Outside the box gems today. Thought-provoking stuff to get your juices flowing and help you work smarter. This is the year to get off the treadmill and try something new!
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Bet you thought social media sucks for fundraising. Au contraire.
It can help you raise money big time – but only if you engage with purpose. Just like anything else, social media won’t help you meet your goals unless you know where you’re going with it. Out of context, social media exchanges are just transactions.
Ask yourself this question: What am I going to do to make this exchange mean something, now and in the future?
DetailsYou had me at hello.
That’s what your constituents should think and feel when your email arrives in their inbox.
Hello is a way to call attention… a greeting… an invitation to a dialogue. Does your email do that? Does it easily capture your intended reader’s attention? Does it greet them warmly? Does it encourage interaction with you?
If your emails aren’t getting the open rates you’d like, it’s time to take charge!
DetailsHere are some great links from around the nonprofit web. Plenty of food for thought, useful tips and some ‘to do’s’ to try out. Happy end of January (how did that happen?) To your success!
DetailsImagine what it would mean to your mission if you doubled the lifetime value of all of your current supporters.
I recently listened in on an interview between Gail Perry and Jay Love of Bloomerang. It’s a great listen, and the two of them fired me up to write another post on the importance of focusing your efforts on donor retention.
Do you know even know what percentage of donors you’re retaining? According to Jay, less than 5% of fundraising offices know this answer! So, you’re not alone. But you can do better.
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Start.
Don’t be a wuss. Yeah. This year, make a resolution to stop being a wimp and start being an entrepreneur.
I looked up the definition of wuss, and aside from meaning pushover, weakling and ineffectual it comes from Middle English meaning “liquor obtained from boiling or squeezing fruit or vegetable substances.” Think about this for a minute.
Do your programs, over time, become more and more diluted so that the essence of the ripe fruit they began as becomes essentially lost? Are you doing things by rote, having lost all passion, taste and flavor for the fruits of your labor?
DetailsMore trends and food for thought as you plan where to focus limited resources in 2014. This is your year to really think about why, what, how, when and where you’re reaching out to and engaging with potential constituents. I want you to work smart this year. You’ll get more done, and feel a lot less stressed. To your success!
DetailsAdopt an integrated inbound marketing and fundraising strategy.
If you don’t know what that means, you’re in trouble. Read on.
If you do know, are you really doing it?
It’s time to stop pussy footing around this.
Here’s why:
(1) Nonprofit marketing and fundraising have changed more in the past five years than the preceding 50. I’m not kidding! The digital revolution ended business as usual.
(2) Fundraising and marketing must be seamlessly integrated. They cannot be separate silos any longer.
Here are some great 2014 To-Do’s to set you up for success in the coming year. Some is keying into trends so you’re not left behind. Some is honing your tried-and-true strategies to build a sustainable nonprofit. This is the year to get thoughtful – and smart. No more status quo, resting on laurels or just going through the motions.
DetailsMy first year as a nonprofit fundraiser was before social media, cell phones, email, computers and even FAX machines. I had never heard the term “information overload,” and I wasn’t distracted by interruptions every five minutes. Why do I mention this?
Because in today’s fast-paced world we are often so bombarded with bells, whistles and flashing lights that we lose sight of the basics. We lose focus.
My number one focus was our board of directors. I knew that before we could get others to give, the board needed to give. Passionately.
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