October, 2013

article thumbnail

Forget Corporate Giving, Focus On Individuals

Selfish Giving

'I’m in Charleston, South Carolina this week teaching at the New Strategies Forum. That distinguished gentleman in the photo is Curt Weeden , the founder of the Forum and the former chief giving officer for Johnson & Johnson. Three times a year, Curt and I teach 25 to 35 nonprofits of all sizes how to raise money from companies. It’s a sobering endeavor when you listen to Curt talk about it.

article thumbnail

29 Online Gift Stores That Benefit Nonprofits

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'The National Retail Federation is projecting that the average American holiday shopper will spend on $738 this holiday season generating more than $602 billion in total sales. That’s a lot of consumer spending power that when spent consciously can help finance nonprofits and good causes worldwide. It may cost a bit more to purchase fair trade and from nonprofits, but the quality is often better, the gifts more unique and meaningful, and consequently much less likely to end up the landfill

Ethics 111
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Does Amazon's new "Smile" mean a windfall for your nonprofit's year-end fundraising?

Fundraising Coach

'I''m not a fan of "fundraising sales" like cookie dough, pizza kits, wrapping paper, raffle tickets, or popcorn. I think they do have a place in the realm of fundraising. But while I love asking for money, I don''t like doing this type of sale. So it''s probably no surprise that I''ve never been a fan of the shopping portals that are supposed to give donations to nonprofits.

article thumbnail

The Fundraising Talent Puddle

The Agitator

'Commenting on Tom’s Ingredients of Retention Success post, Mazarine Treyz of Wildwoman Fundraising poses the intriguing question of whether retention of donors may possibly be related to an organization’s ability to retain its professional fundraisers. Mazarine asks …. ” In other words, have we ever stopped to think, ‘Huh, how long do our fundraising professionals stay?

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

These 3 Stories Generated Results (Case Study)

Getting Attention

'We are pleased to welcome our new guest blogger, Julie Brown, Program Director at the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. Julie is intrigued by storytelling, and the opportunity it offers to inspire donors and volunteers to act. ”The universe is made of stories, not of atoms,” said poet Muriel Rukeyser. Just a year ago, Ruykeyser’s words proved to be transformational for the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.

article thumbnail

The fundraising pyramid is dead.

iMarketSmart

'Many people don’t realize that fundraising is really just a subset of marketing. Therefore, fundraisers are marketers that raise funds. Fundraising isn’t necessarily special. It doesn’t stand on it’s own— separate from marketing. It just requires some different strategies and tactics. Having said that, it’s important to recognize that marketing experts don’t think in terms of pyramids.

More Trending

article thumbnail

25 Must-Follow NGO Resources on Twitter

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'A follow-up post to Five Online Fundraising Best Practices for NGOs and Five Social Media Best Practices for NGOs , below is a list of 25 resources that regularly tweet and retweet useful fundraising and social media advice and information valuable to NGOs worldwide, particularly those engaged in international development. By studying their tweets and utilizing the resources they advocate for, your NGO will become better equipped to inspire online donors and supporters and consequently achieve

article thumbnail

Fundraising is farming, not Powerball

Fundraising Coach

'Nonprofits often mistake hiring professionals like fundraising coaches or consultants as buying the winning lottery ticket. No matter what they''ve been told, they think the professional will magically find them funding. Fortunately, that is actually great for nonprofits. Lottery winners typical have awful outcomes. They often live miserable lives.

article thumbnail

Fundraisers As Travel Agents

The Agitator

'Yesterday I asked you as a fundraiser to consider: Are you a valued guide to your donors, or simply a nuisance paparazzi? That question elicited a message from Tony Elischer at THINK Consulting. He forwarded a recent piece he’d written titled: How are you managing the Donor Journey? Tony suggests that fundraisers regard themselves as travel agents, or even executive travel assistants, helping donors identify and reach their giving destinations.

article thumbnail

Communicate NOW on Govt. Shutdown Impact (Case Study)

Getting Attention

'Dramatic and quickly-implemented changes like the United States government shutdown—even when known in advance to be a strong possibility—are challenging to respond to promptly and well. OPPORTUNITY ALERT: I urge you to leverage the shutdown in right-now fundraising and advocacy campaigns if the shutdown has increased the demand for your services and/or threatened your budget and ability to continue providing services.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

