Online fundraising has changed markedly in recent years.

Post by Annabel Maw

Recent years have ushered in a new era of fundraising — and nonprofit fundraising in particular has changed significantly. Donors are still eager to support the organizations and causes they care about, yet they expect to be engaged differently — often through digital channels.

As noted in the 2021 M+R Benchmarks Study, nonprofits enjoyed a 32% bump in revenue from online sources from 2019 to 2020. Organizations that moved to online and text campaigns via social networks seemed to fare especially well. In addition, nonprofits’ mobile audience for text campaigns jumped 26%. Facebook remained the most important social media platform for nonprofit causes. Overall, 55% of people who engage with nonprofits through social media end up taking some sort of action, whether it’s donating money, clothing, food or their time.

According to The Blackbaud Institute, 28% of all nonprofit donations in 2021 came from a mobile device. Online giving, in general, rose about 12% on average between 2020 and 2021.

This isn’t a huge surprise given that most people live very digital lives. Why wouldn’t nonprofits want to meet them through virtual means?

3 strategies to foster successful fundraising campaigns

To fully embrace the future of fundraising, your nonprofit organization can’t simply move all your typical campaigns, initiatives and practices online. You also need to embrace fresh strategies. To succeed in this new era of fundraising, here are three strategies to execute:

1. Nurture donor relationships through digital channels

It’s fine to send out print newsletters or advertise on billboards, but those efforts may not have the same impact they once did in achieving strong donor retention. As the statistics above show, it’s best to keep your donor relationships thriving through proactive, digital means.

For example, communicating with donors on social media or through your app’s push notifications can keep your nonprofit top of mind. Showcasing donors appropriately on your website, such as through “donor spotlight” blog posts or engaging videos, is another way to retain them. Your objective should always be to keep newer donors active and involved beyond their first donation.

Remind donors of your mission when you need a strong call to action to encourage an immediate charitable response. Then, add the option for donors to set up automatic recurring donations. As shown by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy’s 2021 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey, just 18.6% of new, one-time donors were retained through 2021. Given that the average donor retention rate for nonprofits (that is, the percentage of donors who give more than once) is between 40–45%, this small nudge can help your nonprofit increase its bond with donors and stop attrition at the source.

2. Make donating effortless

The harder it is for donors to contribute to your organization, the fewer donations you’re likely to receive. So make sure your website is clear and concise about how to donate. Give donors the chance to set up automatic monthly or annual donations as well.

Consider allowing less traditional donation methods. Many nonprofits now accept PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, Square and other contribution methods. It may make sense for your organization to follow suit.

As donations come in through your online forms, make sure to store donor information in your donor management system. Segment your contacts according to whether they are recurring donors. Repeat donors are statistically more likely to increase their contributions if asked. Your records can also help identify lapsed donors who may need reminders that your nonprofit is still around and in need of support.

3. Host online fundraising events

It wasn’t long ago when nonprofit leaders were asking: Will in-person fundraising events happen again? Even though in-person events have returned, you shouldn’t give up on online fundraising. People are more comfortable than ever attending virtual events. After all, many routinely Zoom with colleagues or attend online conferences.

Best of all, as reporting from the Chronicle of Philanthropy reveals, attendees at online fundraising events tend to give just as much as if they were face to face. In other words, you’re not losing money by moving one or more fundraisers to virtual platforms.

The type of online fundraiser that will work best depends on your nonprofit, your donors, and your mission. For example, maybe you’ve held in-person auctions for years. Auctions can be brought online fairly quickly, possibly enabling more individuals to bid. Online game nights and film nights where everyone pays to participate in the experience can work, too.

The pandemic showed that no matter what happens, people will still give to the nonprofits they feel most passionately about. If you haven’t refreshed your organization’s fundraising initiatives in the past few years, now is the time. You can revamp outdated practices while increasing the likelihood of successful campaigns that allow your team to accomplish its goals.

