Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 10

Charity Auctions for Beginners: 7 Key Things to Know

As a nonprofit professional, you’ve probably heard that charity auctions are time-consuming. On top of the venue details, ticketing, and marketing you’re used to handling for general fundraising events, there’s item procurement and bid tracking to consider. The introduction of virtual and hybrid options has further complicated matters, too.

However, with a strong fundraising plan, you can hold a highly successful charity auction that can not only boost revenue but deepen engagement. Charity auctions are a great way to create a feeling of community—either in-person or online—and engage donors with friendly competition. 

Here’s everything you need to know to host your first successful charity auction:

What is a charity auction and what does it look like?Which type of auction should you host?How can charity auction software help?Which team members do you need to recruit?Which items should you procure, and how?How do you promote an auction event?How can you maximize incoming auction revenue?

A charity auction may be more intricate to plan than your other fundraising events, but the payoff in fundraising revenue and donor engagement can be worth the effort. Use this guide for everything you need to get started. 

1. What is a charity auction and what does it look like?

A charity auction is a fundraising event in which supporters bid on donated items and packages. Your nonprofit is responsible for procuring items or booking packages (such as vacation stays or consignment travel) that will get supporters excited to bid. These items can be procured as in-kind donations from sponsors, purchased outright by your nonprofit, or through auction item consignment partners.

During the event, your supporters compete to place the highest bid on auction items. The person with the highest bid wins, and your organization earns the proceeds. In general, all charity auctions follow a similar four-step process. Use the following timeline as a guideline:

Open the bidding. If you’re using mobile bidding software, regardless of whether it’s a live, silent, or online auction, bidding opens automatically at your preset time. If you’re hosting a traditional paper-based silent auction or a live auction, announce the opening of bidding to the guests. Begin with a starting bid. Each item is assigned a starting bid amount prior to the event, usually at 35-50% of the market value. This is the minimum amount that the first bidder can bid. Bid increments. Participants will compete to place the highest bid. Each consecutive bid on an item must typically be 10-15% greater than the previous bid value. Consider adding Buy Now options at 150%-200% of the item’s value to help drive bidding and make it easy for supporters who want to pay top dollar. Close bidding. Whoever placed the final, highest bid is the winner of that item. The winner will pay the agreed funds directly to your nonprofit. 

Bid increment instructions should be given to participants ahead of time or configured into your mobile bidding software so the auction can run smoothly. For more information on the basic outlines of a charity auction, check out this OneCause guide to planning a charity auction. 

2. Which type of auction should you host? 

Depending on your nonprofit’s budget and size, some auction types may be more favorable than others. There are four different types of charity auctions that your organization can host:

Live auction. A live auction is the classic in-person event led by an auctioneer. Guests announce their bids by raising a bidding paddle, calling out amounts, or getting the auctioneer’s attention in another way. For a live auction, you will need to rent a venue, hire an auctioneer, and likely supply catering to your guests as part of a broader evening of entertainment. Silent auction. Unlike a live auction, the bidding at a silent auction is more discrete and less public. Participants write in bids on sheets of paper and can check back to see if they’ve been outbid, then write in a higher bid amount. A silent auction can also take place with mobile software. Because of its flexibility, you can host an in-person, virtual, or hybrid silent auction. Virtual auction. A virtual auction incorporates traditional silent auction elements but takes the entire process online. Your nonprofit can reach people from all over. These events can be highly cost-effective while still generating impressive final revenue numbers. A virtual auction can also be longer in duration than an in-person event. To make your online auction more engaging, you can use a live-streaming platform to show off the items and generate bids in real time. Hybrid auction. A hybrid auction combines in-person and virtual elements for a memorable occasion. Typically, a hybrid auction will involve a virtual auction with in-person live or silent bidding for a smaller audience. For example, with a hybrid silent auction, you could invite a limited in-person guest list to a venue and allow a virtual audience to engage in real-time bidding. 

The flexibility of formats allows organizations of any size to host an auction. Take any one of these auction types and scale them to your audience size. An online auction can be an especially useful tool for smaller nonprofits to expand their reach. 

