Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 20, 2015
'Some fundraising bloggers/consultants have discovered a terrifying new boogeyman – the work of nonprofit marketing directors! Hurry, get the pitchforks and the lighter fluid. We got us some branding hocus pocus witches to burn! Oh, haven’t you heard the hysteria? Yep, nonprofit marketing and branding are apparently killing fundraising. Killing it, they say!
Ann Green
JANUARY 27, 2015
'Valentine’s Day will be here soon, and what a perfect time to thank your donors and show how much you appreciate their support. If you haven’t expressed gratitude since you sent your year-end thank you letters, you need to do that soon. Aim to thank your donors at least once a month. You may not choose to acknowledge Valentine’s Day, but do something fun and creative to show appreciation in February.
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Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 5, 2015
'After the holiday break new media managers return to work energized to update and implement their list of priorities for the upcoming year. The goals suggested below are fairly easy to achieve, yet transformative to a nonprofit’s new media strategy. Most do not require a financial investment, but preliminary results on the 2014 fundraising season are strong and if your nonprofit did well in 2014, investing in staff development in 2015 is a wise decision.
Fundraising Coach
JANUARY 27, 2015
'I''m not sure why it is, but so many of us outright lie when we invite people to our nonprofit board. We tell them, "It won''t be a lot of work. And it will be alot of fun.". But neither are totally true. Board work is work. Sometimes it''s hard. Sometimes it''s routine. And, yes, sometimes it is fun. I consistently get board members signing up for coaching because they were invited to a little more than a social club and blindsided when they are told they need to sell $1000 gala tickets.
Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker
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.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JANUARY 8, 2015
'Year-end is over! Now what? First, take a deep breath and give yourself a few moments of calm. Second, start showing those donors some love with a thank you. A basic thank you letter is a perfectly acceptable way to show a donor some gratitude. But if you want to go above and beyond and add some creative flair to wow your donors, go for it! To help get the creative juices flowing, I collected some favorite thank yous that I’ve personally received and some submissions that our nonprofit friends
The Agitator
JANUARY 7, 2015
'I figure there’s no time like the start of the New Year to begin dishing out some heresy. There’s an assumption among most fundraisers that the best charitable giving season is October, November and December — the so-called Year-End period. The assumption is based on the belief that donors are in a giving mood and they engage in all types of holiday gifting.
Nonprofit Leadership Zone brings together the best content for advertising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Ann Green
JANUARY 7, 2015
'Happy New Year! I hope you had a nice holiday. I had a great two-week vacation in Florida with my family. I also hope you had a successful year-end fundraising campaign. Did you get a bunch of new donors and renewals, or did you lose some people? One of the biggest reasons donors flee is because they believe the organization doesn’t do a good job of staying in touch and keeping them engaged.
Nonprofit Tech for Good
JANUARY 4, 2015
'Date: Tuesday, March 17. 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.
Fundraising Coach
JANUARY 13, 2015
'In a recent study , 75% of nonprofit executives said their board members weren''t sufficiently engaged. 3 out of 4! With numbers that high, you know there has to be a systemic issue. Nonprofits are doing amazing things around the world. People work and volunteer at them to add meaning and value to their lives. So there''s no way tens of thousands of people are waking up each morning saying, "I wonder how sufficiently un-engaged I can be with a cause I value today.".
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JANUARY 21, 2015
'The folks at the Pew Research Center recently published updates to their Social Media Report. Here are a few highlights: Facebook still reigns supreme. It comes as no surprise that 71% of all online adults are on Facebook, which also sees 70% of users engaging with the site at least daily. More older adults adopting social networks. But they’re mostly on Facebook. 56% of all online adults 65 and older now use Facebook, which equals 31% of all seniors.
Speaker: Dave Sackett
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
JANUARY 27, 2015
'At the start of the year Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s Director of Analytics, in his post 5 Things That Won’t Happen in 2015 hit on what I consider the biggest risk facing nonprofits these days — doing nothing. Sure, not so long ago maintaining the status quo — repeating the same activities year after year — was considered less risky than innovation.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 8, 2015
'It’s here! We’ve officially released the 2015 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report and infographic. We’ll be sharing more details from the report on the blog in the coming weeks, but wanted you to get access to the goods right away. Share Link: [link]. Full-Size Infographic on Flickr. Infographic on Pinterest. Infographic on Facebook.
Ann Green
JANUARY 21, 2015
'I’ve been to several memorial services over the last few years. I guess that’s what happens as you get older. In most cases, the families designated charities to donate to, often in lieu of flowers. I’ve always liked this. You get to honor someone and support a charity, as well. I gave five memorial gifts over the last two years.
Mission Minded
JANUARY 14, 2015
'There are best practices of branding and communications that any nonprofit can put into place without a lot of hullaballoo. Like the new year’s resolutions so many of us make this time of year, employing best practices sometimes just comes down to reminding ourselves of the common sense good habits we already know we should […].
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!
Fundraising Coach
JANUARY 30, 2015
'Photo courtesy of Chris Gorski used under Creative Commons licence It is my pleasure to be hosting the February Nonprofit Blog Carnival! With Valentine''s Day in February, the last three years have focused on "loving": loving nonprofit staff. loving donors and keeping them coming back. and loving nonprofit leaders. Breaking out of the rut. This year, let''s shake it up.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JANUARY 20, 2015
'Editor’s note: This post was written by Vanessa Chase , founder of The Storytelling Non-Profit. You can check out more thoughts on storytelling on her blog. Or, if you’re in the mood to watch a webinar on storytelling, you can download the archived version of her Nonprofit911 webinar. Storytelling is quickly becoming part of the everyday fabric of nonprofit fundraising and communications.