How to Tell Your Nonprofit’s Story Through Your Website (Part 2 of 2)

Mission Minded

'This is Part 2 of a two-part post. Part 1 is here. Once you’ve thought deeply and analytically about your brand, your audience, and the results you want from your website, you’ll be ready to delve into details. Below, we’ve explained in further detail how to style your copy and images so that they serve your […].

article thumbnail

Help Schoolchildren in Africa See the Next Solar Eclipse

Selfish Giving

'I like the tagline for the nonprofit Astronomers Without Borders : One People, One Sky. The sky really does unite us all. The lunar eclipse I saw in Boston over the weekend could be seen up and down the east coast by millions of people. When I point out the constellation Orion to my kids, a dad somewhere else in the world is doing the same thing with his kids.

Children 263
article thumbnail

Five Reasons Why Your Nonprofit Must Prioritize the Mobile Web in 2014

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'The Mobile Web is often discussed as a future trend that nonprofits have time to prepare for, but the reality is that by the end of 2014, the majority of your supporters and donors will be viewing your website, email communications, blogs, and social media content on smartphones and tablets. In truth, the Mobile Web is already here. Going mobile will not be free and for many small nonprofits a costly upgrade, but to successfully communicate your mission and programs and fundraise online in

article thumbnail

[Guest Post] 7 tips for sharing stories about your nonprofit work

Fundraising Coach

'Today I''m pleased to introduce you to Lori Jacobwith. Lori and I have interacted over the last few years and finally got to meet in Minneapolis earlier this year. I''ve asked her to share her top tips on storytelling. You can check out her step-by-step storytelling system and you can follow her on Twitter @ljacobwith. Seven tips for sharing stories about your work.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Dangerous Myth #1: Too Much Solicitation Causes Poor Retention

The Agitator

'In the run-up to last year’s winter holidays I posted Don’t Eat the Poinsettia as an appropriate reminder that in fundraising — as in life — there are many myths we take for gospel. Some false or untrue myths like “Don’t swallow your gum; it stays in your stomach for seven years”, or “Don’t sit too close to the TV, you’ll hurt your eyes”, or “Don’t crack your knuckles, you’ll get arthritis” are harmless, even if adhered to religiously.

article thumbnail

Imagine: One extra call each day.

iMarketSmart

'I simply love inspirational quotes. Here’s one I recently came across from Thomas Edison. He once said, “The successful person has a habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do.” That led me to think about calling donors. Perhaps its not that we dislike calling donors. In fact, for many, it’s their favorite thing to do.

article thumbnail

Inspiration from 3 Nonprofits That Transformed Their Websites

Mission Minded

'This fall, Mission Minded helped three of our clients—Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Global Glimpse, and NNOHA—launch brand new websites. More than ever before, these organizations’ websites convey who they are with intuitive design and precise copy. Each new site will help them attract new audiences, convey their value, and inspire support.

article thumbnail

Starbucks Embraces Pay It Forward, #AJO

Selfish Giving

'Tuesday on the Razoo blog Inspiring Generosity I wrote about the death of Alyssa O’Neill and how it sparked a pay it forward movement in Starbucks and other stores around the world with the hashtag #AJO. This morning when I opened my Starbucks app to pay for my latte I had this message from the coffee giant. This is a big step forward for the pay it forward movement.

Marketing 242
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

5 Mobile Fundraising Apps for Do-Gooders and Nonprofits

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'Since the launch of the iPhone on June 29, 2007 many mobile fundraising apps have been released, but few have been successful. Some apps were based on good ideas, but ahead of their time and others simply weren’t good enough to keep users interested. Six years later the design and functionality of fundraising apps has improved significantly. Still in their infancy, it’s assured that mobile apps will play a dominant fundraising role in the future and nonprofits would be wise to downl

Retail 102
article thumbnail

Ambiguity is killing your fundraising

Fundraising Coach

'A few weeks back, I shared with my Fundraising Kick members a conversation I had with a friend asking me for a donation. In short, he asked me to consider "supporting" his nonprofit. I''m thrilled he asked. That is a huge start. But I couldn''t resist the opportunity to coach him into asking more effectively. If he''s going to reach his goal, he can''t simply trust that each person he asks will mystically "get it".whatever "it" is.

