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Did you know there’s a Center for Plain Language? Its mission is to help government and businesses write clearly. There’s even a Plain Writing Act, which “requires that federal agencies use clear government communication that the public can understand and use.” The Center’s tagline says it all – Make it clear. I wish we had a Plain Writing Act for nonprofit organizations because there’s a lot of confusing and cumbersome writing out there.
Photo Credit: https://flic.kr/p/aVmeYp. We all know why nonprofits want monthly donors — fantastic ROI, high retention rates and higher lifetime value. So, how do we get them? Specifically, how do we sign more supporters up for an online monthly giving program? First, the basics. Before engaging in the 6 tactics below, you should organize your monthly giving program: Name it.
The National Retail Federation estimates that online sales will grow 6 to 8 percent this holiday season. That translates into billions of dollars in consumer spending that can empower philanthropy and social good. By shopping at any of the 27 online stores listed below, conscious consumers can channel some of their spending power into the nonprofit sector.
Last week at the Blackbaud conference, I heard yet another story of good fundraising letters being eviscerated by marketing. Unfortunately, it happens all the time. A fundraiser studies her craft, reads the results of fundraising tests, and creates a compelling appeal. Then a marketing person gets involved and tries to "fix it." They use passive voice in an attempt to sound lofty and confident.
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.
Lots of time and money is spent on identifying success factors in major gift fundraising for large organizations. Very little on factors that make a big difference for smaller organizations. Until now. Amy Eisenstein, author of Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops , has just released a study done in conjunction with Prof. Adrian Sargent, director of the Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy and Dr.
Our first post in the 2016 Do-It-Differently series, featuring fresh ideas from the field. Thanks to Renee Thompson, director of philanthropy, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Tested Turnaround! Introducing a new fundraising spokesperson—one of our clients (an individual who’s benefited from our donors’ support). Keeping It All about Our Donors, Not Our Organization.
Guest Post by Adam Weinger. Many of you are gearing up for your year-end fundraising campaign. It’s never easy to raise money, but you may have overlooked a simple way to bring in more donations – Matching Gifts. This guest post by Adam Weinger gives you some great tips to help you incorporate matching gifts into your fundraising. Your nonprofit likely feels like it is doing all that it can to raise money to keep your organization’s engine running.
Guest Post by Adam Weinger. Many of you are gearing up for your year-end fundraising campaign. It’s never easy to raise money, but you may have overlooked a simple way to bring in more donations – Matching Gifts. This guest post by Adam Weinger gives you some great tips to help you incorporate matching gifts into your fundraising. Your nonprofit likely feels like it is doing all that it can to raise money to keep your organization’s engine running.
Back in August, I offered a new mantra for nonprofit communications pros: Get CALM. Being CALM means being Collaborative, Agile, Logical, and Methodical. C is for Collaborative. Build listening into your ongoing routine. Help others in your organization see the big picture and how their parts fit into it. Create a clear process for working together that is easy and efficient.
Nonprofit Tech for Good experimented with Periscope for live streaming for the first time during the 2015 Independent Sector Conference. Like all new tools there is a learning curve, but for nonprofit social media managers that spend a good portion of the their time on social and mobile media, Periscope is intuitive, easy to use, and a welcome break from the daily routine of posting, tweeting, sharing – repeat.
I'm pleased to welcome back Bill Tedesco, founder and CEO of DonorSearch , my favorite prospect research tool. I love how easy they make it for nonprofits to do the research that helps you treat your donors well and raise the money you need to fund your mission. In this post, I've asked hime to recommend his top 5 prospect research tools. Isn't it cool that he leads with the theme song from the show "Cheers"?!
Most of the discussion that occurs around the sorry state of donor retention deals with failure on the part of nonprofits to even take notice of their situation. In some cases to even know what to measure, let alone understand how to respond in terms of organization-wide attitude and communication tactics. The underlying assumption is that just by ‘getting it right’ in terms of focus and mechanics a large proportion of haemorrhaging donors can be, well, salvaged.
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.
Time has fallen back. The days are shorter. Winter is coming. Believe it or not, it’s November. In the nonprofit world, that means one thing—it’s End of Year Ask season. Usually this season elicits two emotions: excitement to put into action the fundraising plan to cap off a great year or “CRAP! YEAR-END ASK?”. If you fall into the latter group, fear not; you still have time.
I know many nonprofits have limited resources. These can include budget, time, and staff. I also know it’s hard when you feel you’re barely scraping by. But there are some areas where you can’t skimp. Think of it as making an investment in your donors. Invest in a good database and email service provider. The best ones aren’t free.
Candace Cody. Last month Rob Wu, CEO of CauseVox , shared tips he learned from some successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Today, Candace Cody of CauseVox joins us to talk about how to start your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. ~Kristina. Guest Post by Candace Cody of CauseVox. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns yield significant benefits: more donations, more awareness, more relationships, and plenty of supporters to share the load.
For environmentally friendly and socially conscious holiday shoppers that prefer to give donations to nonprofits as holiday gifts, the 10 holiday tribute gift programs listed below are a good starting point for your holiday shopping. Ranging from wildlife conservation to refugee relief, tribute gifts make excellent holiday gifts for friends, family, and work colleagues.
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!
