “If you care about retention … if you care about sustainability … significant net income and, eventually, massive bequest income, it’s time to invest some of yourself in mastering the art and finance of monthly giving in hopes you can convince your CEO or CFO into get

Retention 98

Retention Finance Marketing Marketing 98

Care2

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

'Are you impressed every time a blog post by your organization gets a lot of retweets? How about all those social shares on Huffington Post and Mashable? How many times has your boss come to you and asked “why can’t we get those social share numbers?” A new study by Chartbeat, which measures real-time traffic for some of the biggest websites like Upworthy, said their research shows that many people aren’t reading articles that they retweet.

78

78

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

'In honor of Social Media Week , I asked a few of our favorite nonprofit experts to weigh in on their personal picks for nonprofits who are hitting it out of the park on social media. Here’s what they had to say: Mark Rovner , Principal, Founder & CEO, Sea Change Strategies. National Audubon Society. Where I follow them: Facebook and Twitter.

Public and Nonprofit Management 88

Public and Nonprofit Management Nonprofits Activism Values 88

Getting Attention

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

'I awoke yesterday morning to a 6″ topper of new snow here in New Jersey, adding to the 24″ already there. Then we picked up the voice mail from 4:32 a.m., alerting us to a two-hour school delay. Ugh, it’s like Groundhog Day come to life. I think you see what I mean. After getting our daughter going on her homework project, I finally got to my desk and scanned my emails.

Nonprofits 73

Nonprofits Marketing Marketing Communication 73

Mission Minded

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'Twelve months worth of words add up. From blog posts to brochures, websites to marketing collateral, I have found words to explain, entice and entertain. Yet, some of the most compelling words I have come across were in an unlikely, unexpected place—Pella, Iowa. My husband and I were making the trek from visiting my family […].

Marketing 72

Marketing Marketing 72

iMarketSmart

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

'I think buying and donating are the same. Here’s why. When I give money to a charity, I am buying: A chance to be moved by someone’s story in an emotional way. An opportunity to feel I’m not powerless in the face of need and can help (this is especially true during disasters). Empowerment to feel that I’m changing someone’s life.

Fundraising 63

Fundraising Fundraising 63

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'Just because I posted yesterday on latest Facebook user facts, don’t let that suggest to you that I’m getting all giddy over social media. No, that place in my digital heart belongs to email. And corporate consultancy McKinsey reminds me why in their recent study, Why marketers should keep sending you e-mails , ( reported here by BrightWave CEO Simms Jenkins), which finds that email marketing is nearly 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter at acquiring customers.

Marketing 96

Marketing Marketing Fundraising Fundraising 96

Care2

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

'This just in! The latest 2013 Charitable Giving Report by Blackbaud analyzed data from more than 4,000 nonprofits to provide the largest analysis in online giving data. According to the report, overall giving grew 4.9% in 2013 compared to 2012. Even more impressive than overall giving is the 13.5% increase in online giving. Online giving accounted for 6.4% of all charitable giving in 2013.

Marketing 77

Marketing Marketing Fundraising Fundraising 77

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

'[Editor’s note: Today’s post comes to us from David Hartstein , partner at Wired Impact , a web design company that builds websites for nonprofits. David shares some helpful hints on tracking and interpreting key fundraising metrics through Google Analytics.]. Data can be daunting. Not only can the idea of delving into numbers be intimidating, but there are also a ton of terms you need to wrap your head around before anything makes much sense.

Fundraising 86

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 86

Getting Attention

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for full-time or part-time staff, consulting or internship opportunities. New Opportunities. Chief Communications Officer , Flamboyan Foundation. (Washington DC). Communications Associate , Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (Sheffield, MA). Communications & Program Manager , High Meadows Institute (Boston, MA).

Marketing 72

Marketing Marketing Poverty Associations 72

NonProfit Hub

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'Consider this—7 out of every 10 donors only donate once. Not enough to shock you? Let’s add to the mix. 77 percent of donors leave due to a lack of communication. Those are downright terrifying numbers. But there’s some reassuring news— Those are numbers that you have the power to change. And with the right donor management tool to fit your organization’s needs, you have a better shot at communicating in the right way and building better relationships, so donors come back for round two.

Management 67

Management Retention Nonprofits Finance 67

iMarketSmart

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

'From a marketing perspective, there is no difference. . Whether you are trying to get people to buy or give, both require solid marketing strategies and tactics. Both are financial transactions involving an exchange of money in return for something of value. Both are not “required”. And both include some level of fairness. Let’s consider what happens when you give a waiter money (a tip) in exchange for service compared with giving money to a homeless person.