The Agitator
JANUARY 19, 2015
'Harvard Business Review calls it a strategic tool with “irresistible power”. To Entrepreneur magazine it’s the “major business lesson of 2014”. Companies and nonprofits like American Express, Random House and PBS are paying up to $3,500 for a workshops on it. What is this exciting phenomenon that’s become a new buzzword? It’s the ancient art of storytelling — that fundamental human activity which has been around since the advent of fire.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 6, 2015
'For more tips and examples, join me next Thursday, January 15th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Pacific), for my brand new webinar Where Are My People? How to Find Your Audience on Social Networks. (Recording available if you can’t attend live.). Let’s face it – not all followers on social networks are the same. Some are more influential than others, on social and in real life.
Speaker: Jennifer Hill
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.
Ann Green
JANUARY 14, 2015
'We hear the term donor-centered a lot, and it’s pretty self-explanatory. You want to focus on your donors’ needs and interests and take into account that not all donors are the same. Is your organization donor-centered? Find out by taking this test. Fundraising Appeals. Are your fundraising appeals focused too much on your organization – rambling on about how great you are?
Getting Attention
JANUARY 27, 2015
'Pressure. You feel it. I feel it. The pressure to generate social media miracles. It’s still there, even this many years in. And whether the source (that you’re keeping up, have a billion Facebook likes or Twitter followers, or your Instagram strategy is driving action) is your boss, board chair and/or your colleague in programs, it’s a problem.
Mission Minded
JANUARY 12, 2015
'Who needs to be educated about your brand? Your stakeholders? Of course. Your board members? Definitely. But what about your funders? It may seem tricky, but it’s really a no-brainer. Recently, I had the privilege of attending several presentations made by a nonprofit’s Executive Director and Development Director to its key funders. This orgainzation had […].
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JANUARY 15, 2015
'It’s no secret that year-end giving is an important source of donation dollars for most nonprofits. Last year was no exception and we saw a lot of “generous procrastinators” giving big online in December 2014. When we looked at organizations who received donations on the Network for Good platform in both December 2013 and December 2014, we saw an 18% increase in total donation volume year over year.
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.
The Agitator
JANUARY 15, 2015
'I’m teasing out the first month of the year for all it’s worth in terms of recommendations for my 2015 ‘To do’ list. Frankly, I’m doing a lot of stealing from the advice I see others giving, massaged against what I deem most important to fundraising success. Here’s an example: Recommendation #4 on my 2015 ‘To do’ list: Become unforgettable to your donors.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 13, 2015
'Allison Fine. Today Allison Fine joins us to talk about what she call “matterness” – making other people matter more in your work. For more on this, check out her latest book, Matterness: Fearless Leadership for a Social World. ~Kristina. Guest Post by Allison Fine. Keeping up your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and exercise more may begin to slide as January soon becomes February, but there is something you can be fantastically successful at this year – leading fearles
Care2
JANUARY 20, 2015
'According to the 2015 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report , by NonprofitMarketingGuide.com, nonprofits are becoming more confident and more intentional about reaching out to target audiences, raising money, and retaining donors through engagement. For the first time since 2011, nonprofits have significantly increased the frequency for both email and direct mail appeals.
NonProfit Hub
JANUARY 22, 2015
'Kim Becker Cooper is a guest contributor for Nonprofit Hub and the Marketing Director at DonorSearch, a prospect research and wealth screening company that focuses on philanthropy. She has ten years of experience serving as a frontline fundraiser, prospect researcher and consultant for nonprofits. _. Finding major gift donors without prospect research is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
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Getting Attention
JANUARY 7, 2015
'This practical, doable marketing plan template takes you from goals to benchmarks, work plan, action and impact! Those New Year’s resolutions—including the ones we set for marketing and fundraising work—are so hard to keep. That’s because most resolutions are action items, rather than goals (the real “what we want to get to”).
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JANUARY 30, 2015
'Clicks. Likes. Shares. Image: Cone Communications. It’s easy to write off the small online actions of “slacktivists” as passive behavior that won’t make much of a difference, but digital activists can turn into donors, advocates, and major supporters over time. Late last year, Cone Communications released their Digital Activism Study which reveals insights on digital consumer behavior when it comes to supporting causes online.
The Agitator
JANUARY 13, 2015
'I was browsing through my email, as one is wont to do, and noticed a praising mention of an unfamiliar nonprofit called Possible Health. And, as donors are wont to do, I went to their website to check them out. [You’ll recall that #2 on my recommended 2015 ‘To do’ list yesterday was getting your nonprofit’s website in top shape for attracting and converting leads.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide
JANUARY 7, 2015
'Laurel Dykema. Guest blogger extraordinaire Laurel Dykema is back with us to share how you can change up your storytelling technique. ~Kivi. Guest Post by Laurel Dykema of Mission India. As nonprofit writers, we share stories about real people … their struggles, victories, and joys. But if you’re like me, sometimes the words you use to tell an amazing story can feel a little flat.
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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