Image at top by Howard Lake / CC BY SA

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Post by Torrey Tayenaka

It’s no secret that we live in a digital world. So it’s no surprise that video marketing has become an efficient way to reach your target audience, whether you run campaigns for a nonprofit, cause organization or social enterprise.

As with any form of marketing, though, it’s important to know that you’re getting a favorable ROI for your efforts and that you can identify what’s working and what’s not. This is especially critical when working with donor funds and limited resources.

So, how do you measure your video marketing efforts? We’re going to show you exactly how to do that in just a few easy steps. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to gauge the effectiveness of your video strategy and plan for future campaigns.

First, let’s look at some numbers to show you why you should constantly improve your video marketing strategy. According to a report from Wyzowl, 78% of marketers agree that video marketing has produced a good ROI for their organizations. Also, marketers who used video marketing say they grew their revenue 49% faster than those that didn’t. 

Measuring your video marketing

To know how to measure the effectiveness of your video marketing, you must first decide what the goal of the marketing is so you know what you’re looking for. Your measurements should be based on three goals: engagement & conversion, awareness, and ROI. All of these goals can contribute to your nonprofit’s success, so understanding how to measure them is vital when it comes to optimizing your marketing budget. 

Measuring the engagement of your videos

When you’re producing video marketing in the hopes of increasing the engagement or conversion of your target audience, you’ll want to look at how your viewers are interacting or connecting with your content. Check to see how often they watch your video, if they follow your links, and if they comment on and share your video. 

Depending on the service you’re using to promote your video, you may be able to easily see these numbers, or you may have to do your own calculations. 

Metrics to measure for this interaction are based on several factors, including the following: 

• Viewing time is the estimated time in minutes that a viewer spends watching your video. If viewers aren’t watching your video until the end, you’ll know that you’re losing their attention. A low watch rate may mean that your content isn’t relevant or engaging enough, so you may need to reevaluate the video and content if you’re seeing this. This is an important metric to keep an eye on, especially if your video is spreading the word about your nonprofit’s mission, cause or fundraising campaign and your audience is missing key elements of your message.
• Shares are also a good indicator of engagement. If a viewer not only watches your video but also shares it, you know you’re on the right track. Look at this metric as your word-of-mouth referrals. By sharing your video, viewers are not only agreeing with or enjoying your content, they’re wanting other people to see it as well. 
• Comments and likes are some of the more visible interactions that your video will have. You should make a habit of reading through your comments to see how your audience is reacting. Comments often alert you to issues that you need to address and they improve your SEO ranking. It’s also a good idea to interact with your audience in the comments, when appropriate. This engagement helps build brand and customer loyalty. 
• Click-through rate is a metric that shows how often a viewer is attracted to a video and actually clicks on it. The CTR is calculated using the total number of video clicks and dividing it by the total number of views. This number will show you if your call to action is working or if it could use some tweaking. 
• Live video metrics are another thing to measure if you’re broadcasting your video live. If so, you should pay attention to when your peak live views occur in order to know if people are enjoying your video and if it’s too long. 

Measuring brand awareness

If the goal of your video marketing is to create a buzz about your nonprofit or a fundraising campaign and to increase the public’s general awareness of it, there are several key metrics you need to keep a close eye on. These metrics are focused on the groups of people that are watching your video and where they’re located. By critiquing these items, you’ll be able to determine if the people you’re reaching are actually in your target audience or if you need to adjust your efforts. 

Metrics to measure brand awareness include the following:

• Play rate measures the number of times that a viewer clicks the “play” button on your video. This number is found by dividing the total number of people who play your video by the number of visitors to your page. If your play rate is 70%, that means that 70% of the people who see your video press that button to play it. If this number is low, it may mean your video promotion needs to improve or that the audience isn’t finding it interesting enough to actually spend time watching it. 
• Viewer demographics will show you if the people who are playing your video are actually the people you’re trying to reach. These metrics will show you the people who are engaging with your content and will allow you to see their location, age and gender. If your demographics don’t show you the target audience you’re trying to reach, you may need to change your marketing strategy. 
• Impressions show you the number of times your video is actually being seen by the public, even if they’re not engaging with it. This is important to measure because it will show you if your ads or promotions are performing properly. If this level isn’t favorable, you can adjust your ad settings or raise your budget. Your ad settings may need to be widened to a broader area or age range to increase the number of people who see it on a daily basis.  

