Sat.Jun 23, 2018 - Fri.Jun 29, 2018

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Why I Hate the Donor Pyramid

The Agitator

All pyramids are lies: They have a dishonest scheme named after them. They will not keep your razor blades sharp or apples fresh. They messed up the four food groups. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs isn’t really true (there are fundamental needs, but there isn’t a hierarchy and people pursue different “level” needs simultaneously). Even the Egyptian pyramids were really built by aliens.

Food 72
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Leadership is hard

Concord Leadership

As we discovered in the latest nonprofit leadership report, leadership is hard. There are competing demands on us. And unclear expectations. Even our own expectations of ourselves can be unclear. Most of our life, we’ve had someone else set the agenda and tell us what to do: parents, teachers, bosses. Now we are the agenda […]. The post Leadership is hard appeared first on The Concord Leadership Group, LLC.

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Happy (Fiscal) New Year

Fundraising Coach

Years ago, I recorded this “ Thank you for fundraisers.” I wanted to get it out early this year to give you the extra “umphf” to push through these last few days of the fiscal year. (If your fiscal year ends in June!). Thanks for your hard work. Our world is better because of the persistence of fundraising people connecting donors with mission.

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Complacency is a prelude to disaster

iMarketSmart

I know, change is hard. But I think too many people are afraid of change and disruption when they really should be afraid of being afraid. After all, the only thing we can truly depend upon is change. So why not embrace it? Or, why not take it one step further? Here’s what I mean. Over 10 years ago, when I sold direct marketing services and printing to nonprofits in the DC region, I made a huge sign and put it above my cubicle’s desk to ensure that I’d read it each morning.

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Why I Hate Sugarcoating Issues

The Agitator

I was looking for studies that had been done on what type of images are effective in nonprofit direct marketing. So I headed over to Google Scholar and searched for “use pictures fundraising appeals.”. You would have thought I was searching for snuff films. Here are some of the titles of journal articles that faced me: Pictures of me: user views on their representation in homelessness fundraising appeals.

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Protest or Persuade? A Quick Guide to Communications Strategy During These Divided Times

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Protest or persuade? That is the question your nonprofit should be asking as our nation’s political and cultural war intensifies. How you answer could help define how you are viewed by the public and your donors for years to come. In the past few days alone, we’ve seen a flurry of highly charged issues make headlines, light up our Facebook feeds, and spark emotional protests, including: the separation of immigrant children from their parents; Supreme Court rulings on the Muslim tra

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How Big is a Major Gift?

Fundraising Report Card

When it comes to major gifts can we use the concept of the outlier to determine our major giving threshold? Since we qualitatively and psychologically agree that a major gift is one that has a major impact on your organization, would it also be fair to then suggest that an outlier gift is the same thing? The post How Big is a Major Gift? appeared first on Fundraising Report Card.

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I Hate the Big Check Photo

The Agitator

Every nonprofit has a photo like this somewhere: Yes, it’s a photo that your corporate partner can use on their Web site or in their annual report as a way of showing their commitment to the community. And, among a still-sadly-plurality-older-white-male business community, the big check sends the message to other business people in the audience: Your check is too small.

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Who Should Be Making that Comms Decision?

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

On Thursday, I’m teaching a new webinar called Streamlining Communications Decision Making: From Strategic Planning to the Daily Grind. We’ll talk about all kinds of communications decisions that nonprofits have to make and everything that goes into making the best possible decisions. Of course, who makes the decision is one of those key elements!

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Stop SPAMMING your supporters with planned giving e-newsletters

iMarketSmart

Wiz-bang tech? I was talking to a fundraiser and he said, “We’ve got this cool system that includes pre-written estate planning e-newsletters I can send to my list whenever I want.” So I asked, “Did the people on the list opt-in to receive the e-newsletter?” “They are donors,” he replied. So I asked again, “But did they opt-in to receive the e-newsletter?

