Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Click-it! No, not me. Your mouse!. Then, enjoy your read.
Such great links this week. Let’s get started!
Corporate Partnerships
Click-It: Safeway Foundation: 6 Tips on How to “Partner” with a Corporation Thanks to the folks at Third Sector and guest blogger Christy Duncan Anderson, E.D. of The Safeway Foundation for this great insider perspective on the sometimes mysterious business of securing business sponsors. The biggest take-away for me is the need to be donor-centered (just like all of your fundraising). Corporate funders are no more ATMs than individual funders. They’re people too. Says Christy: “It occurs to me that a true nonprofit partnership is a little like marriage, there’s the courtship, the dating, and then finally the big day where hearts are combined and we live in true partnership.”
Street Fundraising
Click-it: Who are you people and what do you want from me? An eye-opening article about street fundraising and why it may be a cost-effective option for your nonprofit to consider in this era of dwindling returns on direct mail, telephone, television and other commercial fundraising. Plus, the folks doing the work are not necessarily who you think they are. They feel good about their work. Said one fundraiser for children sponsorships: “We’re not trying to bother people; we’re just trying to open the door of opportunity. Sponsorship doesn’t just change the lives of the children; it changes the donors’ lives as well.” That’s really how all fundraisers should feel, don’t you think?
Fall Fundraising
Click-it: A Fundraiser’s Guide to the Fall. From my friend Vanessa Chase of Philanthropy4All comes this practical guide to thinking through everything you need to do between now and the end of the year. It’s the giving season. Don’t miss it!
Click-it: And speaking of not missing it, don’t start too late! Google: Nonprofits Waiting Too Long to Begin Year-End Fundraising is filled with surprising data about how and when people begin to think about year-end donations and conduct their research. And if you weren’t planning on including a video with your year-end online appeal, you may want to rethink. “57% of donors make a contribution after watching a video”. Thanks to ejewishphilanthropy for posting this article.
Online Fundraising/Young Donors
Click-it: Young Donors Want Fewer Words but More Information[VIDEO alert]. Found this in The Chronicle of Philanthropy and think it’s worth a gander. You’ll find that folks in their 20s and 30s want video, positive messaging and clear, concise, easy-to-skim writing. They want to feel part of something rather than feel sorry for someone. Honestly, I think that holds true for most generations — especially when it comes to reading on the web. What do you think?
Major Gift Fundraising
Click-it: How to Find and Cultivate Your Million-Dollar Donor. This post from the Veritus Group is a reminder that major gift fundraising is hard work. There’s no way around it. If you seek six and seven-figure gifts you’re going to have to put in the time. Once you embrace this fact, then you can move on to create successes. Wishing and hoping won’t do the trick. Sorry.
Email Marketing
Click-it: How Long Should My Emails Be? In print media you want to stay ‘above the fold.’ Online you want to stay ‘above the scroll.’ I know your prose is awesome and every word you’ve written is a pearl. But folks today have the attention spans of tse-tse flies. Check out this practical post from the folks at Constant Contact.
Click-it: Seven Ways to Get More From Your Nonprofit’s Email Marketing Strategy. This post from John Haydon describes the difference between social media and email marketing. Included are a number of great strategies and tactics to help you use email to super charge your fundraising success. Here’s a tip I like: “Your email messages are NOT being read by thousands of people. They’re being read by one person at a time in the privacy of their inboxes. Write your emails directly to this person.”
Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra
As you plan your year-end campaigns, don’t forget to plan your thank you’s. Otherwise, you’ll get one-time gifts but won’t retain these folks. Want to have some fun and get creative with thank you’s? Check out Creative Ways to Thank Your Donors and Keep Them For Life. I promise you’ll love it. If not, it’s 100% guaranteed. Go for it!
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