Selfish Giving

MARCH 20, 2013

It’s true: a lot of big, national companies won’t work with local nonprofits. They prefer to work with big national charities. But that shouldn’t stop you from asking because, well, you just never know until you ask! Just today I read how Jo-Ann Fabrics & Craft Stores allows each new Jo-Ann store the opportunity to make a $2,000 donation to a local school and each of the three Jo-Ann Distribution Centers the opportunity to donate $3,000 quarterly to the local non-profit or

Non-Profits 278

Non-Profits Children Nonprofits Marketing 278

Fundraising Coach

MARCH 18, 2013

I met Elaine Fogel a few years ago when she organized a conference in DC. I’ve been impressed with her commitment to nonprofits and her knowledge of promotional items. (I call it schwag.) So I asked her if she’d write a post on how nonprofits can use them effectively. When she’s not blogging here, she is a professional speaker, writer, marketing consultant and president & CMO of Solutions Marketing & Consulting LLC, a boutique marketing agency that serves nonprofits a

Production 111

Production Advertising Public and Nonprofit Management Retention 111

The Agitator

MARCH 13, 2013

Here’s a classic marketing question: When do I imitate versus when do I innovate? As much as Roger and I bemoan a lack of innovation today in fundraising, without question there are plenty of ‘lessons learned’ that all fundraisers should seriously consider before launching into change for change sake. Another way of putting it is that there are heaps of fundraising mistakes that others have already made for you — repeatedly — and there’s no reason for you to a

Fundraising 109

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Finance 109

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MARCH 13, 2013

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013. Time: 1pm-2:30 EDT. Cost: Free. How to Register: Sign up ! Presented By: Heather Mansfield. View: All Webinars for Nonprofits. View: Winter Webinar Special. This webinar will demonstrate how nonprofits can implement a successful social media strategy in eleven steps. Topics include understanding how much time social media requires, how to track return on investment (ROI), and how to craft a social media policy for your nonprofit.

Nonprofits 107

Nonprofits Communication Fundraising Fundraising 107

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

MARCH 22, 2013

Yesterday, the team here at Network for Good had a fantastic webinar with technology guru Guy Kawasaki. He provided his top ten social media tips for nonprofits. They are well worth sharing. If you want to listen to the whole webinar (recommended), simply register here. (It’s free.). In the meantime, here’s a quick summary of the wisdom he shared. 1.

Construction 106

Construction Nonprofits Culture Technology 106

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

MARCH 26, 2013

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Communication 100

Communication Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 100

Selfish Giving

MARCH 25, 2013

Give.mobi’s Bob Jones sent me these three attractive QR Codes to prove just how easy it is to make a donation on your mobile device. Try it for yourself. Regardless of your mobile device, you can find a QR Code reader in your app store. . Open the app and hold your device over the QR Code. The code will link you to a mobile page with the nonprofit’s logo.

Nonprofits 248

Nonprofits Marketing Marketing Fundraising 248

The Agitator

MARCH 3, 2013

Here’s a tiny bit of fundraising performance data on the use of infographics , from Production Solutions. [ Click here to enlarge ]. Serious lift for mail prospecting and reinstatements, as well as email campaigns. Just enough data to whet the appetite. Agitator readers with more response experience, please share. Tom. P.S. Some additional resources on infographics recommended by Production Solutions: Google Fusion Tables – www.support.google.com/fusiontables.

Fundraising 108

Fundraising Fundraising Production Communication 108

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MARCH 20, 2013

If your nonprofit is not getting retweeted on Twitter, then you haven’t yet found your Twitter voice. Retweets ensure than your nonprofit’s avatar get increased exposure on Twitter which ultimately results in more followers and click-through rates. Twitter itself has concurred that influence on Twitter is not in how many followers you have, but rather in how often you get retweeted.

Nonprofits 104

Nonprofits 104

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

MARCH 21, 2013

Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Waggener Edstrom Worldwide just released a new study that delves into the perceptions, behavior and motivations for cause support (locally and globally) among digitally engaged American adults. Here are some of the most interesting findings. Passion and pride drive people to post on causes : People who talk about causes online mostly (76%) do so to recruit others to their passion.

Participation and motivation 98

Participation and motivation Recruitment Children Food 98

Getting Attention

MARCH 29, 2013

Guest blogger, Annie Escobar is co-founder of ListenIn Pictures which produces compelling video stories for nonprofits. Creating engaging, sharable videos doesn’t seem to come naturally for most nonprofits and I think I know why. Instead of highlighting naturally dynamic stories about people , nonprofits tend to create videos about programs. I call this The Program Trap.

Non-Profits 87

Non-Profits Nonprofits Education Education 87

Selfish Giving

MARCH 13, 2013

I started this post over at the Inspiring Generosity blog at Razoo.com. Here are three more ways to raise money with QR Codes. That brings the total to seven! 1. QR Code links to a coupon or offer that triggers a donation. After scanning the QR Code, the user gets a mobile coupon or an offer that when redeemed triggers a donation from the business. Advantage: This is a great way for business to track consumer response to a campaign.

