Please join me at the first ever virtual fundraising conference produced by Fundraising Success.
I’m really excited about this opportunity, especially since I can participate from my office. In particular, I’m looking forward to these sessions:
- Top 10 Tips for Fundraising in 2010
- 25 Good Ideas for Improving Your Fundraising Results
- Today’s Hottest Topics in Fundraising.
Presenters include experts from many disciplines — ranging from fundraising guru Roger Craver’s keynote on those top 10 tips to Jono Smith, marketing director at Event360 guiding us to more effectively harnessing the passion of event participants to increase giving and awareness.
You’ll find the full agenda here, with all details. And, even if you’re booked tomorrow or have time for only live session, all sessions will be available to you on-demand for 3 months (but only if you’ve registered). So register now!
Nancy Schwartz on May 19, 2010 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Professional Development
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2 comments
Tags:fundraising, fundraising success, nonprofit branding, virtual conference
Now it’s my turn to ask you a question.
I’m writing an article on the most productive ways for nonprofit communications and fundraising teams to work together (and together is the key word here) and would like to integrate some examples from you of what’s working (or ideas you have that haven’t been implemented yet). Each team may come into it with very different perspectives, but working together is a must, believe me!
Of course the deadline is almost here so please get in touch asap via the comments box below or simply email me! Your real-world perspective is vital to the strength of the article.
Thanks so much. I look forward to receiving your examples and suggestions!
Nancy Schwartz on May 14, 2010 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Planning and Evaluation
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5 comments
Tags:collaboration, fundraising, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing
This afternoon, a client asked me about to share my top fundraising resources. Her organization is shifting gears, re-orienting its focus to
better match audience wants and interests, and eager to find funding to make it happen.
In crafting this list, I realized it may be of interest to you and that I’d like to know where you turn for fundraising guidance. Do keep in mind that my core learning strategy is to read/listen to (and talk with, when possible) the best heads on a topic. I learn most easily from case studies that give me the specifics I need to relate what I’m learning to the client project at hand.
Here are my top six fundraising guides. Please share your favorites now in the comments box below (click comments link at bottom or, if you’re looking at the permalink version of this post, just scroll down to bottom):
- Tom Ahern–Lots of great case studies and fundraising models analyzed and annotated. Easy to learn from, and absolutely on point.
- Tom Belford & Roger Craver:The Agitator–These guys love to present multiple points of view on a topic which makes the reader work, in a good way. Again, case studies, strategy and a wicked sense of humor.
- Jeff Brooks: Future Fundraising Now–Formerly blogging at Donor Power, the incredible Jeff Brooks is cranking out almost-daily to-dos now, and every one is golden. Go, Jeff, go!
- Network for Good: Fundraising 123–This online donation service goes way beyond their donate button to provide top-quality articles and webinars (all free) to strengthen fundraising and marketing skills.
- Pamela Grow: Grantwriting Blog–Pamela brings a fresh perspective to her sage fundraising advice, as in today’s post pointing out how nonprofit fundraisers can learn (what NOT to do) from Food Network star Paula Deen. Good learning that’s fun and provocative, with lots of examples.
Click on the Comments link below to add the fundraising guides you rely on, and to read about the very important 7th guide I forgot to mention in this post.
P.S. Marketing and fundraising are two halves of a whole. Get more in-depth articles, case studies and guides to
nonprofit marketing success — all featured in the twice-monthly
Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today .
Nancy Schwartz on March 26, 2010 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research
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27 comments
Tags:agitator, fundraising, fundraising 123, Getting Attention, jeff brooks, marc pitman, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, Network for Good, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, pamela grow, roger craver, tagline, tom ahern, tom belford
It’s a must read for all of us, the most in-depth study to date of how donors of different generations learn about our organizations, and give. Don’t miss it.
Here are six key takeaways:
- Core donor groups to understand: Matures, Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y.
- Matures and boomers give more than younger generations, because they give to a greater number of organizations. They don’t give more for each cause.