3. How can charity auction software help?

Planning and hosting a charity auction is time, resource, and manpower-intensive. There are a ton of moving parts and managing them all can easily get overwhelming. However, working with charity auction software from the start of your planning process drastically eases the hassle. This software can help you:

Raise more money. This software takes the bidding process online, so those physically in attendance and those who aren’t can both participate. Further, you’re able to provide guests with additional channels to donate outside of buying auctioned items. For example, you can add a “Donate” button to your auction webpage so supporters can simply donate any amount to your cause.Simplify the planning process. All logistics are automated and run through the same platform, removing much of the stress of coordination. Plus, once your auction is up and running, your supporters won’t have to worry about navigating to several different sites to participate, which helps to keep them engaged. Add convenience for participants. Donors can purchase tickets, place and track bids, and checkout online. This simplifies the donor experience and eliminates the hassle of waiting in long lines to check out after the fact.Access valuable metrics. Software brings all of your planning into one platform, so you can easily access a complete view of your event’s success and review opportunities for improvement. 

Hosting a charity auction is a great way to boost revenue and engagement, but you also need to make the planning easy on your staff. This is where auction software can come in handy, especially to streamline the behind-the-scenes organization and execution. Plus, if you choose the right software it can be adapted for all types of auction events you host in the future.

4. Which team members do you need to recruit?

Just as with any other fundraising event, charity auctions require a dedicated team of staffers and volunteers to run smoothly. You’ll need helpers before, during, and after the event to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Delegate tasks across your team, ensuring you have individuals or groups to handle the following parts of your auction:

Event planning. This team plans the event, including choosing the date, booking the venue, recruiting volunteers, and even spreading the word. Your team will need a strong nonprofit marketing plan to attract as many people as possible to your auction (thereby increasing the amount of revenue it will generate!). If you’re hosting a virtual or hybrid auction, you’ll benefit from having a dedicated sub-team or committee for handling technology, as well.Item procurement. This team solicits auction items for the event. Each member needs to be comfortable soliciting donations and familiar with which types of gifts would do well among your nonprofit’s audience. Event volunteers. Volunteers are essential to pulling off any in-person auction events, whether they’re helping with set up or tear down, assisting as auction spotters/monitors, or running registration and checkout.Emcee or auctioneer. You’ll need to recruit an emcee or an auctioneer, depending on which type of event you’re hosting. An emcee keeps an in-person or virtual silent auction on track while an auctioneer is the ringleader of a live auction.

To make your auction as successful as possible, be sure to plan early. Choosing and setting up the right software and procuring items can be a very lengthy process. The best way to avoid overwhelming your team is by preparing as soon as possible. 

5. Which items should you procure, and how?

The charity auction items you procure will depend largely on what your donors are willing to pay and where their interests may lie. Brainstorm which items might appeal most to your specific donors using the following tips: 

If you’ve held an auction in the past, reflect on its success. Review which items were popular sellers and consider bringing them back or similar items that would equally attract interest. Consider your guests’ price range. Don’t procure expensive spa weekends if your donors would be more likely to bid on moderately priced restaurant gift cards or even nonprofit merchandise like t-shirts.Understand your guests’ interests. Consider what’s popular in your community and what would genuinely be desired. For example, if you’re an animal rescue nonprofit, your supporters would probably enjoy a day hanging with puppies or kittens! Remember supply and demand. Auction items that are rare or unique are much more likely to be of interest to most audiences.Vary your items. Avoid procuring items that all fall in one category, such as only experience packages or only merchandise. 

Start with asking coworkers, friends, family members, and any other personal and professional connections to donate items. Turn to local businesses and retailers to see if they’ll donate products or services as in-kind gifts. When seeking corporate gifts, you’ll need to do your research on prospective corporate partners and pick a business with similar values. 

6. How do you promote an auction event?

Begin with compiling a guest list, keeping the size of your venue in mind. Send out invites and, if you’re using auction software, bring the ticketing process online for convenience. It can be helpful to tap into multiple marketing channels to bring attention to your event, such as:

Social Media. Social media is a powerful tool to expand your nonprofit’s reach and get hundreds (or even thousands) of people to learn about your event. Decide on which platform may be most effective to spread the word about your event. This will be based on your intended audience’s demographic and which platform they’d be most likely to use. Then, create engaging graphics or video content creating excitement around your auction with instructions on how to sign up. Email. Send out an email to your supporters highlighting your event with a link directly to your registration page. Your email should emphasize the most important information and include several visuals to break up long paragraphs. Text. If you have your supporters’ phone numbers and a text-to-give platform set up, texting is a great way to reach out to supporters and make sure they see the message. According to 360MatchPro’s fundraising statistics, text message audiences grew by 26% last year, which means that texting is a great opportunity to market your auction. You can even include an option in your message to donate before the event. 

By giving guests a taste of what your auction will hold in advance, you’ll be able to effectively drum up excitement. You can also set up an online auction website through your auction software to serve as a catalog for the event, giving you another valuable marketing asset.

