July, 2014

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5 Leadership Failures That Hurt Communications and Fundraising

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

'Communications directors and development directors are not magicians or miracle workers, and yet many executive directors and boards seem to think they should be able to pull rabbits out of hats and turn water into wine. Too often, when I coach communications directors through their daily challenges, I find that their jobs are being made so much harder than they should be because of a handful of leadership failures.

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10 Must-Have Skills for Nonprofit New Media Managers

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'The following is an excerpt from Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits. In 2013 the number of nonprofits that hired part-time or full-time new media managers increased fourfold. As nonprofits have gotten better at implementing multichannel communications and fundraising campaigns and improving their tracking and reporting systems, many nonprofits have come to the conclusion that creating a paid part- or full-time new media manager position is worth the financial investment

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[Guest Post] Donor Acquisition – the painful necessity of fundraising

Fundraising Coach

'Today it''s my pleasure to share with you a post on finding new donors for your nonprofit. A few weeks ago, Bob McCarthy and I were emailing about the formulas to look at when getting new donors. So I asked him to write a blog post about it! Read it both to learn the formulas and to pick up the language of the direct mail industry. Bob is a direct response/direct mail copywriter and consultant.

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Direct Mail Yields Major Gift Donors

The Agitator

'On Monday we reported on the American Cancer Society (ACS) and its project over the past year to re-examine the role of direct mail in its fundraising program. ACS is committed to a sophisticated multi-channel marketing approach, in which direct mail remains a key work horse, and in which the full potential value of each donor (financial and otherwise) is recognized.

Activism 107
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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

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Millennials on a Mission: Idealism, Impact, Innovation

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

'Editor’s note: I’m pleased to introduce Network for Good’s Chief Giving Officer, Jamie McDonald , as a contributor to The Nonprofit Marketing Blog. Jamie will be sharing her insight on philanthropy and trends in giving, as well as updates from the field. During this year’s Millennial Impact Forum (also known as MCON), thousands of leaders in philanthropy, social enterprise, and technology joined together for two days of inspiration from our next generation of leaders.

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Reactivate Your Email List (Case Study)

Getting Attention

'Since 1996, Karla Capers has been working for advocacy organizations, figuring out ways to use the internet to raise visibility for progressive issues, engage people in campaigns, and try to make the world a better place. Note from Nancy: I came upon Karla’s terrific guidance for re-engaging folks on the Progressive Exchange list serv, and got her permission to repost here.

More Trending

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New Mobile App Will Change the Way Donors Give and Nonprofits Fundraise

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'At long last a mobile app has launched that allows Americans to easily donate to any U.S.-based nonprofit in just a few taps. By partnering with Guidestar and Network for Good , donors can now give to their favorite nonprofits and manage their giving portfolio in one simple, very smart mobile app called the Give App. Launched on July 13, donors search the GuideStar database inside the app for their favorite nonprofit, enter their credit card information which is then stored for all future donat

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An unlikely summer reading list for nonprofit leaders

Fundraising Coach

'Summer can be a great time to catch up on some reading. "Catch up" may be relative term. Summer doesn''t really slow down anymore, does it? But as those of you in the Northern Hemisphere experience the change in pace that summer brings, here are some books I recommend you consider adding to your summer reading list: Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service by the Disney Institute with Theodore Kinni.

Culture 108
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How Valid Is Your Fundraising Yardstick?

The Agitator

'In Part 7 of our Barriers to Growth series, I noted that the inability or unwillingness to take a hard and realistic look at an organization’s fundraising potential represents a significant barrier to meaningful growth. Why?

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It’s Time to Retire the Reception

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

'Wine and cheese tasting. Fancy dinner. Reception. What do all these events have in common? They are generic. Any nonprofit can host these events. They are not special to your donors. They are not especially meaningful. To paraphrase Lynne Wester, The Donor Relations Guru, in our popular Nonprofit 911 webinar : Donors gave you money. They can buy themselves dinner.

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Recognition Powers High-Performance — If You Do it Right

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg

Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.

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Do Your Headlines Deliver? Nonprofit Wordsmithing Makes a Difference

Getting Attention

'Guest blogger Tom Furtwangler manages digital communications and social media for a large international development nonprofit based on the west coast. There’s a headline arms race on the web these days. Upworthy’s “curiosity gap” approach to click-enticing headlines is now widely imitated and even parodied. You know what I mean: those “You won’t believe…” headlines that we don’t believe anymore.