Measuring your return on investment

As with any marketing strategy, it’s important to know if you’re spending your budget wisely. This measurement may show you that you need to increase your budget or it may show you that the money you’re spending is simply not worth it. To know which way to go, you have to know how to measure your ROI first. 

ROI is calculated by dividing the sales from your video conversions by the money spent to produce them. In other words, did you make more money off of the video than you did making it?

Before you can accurately answer that question, you need to make sure that you’re adding up every expense you incurred to make and promote the video. This includes your equipment, time, advertising budget, etc. Next, you need to track how many leads and/or sales you got as a direct result of the video. This can be a more difficult number to arrive at and it may mean that you need to ask customers how they heard about you. 

If your ROI isn’t where you want it to be, here are some things to consider:

• Does your budget need to be adjusted? You may need to increase your daily dollars in order to reach more customers and increase your conversions. You can adjust your overall budget or your daily budget depending on the platform that your video is promoted on. 
• Is your video aggravating in any way? If the customer is clicking off of it because of distracting music or annoying visuals, you may need to adjust your video to be more pleasing to the eyes and ears. If the viewer isn’t watching your video long enough to get to your call to action, they may never convert. 
• Do you have a call to action? If your video isn’t clearly directing your customer to the next step, that may be the key to getting more people to convert. Don’t leave them guessing what to do next. Make it clear and obvious. Have a URL that they can click to follow or put your CTA in the video with text and/or voice. Depending on the length of your video, it may be smart to have more than one CTA. 

Measure your way to success

As with any goal that you set, to know if it’s a success or not you must be able to measure it. Measurements are only accurate when they’re quantifiable, which is why it’s important to know the metrics to look for with video marketing. 

Before you start gauging your success, set benchmarks throughout your year so you’re reminded to look back and track the metrics. Keep in mind that the metrics you should be measuring are based on the goal of your video marketing. 

Photo at top by Bill Rice (CC BY)

Whether the goal of your video marketing is increasing awareness of your nonprofit, building engagement and conversion, or having a favorable ROI, you now know the ways to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. With a little bit of dedication, a few dollars, and some time, your campaigns will be on their way to success. 

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Post by Lylene Corado
Donorbox

Nonprofits today have a variety of options when it comes to online fundraising. More than 30,000 organizations from 25 countries now use Donorbox’s fundraising software.

Donorbox is a powerful and efficient next-generation fundraising system that allows organizations to raise more donations, implement smooth donation management, promote fundraising campaigns in a variety of ways and establish lasting relationships with donors.

Thousands of fundraising professionals have turned to Donorbox to raise more than $250 million in donations. From nonprofits to churches, organizations have launched onlilne campaigns on behalf of a variety of causes using the company’s donation platform.

While they all have different hints and tactics for success, there is one thing they all share in common: They’ve incorporated donation software into their arsenal. The fundraising software facilitates tracking your donors, accepting online donations, creating social campaigns around your fundraising activities and more.

Here are some of the campaigns run with Donorbox:

Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project

Shanti Bhavan (“haven of peace” in Hindi) is an Indian 80-G and U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Bangalore, India. The organization runs a pre-K-12 residential school in Baliganapalli, Tamil Nadu. The school enrolls 12 girls and 12 boys (at age 4) each year for its entry-level preschool class. From then on, students are in school throughout the year, except during the summer and winter holidays.

Students go to Shanti Bhavan at no cost and are given nutritious foods, shelter, education, medical care, clothing, and emotional and mental support.

The organization is accredited by one of the strongest academic curricula in India, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), and conducts the ICSE and ISC exams for students in grades 10 and 12. After 12th grade, Shanti Bhavan also covers their university education.