Include all essential information about the event itself on the website. This includes a short introduction to your organization, the event name or theme, the schedule, what the proceeds will benefit, the rules for bidding, and instructions for using your mobile bidding platform if applicable.

7. How can you maximize incoming auction revenue? 

Auction events tend to get donors in the mood to give, so prepare to make the most of this momentum while it exists!

Consider the following ways to maximize revenue at your next charity auction: 

Make a live appeal. Your emcee or auctioneer asks guests for donations, reminding them of a fundraising goal your organization hopes to reach by the end of the night. Display a fundraising thermometer throughout the event so guests can track how close you’re getting to the goal.Sell fixed priced items. These are items that are sold, not auctioned, for a set price. This includes extra event activities (such as gift cards or a mystery box drawing) and even event merchandise and accessories.Create party sign-ups. Plan a fun event and sell guest spots at the event. Examples of this would be a movie night, a group cooking class, or even a themed party. These work well for virtual or hybrid events and can be led by volunteer ambassadors.Use a donation booth. This is a good way to provide a giving opportunity to those who don’t end up leaving with an item. Instead of waiting in a long checkout line, guests can give quickly and easily. If you’re using mobile bidding software, there’s no need for a physical booth as donors can give through their phones.Target your audiences. If you’re hosting a hybrid auction, you’ll need to develop strategies that will engage both in-person and remote attendees. For example, invite a smaller group of major donors to the in-person event and everyone to the virtual event. Then, target your different items to each audience as needed—live bidding for luxury vacation packages, hybrid bidding for the fuller range of items in your catalog, etc. This helps you fundraise more efficiently and save money on the in-person logistics.Sell ads in your catalog. Every attendee will browse your auction catalog whether it’s a printed version or online, and that’s a huge selling point! Provide item donors and local businesses with the option to buy an ad in your catalog (digital or paper) and have their logo featured somewhere within.

These are only a few ways you can maximize revenue at your next auction. You know your audience best, so tailor your fundraising strategies to your supporters to increase your event’s success. 

Wrapping Up

Auctions can be a lot to plan, but the fundraising potential of these events is high. Whether you plan to host your auction in-person or virtually, you can effectively engage your audience with friendly competition, fun items, and opportunities to give back to your nonprofit. With the help of charity auction software, the planning process will be much smoother for your team. 

About the Author

Kelly Velasquez-Hague

Kelly Velasquez-Hague brings over 20 years of fundraising, nonprofit management, and sales/marketing experience to her role as the Director of Content Marketing for OneCause. As a member of the OneCause sales and marketing team, Kelly manages all of the company’s content strategy and execution. She is passionate about empowering great missions and loves that her current role allows her to continue to help nonprofits reach new donors and raise more funds for their cause.

The post Charity Auctions for Beginners: 7 Key Things to Know appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Work in a nonprofit? Then join a board

Most other teams or organizations are run by a person or a partnership. The people in charge have both the responsibility for the welfare of the organization and the authority to make decisions for it.

But nonprofits are weird organizations. The head of a nonprofit doesn’t have all the authority for the nonprofit. The board does. So there are a lot of complexities that come with a rotating cast of board members and their expectations.

That’s why I firmly believe that if you work for a nonprofit, you should be on the board of a nonprofit. Being a board member will help you understand your own board members.

Being on another nonprofit’s board will help you see what “reports” aren’t helpful.Being on another nonprofit’s board will help you see why seemingly arbitrary decisions are made by your nonprofit’s board.And being a nonprofit employee on another nonprofit’s board will allow you to possibly translate what staff of the nonprofit are saying to the board you sit on.

Being a nonprofit board member isn’t easy. But it is important. And your experience can be incredibly helpful to a cause your wholeheartedly support.

If you work in a nonprofit and are on another nonprofit’s board, what have you learned from the experience? Let us know in the comments!

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Keep Your Eye on These 5 Website Data Metrics + Tips

An online presence is the backbone of nonprofit operations. Most nonprofits already have a dedicated website with donation pages, blog content, contact forms, testimonials, and other information about their cause. A well-designed website helps raise brand awareness, drive donations, and make connections with your supporters. 

Luckily, you don’t have to guess about how to improve your site design. Today’s websites can automatically collect user data which can then be interpreted and leveraged to increase traffic to your site and encourage users to take action. 

Data analytics should be an essential addition to your online marketing strategy. It provides valuable insights into the overall health of your website and pushes your team to make data-driven decisions that support your organization’s long-term success.