- Most donors first learn of an org via mainstream media. Gen Y’s mainstream media is the Web.
- A friend’s request is the main reason for giving, across generations.
- Word of mouth is a must. So tell your org’s story well and motivate and train your supporters to tell it too.
- THE critical element for fundraising success is messaging that connects. (Yes!)
I urge you to read this report today. It’s the most valuable 16 pages I’ve read in a long time.
P.S. This report is more evidence that effective messaging is a priority for all organizations, and a key to motivating your audience to give. Learn how to craft the most essential message — your tagline. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don’t dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on March 24, 2010 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research
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3 comments
Tags:convio, edge research, fundraising, Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, next generation of american giving, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, sea change strategies, tagline
Q: Dear Ms. Schwartz,
I work for Jobs for Maine's Graduates (JMG), a terrific nonprofit with powerful documented outcomes. We help at-risk youth graduate from high school prepared for success in college and the workforce.
I have been “courting” a multi-multi-multi-millionaire whom is an acquaintance. I want to speak with him on investing (read that, funding) in our organization. He says he will take me out to lunch, “but maybe nothing else”.
He’s gruff but seems to like me. Even so, I am stuck at this “ call me in 2 weeks and I’ll take you out” plateau. He could make an amazing difference to our organization, especially as we are expanding to serve more youth and would like to start an endowment.
Clearly, I have to change my strategy. Any ideas?
Sincerely,
Lisa Gardner, Communications Manager
A: Dear Lisa,
Thanks so much for raising this vital question. Believe me, it's one shared by many fundraisers and communicators with all kinds of goals.
The real issue here is connection (or lack of connection, in this case). It's totally out of your power, Lisa, to improve this gentleman's manners or stop his game playing. But what you can do is learn everything about him, because you need to connect before you convince. (Hat tip to Sam Horn for this powerful concept).
Once you know what his passions are, where he volunteers and/or gives, what his family members do for a living, where he went to school and college, you'll have much more to work with. Your next step is to figure out the connections between his passions and preferences and JMG's work. Perhaps some of your program's graduates work in the field in which your prospect made his living. Or attended his alma mater.
After you've pinpointed a few strong connections, invite him out for a site visit or lunch with a graduate that reinforces that connection. Far more effective to let him make and feel that connection, rather than trying to convince him of it.
Lastly, Lisa, if he refuses a few invites, move on!
P.P.S. More effective messaging is a priority for all organizations, and a key to convincing (when you get there). Learn how to craft the most essential message — your tagline. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on March 9, 2010 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research
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4 comments
Tags:fundraising, Getting Attention, Jobs for Maine's graduates, major donor, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, prospect, sam horn, tagline
When Kivi Leroux Miller, nonprofit communications expert, launched her second annual fundraising experiment she hoped for better results than she had received last year.
Kivi made $20 gifts to ten organizations to see what response she would receive. Of course she wanted to fund good work as well.
She conducted the first experiment in 2008 and received thank you correspondence from three of 12 recipient organizations (25%). This year’s results were a touch improved at 30% (3 of 10). But a 25% vs. 30% connection rate isn’t the point. Here’s what is…
70% of organizations gifted didn’t take the brief time it takes to send a thank you note. That’s crazy, as retaining donors is much more difficult than cultivating a first-timer and doing requires minimal budget and time.
Shame on you, but so easy to fix. Do it now!
Here’s more about Kivi’s experiment.
P. S. For more guidance on getting nonprofit marketing and fundraising right, subscribe to the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.
Photo: miracc
Nancy Schwartz on February 23, 2010 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research
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3 comments
Tags:donor communications, fundraising, Getting Attention, kivi leroux miller, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, tagline, thank you
The American Red Cross does a stellar job in showing precisely how a donor’s gift will be used in its first-time holiday catalog.The catalog is definitely inspired by the Heifer Foundation’s long-running holiday catalog, but the Red Cross has done a great job here. The organization has also done a great job in providing useful context for its transition to this still unusual strategy with its catalog FAQs.