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Healthy Growth, Database Management, and Major Gifts (Season 2, Episode 2)

Fundraising Report Card

Zach and Tim respond to three listener questions that include: what is a healthy percentage of donor increase year to year, when should you add a donor or prospect to your database, and what should be considered a major gift? Have your question answered on the podcast by calling in to (575) 815-4573 or by … Continue reading "Healthy Growth, Database Management, and Major Gifts (Season 2, Episode 2)".

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4 Ways That Health Organizations Benefit From a Unified CRM

EveryAction

A broad range of healthcare focused organizations depend on member and donor database software to manage relationships with supporters. From Health Foundations and Retirement or Assisted Living facilities, to Community Health Systems that span states or regions, though they have a diverse set of missions and directives, the common thread running through each is that these are the organizations that Americans trust to keep them safe and healthy throughout their lives.

Health 40
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Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Erin Graichen

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Erin Graichen. Welcome to the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! Don’t be shy – tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro. Erin Graichen saves lakes.

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Are you a piñata fundraiser?

iMarketSmart

Piñatas are decorative, papier-mâché containers usually filled with candy. I learned about them at children’s birthday parties. There, the children get a chance to whack ’em with a stick until they brake open. Then the kids scramble to gather the candy. It’s very exciting! Of course, one whack is never enough. So one at a time, the kids keep pounding the lovely, hand-crafted piñata, until it finally relents and the papier-mâché splits open.

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10 Summer Fundraisers for 2018

NonProfit Hub

Summer is finally here—the days are longer, the sun is brighter and the money-raising possibilities are endless. To ring in the season, here are 10 fun, unique and affordable summer fundraisers that will make everyone excited to give back. For each event, make sure you take the time to budget, set fundraising goals, find volunteers and—perhaps most importantly—advertise!

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I Hate The Way We Fail New Fundraisers

The Agitator

Whenever I’m at a loss to describe a problem I turn to the dog-eared volumes in my fundraising library for help. Currently– like many others– I’m wrestling with the issues of turnover and the levels of skill in our trade. More and more nonprofits (47% more in the past decade) are in need of “fundraisers”. But fewer and fewer trained or experienced fundraisers are available.

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Blog Readers, Save $200 Off Our Annual All-Access Pass

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Save $200 off our Annual All-Access Pass now through July 6, 2018. No coupon code to enter. Your savings will show up at checkout. Learn more about the All-Access Pass and save $200. We know many nonprofits are on a summer fiscal year, and you might need to use this year’s money in the next few days. Or. you might have a new budget starting on July 1.

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Newsletter: Do Cause Marketers Go to Jail? ; Coke's 'Peace Tea' Rewards Random Acts of Kindness??; Where the Hell is Geoffrey the Giraffe??

Selfish Giving

Two weeks ago I wrote about using Facebook to promote your partnerships. I mentioned that in some states it may be illegal to promote your partnerships because of commercial co-venture laws. That's not quite true, according to my supah-smaht friend and cause marketing lawyer, Karen Wu. It is not actually “illegal” for nonprofits to promote their partnerships – rather, the main potential consequence is that the money the nonprofit receives from those partnerships could be viewed as taxable advert

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Our EveryAction Hero: Jewish Voice for Peace

EveryAction

This month, our EveryAction hero is Jewish Voice for Peace. As a a membership driven organization, JVP works with chapters and members across the country advocating for human rights, justice, and equality for Palestinians and Israelis. I recently called up Samantha Brotman, Membership Manager, to learn more about JVP's membership program and recent fundraising strategies that have been successful.

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Rage Donations: Give Before You Explode!

The Agitator

Trump’s politically-inspired human rights horror show featuring state-sponsored kidnapping of refugee children and the torture-by-trauma of their imprisoned parents has triggered a tsunami of rage –and rage giving — worth noting, As was the case after the president’s announcement of the Muslim Ban and his other post-election actions, a flood of responses –financial and in-kind– was unleashed.

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Mixed Links for Nonprofit Communicators – June 29, 2018

Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

We’ve reached another Friday which means I’ve gathered the best articles, posts, tips, and more from around the world of marketing and fundraising. This week I’ve got social media tips, graphic design help, and what to do if your comms team is struggling. It’s time for Mixed Links… Interested in our All-Access Pass ? You get to attend all of our webinars and much much more.