As a non-profit organization, the main barrier organizations face is securing sustained and long-term funding. Donorbox has been able to meet their needs and has raised more than $1.44 million through the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project.

In addition, with the great features that come with the software, Donorbox also connects them with new sponsors to achieve fundraising goals.

Truthout

Truthout is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) news organization whose goal is to deliver independent reports and commentary on a wide range of social justice matters. Since its founding in 2001, the organization has based its advocacy work on the tenets of transparency, accuracy and independence from partisan forces and corporate influence.

Truthout portrays itself as a form of journalism seeking justice. The organization relies on its audiences and contributions from foundations that are committed to its work. Individual readers’ donations have amounted to an average of 81% of its yearly budget over five years. Some major areas of interest for Truthout are mass imprisonment, climate change and social justice.

Combined with an evolving scale-up strategy, Donorbox remains a pivotal tool in Truthout’s quest to strengthen its sustainable funding sources. So far, it has raised more than $1.2 million and procured more than 45,000 donations through the Donorbox platform.

Project Charley

Project Charley was established to provide state-of-the-art neurological rehabilitation facilities in Austin, Texas. The nonprofit shares stories of those who have been impacted to increase resources and promote awareness in our community.

To bolster its cause, Project Charley has built strong relationships with strategic partners, found an operating partner in Austin and formed an advisory board to help lay the groundwork.

Donorbox continues to be the organization’s first choice for fundraising. The software has powered campaigns to help it raise more than $436 so far.

Salvadoran American Humanitarian Aid Foundation

Salvadoran American Humanitarian Aid Foundation (SAHF) is a nonprofit non-sectarian tax-exempt 501(c)(3) that operates in El Salvador through its affiliated foundation FUSAL in the country and other agencies. Since 1983, SAHF has disbursed nearly $600 million in in-kind support to more than 550 health-related programs and institutions across El Salvador.

SAHF and FUSAL are dedicated to supporting education, health and human development programs that seek to improve the well-being of all Salvadorans. Collectively, SAHF and FUSAL harness the kindness, social responsibility and goodwill of their supportive supporters to promote the sustainable well-being of the people of El Salvador.

Despite the challenges in raising funds for these causes, Donorbox has been a breakthrough in helping them generate $152,112 in a short time.

Conclusion

For several years, organizations have been turning to Donorbox’s donor management software to leverage solid relationships with donors, increase engagement, conduct more effective campaigns, raise more money and expand their reach.

To be effective, a nonprofit needs to optimize its  fundraising. A philanthropic organization needs to meet the right donors at the proper time while keeping track of donors on a reliable tracking system. Head to Donorbox to learn more.

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Post by Brooklin Nash

Smartphones are the key to the future of marketing. And like it or not, marketing is an important part of the day to day functions of most nonprofits. Marketing drives donations, which drives what nonprofits are able to accomplish.

As smartphones become more and more important to the marketing scene, it’s important that those working for nonprofits also understand how smartphones can be used for fundraising. Here, we detail just five of the many roles that smartphones can play in raising funds for your nonprofit.

If you’re not convinced that smartphones are important, consider these statistics:

• There are 2.7 billion smartphone users worldwide.
• The average smartphone user is one their phone for more than 4 hours a day.
• As of November of 2018, mobile devices accounted for more than 48% of all web traffic.

With the importance of mobile marketing in mind, consider these fundraising techniques using a smartphone.

Text-to-donate campaigns

1Most people who work for nonprofits are likely familiar with the concept of a text-to-donate campaign. The premise is that those wishing to donate can text a specific shortcode to indicate their intent to donate, and can either donate via the bill they pay their cell phone provider or be provided with a link to donate online.

These types of campaigns can be useful in their simplicity ⁠— they’re easy to set up, and you can see the results quickly if you’re tracking text responses.

Because donations can be made with so few steps, text-to-donate campaigns are an easy way to engage existing donors. There’s no need to provide a ton of new information or re-explain where the money is going. Simply tell those already familiar with your organization what your need is, and they can respond financially almost instantly.