Back to the catalog — I’m the biggest proponent ever of showing, not telling. That’s what builds trust, and relationships. One highly-effective strategy is to show donors how their gifts are used and this holiday catalog is a proactive example of doing just that.
Next step for the Red Cross is to keep its donors (especially catalog givers and giftees) informed on how their dollars are actually used (what disaster, how many helped). Hope to see it!
P.S. Don’t miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit fundraising and marketing success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.
Nancy Schwartz on December 8, 2009 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research
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1 comment
Tags:fundraising, Getting Attention, Heifer Foundation, holiday catalog, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, red cross
I vote hands down for Heifer International, the humanitarian assistance and sustainable development organization that provides livestock and related services to limited-resource families worldwide. We just received the Heifer holiday catalog last week and my daughter Charlotte went nuts marking the pages with the animals she wants to give.
But my colleague Conor Byrne, one of Ireland's fundraisers extraordinaire, wants to know what YOU think!
As Conor tells it, even as a child he had fundraising on the brain. He remembers being struck by the prevalence of holly pins — sold as a Christmas campaign by the ISPCC (Ireland's most well-known children's charity). "Absolutely everyone bought the holly pin," says Conor.
Conor wonders what today's holly pin is? What is the single most effective holiday fundraising campaign you know of? Email your top pick to Conor by November 25th!
Photo: winemakerssister
P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, filled with must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 2,500+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on November 13, 2009 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Nonprofit Communications
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0 comments
Tags:conor byrne, fundraising, Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, tagline
A new research report just released by cause branding pros at Cone shows that 79% of those online are behind orgs harnessing email, Web sites and social media to build awareness, grow giving and motivate action. Better yet, 60% of this group has engaged with one or more cause — from forwarding an email to a friend to purchasing a cause-branded product.
That’s all rosy, but here’s the disconnect. Despite this high level of interest and awareness of causes online, action lags far behind. Only 18% of users have donated via online media and/or done more to help the cause in another way.
Evidently, it’s fear that’s keeping them from giving online. That’s what the research tells us. But I think the disconnect is much greater than that.
My take is that online media (especially via social media tools like Facebook and Twitter) is more about friendraising than fundraising at this point. Dollar and gift counts are low now but are growing and will continue to do.
If you buy my take, then focus on building communities, not dollars. If you hit too hard on giving, you’ll alientate some of your org’s friends, and they are hot prospects for future giving. You don’t want to lose them.
What’s your take on Cone’s findings, and what they mean for your online strategy? Please share your thoughts with me via email or the comments box.
Nancy Schwartz on October 21, 2009 in Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Nonprofit Communications, Social Media, Web 2.0
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6 comments
Tags:cause marketing, Cone, Cone Consumer New Media Study, fundraising, Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, tagline
Fundraising veteran Tom Suddes offers his golden (but free!) advice on how to shape your language to strengthen your organization, which Tom swears (and I think he’s right) will change the way you think about your org.
Listen now to change your org’s life, and your own perspective. Can’t ask for more in 45 minutes.
Three key insights:
- Don’t define yourself negatively, as a NOT-for-profit. Define yourself positively, focusing on your impact. You’re a for-impact organization.
- Your impact drives your income, not the other way around.
- Just ask!
Here’s my favorite takeway — reframing key nonprofit communications language. Examples include:
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- Old: charity –> New: cause or philanthropy
- Old: mission statement –> New: message (clear, consistent, succinct)
- Old: survival (of your org) –> New: transformation
- Old: sustainability –> New: solutions
- Old: inform –> New: involve
- Old: overhead/administrative costs –> New: priorities (people, programs and places).
Listen up now. It’ll change your perspective today and increase your impact tomorrow, promise.
Tip of the hat to Gayle Thorsen.
P.S. Don’t miss out on in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.
Nancy Schwartz on June 30, 2009 in Branding and Messages, Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Nonprofit Communications, Professional Development
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2 comments
Tags:Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, Network for Good, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, Tom Suddes
