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
- Does the phrase “tax deductible” kill donations? Survey after survey shows that people don’t primarily give for a tax deduction. So why lead with that as an appeal?”… by Marc A. Pitman
- 36 Fundraising Tips to Provoke Your Point of View, Sharpen Your Focus and Make You Laugh: So many very smart people spoke last week at the AFP IHQ Conference in San Diego!Here are tweets from the top #AFPeeps at the Conference. You’ll find one liners under 140 characters that will ZAP your point of view and shake you up a bit … by Gail Perry
- When donor gifts work – and when they don’t Premiums can work to boost giving in the short term but also create some problems long term, especially if the premiums are positioned as a quid pro quo for a gift and have limited resonance with the cause. So what approach might be better? … by Katya Andresen
- Why Donors Stop Giving We all know the key foundation for funding of most non-profits is a dedicated group of loyal donors. There seems to be some research about what incites the loyalty aspect of recurring donors, but darn little on why the loyalty ends … by Jay Love via Marc A. Pitman
- I decided not to cancel – but for how long? In almost all cases you are not your target audience. So you must take great care not to think just because you like something, that it will be what your donors want. Time spent to get a better understanding of your supporters is absolutely invaluable to good fundraising. … by Lucy Gower
COMMUNICATIONS
- Frequency, repetition and the power of saying it more than once There’s a lot to be said for conditioning your audience to listen carefully. If they know that valuable information is only going to come at them once, they’ll be more alert for it … by Seth Godin
- Online Video Is Visual Too Here’s a study that looked at viewer data from 150 videos used in online ads in the Q4 2012. About 730,000 individuals watched these videos, yielding a heap of viewer behavior for analysis … by Tom Belford
- 6 ways to optimize calls to action in your blog posts When you think about calls to action on your website, you typically think about landing pages. For example, your donation page or your email sign-up form. But how often do you think about the other calls to action … by John Haydon
- How New Donor Communication Plans Can Improve Donor Retention We know from the most recent FEP study results that first year donor retention rates are hovering in the 20-30% range. Not a recipe for success!… Bloomerang
- How to Communicate in the Midst of Tragedy: 9-Step Checklist These useful insights are from nonprofit marketers and fundraisers like you in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15. … by Nancy Schwartz
ONLINE / TECHNOLOGY
- Google’s One Today App Aims To Make Charitable Donations A More Social, And Frequent, Experience by TechCrunch: Google quietly ushered in a new application built on top of its nonprofit arm, Google.org. The app is called One Today, and it’s currently invite only for Android users at this time. The aim is to get people to donate $1 to different organizations … via AFP
- Nonprofits, online giving & secrets from the Obama campaign Take a look at the highlights of 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study. It’s an annual study of online nonprofit trends … by JD Lasica
- Do you think you know who’s on social media? A study from Pew Research has some interesting takeaways about who’s on social media … by George Crankovic
LEADERSHIP
- Susan Danish: What Do Nonprofits Need More Than Funding? It’s no secret that many nonprofits are increasingly starved for cash needed to carry out their missions. But another deficit is less apparent — finding new and effective leaders for nonprofits at all levels: national, regional and local …Via AFP
- Nonprofits Want Youngins – Association Bisnow: Nonprofits are wooing 20- and 30-somethings for their energy and eventual power as they move up in their careers. (If that’s the target demographic, they should consider replacing their old CEO with Jimmy Fallon.) Via AFP
- Return on (fundraising) Talent, Vera Peerdeman: The driving force behind a successful fundraising programme is not so much the technique applied, but the fundraiser who puts this into practice. The talent of this fundraiser is thus of immeasurable value … via AFP
- Charity Athletics: ROI Should be Measured Long Term – Nonprofit Quarterly: According to a study from the IU School of Philanthropy, charity races bring in only $3.20 for every dollar spent. Compare that to telephone solicitations: $12 raised per dollar spent. How about capital campaigns? Each dollar spent in one of those garners $20 in return. Via AFP
NONPROFIT NEWS
- Elizabeth Marquardt: Why Teach Philanthropy — and How? If giving is teachable, then the college years represent a tremendous opportunity to instill such behaviors in the next generation — and the need is arguably greater than ever. … via AFP
- Philanthropists Should ‘Talk’ Giving | Pro Bono Australia: Australian philanthropists should talk about their giving to prompt others to follow their lead, according to international philanthropy expert, Roberta d’Eustachio. … via AFP
- eBook Offers Online Marketing Insights for Nonprofits Here’s an overview of a free eBook from Blackbaud offering online marketing insights from 20 nonprofit experts … by Lori Halley
- Best Nonprofit Videos of the Year The winner of the Best of Nonprofit Video Award from the 2013 DoGooder Video Awards was the Rainforest Alliance’s “Follow the Frog” video. Why it works: It’s entertaining … by Kivi Leroux Millee