Organization-specific apps

2You don’t need to reply solely on text messages and calls to make good use of your donors’ smartphones. One way to be proactive is to develop an app made specifically for donors and supporters of your organization.

Apps can be beneficial in that they can be all-inclusive. They can take the place of a mobile webpage, a newsletter, and a fundraising link. They can include features such as:

• An “About Us” page
• Your organization’s blog
• A donation form
• A list of needs
• Updates and news
• Pictures
• Videos
• Job or volunteer listings
• Records of an individual’s past donations
• And much more!

Unfortunately, personalized apps often cost more money, time, and resources,  making them an unrealistic option for those from smaller nonprofits or those struggling financially. Additionally, you have to have an incredibly committed donor base to find enough people willing to download such an app.

While apps may be the most beneficial of the options presented here, it’s also likely that they’re the least likely.

Website and social media optimization for mobile

3Even if your organization has an app, it’s important to make sure that your website and social media content are mobile-friendly. Because about half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, it’s equally important that your website looks good and makes sense on a smaller screen.

What does this have to do with fundraising? Well, everything.

Nonprofit websites should be a source of information and a major draw for donors. No one will give you money if they don’t know what their money will be supporting. No one gets invested in a cause without understanding why that cause needs advocates.

Ensuring that mobile viewers of your site can easily view and navigate your content essentially doubles the reach of your site ⁠— and, presumably, your donations.

Sharing information via calls & texts

4In the same way that a well-designed and current website can draw donors, consistent communication can keep existing donors coming back to give time and time again.

Voice calls, or even voice broadcasts, add a personal touch to any communication. Voice calls or text messages can be used to keep everyone in your donor base on the same page. Do you have a new program, a new fundraising need, or a new staff member? Do you want to share specific prayer requests or goals you’ve met?

Even the messages that aren’t strictly asks can be beneficial in the fundraising process because they help you build rapport with donors that you don’t see face to face on a regular basis.

When the time comes that you need money, or perhaps when your donors have an amount they’re willing to give, everyone already knows what you’re doing, where you are, and what your biggest needs are. There’s no playing catch-up. What’s more, if you’ve communicated with a donor recently, your organization probably comes to mind much more quickly when someone has extra money to give.

When donors are informed, they become more engaged. When they’re engaged, they become more involved. The more involved they are, the more likely they are to commit their money (and time) to your cause or organization.

Gathering information via calls & texts

5Additionally, both voice broadcasts and mass text messages can help you gather feedback or concerns from donors. Listening to what questions or comments they have is the best way to provide them with what they want.

This doesn’t mean that you should only ask for input from donors right before asking them to give. Rather, you should be keeping up a constant dialogue with donors so that you’re always aware what questions or concerns they have and how they think you’re doing.

Of course, you can’t act on every bit of feedback you receive. You can, however, stay in communication so that even when you don’t respond directly to a specific concern, your donors always know that you’re learning and changing how your organization functions.

Smartphones: The Swiss Army knife of nonprofit marketing & fundraising

Obviously, smartphones are valuable to nonprofits in more than one way. They are multifaceted tools with a lot of potential. They can help nonprofit admin to both talk to and hear from donors, double the visibility of a website, and serve as avenues for donations and learning opportunities for those who are unfamiliar with the organization.

Most of these fundraising or marketing techniques cost very little, leaving little room to argue about their overall value to the nonprofit scene.

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Post by Michael Gorman

Crowdfunding has come into its own in recent years as a way for charitable organizations and other worthy causes to raise money from grassroots supporters. While many nonprofits remain skittish about using the new grassroots fundraising tools, some early adopters are taking advantage of platforms that permit raising money for a 501(c)3 or registered charity in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia.

Whether you’re on the staff of a nonprofit’s communications team or you help an organization with its marketing and fundraising needs, you’ll want to check out these suggestions on how to use crowdfunding for your cause. Here are five secrets on how to launch an effective crowdfunding campaign.

