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When we think of stories, we often think of a written story. But stories come in many forms and people process information in different ways. Some people respond better to visual stimuli. In our information packed world, a visual story can be great way to connect. Tell a story in an instant with a photo. Your donors are busy and may not have time read a story, but you can capture their attention in an instant with a great photo.
When it comes to building relationships and trust with prospective donors and volunteers, service users or program participants and other vital audiences, the smallest details can make a huge impact, especially when they’re about your organization’s people. That’s why there’s so much potential for us to do SO much better with About Us web site content.
In 1985 the.ORG domain was released to the public along with.COM,NET,GOV and.EDU – the original top-level domains of the Internet. Over the next 30 years the.ORG domain would become the Internet home of the nonprofit sector worldwide and become synonymous with the term “nonprofit organization.” Consequently, in poll after poll conducted by the Public Interest Registry , the nonprofit responsible for managing the.ORG domain, the online masses have communicated that more than any other
"Story Road" by umjanedoan on Flickr. Used by permission. Would you like to jumpstart your fundraising for your nonprofit? One of the most important tools I've seen is helping board members get comfortable telling their own story. Getting board members to be fully present. In my work with nonprofits around the world, I find a common element in those with high performing boards: their board members feel released to be fully themselves.
Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.
A recent article in AdAge argues that every great story, and every great brand, has a strong, evident antagonist–someone to fight against. The author explains that Apple’s enemy was Microsoft, just as Luke fought against Darth Vadar. Great consumer marketing does this: It positions one product against another. We choose Nike over Reebok or Coke […].
In the first decade of my career, before discovering the wonders of direct mail, I did honest labor managing capital campaigns and major gift efforts. In those early years I was blessed with a remarkable mentor named G. Richard Kuch. He was an old school fundraiser and campaigner. Meaning, he believed strongly that none of us should allowed call themselves a ‘fundraiser’ or ‘fundraising consultant’ — let alone be turned loose on a client — until we had been th
Are you sharing stories with your donors, or are you putting them to sleep with a bunch of facts and statistics? Donors love stories. Stories bring the work you do to life by using everyday language to create a scene. Here’s an example from the Pet Partners newsletter. Pet Partners is an organization that provides therapy animals to people who need them. “Molly is a 12 year-old Boxer who barely survived Hurricane Katrina.
Are you sharing stories with your donors, or are you putting them to sleep with a bunch of facts and statistics? Donors love stories. Stories bring the work you do to life by using everyday language to create a scene. Here’s an example from the Pet Partners newsletter. Pet Partners is an organization that provides therapy animals to people who need them. “Molly is a 12 year-old Boxer who barely survived Hurricane Katrina.
Don’t Feed the Troll. We recently had this question pop up on our All-Access Pass Holder’s private Facebook Group: “How do you respond to negative or misinformed reviews of your organization on Facebook? Do you respond to each one? Post a general statement? Would you post a response as a comment on the review, or send a private message?
I received a kind email from Erik Anderson, of the Donor Dreams Blog , suggesting I take on the subject of The Future of Philanthropy for this month's nonprofit blog carnival. Easy peasy, right? Well maybe not. In Erik's call for Future Philanthropy blogs he links to a TED Talk from 2007: Katherine Fulton on You are the future of philanthropy. I've watched the video a couple of times now, and Ms.
I firmly believe "donor fatigue" is a cop out, not a reality. In this quick video, I tell you why. And I give you a free tool to fix your next fundraising letter. For more on this, check out: The free fundraising letter email course at" [link]. The new Fundraising 101 video class for board members and "accidental" fundraisers at: [link]. And the official site for The Nonprofit Storytelling Conference at: [link].
Your annual report (only if it has good pictures, stories about impact, and financials that show responsible use of funds). A copy of your newsletter (only if it has good pictures and stories about impact that help the donor feel like a hero). Photos of projects or beneficiaries (be sure you can tell a story about each photo). Videos (easily transported in a phone, iPad or computer).
Traditional budgeting and forecasting methods can no longer keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Static budgets, rigid annual forecasts, and outdated financial models limit an organization’s ability to adapt to market shifts and economic uncertainty. To stay ahead, finance leaders must leverage a future-forward approach—one that leverages real-time data, predictive analytics, and continuous planning to drive smarter financial decisions.
The Agitator has recently reported on the latest body blows to the reputation of the nonprofit/charity sector, specifically with respect to fundraising practices. One would think that attention to reputation would be of paramount concern to our sector, but there isn’t much sign that individual nonprofit organisations think about their reputation in a systematic way.
All nonprofits want to succeed and grow. You want more donors and more people to find out about your organization. You hear a lot about innovation and finding the next best thing to accomplish what you want. But sometimes we need to take a step back, and realize the next best thing may already be here. Give donors the personal touch. We have so many different ways to communicate with donors, many of them electronic.
Today I’m sharing the fourth video in our new series from the Communications Coaching Program for Executive Directors (we call it the CoCoa Club for short.). When we recently asked several hundred executive directors which communications channel they most wanted to get right and master, the answer was email newsletters. In this video, I share the three essentials I am looking for when I review an email newsletter. ( Can’t see the video player?
Last week I attended the "What Really Matters" webinar from Abila to discuss the findings in their latest Donor Engagement Study. There were a few surprises in their latest findings, and several confirmations of what we've always known, or at least should have sensed. On of the key points that should be obvious, but bears repeating, is that Content is King.
