5 Steps to Increase Community Awareness for Your Nonprofit

Nonprofit Management

Article | July 13, 2022

Though conversational marketing is relatively new, it speaks to the growing expectation of a personalized experience and the opportunity to connect and start a one-to-one conversation. Coined by our partners at Drift, conversational marketing aims to guide users through an engagement funnel more quickly by using real-time conversations. As chatbots are increasingly seen as a natural way to get information, they can help to build relationships and create authentic experiences between an organization and its target audiences.

Nonprofit Management

Article | July 11, 2022

Although we recommend talking directly with your donors to learn what matters to them, one-on-one conversations aren’t the only way to gain valuable information about your donors. Through analysis of the donor data in your fundraising software, you can obtain insights that will help you create a better experience for your donors, and motivate them to give more over time. Here’s what you can learn from the numbers and how you can apply this knowledge to improve your donor experience. Biographic and Demographic Information: This particular donor data isn’t snazzy, but it provides you with important tools to use in donor communications. Here’s what you can do with it. Preferred Name: Even something as simple as addressing your donors by their preferred names or nicknames will go a long way toward building a meaningful relationship. Employment: Improve the timing of your emails by sending to full-time individuals when they’re at work. Age: Millennials are more likely to check social media or text messages for communications, while Baby Boomers are more likely to use email or even snail mail. A multi-channel communication strategy, however, is the best thing to help you reach your donors where they’re at. Educational Background: While someone’s education level may provide insights about their capacity to give, consider looking at what your contacts were involved in while in school. Did they join clubs that provide a clue about their interests? Did they hold certain leadership positions that tell you what they’re committed to? What community service projects were they active in? This information can help you customize your communications more meaningfully. Involvement History: Monetary giving isn’t the only indicator of a donor’s interest in your organization. When you’re putting together your campaign lists, don’t forget to look at other historical indicators as well. Note: If you’re already using Network for Good’s simple, smart fundraising software, demographic details, like the ones above, need to be individually added as “Custom Fields” to a constituent’s record. Involvement in Advocacy Work: If an individual advocates for charities or causes, he or she is usually serious about making a difference and seeks to do so in other ways. Corporate Sponsorships: If someone has organized a corporate sponsorship for her or his place of employment, the individual has demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile foryour organization. Showing Up at Events: If you have regulars who appear at your events, they’re prime candidates to get more involved. An events platform that integrates directly with your fundraising software can be a key tool here in making sure you’re following up with the right people. Network of Connections: Prospective donors will always be more willing to respond if a friend or business connection has introduced your organization to them. If you think an individual would be willing to contribute to your nonprofit, look at who in your donor database is connected to that person and ask for an introduction. This strategy can also be used for raising corporate sponsorships. Hobbies: Hobbies and interests will tell you who’s most likely to participate in your events. They’ll also give you ideas about what types of events will be most popular with your contacts. Here are a few ideas: Games: Trivia night, bingo, or board games. Outdoors: Run/Walk, golf or fishing tournament, or softball. Food & Drink: Wine tasting, celebrity chef or bartender, or profit share at a restaurant. Music: Benefit concert, talent show, or Battle of the Bands Arts & Culture: Group night at the theatre, charity poetry reading, or author meet-and-greet. Timing of Gifts: When do individuals give? If someone tends to make donations at a certain time of year, your request will probably be welcomed (and successful!) if you ask at that time. Using tools such as the “Giving” filters to conduct donor analysis can help determine if there are trends around a particular time of year for one (or multiple) donors – and knowing the timing of gifts will also help you spend your marketing dollars more wisely. If someone has given within a year-long time period, that person is much more likely to give again than someone who gave two years ago. You can allocate your marketing resources more intelligently if you know who is more likely to donate. These are just a few ideas on how to use your data to not only build a stronger donor experience but also increase your fundraising revenue. Learn why the donor experience is vital to a successful organization and how to implement an effective donor experience program by downloading “A Better Donor Experience: Is it the Cornerstone of Donor Loyalty?”

Nonprofit Management

Article | July 14, 2022

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofit digital transformation is no longer a choice. Organizations are now faced with unprecedented challenges and are turning to technology to work remotely, transfer fundraising efforts online, and check in on the vulnerable populations they serve. The technology needed to accomplish this and fulfill your mission is important, but you must put a plan in place to ensure that the people using these technologies can successfully learn the new processes. Whether they’re your internal staff members, volunteers, board members, or your beneficiaries, people must remain at the heart of your nonprofit digital transformation.

Article | May 2, 2020

As a nonprofit organization, you’re doing your part to make the world a better place. Your cause matters to your staff, volunteers, donors, and those you serve. What you do likely also appeals to businesses. Many businesses have corporate sponsorship programs with funds set aside to support nonprofits. According to a study published on Statista, an online statistics company, corporations paid 65.8 billion dollars in corporate sponsorships worldwide in 2018. If your nonprofit hasn’t pursued corporate sponsorship for your programs, capital campaigns, or fundraising events, you’re leaving a lot of potential money on the table.