Identify the faces to tell your story

1If your crowdfunding campaign does not demonstrate that it addresses a specific worthy need, there’s a high likelihood that it will fall flat. What works well is storytelling and conveying how your campaign will touch the lives and improve the well-being of specific groups of people. Make sure it drives home your story with power and emotion. Here are some questions to consider:

• Who does your cause benefit and why?
• Looking at the bigger picture, how does your cause benefit the world?
• Why would someone choose your project over another one? How does your campaign stand out?
• What problem does your campaign solve? What need does it meet?

Tip: Try to answer these foundational questions before you dive into the nitty gritty of how to execute your campaign.

Here’s how GoFundMe works.

Do your research!

2Crowdfunding is not an easy process – you must take serious time and be committed to ensure that everything you’re putting together holds up. Spend a proper amount of time to lay the foundation; it can take weeks or even months to come up with the elements of a successful campaign. You need to analyze, optimize and stabilize your work (and other people’s work) if you want to make sure you’ll meet your goal and attract funding from the proper audiences. For that, you might need an A-writer or content marketer to design your basic campaign plan.

In any case, the first step is to do your homework. There are many challenges that you might encounter while designing your campaign, but don’t let this be one of them. Start early and check on other successful campaigns in advance. What did they do right to hit their fundraising target? Make sure yours is distinctive and stands out but is also built on some of the successful formulas that worked for other campaigns.

One early important choice is which fundraising tools to use. The most popular crowdfunding platform in the U.S., GoFundMe, has raised more than $5 billion for worthy causes since its debut in 2010. Nonprofit and cause organizations have begun to take advantage, turning the website into a much-needed financial resource. GoFundMe has a 0 percent platform fee and charges a standard 2.9 percent and 30 cents for payment processing.

Target your audience and build a database

3Another important component of your campaign before you launch is to know your target audience. If you can target your audience segments correctly, you’ll be able to develop the right content and media assets that resonate with that group. “You cannot create something that defines an entire population – it’s simply unrealistic,” observes John Marshall, a papers owl reviews specialist.

So, this is what you have to do to reach your audience:

• Brainstorm. Actively look for the people who best fit your target profile.
• Use surveys to gather the necessary information – get direct feedback from constituents or other stakeholders.
• Focus on your audience’s needs. Consider how to make your campaign stand out and find ways to focus attention on exactly those things.
• Analyze existing data (indirect data) and start building a database.
• Get the contact details of the people who are interested in your project – their e-mail address, Twitter or Instagram handle or YouTube subscribers.

Sell your vision

4Instead of focusing on how to sell features, start focusing on how to sell your vision. Successful campaigns stand out not only because their causes are remarkable (although that does play a crucial role in the overall process) but because they provide the audience with something new. “They create a vision that resonates with that of the target audience’s and so they sell. It’s as easy as that. All you must do is find your vision and sell it to the wide public,” writes Olga Johnson, study bay professional and artist.

Sounds easy, but how do you do that? Here are some quick techniques to help you achieve your goals:

• Start with why and continue to ask this question until there’s no more asking to do. Promote what you believe and tell them why you are doing what you are doing. Why are you passionate about this cause? What drives you? What motivates you? What gets you out of the bed in the morning? If you can prove to others how badly you want something, they’ll start wanting it themselves.
• Now sell that why – make a collaborative effort to promote your cause. Talk to as many people as you can and engage with as many entrepreneurs as possible. Ask if your cause is as fascinating to them as it is to you. Ask them for feedback – what could you do better? Where could you change something?
• Incorporate your why into your marketing campaign. If you know it well enough, you can promote it well enough.

Look for a Plan B

5Crowdsourcing is not the only way to raise money for your cause or service. Think about investing in one of your areas of interest beforehand and bring some money to the table if possible. The most successful campaigns I’ve seen are usually coordinated by investors and entrepreneurs who already have substantial capital.