article thumbnail

Antibodies View Retention As Disruption

The Agitator

'There’s little doubt in my mind that, when it comes to ‘retention’, the powers-that-be in most organizations will view any serious efforts to improve donor loyalty and commitment (retention) as disruptive. In turn, they will either deliberately or subconsciously move to subvert any efforts at improvement. All organisms contain antibodies — cells in their immune systems that identify, attack and neutralize foreign objects.

article thumbnail

How to get people to notice (and love) your emails

Nonprofit Marketing Blog

'Recently MarketingProfs reported that Q2 email open rates decreased 8.3% from Q1 levels. Click through rates also dropped slightly. While the referenced study from Epsilon looked at e-commerce email performance, it’s no secret that it’s getting tougher to break through the noise and ensure readers are opening and acting on your emails. Fortunately, there are things you can do to build a stronger email relationship with your supporters now so that you will have better success when yo

article thumbnail

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!

article thumbnail

How to Tell Your Nonprofit’s Story Through Your Website (Part 1 of 2)

Mission Minded

'If you’re like most nonprofit professionals, your website probably contains some surprising facts and figures about the field in which you work. Maybe you have a detailed explanation of your mission and program areas right on the homepage. Your website might even have a collection of downloadable resources, like white papers or presentations. But beware: […].

article thumbnail

Will You Come to Your Own Rescue Before It’s Too Late?

Selfish Giving

'A lot of what I write about on this blog and other sites [ You can get a full update of ALL my posts by subscribing to my email newsletter ] is about nonprofits acting to help themselves, as opposed to waiting on bended knee with cupped hands for someone to help them. I’ve written before about my disinterest in charity. I’m much more interested in people and nonprofits helping themselves in whatever way possible.

Marketing 225
article thumbnail

The Power of Kawaii for Nonprofit Social Media Managers

Nonprofit Tech for Good

'Via Zoo Atlanta: Polar Bear Cubs (Endangered). Looking at cute images, particularly those of baby animals, has been proven to increase our brain’s concentration levels for a short time afterwards. The Power of Kawaii (a Japanese word meaning “cute”) can help nonprofit social media managers be more productive and also help counterbalance the flood of negative images that we are exposed to as a by-product of emerging ourselves into the 24/7 news cycle.

article thumbnail

3 things to NOT do in your next Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign

Fundraising Coach

'Crowdfunding has opened up funding for some wonderful projects. But according to their own stats, the majority of Kickstarter projects fail. And a full 10% never raise any money. How to stay out of the majority of crowdfunding campaigns. I''m going to show you three strategic tips that will help keep your crowdfunding campaign out of the majority that fail.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Copywriters As Migrant Workers

The Agitator

'I always know it’s autumn because the most sensitive of the copywriters begin to whine louder than usual. Caught in the pressure cooker of working on year-end appeals and acquisition packages for the New Year, there’s only so much client and agency idiocy a copywriter can take. Fortunately, I won my copywriter manumission some years ago — long before the horrors of today’s practices — a day when most fundraisers could read, but hardly any made the foolish claim they could write.

article thumbnail

Relief—Your Social Media Decision Guide (No Charge)

Getting Attention

'Nearly a decade after Facebook premiered, it’s become a juggernaut with more than a billion registered users. It’s changed dramatically, along with the balance of the social media landscape as one-time favorites shift form and new channels burst onto the scene. There’s little doubt that social media should be a part of your communications mix, but what should you be using it for, and how?

article thumbnail

Can Nonprofits Raise Money on Social Media?

Care2

'Does senior leadership at your organization ask “why can’t we raise money on social media? Look at the Obama campaign. They raised millions of dollars. First of all, let’s get real. Comparing your nonprofit to a Presidential campaign is ridiculous. Your organization is not running for the President of the United States. You don''t have access to every news outlet, generating millions of dollars worth of earned media, or the funds to spend millions of dollars on advertising and

article thumbnail

CauseTalk Radio Ep68: Finally! An Employee Giving Platform for Small Organizations

Selfish Giving

'Today on CauseTalk Radio , Megan and I talk to Bill Horne , Chairman, President and CEO of Truist , a leader in web-based corporate philanthropy platforms for employee giving and volunteerism. Bill introduces InstaGive , his company’s new platform for small organizations (check out the screenshots below). Truist’s InstaGive is the first online giving tool designed specifically for small businesses, startups, and nonprofit organizations.

article thumbnail

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