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand
Do you really know your donors? Not just what they give, but who they are? 👥 In this interactive session, we’ll break down how nonprofits can use behavioral indicators (affinity, recency, frequency, and monetary value) to build prospecting segments that go beyond wealth screening and actually align with donor identity. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to move beyond basic demographics and cultivate supporters based on how they already engage with you!
Millenials aren't really different. Charities just haven't been paying attention! "Selfie" by Patrik Nygren. Used with permission. https://flic.kr/p/nk9b1w Charities have gotten used to the WORLD WAR II GENERATION 's trust in big social programs. Big programs overcame the Great Depression and overcame Hitler, right? So if "everyone does their part" we'll overcome the next hurdle.
Part of the fun of social media is its ever changing nature. Keeping on top of trends can be tricky, and that’s where we come in. By now we all know what hashtags are and how to use them properly, but what are the best nonprofit hashtags? True to social media’s evolving nature, there are no exact answers to this question, but I can give you some solid winners to incorporate into your social media strategy.
Way back when (2013), The Agitator reported — Are You Ready To Pass Inspection? — on a Google study on donor online giving. As we noted: “One of the key findings was the extent to which donors now appear to comparison shop before giving. The Google study says 75% of donors begin the research they conduct on charities online. Nearly 50% visit multiple nonprofit sites prior to giving — 39% visit two to four sites, 8% visit five or more.” So I suspect you fundraisers have wo
Welcome to our Proof Point series—highlighting research findings to use when advocating for the marketing approaches you know are right. . Email subject line length DOES MATTER, as proven by Mail Chimp’s research on open rates for 200 million emails. The best email subject lines are short [50 characters or less]…and provide the reader with a reason to explore your message further.
Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Bill Sayre. We don’t touch on cyber security too often on this blog as it is so not in our area of expertise. But we know it’s extremely important you are doing everything you can to maintain the safety of your donor information. We were glad that Merkle reached out to us to talk to you about keeping your data secure. ~Kristina. Guest Post by Bill Sayre, President of Merkle Response Management Group.
New research from the 2015 M+R Benchmarks Study tells us that, on average, almost half (45%) of small nonprofits’ email subscribers are inactive. Yikes! Inactive could mean different things to different organizations. Many organizations define inactive subscribers as those who’ve gone one year with no activity. (These don’t necessarily include lapsed or inactive donors.
There’s a big problem in the nonprofit sector, and every sector and industry for that matter. We’re living in 2015, and yet women are still not being treated as equals. If you’re a woman in a top role, such as Executive Director or CEO, you’ve managed to beat the odds. For that, I applaud you. However, I dream of a world where it isn’t such a big feat.
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.
In Hidden Leaks #2 , I warned of the likelihood that a bad Donation Page will drive even the most loyal of donors to the exit. Getting down in the essential weeds a bit more, here’s an important message about another processing ‘leak’ — and loyalty opportunity — in the retention bucket. A leak unnoticed or ignored by most organizations.
What’s that one bad work habit you want to change but just can’t do it ? C’mon—we all have at least one. But be it one or many, these habits can drive us crazy. OMG! Here’s my biggie bad: Whenever I speak or train, I learn a ton from folks like you who are in the room or on the webinar. These learnings hugely enrich my understanding of the topic (let’s say, writing for social media vs. websites).
When I talk to people about marketing for thought leadership, whether a nonprofit communications director trying to promote her boss as a thought leader or a consultant trying to promote herself that way, I often hear this question: Do you have to write AND speak to be a successful thought leader? I think the answer is YES, which is unfortunate, because it’s rare for both writing and public speaking to come naturally to the same person.
Looking for a new way to get your board involved with your fundraising efforts? A social fundraising campaign can help make it easier for your board members to fulfill their “give or get” commitment to your organization. Of course, the idea behind social fundraising isn’t new, but combining the age-old structure of board support and your fundraising assets with technology that makes it much easier to ask for a gift can amplify your outreach, resulting in more donors and more do
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.
I bet you already know that each and every one of your supporters has a unique reason why they first got involved with your organization— their story. . But you probably don’t know each of their stories. And, you probably haven’t asked each of them to tell you their story. Here’s why you should: Several researchers have concluded that your donor’s life stories influence their charitable bequest decision-making.
Kayla Matthews is a guest contributor for Nonprofit Hub. She is a writer and blogger with a passion for self-improvement and helping others. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter to read all of her latest posts. _. Branding is crucial for any organization’s marketing strategy. But why is branding so important? At a very basic level, it raises awareness about your organization and helps with fundraising efforts.
Every few weeks I wade into the Sea of Sameness that is my pile of unopened fundraising mail. While leafing through the current batch I came across 3 Matching Gift offers. One advances the offer of a 3 for 1 match … another expresses the urgency of a 4 for 1 match … the third breathlessly proclaims a 5 for 1 match plus a pack of free notepads and labels.
Last summer, my husband and I finally visited The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms , which had been on our go-to list for a decade. It’s the former country estate of noted turn-of-the-20th-century designer Gustav Stickley, a leader of “the Arts and Crafts movement in decorative arts, home building, and furnishing styles.” It’s the only house Stickley ever built for himself, so showcases his design esthetic, utopian vision and radical approach to daily life.
Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System
Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, 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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