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'Ready or not, it’s September. Where did this summer go? Fall is a busy time, especially if you’re doing a year-end appeal. Many nonprofits rely on their year-end appeal for a good portion of their revenue. There’s a lot to do to, so here are some tips to help you get started. How much money do you need to raise? You may have already set a goal in your 2014 fundraising plan (at least I hope you did) and perhaps you need to revise that goal.
'I’m putting together a list of different kinds of fundraising asks or offers, as a prompt to get you thinking about new ways to talk to your donors about supporting your work. It’s part of a new training I’m putting together (more on that later). Here’s my list so far. I’ve given each category a name, followed by a very brief description of the overall message to the donor.
'The following is an excerpt from Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits. The Internet is at a tipping point. It’s estimated that by late 2014 or early 2015 the majority of adults will get their information from social networks rather than search engines and that social networks will become the primary source of referral traffic to your website and blog.
'Today were adding a valuable, new tool to The Agitator Toolbox. The Donor Commitment Feedback Widget for Nonprofits has been designed, tested and proven by the folks at our sister company DonorVoice and is being given to Agitator readers for: $30/month $0 (Free).
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.
'In creating an Ask Without Fear! training for the executive directors of the Jewish National Fund of Canada, I was reminded how important September is for the vast number of nonprofits. Even for those like JNF that have religious holidays in the coming weeks, the end of the calendar year can be when a nonprofit''s budget is made. So here are three things to do now to make sure this is the best year-end yet!
'I think “grit” is more important than talent or skill. Grit is courage, strength of character and “stick-to-it-ive-ness.” Here’s a neat test to determine your grittiness thanks to someone at the University of Pennsylvania. CLICK HERE. I got 4.63 out of 5 putting me in the 90th-99th percentile. How about you? LIKE THIS BLOG POST?
'It’s officially fall! Many of you are getting ready for your year-end appeal, and the cornerstone of your campaign is your appeal letter. You want to create an awesome letter that captures your donors’ attention right away and convinces them to donate. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Here are some ways to ensure a successful letter. Make a good first impression.
'It’s officially fall! Many of you are getting ready for your year-end appeal, and the cornerstone of your campaign is your appeal letter. You want to create an awesome letter that captures your donors’ attention right away and convinces them to donate. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Here are some ways to ensure a successful letter. Make a good first impression.
'Jim Lynch. TechSoup is currently running their annual Storymakers contest so today we have TechSoup’s Jim Lynch to share some tips on how to create short, but compelling videos you can use for fundraising, to say thank you or to share your mission. ~Kivi. Guest Post by Jim Lynch of TechSoup. The heart of effective fundraising is telling a story that a donor can emotionally connect with.
'Despite the rapid rise of social media, more online donations are made from a click in an e-newsletter than any other source. In fact, in 2013 for every 1,000 fundraising messages delivered, nonprofits raised $17. That was a 21% decrease from the previous year, but the decrease is mostly likely due to poor online fundraising practices , such as not having a mobile-optimized donate page and e-newsletter design.
'Anyone who has been following the Ice Bucket Challenge campaign knows that social media has become an integral part of fundraising events and campaigns. Without question, social media creates heaps of buzz for campaigns and makes events a lot more interactive and fun. But it can be pretty hit and miss. The experience can be chaotic and fragmented, and it’s very difficult for participants to get an overview of the many participant/observer conversations that are occurring simultaneously from mom
'I just finished writing my latest " Question Marc " column for FundRaising Success magazine answering a question from "Panicked in Pasadena.". Panicked was that way because donors weren''t responding to her solicitations. Can you relate? We stop too soon. One of the tips I wrote about in the article was this: grab a list of all your assignments and list out the date they told you "non".
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 time is…NOW. With year-end quickly approaching, and #GivingTuesday just ten weeks away, we’re hurtling toward the giving season. It’s that generous time of year that fundraisers count on to be sure that they are well positioned—and well funded—to fulfill their missions for another year. Now is the time to solidify your #GivingTuesday campaign focus.
'The Ice Bucket Challenge raised a huge amount of money for ALS, and that’s great. But I have mixed feelings about this type of fundraising tactic. Will these donors donate to ALS again? Is the ALS Association doing anything to build relationships with these donors? Think twice if you’re tempted to do something like the Ice Bucket Challenge.
'Abby Jarvis. A potential donor visits your website, but never makes a donation. It happens all the time, but have you done everything you can to prevent that? Abby Jarvis joins us today to share some tips on creating a simple online donation process.~Kivi. Guest Post by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv. The decision to donate to a charity is an emotional one. From the moment a donor decides to give to the second they make the payment, it’s important not to disrupt their feelings and their desire to contribu
'Date: Thursday, October 23. 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.
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 maven Gail Perry, writing in Fundraising Success awhile back, noted some serious signs that might indicate your fundraising is faltering. In 5 Clues Your Fundraising Is Headed Downhill , she offered these indicators: 1. Revolving door in the development office. 2. Laying all the fundraising on one person. 3. Changing fundraising strategy too often. 4.
'As I wrote earlier this week, some of my coaching clients are being transformed by the idea of keeping on going until we get no. This concept is helping them keep up their endurance in asking. And it''s helping donors really connect to causes that matter to them. So I''m thrilled that "Go For No!" author Andrea Waltz will be giving the October webinar for The Nonprofit Academy!
'Donor communications that connect—that appreciate, energize and activate your prospects and donors—are THE key to fundraising success. That’s nothing new. What you may not know though, is how few organizations do donor communications well. So if that’s your organization, you’re not alone! Now—with the release of Integrated Fundraising: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly , by Mal Warwick/DonorDigital—we have proof of the ways most donor communications fail, and the impact that failure makes.
'Knowing how to create a great admissions experience can be tricky. You want to attract new families to your school, yet you know your school isn’t right for everyone. You want to communicate powerfully, but you don’t want to waste money on printing materials that no one ever reads. You want campus visits to provide […].
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.
'I have had an Instagram account for over a year now. And I have posted exactly 3 pictures: My sad, lonely Instagram profile. I like the idea of Instagram, I really do! Who doesn’t like looking at pictures? Still, there have been a few things holding me back from really embracing it. And most of those reasons are a result of not taking the time to get familiar with it.
'An organization’s ability to accomplish its mission is only as strong as the organization’s infrastructure. As you fight to make the world a better place, how do you make sure you’re providing a nonprofit workplace that fosters fairness and complies with the necessary rules and regulations? I recently had a chance to catch up with the Aina Gutierrez, author of Walking the Walk: A Values Centered Approach to Building a Strong Non-Profit and Deputy Director of Interfaith Worker Justice.
'If there ever there were a medium where nonprofits consistently get it wrong it’s telemarketing. In my experience no medium, short of a personal visit, is as powerful. IF … used correctly, which unfortunately is seldom the case. CEOs and boards generally hate telemarketing. Adding to the dilemma is the fact that few fundraisers understand its potential, its nuances and therefore can’t defend it properly and vigorously.
'Last week I joined Ello , a new social network that is ad-free and allows users to opt out of some data collection and tracking. Last week, Ello said that there were 31K invite requests per hour. Why is Ello sparking so much interest? Ello had great timing. Facebook and Twitter have been hit with different pockets of frustrated users. For example, in September Facebook implemented a new policy that stated all user profiles had to have their real identity.
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.
'Way back when , when social media was new-ish (let’s say 2007), I used this classic baseball analogy to illustrate how social media fit into the communications universe. 1) Website as home base, with email as pitcher (no hits without the pitcher). 2) Core social media platforms (now Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) as inside bases. 3) Other social media platforms as the outfield.
'Steven Shattuck is VP of Marketing at Bloomerang. As a HubSpot Certified inbound marketer, he is a contributor to Nonprofit Hub, National Council of Nonprofits, Ragan, Social Media Today, Search Engine Journal, The Build Network, HubSpot, Content Marketing Institute and Business2Community. Steven has spoken at national and local conferences, and is frequently interviewed by media outlets for his expertise in digital marketing. _.
'The Chronicle of Philanthropy has been running a great series of articles by Paul VanDeCarr on storytelling the past few months called “Storytelling Summer: Advice about Motivating Your Audience.” The columns are packed with advice as well as lots of great examples, written in response to specific questions. It’s worth curling up with these links and good warm beverage for an hour or two.
'I spent Labor Day morning reading about the labor of fundraising. I am so glad I picked up Roger Craver''s book, Retention Fundraising ! These three hours will be with me for years. I''m not new to this. I''ve been studying donor retention for over a decade. My first product, " Creating Donor Evangelists " leveraged studies done by Gallup and for commercial organizations like Build-A-Bear Workshop to show that donor relations was the most important part of fundraising.
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 have buckets on my mind today. Two kinds of buckets. First up is the Ice Bucket Challenge, which by now has seen more analysis, praise and detraction, and ‘Monday morning quarterbacking’ than any fundraising gimmick to date. Arguably the numbers speak for themselves as far as up front success is concerned … 3 million donors. Personally, I’m much more impressed by the number of donors than the number of dollars.
'Dunham and Company released an Online Fundraising Scorecard that looked at 151 nonprofits online fundraising activities. The report either gave a big "F" or a mediocre rating to most of the nonprofits in the report. Out of 151 nonprofits, only 24 of them scored 76% or above. The study looked at the flow of donation pages on each of the nonprofits websites as well as email appeals, follow up emails, etc.
'I know your fall is booting up big time—on right-now to-dos, end-of-year campaigns and thinking/talking on what to do differently and better next year. Same here, and for our client orgs. But—thanks to pulling myself away from work for a much-needed sabbatical —I’m seeing what’s ahead for me and Getting Attention.org far more clearly than ever before.
'You’ve got an idea for a nonprofit organization that’s going to make a big splash in the world. But you don’t want to toil away in anonymity. You want to make sure that other people are aware of the ripples you are creating. While you are working on your logistics and the governance, don’t forget to take some time to develop an initial nonprofit marketing plan.
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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