Homelessness 63

Homelessness Retention Values Marketing 63

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'Too many organizations today continue to be guided by the burn and churn mindset reminiscent of the bad old days, when donors were viewed as readily expendable. Easily and cheaply replaced by inexpensive new donors drawn from a seemingly inexhaustible acquisition pool. Given the rising costs of acquisition and falling retention rates, it surprises me how many organizations still haven’t received the memo.

Retention 94

Retention Fundraising Fundraising 94

Care2

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

'This just in! The latest Blackbaud Online Marketing Benchmark Study for Nonprofits analyzed data from more than 4,000 nonprofits to provide the largest analysis in online giving data. According to the report, overall giving grew 4.9% in 2013 compared to 2012 (You can take a look at the review I did of their 2012 study). Even more impressive than overall giving is the 13.5% increase in online giving.

Nonprofits 73

Nonprofits Marketing Marketing Fundraising 73

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

'If you’re a fundraiser who is struggling to get your executive director or board to understand why you should launch an online fundraising program or invest more in online giving tools, try these talking points to help plead your case. Online giving boosts individual giving. You might have experienced push back on launching online fundraising because your leaders want to focus more on grants and major gifts from foundations.

Disaster Relief 84

Disaster Relief Fundraising Fundraising Recruitment 84

Getting Attention

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

'I hope you’ll try something new, and join me at the Engage Fundraising Conference in Philadelphia on April 10. Register today with this discount code (SPEAKER75) and you’ll get $75 off. You see, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the first-ever Engage Conference last year. The tight group of participants were fantastically “engaged,” so the speaking part was great.

Fundraising 68

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 68

NonProfit Hub

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

'Fundraising events are a mainstay in your world, but let’s be honest—they can take a lot of time, money and effort to pull off. If you calculated your ROI on your latest fundraising event, how would you fare? On second thought, don’t answer that. Let’s focus instead on how to up your ROI on your next event and really make it count, getting the most out of your investment as possible.

Fundraising 65

Fundraising Fundraising Health Marketing 65

iMarketSmart

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'Every marketing effort should start with a solid strategy. That includes legacy gift marketing! But, sadly, most fundraisers jump right into tactics without sitting down to develop a strategy that is sure to provide the best results. Here are the legacy gift marketing strategies I’ve seen flying around for quite some time— followed by the one I have found works best.

Marketing 61

Marketing Marketing Children Fundraising 61

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

'Sometime back, in a post titled Fundraising Nonsense , I lamented the fact the biggest waste of nonprofit time is ‘the meeting’ George Smith, the late, great UK copywriter put it best: “ I always used to say that meetings were what you were doing when you weren’t working. They remain the regular ceremonial of the client/supplier relationship and a terrifying abuse of everyone’s precious time.

Nonprofit Management 92

Nonprofit Management Management Fundraising Fundraising 92

Care2

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

'New startups are launching every day, and it''s a lot of work for the nonprofit community to weed through which platforms are useful, and which aren''t the right fit. A new social platform, ChronicleMe (CMe) launched recently, and it''s a free, anonymous social media platform. The creators of the platform state that "although paradoxical, we believe that anonymous social media will provide millions with deeper connections than ever before.

Nonprofits 72

Nonprofits 72

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

'No doubt you’ve seen the string of videos on your Facebook timeline—friends and family sharing their own social media time capsules. Facebook’s “A Look Back” movies offer personalized video montages to celebrate the social network’s 10th birthday. The videos are irresistibly sharable and have even struck a chord with the experts.

82

82

Getting Attention

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

'Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for full-time or part-time staff, consulting or internship opportunities. New Opportunities. Administrative Assistant for Communications and Marketing , The Columbus Foundation (Columbus, OH). Associate Director of Communications , American Rivers. (Denver, CO). Communications Coordinator , ACLUF (New York, NY).

Marketing 67

Marketing Marketing Food Associations 67

NonProfit Hub

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

'Online fundraising optimization —a fancy schmancy term for improving how nonprofits raise money via the internet. Over the past few years, this has been a hot topic, likely because the growth in online giving has been nothing short of remarkable. In fact, in the past 10 years, no other fundraising channel has seen such impressive numbers. Online giving in the U.S. now exceeds $20 billion annually and has continued to grow at double-digit rates for most of the past decade.

Fundraising 64

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits Communication 64

iMarketSmart

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

'Yesterday I said that, in order to inspire a monetary exchange (for profit or nonprofit), you must provide value to others. I said that I think the problem with fundraising is that nonprofits think fundraising is “different” from other forms of marketing and sales when it isn’t. And that is actually why so many organizations are so bad at fundraising, resulting in retention rates at all-time-lows!

Values 56

Values Retention Philanthropy Fundraising 56