Clairity Click-it: Role of E.D., Opinion vs. Knowledge, Email Fundraising, Content Marketing, Blogs

Click it!

An eclectic mix of interesting links today. What do you think? Plus… please scroll to the bottom and think about blogging as part of your fundraising mix. Seriously. I mean it. It will simplify your life. It’s a tool you’ll wonder how you lived without!

Role of E.D. in Fundraising

Click-It: Executive Directors and Fundraising: Not Always a Perfect Match.

An excellent post from Joanne Fritz, about.com Nonprofit, painting an all-too-familiar picture of the super-smart, super-efficient E.D. who does a great  inside job — but never leaves the office. In the best of all possible worlds you’d search for the perfect marriage of inside/outside.  Absent that, the outside person will have a much better chance of leading her organization to the next level.  You’ve absolutely got to build relationships to secure support for your nonprofit.  There’s no getting around this, and there’s no substitute for a fully engaged E.D. in this role.  The development director can help choreograph the moves, but potential donors want to hear from the person who’s ultimately responsible for steering the ship. Do you disagree?

Opinion above Knowledge

Click-it: How to Run an A/B Test. This easy-to-follow article from Hubspot comes with links to templates, tools and other articles that walk you through the process of creating great tests for your marketing copy, headlines, landing pages and call-to-action buttons.  Stop thinking you can just follow your gut.  Your integrated inbound marketing strategy should have a goal!  Usually that will be converting leads to sales (aka prospects to volunteers and donors). Stop guessing or trusting your gut. Verify. You may be surprised…

Email or?

Click-it: 3 Myths of Email Fundraising from the Fundraising Coach is a reminder that email has its place, but it’s no replacement for face-to-face stewardship: “If you treat fundraising as going to an ATM, then you see email as the card that releases the money. But even with ATMs, you can only withdraw money that you’ve deposited. For those of us in nonprofits, those deposits are relationships. Relationships take time.” You can’t raise major gifts – the ones that will sustain your nonprofit over time – by sitting behind your desk.

Content Marketing

Click-It: 7 Wacky Ways to Become A Better Blogger and Content Creator. Stop making excuses for why you can’t create content.  Stan Smith of Pushing Social gives you some easy and fun ways to get your creative juices flowing.

Speaking of excuses for not creating awesome content…

I really want you to start rocking a blog this year! Please, please please… don’t think this is a frivolous thing. Marketers everywhere are recommending it as the ONE thing your really must do. You’ll build better relationships with your constituents. It will help your fundraising. It will do MAGIC!  Don’t believe me? Check out my new E-Course: Charity Blogging Gold.  Catch the Early Bird rate here. If you don’t find it helpful, I’ll make a donation to your nonprofit. That’s how much I want you to do this!

Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra