Wondering how to increase your nonprofit’s reach on social media? Let’s face it, the social media space today is a noisy one. It’s hard to cut through the clutter. Social media influencer strategies can help without resorting to paid advertising. In fact, these social media influencer strategies can be more [...]
It does you no good to drive folks to your website… have them follow you on social media… or even hear about you in the news – unless they take an action that furthers your mission. Trust me, I know. At one nonprofit where I worked we asked folks to [...]
Let’s talk addiction. That’s something we think is related to the brain, right? We think some folks have “addictive personalities,” while others may simply enjoy something so much – like chocolate – that they’ll say they are addicted. Guess what? Philanthropy is addictive too. Yup. MRI data show us when [...]
When a problem seems overwhelming, donors can’t wrap their brains around solving it. It seems too daunting. They feel their gift will be a mere drop in the bucket. It feels to the donor like a losing proposition. As a result, they do nothing. Your task is to persuade people [...]
The recently released 2019 M+R Benchmarks Study – their annual comprehensive report for online giving -- gives you all the online fundraising benchmarks you need to know to measure your results against other nonprofits, get insights into trends and begin to plan for a future where you know one thing [...]
Nonprofits tend to wring their hands a lot about fundraising. We don’t have enough. It’s so difficult. Our board won’t help. Our staff isn’t sufficiently skilled. It’s so distasteful. It’s a necessary evil. We have more important things to do with our resources. All of this hand-wringing comes from a [...]
Often when I ask folks what their needs and fundraising plan are, I’ll hear: “We need to raise more. With more money we could do so much more.” That’s not a fundraising plan. It’s hopeful thinking. And while I’ve nothing against feeling hopeful, you know the old saying: “If wishes [...]
I want to make a point about the significance of a culture of philanthropy. About treating our internal stakeholders as kindly as we treat our external ones. About being grateful to those who support us and work with us, donors and staff alike. About being able to fully enjoy and [...]
The most under-acknowledged major gift fundraising truism: It’s about the relationship, not the “ask.” If you want your donor to dig deep, they must be inspired. Your success depends less on how well you ask for gifts and more on how well you’ve taken your major gift prospects on a [...]
You’ve got questions about nonprofit SWOT analyses; we’ve got answers! Specifically, these are questions we didn’t have time to answer in a webinar I recently presented for Bloomerang: “SWOT’s Up? How to Do a Strategic Self-Audit of Nonprofit Strengths & Weaknesses." In the webinar, we covered What a SWOT accomplishes [...]
What’s in a nonprofit brand? Everything. Think about the most popular and well-known charities. What comes to mind? I’ll bet you’re able to envision who they are, why they do what they do, and what they do in an instant. For example, Charity: water. The ASPCA. The ACLU. Red Cross. [...]
It’s long been a time-honored custom to publish nonprofit annual reports, showcasing your organization’s mission, programs, accomplishments and financials, for supporters and the general public. Yet it’s a resource-intensive endeavor that bears examination if you want to maximize your return on investment. Begin by asking: Why are we doing this? [...]