Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Click-it! And scroll down for some great gifts.
Today I’ve got an eclectic mix for you from both fundraising and marketing blogs. Everything is applicable to nonprofits, and lots of the advice is stuff you can use right away to increase your fundraising success. Then there’s stuff to help you plan for even greater success next year. Woohoo! Let’s begin with the stuff you need the most now… Oh, and did I mention there are presents at the end?
Year-End Tips
Click-It: My #1 Year-End Fundraising Tip that Will Bring in the Most Money. Gail Perry offers this terrific reminder of where your bread is buttered. Make sure you renew last year’s major donors! It’s a lot easier, and more profitable, than any other fundraising strategy you can come up with. Check out her five tips for getting this done.
Click-It: More mail, more money. Jeff Brooks reports on his deduction from a study shared on The Grizzard Blog. This nifty little insight is a good one to keep in mind during this giving season – as well as all year long. Afraid of “offending” folks with too many appeals, people always tell me “our donors are different.” Maybe. But I’ve yet to meet any who are. Sure, there are one or two who will never darken your doorstep again if you mail to them more than once. But these folks will tell you. The lion’s share will give when asked. And only then.
Click-It: 3 Psychologically Proven Ways to Convert More Landing Page Visitors. This is an extremely eye-opening article by Carly Stec on the Impact blog. You’ll discover that just some very simple tweaks can have a huge impact on the decision making of folks who come to your landing page. Give it a read to maximize your chances for success. You’ll find a place where you can download a free e-book with revealing data on what causes people to click and take action.
Marketing
Click-It: 5 Nonprofit Marketing Lessons from Jimmy Fallon. Joe Waters says in this post on about.com that he never watches Jimmy Fallon, but there’s still much to learn from him. I watch his show religiously, and I’ve often thought the same thing! Fallon is on trend, and there’s something to be said for that in the marketplace. You may think you’re different or that your donors are different. But my nephew also watches the show religiously. So there’s something to be learned for more than one demographic. In a nutshell: (1) Ride the Wave of Popular Culture; (2) Breakthrough the Clutter with Newsjacking; (3) Focus on Millennials and the Rest Will Follow; (4) Make Your Marketing Snackable, and (5) You Have to Risk it to Get the Biscuit. Thanks Joe!
Social Media
Click-It: 10 Social Media Predictions for 2015 from 10 Social Media CEOs. From Neal Schaffer at Maximize Social Business comes this sneak peek at what the year ahead holds in store for us. From these predictions, here is what I believe your nonprofit should be thinking about: (1) going mobile; (2) going visual; (3) using Linkedin to network with donors; (4) using Instagram to engage supporters; (5) sharing more of others’ content, and (6) getting your E.D. on social media/developing personal branding. Are you planning to do any of these things?
Click-It: How to Measure Your Social Media ROI Using Google Analytics. In case you’re not doing this, and want to start, this article by Nichole Kelly on Social Media Examiner provides an excellent step-by-step guide for tracking your customer’s journey. Begin by coming up with a list of questions you want your data to answer. Some suggested in this article are: Does sharing content on social channels influence consideration for products and services? Does sharing content published on your website influence a higher or lower propensity for consideration? Does curating content influence a higher or lower propensity for consideration?
Click-It: The Psychological Secret Behind Viral YouTube Videos. This article by Alice Robb in New Republic is all about how intensity of emotion affects shareability. It sounds pretty obvious, but there are some interesting take-aways about the types of emotions that are most arousing. Hint: Sadness and fear are not among them. I think you’ll find this article interesting and useful in your marketing initiatives.
This week’s Clairity Click-it Gifts — wrapped up in my blog. Open them!
FREE HOLIDAY GIFTS GALORE!!!
In my last Clairity Click-it I promised to go shopping and offer you one or more gifts every week from now until the end of the year. Since I’m a terrible wrapper (usually I use newspaper), I’m wrapping up my gifts to you in the closest thing to newspaper I have at my disposal online — my blog! Here come this week’s presents…
Open-It: Grade Your Online Donation Page. Network for Good is offering this free donation page grader. Make sure you’re not losing donations right at the very last minute due to a donation page that’s user-unfriendly. After all, a fundraising appeal is a terrible thing to waste!
Open-It: Inbound 50: The Top 50 Marketing Blogs. There are lots of marketing resources online, but how do you know which ones are worth your time? Read this list! If you want to know anything these days about digital marketing, these folks are your go-to resources. And all the curation has been done for you! I confess that I read a lot of these (they’re so good!), and they often provide me with great inspiration and insight that I apply to my nonprofit marketing and fundraising coaching and consulting practice. I’m also delighted to note that #29 is a blog to which I contribute a monthly column on social media for nonprofits. Go get on their subscriber list if you want to get regular tips from some of the best minds in social media marketing today.
Open-It: This is a reminder about the upcoming first-of-its-kind international online learning extravaganza — The Fundraising Summit ! This amazing opportunity – Over 40 different webinars, and IT’S ALL FREE! — brings together fundraising experts from around the world , each generously offering up cutting-edge advice, tips, trends and tools. Join an expected audience of 80,000 of your peers for five days of insight, instruction and inspiration from the world’s best speakers. Learn new ways to tackle your most pressing problems. Learn best practices from the best in national and international fundraising. I’m especially pleased to be offering my free “Anatomy of a Successful Fundraising Offer” webinar. It’s one among many gems; truly, this is a gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving! Sessions are free, but only for 24 hours. So check out your favorites, register today and get these sessions on your calendar!
Learn what your donors really want, and how to give it to them.
Only 26 days left until the end of the year.
Hopefully you’ve got all your appeals in place and you’re set to launch them as calendared. Cool! Now, why not take some time to assure you’ll keep these donors for life. How? Develop a “wow” donor acknowledgement program with my How to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude and Keep Your Donors Guide. Your donors gave you gifts; now it’s your turn to give them gifts in return. I promise you, this can be a lot of fun. See how here. All Clairification products are guaranteed, or your money back.
Images courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net
