Monthly Archives: January 2012
Which communications tools are most important for non profit marketing?
This week I will be sharing insights with you from the The 2012 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report which reveals what nonprofits big and small have planned for 2012. Today we will take a look at the report’s findings on which communications tools are most important for non profits.
The top three communications tools as you can see from this infographic are website, e-mail marketing and Facebook – further proof of the importance of social media marketing for non profits in 2012.
Next time we will look at the surprising answers to the question what best describes your 2012 marketing or communications plan?
Related:
Why social media marketing is a key component of not for profit marketing
Are you frustrated because your boss doesn’t “get” social media?
Free Webinar! Social and Mobile Media for Nonprofit Executive Staff
The content of this webinar is specifically tailored for executive staff in the nonprofit sector, particularly those that are skeptical of the value of social and mobile media.
The idea for this webinar arose from presenting more than 100 social and mobile media trainings and webinars in 2011 to thousands of nonprofit staff and still hearing that the number one frustration voiced by nonprofit social media practitioners is that “my boss doesn’t get it.” So, on behalf of all those frustrated staff, this webinar will:
- Demonstrate the value of social and mobile media to increase online fundraising.
- Illuminate how social and mobile media success requires professional experience or training in online communications and fundraising.
- Highlight the need to modify job descriptions of development and communications staff.
- Discuss the urgent need to prepare for the Mobile Web.
- Demonstrate how there is no one-size-fits-all-communications and online fundraising strategy anymore, and the longer your nonprofit resists change, the more you’ll regret it in years to come.
Details:
Date: February 15, 2012
Time: 1-1:45pm EST
How to create the best donor experience for your non-profit
Source: Sumac
Nice infographic from Sumac on the cycle of donation and how important it is to acknowledge each and every donation and update donors at timely intervals on how their donations were used.
(1) The Donation
Because you have presented such a good case for support, the donor is convinced that this is a cause worth supporting and decides to donate. The donor writes out a cheque and is filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling thinking about how many people this new, larger facility will help.
(2) The Thank You
The donor receives a thank you letter in the mail from your organization that expresses sincere appreciation for his generous contribution and reaffirms that his donation will go directly to build this new facility. The donor is feeling really good about his decision to give and is excited to hear news about the progress.
The Update
A month later, the donor receives your newsletter with a headline story about how the project is coming along. “Thank you to all the generous supporters…. we have now raised the necessary funds to build the new facility!”
Months down the road there is another update in the newsletter that shows the building being built with another “thanks” to all those who contributed!
A year later, the donor reads another update in your newsletter about how this new storage facility is helping your organization provide food to so many more needy people.
Repeat
So that’s it – one cycle of the perfect donor experience. This is what you should be aiming to deliver with each and every one of your donors each and every time they donate. It’s pretty straight-forward, but not always easy to achieve when you’re dealing with hundreds, even thousands of donors. With the right database, however, it’s entirely possible to plan and schedule everything just right: to run strategic campaigns, to thank donors on time, to deliver planned updates.
Crowd Funding in Ireland
Thanks to Ken McGuire for alerting me to the existence of Fund it - a new all-island crowdfunding website for Ireland’s creative projects.
It is funded under the New Stream programme, supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, The Arthur Guinness Fund and via the support of a technology grant from the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht.
It is an initiative of Business to Arts is a not-for-profit organisation working to support resilience and transformation in the cultural sector through research, innovation and partnership.
You can watch the video above to find out more or visit the website at fund.ie
Join the Taxback Campaign
From the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group* website:
Would you like your charity to be part of a nationwide campaign that will boost the tax-effectiveness of your donors? You’ve already invested considerably in recruiting, developing and retaining your donors. You’re under pressure to increase your return on that investment. But you don’t want to tire your donors with too many asks. So what will grow your income at low cost – without donor fatigue?
The answer is Taxback – the Revenue rebate on donations by PAYE-donors.
The proportion of €250+ donors who return their CHY 2 forms to most charities is less than the proportion of PAYE taxpayers in the general public. So many donors whose donations would be eligible for Taxback don’t do so for various reasons – inertia, uncertainty about whether it applies to them or is limited to only one of their chosen charities, worry that it might affect their tax affairs, etc.
