BOO!
Today is Halloween, so I’ve got some really scary stuff for you!
Don’t get too spooked. There are also a few treats.
Eight delicious goodies, in fact.
In the form of “to-do’s.”
But first… the bad news.
No bones about it, you’re scaring folks away if you’re committing any of these boo-boos!
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As year-end approaches, you want to consider leveraging your message across channels. You also want to tailor your message to meet the needs of different target constituencies.
One-size-fits-all messaging seldom works as well as segmented messaging. The former is all about you, your convenience and your needs. The latter is about your constituent’s needs.
Successful fundraising and marketing is customer- and donor-centered.
Is your year-end strategy setting you up for success? Are you truly putting your best foot forward?
If you’re not inside your constituents’ heads, you need to get in there! To be constituent-centered requires you to (1) talk to the right people, (2) with the right message, (3) at the right time and place. Recently, I enjoyed a post on precisely this subject. I share it with you here, and if you’re not yet hip to the Marketoonist, allow me to introduce you.
DetailsWhen disaster devastates lives, it affects us all. Seeing people hurting – so much – is hard to take.
It also reminds us of our human fragility. Whoever is strong today may be weak tomorrow. Whoever may give today may need help tomorrow.
Sometimes we feel helpless. Other times we can be helpful. It’s all part of the circle of life.
Which is why today I’m sharing, with permission, an excerpt from 5 Ways to Donate to and Support Hurricane Irma Victims from the Double the Donation blog.
I do this for two reasons. One of them may surprise you.
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I don’t usually do this, but today I’m incorporating the full text of a recent blog by Seth Godin. It’s not about philanthropy or fundraising. Or, is it? He says it’s about ‘goodwill,’ or the lack thereof. What it costs you to lose it. I say – you really should read what he says and…
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By now you undoubtedly know you’re losing too many first-time donors.
In fact, the Fundraising Effectiveness Project report shows you’re losing an average of 77% of these folks!
Today I want to talk about a subset of new donors who don’t renew. They’re called “third party donors,” and they come to you through a variety of portals:
If you don’t build donor loyalty over time, you’re really missing out on the long-term value of every donor you bring in. And, guess what else?
You’re working too hard.
Donors come in. Donors go out. Donors come in. Donors go out.
One-time gifts are here today, gone tomorrow.
It’s like being on a non-stop treadmill. Just exhausting!
But there’s an easy way to catch your breath, and even begin to enjoy breathing again.
Instead of continuing on as a transactional fundraiser, become a donor experience transformist!
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I often say “if you want gifts, you must give them.”
I want to “clairify” that I mean this somewhat metaphorically.
I mean you shouldn’t focus only on getting, but also on giving.
Your relationship with your donors shouldn’t be all take, take, take.
That being said, most donors don’t want a lot of “stuff.” They particularly don’t want expensive and/or useless stuff. In other words, you don’t have to give them tangible gifts of tote bags, coffee mugs and socks. Instead, consider giving them “gratitude experiences.”
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In a recent post I talked about the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Easy of silent auctions.
Today I want to talk about the big kahuna: The Items
If you’ve got the right items, the auction is a winner for all concerned: the bidders, the donors, the item solicitors and your organization. If you’ve got the wrong items, not so much.
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Charity auctions are an oft-held fundraising event, but even the most seasoned nonprofits often don’t host them well.
Since auctions are multifaceted events that are relatively complicated to organize, many organizations focus too much on getting the logistics in order and not enough on how they can provide an amazing experience for their donors.
Instead of considering how they can leverage their auction to build deeper supporter relationships, they bolt straight to the fundraising finish line: increasing event proceeds. It’s no wonder that event retention is so low!
In this article you’ll receive great advice from Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation, as to how you can make your auction a more positive experience for your donors, focusing specifically on how auction software can help.
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