For example, Marc Barros, the Moment launcher, came up with a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $100,000 on Kickstarter in less than 30 hours. He managed to raise this incredible amount of money by investing more than $75,000 to prepare the campaign page, design it, prototype it and pre-market it. That’s not always possible with a nonprofit, but do you have a major supporter who could put up some funds for a major new initiative? Ask your executive director.

Conclusion

Anyone can launch a crowdfunding campaign as long as they are determined enough. However, keep in mind that you should think of innovative ways to justify your fundraising goals, conduct your research thoroughly, target your audience, build a strong database and think of ways to sell your vision. Also, make sure you come up with a plan B in case your A-game does not go according to plan.
Good luck!

If you’ve conducted a successful crowdfunding campaign, what worked best for you?

The post 5 secrets of winning crowdfunding campaigns appeared first on Socialbrite.

For most nonprofits, the best ways to raise money online is with a fundraising email strategy (email revenue grew by 25% in 2015).

Yes, your donation page is absolutely important in terms of converting donors, but email is the most effective way to send qualified prospects to your donation page.

Email subscribers, by definition, have given you permission to tell them about your cause. Many times, they are waiting to be asked.

But are you asking effectively?

Here are four common fundraising email mistakes you should definitely avoid:

1. Blasting your list

All subscribers are not created equal.

When you blast your entire list with the same fundraising email, you risk alienating some of your most important supporters. For example, monthly donors and prospective donors should receive very different fundraising messages.

Tailoring your message for each audience will increase engagement and donations. This all starts, of course, with proper email segmentation.

2. Making it about you

Bragging about your nonprofit is not fundraising.

It’s easy to assume that people want to hear about your nonprofit since they joined your email list. But your nonprofit is simply an agent of change.

What supporters really want is to change the world in ways they care about. They want to be an active participant, not a sideliner.

Connect your donor to the impact by telling them what they did, not what your nonprofit did. Check out this example from ALS Worldwide:

3. Not welcoming new donors

Every time someone makes a donation, it’s the beginning of a relationship. You have to set the tone. You have to make a good first impression.

When someone gives, you should immediately thank them and reinforce the impact they just made. For example, check out this email from the Community Music Center of Boston:

4. Sending only one email

Email is very different from direct mail.

Direct mail is effective, quite frankly, because it sits around the house – on the kitchen counter, on the coffee table, in the bathroom. In other words, it creates a constant presence in the mind of the potential donor.

But email is very different. A single email is often deleted, ignored, or even unnoticed by potential donors. To create a constant presence about an appeal, you need to send multiple emails.

What else? What do you think?

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If you’re like most nonprofits, you will raise most of your money during the last three months of the year, particularly between Thanksgiving and December 31st when the big ball drops.

Now is the time to put all your resources into attracting and retaining as many donors as possible!

Avoid these top five mistakes that could hurt your year-end fundraising on Facebook.

1. Ignoring Facebook altogether

If you’re like most nonprofits, you have at least a minimal presence on Facebook. So does your competition. Not only that but most of your donors are using Facebook.

Facebook isn’t going anywhere, and again, even if you ignored Facebook until November, don’t regret ignoring it during the biggest spike of fundraising you’ll see this year.

2. Bragging about your nonprofit

There’s no doubt that your nonprofit has earned the bragging rights it has. But on Facebook, people want to brag about themselves to their friends. One way they do this is by sharing stories about causes they care about.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to create impact stories that make your supporters look fantastic to their friends.

3. Not thanking your donors

Probably the biggest fundraising mistake you can make is not thanking your donors. In fact, Bloomerang found that 19% of donors won’t come back if you don’t thank them.

Thanking your donors on Facebook makes them feel great and more likely to get again. And it also makes you look great to potential donors.

4. Not using Facebook ads

At this point, if you’re not using Facebook Ads, you’re just not serious about using Facebook to reach your audience.

Facebook ads are so incredibly cheap and effective; there’s just no excuse for not making at least a minimal investment.

You can reach people who recently watched one of your Facebook live videos. You can even reach people who have visited your donation page but didn’t give.

And again, if you haven’t used Facebook ads yet, now is the time to try them given that year-end is upon us.

5. Only using Facebook

Last but not least, if Facebook is your only channel to reach donors, you will have profound regrets at year-end.

Direct mail, phone solicitation, email, and face-to-face fundraising are much more effective when used together.

The post Top blunders on Facebook that hurt fundraising appeared first on Socialbrite.

For many nonprofits, text messaging as a communications and fundraising tool can feel daunting. I’ve worked with nonprofits who grapple with understanding if text messaging is even right for them.

Below is a graphic shared with me by TextMagic that can help you better understand what an SMS campaign could look like and if it’s right for your nonprofit.

What do you think? Had your nonprofit worked on an SMS campaign? What were the results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

The post How to Attract & Keep Donors Using Text Messaging appeared first on Socialbrite.

Today is my 10 year wedding anniversary and it got me thinking about how we value and place importance on anniversaries. That the action of acknowledgement is important. It recognizes a significant commitment and bond. It communicates that through the years, I continue to choose you. Pretty big stuff.

It then got me thinking about how we, as nonprofit communicators and fundraisers, celebrate our donor anniversaries. Do we do it? Is it a choice we make to not do it, if we’re not doing it? And what would that anniversary “love letter” look like?

Here are some thoughts on how I might approach the messaging of that “love letter”:

• Congratulations on your first donation anniversary! We know that first donation took some faith in us and we acknowledge and appreciate that.

• Today’s anniversary date is important. On this day, we started a very important relationship. One we value tremendously.

• Here are three ways in which your continued support of us has made lives better this year.

• Your commitment to us through the years is never taken for granted, and we’re so happy you’re here with us today.

Do you know any organizations that send out great anniversary emails or outreach? Please let me know in the comments section below!

I manage a great learning and resource sharing Facebook Group called Nonprofit Communications Professionals. Come join us!

Still pouring through Mary Meeker’s essential 2017 Internet Trends report. HERE are the highlights.

Digital Credit: Can it really alleviate poverty? And how do we protect borrowers better?

Should Your Nonprofit Livestream Events? As more and more nonprofits dip their toes into livestreaming galas and other events, how do we decide what gets streamed and what doesn’t?

Why are so many of us in a rush to create new nonprofits and social enterprises and less resolute to collaborate or join forces with existing organizations doing the same or similar work? What can we do about this phenomenon and how can we be better together? This really thorough piece from SSIR tackles an issue we think about a lot.

These are pretty great and funny: 30 Creative Museum 404 Pages. From our friends at Hyperallergic.

Happy Friday!

Caroline

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/Mallorca, Spain

The post Your Donor Sweetheart + My Nonprofit Comms Edit appeared first on Socialbrite.

It’s the Friday Edit, aka, things I’ve been reading or watching around the web that I found interesting, useful, or downright funny. I hope you enjoy them, too.

I have to start with the funny because, well, it’s needed this week! I saw this movie trailer for NGO – Nothing Going On from Poverty to Power and it seems both hilarious, cringe-worthy, and painfully true in parts. Give it a watch below to see what I mean.

The current global cyber attack, built on ransomware, could wreck your communications impact and a lot more. Here’s a great, short post from the Getting Attention blog by Nancy Schwartz on how to protect yourself.

A great recap on the State of Digital Diplomacy by Nancy Groves – Head of #socialUN @UN Dept of Public Info

Here’s a quick two-minute recap on the takeaways from the World Economic Forum on Africa by Devex:

Here’s four creative summertime fundraising projects to focus on over the ‘lazy’ days of summer. ;)

This made me laugh: A guided meditation for nonprofit professionals. Also, Nonprofit AF is both an informative, often thought-provoking, AND hilarious blog. Recommended reading for us nonprofit unicorns.

Have a great weekend!

The post The Friday Edit – Links I’m Loving appeared first on Socialbrite.