Photo courtesy of scragz on Flickr. Some rights reserved. Do you fear your donors are bored with you? Here's some good news: with all the holiday parties at this time of year, you have virtual laboratory for learning to be interesting! How to be interesting to your donors. In his classic How to Win Friends and Influence People , Dale Carnegie gives you a secret to successful fundraising: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by
It never ceases to amaze me how stupid and cheap so many nonprofit CEOs, board members and, yes, even fundraisers can be. The consequences that spring from ignorance about the importance of investing in fundraising and a zealously misplaced focus on ‘cost savings’ yield horror and frustration for staff and almost always result in calamity where the future of the organization is concerned.
The holiday season is nothing without its traditions. For many people, the holidays mean gathering together with family to consume meals, exchange gifts, watch football and take turkey-induced naps. For others, when the holiday season begins this year on Thanksgiving, traditions include giving back to their community and volunteering for local nonprofits.
Let’s be real: Your organization is one of the many that can’t use kitty or puppy photos to raise money or recruit volunteers. In Part One of this mini-guide, I shared my take on why such emotional candy is so powerful in works so well to raise money or recruit volunteers. And cited a reliable litmus test for photo impact—1) If you’d share them with your family and friends; 2) would they “like” or share them.
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.
Did you know that the quality of your thank you letters can determine whether your donor gives again? Thank-you letters are incredibly important in turning a first-time donor into a life-long giver. Donors want much more than an acknowledgement and receipt. They want to know how you used the gift and that they are a genuine part of your success. Sending a thank you letter to your donors is not just the polite thing to do.
Snapchat is a mobile app where users share snaps with one another, but unlike other visual social networks, the snaps disappear once they are viewed. Launched in 2011, many nonprofits have been hesitant to experiment with a mobile social network where content disappears and where no traditional “Follow” functionality exists. But with 100 million daily active users and the launch of Stories (a collection of snaps that can be viewed for 24 hours), a few early adopter nonprofits ar
We've been inspired to launch a nonprofit leadership survey. Last month's post on fundraising problems being leadership problems really hit a nerve. And it's no wonder. Charities are getting hit hard from outside pressures but based on my experience with the coaching and training I'm doing, I think what we're experiencing now is just the prelude to the leadership issues we'll start seeing coming from within organizations.
I know you have lots on your plate as we near year-end. But if you have monthly sustaining donors or any type of installment givers , please add this data processing/payment processing morsel to your ‘Urgent: To Do’ list. In response to the rising tide of credit card theft and fraud over the past few years, American credit card providers are in the process of issuing a wave of (an estimated 100 million) replacement cards.
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.
Jack Karako is a guest contributor for Nonprofit Hub. Jack has 30 years’ experience within the charitable and philanthropic industry that he brings to the forefront with IMPACTism. Jack has been a major gifts fundraiser and senior organizational executive working with or consulting to nonprofit and advocacy organizations. __. It won’t be long until people are watching the ball drop and making the New Year’s resolutions that they inevitably won’t keep.
Jerold Panas’ classic fundraising book Mega Gifts published in 1984 includes a story about a zoo’s board member named Mary G. Roebling. According to Jerold, Mary once admonished the fundraising team including Jerry saying, “Now, Jerry, one thing you must remember. People like to be thanked, they want to know that what they have done is appreciated, really appreciated.
Think about it: Out of all of the hours you work each week, how many are really awesome, where you feel like you are working on the most important, super strategic things and completely in the zone, loving every minute of it? Maybe 5? 1? None? What if you could set up the way you worked to create two awesome hours each day? That’s the premise behind Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done (Amazon).
Kivi Leroux Miller’s Nonprofit Communications Trends Survey has become the “go to” source for what’s REALLY happening in the world of nonprofit communications and fundraising. The annual results report provides concrete benchmarks for your marketing approach and the proof points you need to lobby for the resources you need to do marketing right.
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.
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2016. Time: 1-2:30pm EDT. Cost: Free! How to Register: Sign up. Presented by: Heather Mansfield. View: Complete Webinar Schedule. Based on more than 20 years of experience and 25,000+ hours spent utilizing mobile and social media, Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits is a comprehensive 256-page book packed with more than 500 best practices.
Yesterday, in The Most Sinister Word In Fundraising , Roger wrote about effective fundraising copywriting and — citing our esteemed colleague, Jeff Brooks — the pernicious ‘I’ word. As he wrote: “This evil word has the negative power to transform your message into one that should be about the donor to one about you and your organization.” Much is written about donor-centric fundraising (the only kind that works) as a philosophy and attitude, and also regar
Social media has a constantly changing landscape and it can be hard to stay current with all of the rapid updates. That’s why Nonprofit Hub is rolling out a brand new monthly series where we’ll review the most important changes to the top social media platforms that occurred each month. Social Media at a Glance will publish each month so that readers can keep up on the constantly changing social trends from the previous month.
ActionSprout is teaming up with Facebook, and giving away $2M in Facebook advertising credits to 2,000 nonprofits. About a year ago, Beth Kanter, myself, and a few others in the nonprofit community discussed ways we could lobby Facebook to better support the nonprofit community by offering a Facebook ad grants program similar to Google. Could this new experiment between ActionSprout and Facebook lead to a longer term Facebook ad grants program?
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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