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Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Lindsay Nichols

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

'Lindsay J.K. Nichols. Here’s the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words. Lindsay J.K. Nichols is the senior director of marketing and communications for GuideStar , a nonprofit that powers philanthropy and is widely considered the leading source of nonprofit information.

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6 Fresh Ideas for Your Nonprofit’s “Thank You” Landing Page

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'Each time @NonprofitOrgs reaches a 100K-follower benchmark, Nonprofit Tech for Good donates to various nonprofits. It’s a way to give back, but its also a system used to periodically review how nonprofits are innovating their online giving process. In this last round of donations – $25 to 28 nonprofits ($700 for reaching 700K followers), some progress has been made since the last round of donations made at 600K followers.

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How Mr. T can help your nonprofit fundraising. Seriously.

Fundraising Coach

'Here''s a short video explaining one of the most important aspects of fundraising: shutting up. When you''ve done all the researching, engaging, and you''ve just made the ask.the decision is out of your control. And that''s ok. In my fundraising training , I recommend picturing Mr. T at this moment. He''ll help keep you from confusing your donor and losing money for you nonprofit.

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Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

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Everything Is NOT Awesome

The Agitator

'Agitator readers know I have this obsession with online video. Only yesterday I was writing about it. Sooner or later, one of you will take me to task and tell me to get over it already. But every time I get ready to wax eloquent over putting the donor at the center of fundraising, or testing subject lines in your email appeals, or upping your retention game, another online video comes along and I’m back in the rut.

Retention 101
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How to stand out on social media

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

'At this week’s Social Media for Nonprofits conference in Washington, DC, Avi Kaplan , Director of Online Strategy for Rad Campaign , challenged organizations to think about how they can break through the noise on social media when we live in a BuzzFeed world. Avi says the key to standing out is to focus on the right audience in the right context with awesome content.

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Shape Messages that Spur Action (Case Study)

Getting Attention

'Freelance communications strategist Jeremy Porter shares his knowhow in his e-newsletter , his blog (where this article first appeared) and via Twitter. For people to care about global warming it needs to be made relevant. This guide shows the language that’s simple and uncontroversial. In Nebraska, there’s a father thinking about his children’s health and education.

Health 75
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You’ve Just Been Promoted to Chief of Staff

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

'Leili Khalessi. I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know Leili Khalessi over the last six months as she participated in our Communications Director Mentoring Program. I think I learned as much from the experience as she did! I see too many nonprofit communications directors who are treated like gophers, or the catch-all dumping grounds for work no one else in the office wants to do.

Culture 213
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Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

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Be Honest About Competition—It Might Just Make You a Better Collaborator

Mission Minded

'People don’t like to talk about competition in the nonprofit world. Competition suggests a dog-eat-dog fight to the finish that would have one valuable nonprofit entity edging another out of the marketplace. Instead, we want to see do-gooders working nicely together to collaboratively accomplish shared goals, but typically this line of thinking leads nonprofit leaders […].

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The Nonprofit Academy joins The Fundraising Coach

Fundraising Coach

'Fundraising training has never been more affordable! You may have already heard the news: The Fundraising Coach will now be directing The Nonprofit Academy! And I couldn''t be more thrilled!! Started by Kirsten Bullock, The Nonprofit Academy has become one of the most affordable venues for ongoin fundraising training. In addition to the monthly webinars, members have access to monthly members-only calls, a members only forum, and the entire Online Vault.

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Email Do’s And Don’ts

The Agitator

'I seem to have accumulated a number of email related articles in — where else — my email in-box, so here’s a bit of a clean-out. First, a good overview of how your emails are being opened. This study from Campaign Monitor , which looked at 1.8 billion opens (be sure to check out the ‘Read More’), actually credits ‘only’ 41% of email opens to mobile devices.

Marketing 101
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8 Ways to Make Social Media Matter

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

'Pressure. You feel it. I feel it. Every nonprofit communicator and fundraiser out there feels it. Social media pressure, that is. Whether the source of this anxiety (Am I keeping up? Do I have a billion Facebook likes or Twitter followers? Is my Instagram strategy driving action?) is your immediate boss, board chair, or colleague in programs, it’s there.