If you’re unsure about which data metrics to keep an eye on, then you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about website data metrics, including: 

Why Are Website Data Metrics Important?Top Website Data Metrics to TrackQuick Tips for Website Analytics

With this newfound knowledge, you’ll be ready to make the most of your website’s data. Let’s dive into the basics!

Why Are Website Data Metrics Important? 

According to research from NonprofitHub, 90% of nonprofits collect data. Most nonprofits gather information about their donors, campaigns, and marketing efforts. However, only 29% track data that can aid in website optimization. 

In an increasingly data-driven world, it’s important to evaluate your nonprofit’s website and collect data that you can transform into actionable knowledge.

Effective information gathering can help your nonprofit:

Make informed decisionsStay relevant with trendsConvert viewers into donorsMaintain credibilityDetermine content strategiesCreate a better user experienceReach the top of the search engine results page (SERP)

Not only is a website the face of your organization, but it’s also the source of your online donations and engagement. If you want to increase traffic and conversions, it’s important to track key metrics and optimize your site accordingly. 

Top Website Data Metrics to Track

 

1. Page Views

Page views are the number of times a user accesses a page on your site. Every time a page is loaded in someone’s browser, your total page view metric will increase. Even if a user continually reloads a page, it will count towards this final page view number.

High page views generally mean that your marketing and SEO efforts have been successful in bringing people to your site. This metric can tell you how popular your pages are and how much traffic your site is receiving. 

However, higher page views can also indicate an underlying issue.

For example, poor site structure and performance issues can lead to a misleading page view metric. If a user has trouble loading your pages and constantly presses the refresh button, it will make your page views increase. Thus, it’s important to measure page views against other data so that you can account for any errors that may have arisen along the way.Is it high because your brand awareness is gaining traction? Is it low because you only send a niche group of supporters to certain pages?

Page views, however, are only a stepping stone in understanding your site’s overall performance. 

2. Average Session Duration

A session measures user interactions with your website recorded in a set time period. Google Analytics, a free service that provides insight into who visits your site and what they do when they get there, begins recording the duration of a session at the moment a user lands on your site, then stops when the user exits the site or becomes inactive. All user sessions are compiled into a final average duration metric that reveals how invested supporters are in your site. 

A higher session duration typically means that your content is relevant and targeted at the right audience. However, just like page views, website session duration is most valuable when interpreted in context. Consider the following factors that contribute to how long a user is on your site: 

Traffic Source: Where are users with the longest session duration coming from? Are supporters from your email newsletter spending more time on your website than those who found it through Google Ads? Divert your attention to targeting supporters on high-value channels to give your session duration a much-needed boost. Time on Page: While session duration helps you understand how long users stay on your website, time on page reveals a user’s journey throughout your site by tracking how long they spend on each page. Let’s say a user lands on your nonprofit’s homepage and takes 20 minutes to get to your blog page. This is an indicator of poor site navigation. Improve both metrics by placing clear links to your blog in the sidebar. Search Intent: Each landing page on your site should target a specific keyword and fulfill a user’s search intent. If your average session duration is low, look at the pages with the highest bounce rate. For instance, if a user lands on your nonprofit’s homepage and immediately leaves, you’re probably not answering a user’s search query. 

Average session duration goes hand-in-hand with other important insights like bounce rate, which brings us to our next metric!

3. Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who load a page on your website, but leave without taking any action, such as navigating to your blog page or clicking on a call to action (CTA). 

Keep in mind that a high bounce rate isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. For instance, users who land on a page that’s performing well, receive their information quickly, and leave satisfied will contribute to the bounce rate, even though their experience was positive. 

However, a high metric can also mean that there are underlying factors causing poor site performance, including: 

Bad Design: Imagine you land on a site filled with irrelevant images and content elements that clutter the page. Rather than sticking around to sift through the mess, you’re more likely to bounce and find a better designed page. Visuals matter! When designing a website, remember to maintain visual hierarchy that is pleasing to the eye. Lack of Content: Single-page websites have notoriously high bounce rates. If your site lacks content, users won’t have the need to click around to different pages and spend more time on your site. The solution: Add varying content, such as blogs, volunteer forms, upcoming event information, and donation pages. Misleading Descriptions: Meta descriptions and title tags can help draw users into your website’s content. These tags should accurately summarize what people will see when they land on a page. If not, you’ll likely see a higher bounce rate when users realize that the site did not satisfy their search query. 

Determining what causes visitors to bounce in the first place will help guide improvements and support your larger online strategies. 

4. Traffic Sources

Now that visitors are staying on your page longer, it’s time to figure out where they’re coming from. Traffic sources reveal how supporters are getting to your website. This information can be used to target prospective donors and build real relationships with them.

