The Agitator
APRIL 21, 2014
'The Chronicle of Philanthropy sheds light on this question, publishing a report on salaries of about 430 fundraisers from about 280 nonprofits with $35 million plus in revenue. The Chronicle relied upon IRS 990 forms filed by nonprofits in 2011. Without a doubt, this report will stir up passionate conversations around water coolers throughout the US nonprofit community … probably at a cost to fundraising productivity for the coming week.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 14, 2014
'The following is an excerpt from Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits. Owned by Facebook, Instagram is the largest mobile social network in the United States. With more than half its users outside the United States, Instagram is well-positioned to become more broadly used worldwide. The predominant age group of users is 18–29.
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 8, 2014
'I often remind people that fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes hard work, strategic planning, and most importantly consistent execution of the plans. But it''s important to remember that fundraising is fun! We get to connect donors'' assets with their passions. Who wouldn''t want to be part of that?! In my trainings, I say that the donor is like an electrical cord and our nonprofit is like a wall of outlets.
Getting Attention
APRIL 17, 2014
'Get ready for a roaring point vs. counterpoint, thanks to Facebook for Nonprofits expert John Haydon, who shares his Yay below. I’ll be following up with mini case studies and links to research supporting my recommendation. Please share your Facebook plan (or plan not to use) and why here, and/or tell us what it does (or doesn’t do) for your organization.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 18, 2014
'I recently had the chance to host a webinar with two of Network for Good’s DonateNow customers, Renee O’Donnell from SIFF and Katie Matney from The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio. Our goal was to understand how they’re retaining more donors through recurring giving at their respective organizations. With 70% of donors never returning to make a second gift, we were eager to learn from two peers who are building and retaining a large sustaining network of recurring donors.
iMarketSmart
APRIL 1, 2014
'So you did some great marketing and you met with a bunch of folks. You did your job well and 5 (…or 50… or 500) people said that they left your organization in their estate plan. Next step: Confirm it? I’m not so sure. Why not spend more time doing the following and less time trying to “confirm” the gift? Meet with the donor.
The Agitator
APRIL 13, 2014
'Debbi Barber at Grizzard, in a post last week titled One Simple Way to Improve Retention , hit the nail on the head. She recommended one improvement that would unfailingly yield higher lifetime value from any nonprofit’s donors. And it ain’t brain surgery, although it could well require a change to your fundraising mindset and priorities.
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Fundraising Coach
APRIL 2, 2014
'Today it''s my distinct pleasure to introduce you to Renee Tougas. I''ve known Renee and her husband Damien for more than a decade. They''re not your typical fundraisers, so when their crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign for $16,000 raised over $19,000, I knew I wanted their story. As a fundraising coach, I''m not advocating nonprofits scrap their traditional fundraising program in favor of crowdfunding.
Getting Attention
APRIL 29, 2014
'Welcome to the Nonprofit Blog Carnival round-up on The Work Behind the Work —the methods and tools you use to stay focused, productive and happy on the job (or the barriers that keep you from getting there). Alas, most of us can’t count on a sunny afternoon at the pool to recoup. I’m thrilled to share with you this sampling from the powerful posts submitted by you and your nonprofit peers.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 4, 2014
'Have you ever felt like you were being watched in the supermarket? In a new study from Cornell Food and Brand Lab , researchers found that characters featured on kids’ cereal boxes make incidental eye contact with children and cereals aimed at adults make incidental eye contact with adult shoppers. Cereals presumably marketed to children (think Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Trix) were found on lower shelves, and the gaze of the characters on these cereal boxes look downward at an angle of
Mission Minded
APRIL 11, 2014
'Mission Minded recently partnered with our client the Walter & Elise Haas Fund to develop and launch an open-source WordPress plug-in that supercharges transparency in grant reporting. Like many grantmakers, the Haas Sr. Fund operates its own proprietary system for recording, tracking, and publishing grants. Sharing that information — with its web audience and with […].
The Agitator
APRIL 28, 2014
'Over the years in The Agitator, in post after post after post we’ve emphasized the paramount importance emotion in fundraising. As Tom succinctly put it : “Methinks the entire quest for rationalization is really fueled by our emotional need — in the case of having donated — for our benevolence to not have been wasted, violated, foolish or abused in some fashion.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 5, 2014
'As the fiscal year comes to a close and nonprofits are currently crafting next year’s budget, adding a line item for infographic design would be a very wise investment. From print fundraising appeals to digital annuals reports to compelling storytelling through tweets and status updates, the social science of online behavior confirms again and again that messages are most effectively communicated through images.
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 22, 2014
'Courtesy of Robert McGoldrick under Creative Commons License. Over the last 18 months or so, I''ve been hearing a similar phrase from a number of my nonprofit executive coaching clients. The phrase? "I don''t ask on the first date.". This is often said with a self-righteous smuggness, as though the CEO is taking the moral high ground. Sometimes it''s said in advance of the meeting.
Getting Attention
APRIL 24, 2014
'Make that the cactus flowers, and they are GORGEOUS. It’s an absolute joy to be surrounded by them, here in the Sonoran Desert, as I’m taking a week with my family to relax and rejuvenate. I crave more nourishment like this…open and space that gives my mind and soul time to rest, reflect and recharge. But that opportunity is too rare for me, and probably for many of you.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 16, 2014
'Editor’s note: Did you miss Social Media Week ? Don’t worry, every week can be Social Media Week for your nonprofit with the advice in this guest post from Social Media for Nonprofits founder Ritu Sharma. If your organization is looking to get in on the action, here’s a day-by-day breakdown of some easy-to-implement, yet highly effective tips to get your social engine humming.
Care2
APRIL 9, 2014
'It''s no secret that the nonprofit community has seen a steady decline in email open rates, click-through rates, and email page completion rates, which was also confirmed by the 2014 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study. The report, which analyzed data from 53 nonprofits, over 2.1 billion email messages, 5.6 million donations, and 7.5 million online actions shed light on valuable information for nonprofits and their messaging.
The Agitator
APRIL 29, 2014
'Peer-to-peer fundraising is about as dead as direct mail. I’ve seen and heard lots of discussion that the traditional events — the staples of peer-to-peer fundraising like cycling, endurance contests, 5Ks and walks — are no longer relevant. After all, revenue from these events seems to have stagnated. Of course, the same is said of direct mail by the uninformed and inexperienced.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
APRIL 19, 2014
'Public Interest Registry – the not-for-profit operator of the.org domain – has launched the first registration phase, known as the Sunrise Period (beginning April 22), for three new Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). Qualified domain trademark holders can now submit applications for each of these three new domains, which translate to “organisation” or “institution” in non-Latin-based scripts – one in Devanagari (.?????
Fundraising Coach
APRIL 25, 2014
'Hollywood expertise for your nonprofit. For years, Chris Davenport has creating videos for nonprofits, employing the storytelling techniques he honed in Hollywood. For the first time ever, he''s going to share them! I speak all over the world, and I get to work with many great conferences. But I am really excited about a brand new conference happening in Seattle in November.
Getting Attention
APRIL 3, 2014
'Today’s guest blogger, James Porter, is Associate Director, Development & Communications for the END Fund , a nonprofit dedicated to controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases. 9 presenters, 70 minutes, and 143 slides— those are the ingredients to a great #14NTCTakeaways! Last week, 501TechNYC—the New York chapter of NTEN’s 501 Tech Clubs —met to recap the 2014 Nonprofit Technology Conference (#14NTC).
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 11, 2014
'Most organizations go to great lengths to carefully craft a mission statement, outline a vision, and develop a tagline to clarify their place in the world. But it’s important to remember that these elements aren’t meant to be stored away as archived material in your annual report. These core beliefs should be an everyday yardstick for all of your communications.
Care2
APRIL 18, 2014
'Loyalty, donation levels, and fundraising performances is just some of the data unveiled in Blackbaud''s 2013 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising study. The study looked at peer-to-peer giving across 39 organizations over the last 3 years (from 2011 to 2013). Combined, these organizations hosted more than 44,000 events and raised more than $1 billion online. The study looks at trends across four event types — Cycle, Endurance, 5K and Walks — and looks at different types of participants —
The Agitator
APRIL 8, 2014
'Just in case find yourself in a game of Online Trivial Pursuit, you’ll need to know that in 2013 nonprofits received 1.7 cents for every online fundraising message delivered and 60 cents for every website visit. These factoids — and far, far more of much greater importance — are revealed in The 2014 M+R Benchmarks Study released this morning.