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How to Scale Recurring Giving for Sustainable Growth

Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand

Is your organization ready to build a recurring giving program that not only sustains but also propels your mission forward? 🚀 In this new webinar with industry visionary Tim Sarrantonio, we’ll guide you through the critical steps to establishing and scaling a successful recurring giving program. Whether you’re starting fresh or enhancing an existing program, this session will provide the strategies you need to deepen donor relationships and secure long-term support!

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Your New Nonprofit Marketing Job? Take It Forward Tuesday

Getting Attention

'Please post your open nonprofit marketing positions here. Administrative Assistant, The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County (San Luis Obispo, CA). Communications Officer , The Raikes Foundation (Seattle, WA). Digital Engagement Officer , International Rescue Committee. (New York, NY). Digital Marketing Specialist , The Harwood Institute (Bethesda, MD).

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Download Your Multi-Channel Fundraising Campaign Worksheet [FREE]

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

'We’ve added another advice and tips page to the website – this one covers online fundraising. So whether you are just getting started with raising money online or if you are looking for more advanced ideas, we’ve got you covered. Haven’t accepted online donations before? We’ll show you where to start with getting your website and email list in shape.

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Dear Nonprofits, Be Fearless

Care2

'This is our final installment of Nonprofit 2.0 keynotes. In the last couple of weeks, we were able to recap Majora Carter and Craig Newmark. And we finally have the workshop session notes up for you to check out. Michael Smith, the Director of the White House''s Social Innovation Fund , spoke to the Unconference after lunch. His topic? Be Fearless.

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5 Ways to Use Events to Generate Enormous Planned Gifts

iMarketSmart

'1. Have an announcer point out who among the attendees is already in the Legacy Society (ask permission first). 2. Mention, “if you are wondering what legacy giving is all about, it’s easy, just ask me or a Legacy Society Member.” 3. Put check boxes asking if the invitee has already left a gift or might consider doing so on the response forms (such as RSVP’s). 4.

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Engage, Empower, Excel: Transforming Performance in the New Era of Work

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Adri Glover

The world of work has fundamentally changed. The series of waves that the pandemic began have rippled through the Great Resignation, quiet quitting, the Great Regret, and other eloquent phrases that boil down to the same thing: people aren’t engaged at work or enabled to perform at their best. The truth is that engagement and enablement is more important than ever, but how we do it is the critical differentiator for many organizations.

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How To Talk To Donors About Fundraising Costs And Ethics

The Agitator

'I have no idea how much traction the CNN story on the New York Attorney General’s settlement will get. Nor whether it will trigger any, many or no donor inquiries to your organization or your clients. Nonetheless, good Boy Scout that Tom is, I’ve adopted his motto: “Be Prepared.” So, here’s some Agitator advice on dealing with the question of fundraising costs and ethics.

Ethics 101
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7 Strategies for Mobilizing Millennials

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

'(Part two in our series on the Millennial Impact Project). Millennials: A powerful force for change. Earlier this month, I shared my perspectives on the 2014 Millennial Impact Report and MCON14. Hopefully, that post got you thinking about how Millennials are shaping our culture and social sector in profound new ways. As a refresher, this is a summary from Derrick Feldmann , President of Achieve, on the growing significance and power of Millennials: Approximately 80 million Millennials live in t

Culture 70
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14 Fantastic Nonprofit Marketing Jobs! Take It Forward Tuesday

Getting Attention

'Please post your open nonprofit marketing positions here. Communications Associate , Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (Princeton, NJ). Communications & Policy Director , American Forest Foundation (Washington, DC). Communications Director , Rebuild by Design (New York, NY). Communications Director , William Mitchell College of Law (Saint Paul, MN).

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How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass?

Nonprofit Marketing Guide

'You know that donor-centered communications are vital to getting and keeping your supporters. During the coaching and feedback sessions for our fundraising writing e-clinics with Tom Ahern , he uses this little trick to instantly see how many times nonprofits address the supporter specifically by seeing how many times they use the word “you” in their writing.

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Pricing for Profit: How to Set, Negotiate, and Succeed

Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader

In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a