Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Marketing, Food for Thought, Legacy and Major Gifts

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More 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!

Nonprofit Marketing

Click-it: 7 marketing goals for every nonprofit communications plan from John Haydon offers some important basics that will help you reach your goals.  My favorite is “write it down.”  Specifically, write down a content marketing and online marketing strategy.  It’s difficult to follow and adhere to your goals otherwise. I like this one best, because it’s the most essential yet too often most overlooked.  All of the other 6 tips are killer too!

Click-it: Which is Most Effective: Print, Email, or In-Person?  Kivi Leroux Miller asked this of nonprofits responding to her annual survey on Nonprofit Communications Trends. Guess what type of content trumped all others as most effective, regardless of the amount of time spent producing it?  See if you can guess. The results were quite interesting, showing that it depends on your perspective. Communications staff (director or coordinator levels) picked email, while development staff (again, director or coordinator level) picked print. Executive directors picked in-person. Take-away? Use the tool that works best for your desired outcome and/or desired action response. You can download your copy of the 2014 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report on Kivi’s site.

Food For Thought

Click-it: Don’t Tell Donors What They are Not Doing. This post from Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now reminds you to stop berating and browbeating folks for not doing what you think they should do in the manner in which you believe they should be doing it.  It’s condescending. Lift your donors up; don’t beat them down.

Click-It: Is it Ethical when an Ethicist Browbeats Prospective Donors? Michael Rosen begins an important conversation touching on many difficult and challenging conundrums facing philanthropy today. Do you think there’s only so much philanthropy to go around, so where and how we give should be limited? Or do you agree with me (see my comment on Michael’s post) that a rising tide raises all boats? I do know something about the psychology of giving, and the more we learn the more we know that giving and gratitude are good for people — for their soul, their heart and their health. So the more we facilitate philanthropy, and enable folks to enact their values, the more we help them too.

Click-It: 5 Nonprofit Trends to Watch comes from Nell Edgington. She notes: “Evidence increasingly reveals that despite our best efforts the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, not shrinking. This growing disparity means that the work nonprofits do to address the ramifications of these inequities is in growing demand… As social challenges continue to grow, the wealth gap continues to widen, and a new generation of donors comes of age, there will be increasing pressure to channel more money (not just the same money through a new vehicle) toward social change.” This article is well worth your time and thought. We all need to pull together to grow the philanthropy pie.

Legacy and Major Gifts

Click-It:  Wills that Won’t is a free webinar coming up on January 29^th, and being offered by Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP courtesy of MarketSmart. I’m a firm believer that any nonprofit can be the beneficiary of legacy gifts – you just have to let folks know you’d be a willing recipient.  You also don’t need to have a sophisticated program to benefit. Beneficiary designations (e.g. from life insurance and retirement plans) are easy for folks to do, and don’t even require a will.  Don’t miss out on this often untapped source for major gifts!

Click-It:  Who’s 10 times more likely to give you a legacy gift? While we’re on this subject, here’s a link to an audio presentation with Jay Love, founder of eTapestry and Bloomerang, generously provided by Gail Perry (from her special series of webinars for Mastermind Members).  This interview is primarily about donor retention (well worth a listen), but there’s a bonus tidbit included: Did you know that folks who call to ask you to update their address when they’re moving are 10 times more LIKELY to leave you an estate or legacy gift in their will? Make a note of these loyal supporters!

SPEAKING OF MAJOR GIVERS…

Today is really, truly the last day to get my new E-Course: Winning Major Gift Strategies for small and medium-sized shops. This course will more than pay for itself, because raising major gifts – from individuals — is the most cost-effective form of fundraising.  And you can enroll your whole team – and volunteers too! – all for one low price. Plus all my e-courses come with a 100% guarantee! Register here now. (well, okay, you’ve got until midnight PST Saturday).

Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra