Weekly Clairity Click-it: Year-End Planning; Online Donations; Storytelling; Social Media; Sample Fundraising Letters

Click-it! No, not me. Your mouse!. Then, enjoy your read.

Planning your year-end fundraising? Check out this week’s links!

Year-end Planning

Click-It: 5 Things to do now for year-end fundraising success. From Network for Good  comes this checklist of all the stuff you should be thinking about. Now! Here’s my favorite: Now is the time to put yourself in your donor’s shoes and thoroughly test your donation process, website, emails, and any other donor-facing elements. Identify any pain points and fix them now while you have some time. None of the above steps will matter if your supporters get hung up on your donation page, are stymied by your website, or can’t reach a real person when they attempt to contact you.

Online Donations

Click-It: 4 Website Tweaks to Increase Donations An oldie-but-goodie. Sadly, I still see too many nonprofits making it difficult for folks to contribute to them online. Before Katya Andreson went on to greener pastures she left us this great Network For Good post about optimizing your “Donate” page on your website so that it’s easy for folks to give to you. In a nutshell:

1. Make your Donate button easier to find.

2. Frame the Donate button compellingly.

3. Add a sense of immediacy.

4. Capture emails so that you can cultivate folks towards clicking on “Donate.”

Click-it: Google Survey Reveals Patterns Of How We Donate Money Online. From Fast Company’s blog comes this article showing many people make giving decisions well before the end of the year.  So don’t wait until the last weeks of December to start promoting your cause online. Folks are especially receptive to videos (consider YouTube). An impressive 57% of people who watch a video for a nonprofit go on to make a donation, and 25% make donations from their cell phones! Donors also comparison shop between websites.  So make sure you have something compelling on yours.

Storytelling

Click-it: Storytelling: Turning Data Into Effective Stories. When it comes to persuading folks to donate to your cause it’s best done by storytelling, not data. We’re wired that way. But there is a way to combine the two effectively.  Charity Water is a prime example (see their Annual Report here).  Thank you to Daniel Melbye at Tech for Good for explaining in this article how/why it works —  showing us how data can be used to help tell the story of how you plan to make a difference in your community. Just don’t try to use data standing alone.

Your Nonprofit Offer

Click-It: What do you offer donors? This week Karen Zapp reminds you to think carefully about your call to action. Make it very clear what the donor’s action will accomplish. Stir emotions with specific stories and examples. And always show your gratitude (By the way, you can do this throughout the year with a variety of creative touches.  Check out my Creative Ways to Thank Your Donors and Keep Them For Life e-book for some ideas.

Social Media

Click-it: 4 Reasons Why Social Media is a Must for Business. I’ve written volumes on why you need to be intentional and strategic about the use of social media in your nonprofit.  Still, many people ask me if they really need it. Or if they need it much. If you’re having trouble persuading folks of how it can help drive revenue for your nonprofit, check out this  argument from the for profit world. You’re a business too.  And, as this article by T2Social states: Social media lead conversion rates are also 13% higher than the average lead conversion…  60% of customers give feedback – willingly – to brands on social networks. That feedback can be applied to your business in order to improve the customer experience and drive new sales (read donations or customers who will pay for your services).

Sample Fundraising Letters

Click-it: Sample Fundraising Letters. About.com Nonprofit Orgs has a wealth of practical information. Joanne Fritz is your guide, and she knows a boatload about fundraising. Check out this link to several examples of letters to prospects and current donors, plus tips on how to write a great fundraising letter.  And bookmark this site!

Your Fundraising Career

Click-it: 5 Star Review: Get the Job! Your Fundraising Career Empowerment Guide. Okay, so this one is not about year-end fundraising.  But as we approach the new year (it will be here before you know it!) it’s a good time to begin making your new year’s resolutions.  If it’s time for a change, check out this new book from my awesome friend and colleague, Mazarine Treyz of Wildwoman Fundraising .

To your success!

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.  Get tons of tips, templates, checklists and sample thank you letters and emails in my Attitude of Gratitude Donor Guide. It’s 100% guaranteed.

Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra

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