Children 233

Children Nonprofits Marketing Marketing 233

Fundraising Coach

MARCH 29, 2013

I recently received this question from a client: I have a question for you. I have a list of wealthy prospects, many have given our hospice small dollar amounts thru memorials. My intent is to build a relationship with them, can you give me an example of what to say to get that first visit? My answer. Getting the first visit is tricky. At least in our minds.

Construction 97

Construction Recruitment Management Fundraising 97

The Agitator

MARCH 27, 2013

By now you’ve shown your CEO, CFO and Board the famous Dan Pallotta TED presentation — The way we think about charity is dead wrong. If you haven’t, you deserve a scolding. Here it is, and here’s why you should view it. I’m glad to see it has over 1 million views now … but that means some Agitator readers still haven’t seen it.

Activism 103

Activism Management Fundraising Fundraising 103

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MARCH 18, 2013

Nonprofit website design and online fundraising have dramatically changed in recent years due to the rapid rise of social media and mobile communications. Using the Wayback Machine – a website that allows you to view archived screenshots of your website all the way back to 1996, below is an exploration of how the World Wildlife Fund’s website and online fundraising campaigns have evolved since 2008.

Fundraising 99

Fundraising Fundraising Technology Nonprofits 99

Mission Minded

MARCH 25, 2013

Do you think your organization’s website isn’t your job? Since your website can help you raise more money, recruit more volunteers and gather momentum for your mission, making sure it’s top-notch is the job of nearly everyone at your organization – including you. So read on. And make sure to influence, if not lead, the [.].

Recruitment 86

Recruitment Communication Nonprofits 86

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

MARCH 27, 2013

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Communication 85

Communication Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 85

Selfish Giving

MARCH 6, 2013

With a new dog in the house, I’ve been shopping for a few items at my local Petco , which is just a couple miles from where I live. After I swiped my credit card in the terminal, I got the below message from the Petco Foundation. Now, I’ve seen many requests for a donation on credit card terminals, but I haven’t seen one yet that makes me choose YES or NO like this one does.

Foundations 196

Foundations 196

Fundraising Coach

MARCH 7, 2013

From time to time, I have a feature I call Question Marc? [Pun fully intended]. A coaching client who is a board member for an arts organization recently sent me this question: We are trying to quickly build up our board since it is small. I am planning on asking 3 people. I think they would be great board members for various reasons. I want to approach it by emphasizing how fulfilling this opportunity will be for them, based on their backgrounds and interests.

Recruitment 94

Recruitment Values Fundraising Fundraising 94

The Agitator

MARCH 24, 2013

Announcing the latest international fundraising metric: Two all-beef patties + special sauce + lettuce + cheese + pickles + onions + a sesame seed bun = 1 Big Mac®. I kid you not. The Big Mac® Philanthropy Index will officially launch On April 8 th. Compiled by the London-based international consultancy The Management Centre (=mc) and a 40 member team from a group of global charities, the new Index is designed to measure the relative philanthropy of countries around the world.

Fundraising 102

Fundraising Fundraising Philanthropy Management 102

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MARCH 6, 2013

Thanks to the Social Web, there is no shortage of possible topics for your nonprofit to blog about. From 10-paragraph editorials to 2-paragraph commentaries on breaking news, when you use the ideas given here, you should have no problem publishing the required minimum of one blog post per week (less than that and your blog starts to look abandoned).

Disaster Relief 95

Disaster Relief Nonprofits Poverty Environmental 95

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

MARCH 3, 2013

Imagine this. You’ve had a bad day at work. For months, you’ve been trying to persuade everyone to recycle. No one is complying. In frustration, you send out a mass email. “Only 5% of staff is putting paper in the recycling bins. We need to do better,” you say. Bad move. Why? When we are deciding whether to do something, we typically look to see what others are doing (“social proof”).

Nonprofits 84

Nonprofits 84

Getting Attention

MARCH 14, 2013

Spend some time here, even if you think you’ve got this down—this distinction is crucial to setting goals that move your marketing forward in the right direction. Goals are what you want to achieve. Complete the sentence: “We want to.”. Organizational goals (a max of three at a time) are the steps (let’s look one year ahead) that will take your organization to closer to achieving your mission.

Participation and motivation 83

Participation and motivation Marketing Marketing Retention 83

Selfish Giving

MARCH 18, 2013

I started my fundraising career at the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 1993. In February, I’d load my car up with Shamrock pinups and delivering them to bars, restaurants, department stores and anywhere else that had customers and a cash register. At the end of March, I’d circle back around and collect the money. Even today, when Shamrock season rolls around I see all those pinups hanging in stores and I think: “Boy, lugging those pinups around was a lot of work!

Associations 188

Associations Fundraising Fundraising Marketing 188

Fundraising Coach

MARCH 5, 2013

I’m honored to be one 20 experts included in the ebook: npEXPERTS: Online Marketing Insights for Nonprofits. In this ebook, we share tips, tricks and stories on “how to use nonprofit marketing to connect with supporters, activate your donor base, and raise money online.” Even better, the ebook is free for the taking. It proved so popular this morning that it crashed the server!

Marketing 91

Marketing Marketing Advertising Nonprofits 91

The Agitator

MARCH 26, 2013

Here’s yet another study from the commercial world that delivers the refrain: Make contact with your customers! Yeah, the study was conducted by Harris Interactive for InContact, a vested interest provider of contact center software. But dismiss these findings, which I believe apply to donors, at your peril … More than a third (68%) of consumers said that companies who have no other means of contact other than a toll-free number seem outdated.

Communication 100

Communication Nonprofits Activism Nonprofit Management 100

Nonprofit Tech for Good

MARCH 27, 2013

Nonprofits that have the capacity to be early adopters have learned that early adoption in and of itself is a wise social media strategy. Followers tend to grow the fastest during the early adoption phase and being one of the first nonprofits to have a presence on a new social network tends to solidify their popularity on the social network over time.

Non-Profits 92

Non-Profits Nonprofits 92

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

MARCH 18, 2013

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Communication 83

Communication Marketing Marketing Nonprofits 83

Getting Attention

MARCH 1, 2013

Guest blogger, Chapin Cole is a proud Millennial who works in nonprofit development in the California Bay Area. She blogs here on getting successful yet stress-free as a nonprofit staffer. The Secret to Marketing to Millennials—There Isn’t One. If I read another blog post about how to talk to Millennials, I’m going to scream. Yes, I’m a proud member of Generation Y, and I often talk about my experience in the context of my age, but I won’t be pigeonholed.

Marketing 82

Marketing Marketing Values Nonprofits 82

Selfish Giving

MARCH 7, 2013

What’s more important to a nonprofit’s success, money or talent? That’s the topic of discussion on today’s CauseTalk Radio. Megan and I talk to Lynda Gerty , co-author of The Abundant Not-for-Profit and Director of Engagement at Vantage Point. This new book combines theory with tactics, case studies and practical tools to show how organizations can attract, meaningfully engage and integrate all the talent available in the community.

Nonprofits 178

Nonprofits Marketing Marketing 178

Fundraising Coach

MARCH 29, 2013

Wow! Response to The Donor Retention Project has been so strong, you all crashed the servers yesterday! Fortunately Chris at 501 Videos has the situation fixed and they were up and running within a few hours. What’s all the fuss? Donor retention is, that’s what. Some reports show that the average nonprofit loses, loses , 70% of donors between the first and second gifts.

Retention 88

Retention Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 88

The Agitator

MARCH 17, 2013

Last week, Roger did a good job of rattling the cage with his post, What Is The Watchdog Watching? He basically said: P on the obsession with fundraising overhead. But that was just a warm-up. Watch this TED presentation — The way we think about charity is dead wrong — by Dan Pallotta, an extraordinary fundraiser and author of Charity Case.

Finance 94

Finance Fundraising Fundraising Marketing 94

Sea Change Strategies

MARCH 4, 2013

Cue two big scary stats. According to the 2012 Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) , the donor attrition rate for non profits is 59%. Dr. Adrian Sargent, Professor of Fundraising at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University reports that 70% of all new donors never renew. And you know what? Those stats don’t surprise me one bit. Most non profits are really bad at building relationships with their donors.

Non-Profits 81

Non-Profits Retention Universities Philanthropy 81

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

MARCH 12, 2013

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Communication 82

Communication Nonprofits 82

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

MARCH 12, 2013

I speak a lot about the connection between behavioral economics and our work, and after every speech I get asked for reference materials. People also often email me for a list of my writing on the topic. So I thought I’d pull together in one post all the resources I’ve created. Here’s a mini library on understanding how people really think - and adjusting our marketing, communications and fundraising strategies accordingly.

Communication 80

Communication Marketing Marketing Fundraising 80

Selfish Giving

MARCH 5, 2013

It’s March 5th and you know what that means: it’s Boston Massacre Day! Back in 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five. The propaganda following the “Bloody Massacre” was intense, and included a famous engraving by Paul Revere. Many believe that the massacre was an important tipping point in sparking the American Revolution.

Marketing 169

Marketing Marketing 169

Fundraising Coach

MARCH 6, 2013

Your Google+ page just changed. Google has increased the cover image size to 2120 x 1192, from 940 x 180. And the profile image is now an ugly circle, not a square. I’m not a fan of the change. If you have a Google+ page, and you should, check it out to make sure it still reinforces your brand. For more on Google+, check out Google+ for Nonprofits.

Fundraising 82

Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofits 82