Here’s a summary of recent articles and blogs related to fundraising and nonprofit organizations. As always, please forward this to others who might benefit from the information. Thanks again for reading!
FUNDRAISING
- Keeping Monthly Donors Is Worth The Effort: Monthly donors have some of the strongest retention rates in the business. Retention among donors giving one-time gifts is between 41 and 50 percent, while donors enrolled in a monthly giving program are retained 70 to 80 percent of the time. The NonProfit Times via AFP
- Are you fundraising from the wrong donors? The most common way we make assumptions about our donors is to assume they are (or should be) exactly like us. Another way is to think all of them are just like the small number of donors we interact with personally. This error is outlined at PhilanTopic… by Jeff Brooks for Future Fundraising Now
- ‘Giving circles’ growing as new form of Pittsburgh philanthropy: Giving circles typically have involved friends meeting over drinks and food in each other’s living rooms to discuss what charitable causes they should support. But the model has evolved into one that some foundations are using to assemble groups of donors with common interests around particular is … Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AFP
- Donor List Kiss of Death: Mr. and Mrs. If you have taken my “new and improved” annual reports webinar, you know that I am not a fan of those long lists of donor names. I think they take way too much time and effort to get right… You have many more opportunities to spell someone’s name wrong or otherwise screw it up than you do opportunities to get current donors even more … by Kivi Leroux Miller
- Grants Expand Crowdfunding Site for People Down on Their Luck: Benevolent’s mission is simple. Help people who just need a modest helping hand to dig out of a tough spot. And do it through online crowdfunding… About.com
MARKETING / SOCIAL MEDIA
- 3 ways to boost Facebook engagement with text updates: How to make text updates as effective as photos Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, marketers. It seems like all the “experts” tell us is to post photos on our Facebook page to get more likes, comments and shares. Text updates aren’t as sexy, but they can be equally as effective. Why bother posting text updates on your Facebook … by John Haydon for Socialbrite
- 21 Social Media Tips for Nonprofits from Top Experts: I love nonprofits. And I love social media. But nonprofits don’t always “get” social media. Here are 21 tips from some of the top authors and social media experts from around the world… by Marc A. Pitman for Fundraising Coach.com
- The magic two words that will get people to retweet you: Dan Zarrella is one of my favorite thinkers on social media, because he mines massive amounts of data and bases his recommendations on hard science. This is relatively rare yet needed in the field of social media marketing, and so he’s well worth following. He recently analyzed 2.7 million tweets … Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog
- Make Your Donors Choose YOU as Their Favorite Nonprofit: Are your donors choosing your organization as their favorite nonprofit? Wish they would, don’t you? How creative can your thank you be? I bet you are spending lots of time on planning those terrific solicitations to them. But I bet you are NOT spending enough time communicating with your donors in between your solicitations. Here’s our huge problem… by Gail Perry
- Don’t forget your pen: Do’s and don’ts of digital fundraising: I spent my entire summer in a summer course studying digital innovation with a bunch of 19-20 year old university undergrads. Apart from making me feel very, very old, they also taught me a few very valuable lessons. Watching them all getting writers cramps one by one during the written exam – which at the LSE is a deliciously 20th century style affair done by pen and paper – taught me the most … 101fundraising
LEADERSHIP
- How do you juggle fundraising and everything else? That’s a great question, and it’s one I’ve heard many times. I know about being in the tiny shop. Many times, I was “IT” – the fundraiser, resource development girl, data entry person… by Sandy Rees for Get Fully Funded
- Nonprofit Innovation and the Cloud Karen Graham Director, Technology & Innovation MAP for Nonprofits There’s no doubt that many organizations are using cloud technologies in innovative ways… NTEN
- Charity overhead stats are useful, but not in the way you think: Overhead has become a totem in the humanitarian world as charities and aid organizations seek to spend the most on services and the least on administrative costs. Humanosphere via AFP
NONPROFIT NEWS
- Socially Responsible Businesses Get a Boost from Local Governments: In the past year, San Francisco and Philadelphia have taken an exciting lead in encouraging socially responsible businesses by offering them financial incentives. In April 2012, San Francisco passed an ordinance granting California Benefit Corporations a bidding preference on city contracts. During each stage … by Gene Takagi for Nonprofit Law Blog
- How to become a philanthropist: Researchers at the Centre for Charitable Giving are investigating the reasons why prominent entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, become philanthropic … Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional via AFP
- Changing the Culture of Philanthropy in Michigan: From Audacious Beginnings to Real Results … National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy via AFP
- Rebirth of the Charitable Remainder Trust: Charitable remainder trusts are back! This according to attorney and PGDC contributing author David Wheeler Newman of Mitchell, Silverberg & Knupp, LLP. Read on to see why CRTs are enjoying renewed popularity. Planned Giving Design Center via AFP
- Measuring to Improve vs. Improving Measurement Measurement was once again a hot topic at this year’s Skoll Forum…By Matthew Forti for SSIR Articles