Mission Minded
APRIL 3, 2014
'Your organization is considering investing in strengthening your brand. Maybe your reputation needs updating. Maybe your messages need freshening. Maybe you need big changes like a new name, tagline, or logo to get the attention and support you deserve. As you discuss the road ahead with colleagues, someone says this: We can’t ask our board […].
BDO
APRIL 28, 2014
As a nonprofit hospital seeks to drive down readmission and mortality rates, it is more important than ever that the organization understands where in the post-acute care continuum it is discharging patients and what kind of medical care patients will receive post-discharge.
Getting Attention
APRIL 16, 2014
'This week’s triple murder at a Jewish Community Center (JCC) and Jewish-run retirement home in Kansas City—by a white supremacist, because he thought his victims were Jewish—generated empathy and concern among everyone I know. It was made even worse by the timing just a few days before the anniversary of 2013′s Boston Marathon massacre.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 3, 2014
'Over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk about “big data” and how using the plethora of information we now have at our fingertips will help fuel efficiencies and make businesses and causes more successful. But how can data transform a nonprofit’s ability to fundraise more effectively? I recently caught up with Josh Mait, CMO at Relationship Science (RelSci), who offered some intel on how they’re connecting organizations with big data for big results.
Care2
APRIL 24, 2014
'Earlier this year, Adobe released a Social Intelligence report based on consumer data from Adobe Social, Adobe Media Optimizer, and Adobe Analytics. While the data''s comprised of both aggregated and anonymous data from retail, media and entertainment, and travel websites during 2013 - 2014, the data is also useful for nonprofits to examine. This report answered a question that has come up for many of us, are our constituents still engaging as frequently with us on social media?
The Agitator
APRIL 2, 2014
'Roger and I appreciate when Agitator readers share real world data and experience with others in the fundraising community. It’s the best way for all of us to compare and learn. So thanks to Carrie Miller at SankyNet for the grist for today’s article. Carrie takes a closer look at ‘industry benchmarks’ and observes that benchmarking averages have a certain, but limited, utility.
Mission Minded
APRIL 10, 2014
'Mission Minded’s client, the Children’s Museum of Denver, announced the public phase of their capital campaign at a groundbreaking ceremony on April 8, 2014. In so doing, President and CEO Mike Yankovich, along with his skilled team, demonstrated how to effectively leverage the power of brand and messaging for a successful capital campaign. First, the […].
BDO
APRIL 14, 2014
In 2011, New York State set out to fundamentally transform its Medicaid program. To develop a path towards achieving its so-called “Triple Aim” of delivering better care, better health and lower costs, the State established its Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT).
Getting Attention
APRIL 10, 2014
'Guest blogger Yesenia Sotelo founded Smart Cause Digital where she builds and grows smart websites. “Email is dead. No one reads their email anymore.”. You might have heard this before and you might hear it again—but not from me! Email is one of the most powerful tools available. In fact, every organization (including yours), regardless of its size or mission, can do great things with an email list.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 15, 2014
'The Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2014 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey is out and the report has some sobering insight on how nonprofits have fared during the economic recovery. While 80% of respondents reported an increase in demand for services, 56% of those surveyed were unable to meet demand in 2013. Nearly half of these groups also reported a 5-year decline in government funding.
Care2
APRIL 30, 2014
'Do you know what types of content or campaigns resonate with your audiences on your website, email list, and social media channels? Perhaps you have a hunch, but the only surefire way to know this info is to develop a tracking and measurement plan. To help get you started, here is a list of some of my favorite measurement tools. This will help your organization improve your understanding of what your audience responds to.
The Agitator
APRIL 1, 2014
'In the last few days I’ve seen two columns, one in the NY Times and one in the Chronicle of Philanthropy , that I consider ‘must read’ for nonprofit fundraisers and communicators (and their CEOs). The first sets the context for the second. In the NY Times , Arthur Brooks, CEO of The American Enterprise Institute, wrote Why Fund-Raising Is Fun.
NonProfit Hub
APRIL 17, 2014
'Every dollar we receive from fundraising is given because that donor believes in us. They connect with the mission. And they trust that we’re going to use their money to achieve the mission. So how do we gain their trust in the first place to secure those fundraising dollars? At the 2014 AFP Conference, we caught up with Firespring CEO Jay Wilkinson to talk about how your organization’s website plays a role in fundraising and why your website should be a priority for your organization.
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