Following an initial meeting of charities in November on the idea of a Taxback campaign, a steering group came together to manage the campaign under the auspices of the ICTR. The campaign has just one primary aim – to get more donors to return their rebate forms. We’re not trying to get more money out of donors, just to get them to complete and send back their CHY 2 forms. Through raising awareness and addressing barriers to response, the campaign will improve the response rates charities get on their tax mailings. This will produce a positive return on investment from contributing charities in the same year as the spend.
The campaign will run in several media, including media and online, next March – when most charities send their tax mailings. It will raise awareness of the benefits of Taxback, the simple need to complete and return the forms and address some of the common barriers to response. It will carry a Taxback brand that you can use in your mail and online activities to integrate with the national campaign. The more charities we can bring together to pool budgets, the more we can achieve.
Will your charity join the campaign? By pledging your contribution now, you will be helping to ensure this innovative campaign drives more of your donors to return their tax forms as soon as March 2012.
Click here for further information.
To sign up and pledge your contribution, please contact bruce2clark@gmail.com
*ICTRG is a membership organisation of charities, focused on creating a policy climate in which philanthropy can thrive – through a combination of taxation and regulatory reform.
Martin Luther King and social media marketing
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world.
Social media marketing specialist, Heidi Cohen wonders how different might Dr King’s movement have been if he had social media tools to spread his message and galvanize his supporters into action. She cites the Arab Spring demonstrations as an example of what can be achieved with the help of social media and believes we can “let (King’s) teachings guide our actions since they still hold true in today’s social media empowered world.”
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day, a United States federal holiday marking the birthday of Dr King. (It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King’s birthday, January 15). To mark the day, Heidi has chosen seven of his quotes “that teach us how to live as well as how to participate on social media platforms.”
Let me share with you my favourite of the quotes Cohen chooses:
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Dr. King’s words ring true on social media where it’s expected that participants and marketers pay-it-forward. Unlike other media platforms, social media is about the community and the greater good. Participation is more about what you can contribute to the community, not what’s in it for you.
Social Media Lesson: Find a way to help others each day. It can be as small as acknowledging someone’s birthday or good post.
You can read the article in full on Heidi Cohen’s blog.
How to kick start your online fundraising in 2012
- Send new donors a special welcome message.
- Thank your donors multiple ways – by email, phone and handwritten letters.
- Review and optimize your traffic. How are donors finding your organization online when you look at your Google Analytics?
- Tell good stories that appeal to your donors emotions.
Have you any other online fundraising tips to share?
Key Trends for the Nonprofit Sector in 2012
Convio has just announced its key predictions and expected trends that will have the biggest impact on the nonprofit sector in 2012. Check out their findings below:
(1) Online and New Media Channels Will Continue To Extend Their Influence
- Based on Convio’s 2010 holiday giving survey, online fundraising was up 40 percent from 2009. Online will continue as the fastest growing giving channel.
- Online’s influence outside of transactions is growing as older donors engage in web-based communications and advocacy.
- Acceleration in new media channels and devices (social and mobile) will have significant increase in material importance for nonprofits. For example, recently a Convio client found that 15 percent of direct respondents to a specific TV campaign accessed the nonprofit’s website via a mobile device.
(2) Peer-to-Peer Engagement Will Play An Expanded Role
- Direct communications by nonprofit organizations will have less impact on the giving decisions of donors than in years past.
- Donors will increasingly rely on referrals and guidance from friends, family and co-workers to make decisions, particularly the younger generations.
- Nonprofits will want to tap their most vocal and loyal supporters to be active promoters.
(3) Donor Fatigue Will Be More Pronounced
- Information overload will continue as individuals receive mail, email and other communications from marketers with increasing intensity, making it challenging for nonprofits to have their messages heard.
- Text messages, RSS feeds, tweets and Facebook posts only compound the problem.
- Tailored communications that resonate with donors will be critical.
(4) Supporters Want To Control Their Experience
- Nonprofit supporters want to be able to define and customize how they are communicated to (e.g. go paperless, set frequency of emails and filter for content).
- The burden of expectation for nonprofits is being set by the for-profit sector.
(5) Integrated Marketing Will Rise To New Heights
- Multi-channel marketing will have an increasingly significant role in driving integrated marketing tactics as nonprofits rely more on various channels to deliver their communications.
- Strategic communication efforts that are consciously coordinated, orchestrated, and targeted – based on particular audience segments and their individual preferences – will become more prevalent.
Source: Convio Press Release
