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Four ways to ramp up your annual appeal
Crisis alert. Picture this. You’ve been on your new Development Director job for all of two days when the Executive Director informs you that the organization’s annual appeal should have gone out two weeks ago and urges you to “just doctor up last year’s appeal.” Last year’s appeal sucks. What...
One leaflet, 2 volunteers – 285,000 people reached!
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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s FREE!
Can you really still get something for nothing? Thanks to my colleague, Sandy Rees, five of the best professional fundraisers have come together to offer up some fabulous resources just for you! Join me, Sandy, Sherry Truhlar, Lori Jacobwith and Marc Pittman over at the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway and...
Applications not accepted: Get on their radar!
Foundation Center President Brad Smith notes that “Nearly half of the grantmaker profiles in Foundation Directory Online state, “Applications not accepted”, i.e., these funders do not take unsolicited proposals.” How can you get on their radar? Join us for a live chat at 1:00...
Are you playing it safe with your nonprofit communications?
This week I had the highest unsubscribe rate in the year or so history of publishing my weekly enews. Was it due to the fact that I was more than a little wiped out from overwork and hadn’t produced a piece up to my own standards? Or was it (more than likely) due to my noting that the NPR setup spearheaded...
Nonprofits: The power in an ROI promise
The best nonprofit copywriting, from appeals to web to email, hinge upon emotion. But what happens when you support that emotional pull with logic? The nonprofit that merges emotion with logic creates an irresistible appeal to give. Here are two examples: Charity:Water: $20 can give one person...
Good storytelling passes the test of time
“Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. “ Hannah Arendt Are you like me? Do you regularly scan your email with an eye to what’s important, check all “unread” messages and end up sending 137 emails to the trash? Is your inbox stuffed with junk like...
What would 60 cents a day buy for your organization?
I came across this great monthly giving advertisement today for the ASPCA on amazon. Here’s a classic example of a well-executed call to action. Social Bookmarking
Monthly Giving for the Small Shop – Interview with Harvey McKinnon
What’s the best thing your nonprofit isn’t doing that it should be doing to slow donor attrition and build sustainable funding? If you said growing your Twitter followers, or redesigning your website you’d be wrong. One of the surefire ways to build lifetime donors – and build legacy funding...
A “Recipe” for Twitter Success
Is there really a “recipe” for a successful Twitter account? In real life conversations with friends and colleagues I’m forever hearing “I don’t really ‘get’ Twitter.” “What IS Twitter anyway? Is it a bunch of people talking about what they had for lunch?” If you’re not a Twitophile,...
Never end without a PS
One of the most well-known secrets of direct response copywriters is the simple PS. And yet you’ll rarely find a PS in a nonprofit communication piece (unless it’s written by a professional copywriter). Why is the PS so important? Many people jump to the end. The PS can spike their interest...
Street fundraising – could it work for your organization?
On a lunchtime visit to a local shopping center yesterday, I noticed a couple of young street fundraisers posted at prominent corners. I’ve seen face-to-face fundraisers canvassing in Center City, Philadelphia — here in suburbia, it’s relatively uncommon. Since this is one method of fundraising...
$48 Billion up for grabs – is your organization ready?
Is your organization ready for the all important holiday season? Oh, I’m not asking if you’ve done your shopping or if you’ve bought your cards. I’m talking about your end-of-year fundraising. If you’re thinking just because you got your organization’s annual appeal out the door,...
Where’s Your Social Media Manners?
It is possible in this world to be successful AND kind.Choosing to add kindness is one hallmark of a civilized person. Bill Nigh Marketing genius Dan Kennedy’s recent “No BS Information Marketing Letter Special Report” entitled “Don’t Waste Time,” had a great article...
Does Your Organization’s Thank You Letter Suck?
Recently I made a donation to a local arts organization. I’m pleased to say that, yes, contrary to the statistics, I did receive a thank you letter. Granted it arrived approximately four weeks after the fact. But I did receive one. Sadly it was the standard thank you letter. You know. The kind...
KISS – Keep it Simple Sweetheart … with Swipe Files!
“Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” -Coco Chanel Regular readers of my newsletter, The Grow Report, know that I am a huge fan of the online fundraising resource SOFII. SOFII showcases exhibits from the best fundraisers in the businesses – people like Mal Warwick, Ken Burnett, Tom...
Keep Christmas in Your Heart All Year Long
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year.” Charles Dickens Many years ago I was working for the Philadelphia Bar Association at their offices on South Market (near the famous Reading Terminal Market … about the only positive about working for the Philadelphia Bar Association...
15 Nonprofit Social Media Stocking Stuffers and Resolutions
Today’s post is from guest author Aerin Guy. If you’re like me, you’ve spent the better part of 2009 exploring the explosion of emerging social media tools. This year has brought a lot of “wow”, a little “whoa!”, and a whole lot of “what next”? The jury is out on Google Wave,...