The following acquisition categories on Google Analytics can help you determine your main sources of traffic: 

Organic Traffic: Organic traffic refers to visitors that land on your site after performing a search on a website like Google. Ranking highly in organic search results is the primary goal of most website owners. If organic traffic is low, your pages probably aren’t ranking for the keywords used in search queries. Focus on search intent and on-page SEO to stand out in the search results.  Paid Search Traffic: These visitors arrive at your site by clicking ads in the SERP. If you’re not reaching your target goals for paid search traffic, consider investing in a Google Ad Grant service like Getting Attention. Eligible nonprofits receive up to $10,000 of free advertising every month to drive traffic. Referral Traffic: Referral traffic describes users who land on your site via a link on another site, without having to search on Google. For nonprofits, this represents an opportunity to connect with other thought leaders in the industry and improve your SEO strategy. If you aren’t getting enough referral traffic, leverage social media and send relevant content to other nonprofit professionals so that they can link to it on their own blogs. 

Chances are your nonprofit already understands that social media, blogs, and newsletters drive people to your site. But knowing exactly how your audience is getting there is the key to success. With this information at your disposal, you can consolidate your efforts on one source of traffic or make adjustments to your site to boost all sources of traffic. 

5. Conversion Rate 

Conversion rate represents the number of visitors that turn into actual supporters while on your website. To be counted as a supporter, a desired action must take place. 

This action could be making a donation, filling out a form, downloading a resource, signing a petition, or registering for an event. The higher the conversion rate, the more engaged your supporters are in your mission.

Oftentimes, an unclear or non-existent call to action (CTA) is the culprit of low conversion rates. 

Your CTA should be a catchy phrase or slogan that encourages visitors to take the next step, such as “Donate Today” or “Learn More.” This generally takes the form of a button or panel that is affixed to the page and stands out from the rest of the content. 

A clear CTA will be instrumental in boosting your conversion rate and enhancing your nonprofit’s overall data. 

Quick Tips for Website Analytics 

With millions of metrics on the web, choosing the right ones to track and analyze is essential. Effective data management relies on analyzing the data points that will support your organization’s larger goals. 

Once you have begin collecting data according to these key metrics, your nonprofit should implement a process for cleaning and enhancing this data. According to AccuData’s guide to data appends, most nonprofits underestimate the need for data hygiene and enhancement. With these processes, you can remove duplicate entries, update missing information, and ensure your metrics are correct and organized. This will save your organization time and money down the road, so you can focus on what you do best: powering social good. 

Knowledge is power in the world of website data metrics. Tracking the right metrics will help extend your nonprofit’s reach and deepen your relationships with supporters. Watch the magic happen as you put the lessons learned from analytics into action! 

About the Author

Author: Gabrielle Perham, MBA, Director of Marketing

Gabrielle is the Director of Marketing for AccuData Integrated Marketing. She joined the organization in 2017 and possesses more than 15 years of experience in strategic marketing, branding, communications, and digital marketing. She earned a B.S. in Marketing and an M.B.A in Marketing Management from the University of Tampa.

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How Ambassadors Can Further Your Recurring Giving Programs

Whether it be the latest TikTok dance, Instagram live conversation, or a Facebook Challenge, influencers everywhere are taking to their chosen social media platforms to highlight brand partnerships. Skilled influencers have their own style and can easily incorporate either products or brand ideas into their usual content to captivate and inform their audience. 

Ambassadors can take many forms outside of just influencers who might be the first to come to mind. Tap into your unique audience and base of support to find well-respected and knowledgeable individuals already in your network who may be willing to become a face for your brand. 

Working with ambassadors can be helpful for reaching audience demographics that aren’t as active in your direct supporter community. Consider partnering with a variety of ambassadors to expand your reach and increase awareness of your cause. You may be able to target younger audiences through a youthful ambassador’s passion for your cause better than with your primary marketing tools that may target older audiences. To get started, this article will answer three questions nonprofits often have about working with ambassadors:

What are ambassadors?How do ambassadors help with recurring gifts?How else do ambassadors help nonprofits?

If your target audience is already on social media, then utilizing ambassadors is the next step for earning their support. Ambassadors can point your supporters in the right direction by reminding them of giving holidays, showing their solidarity with your cause, and encouraging recurring donations. 

What are ambassadors? 

Ambassadors are similar to influencers for your cause, advocating on behalf of your organization and helping you reach your desired goals. They leverage their own networks to drive additional support for your mission. They are an important part of any nonprofit marketing strategy. 

Ambassadors serve the dual purpose of driving brand awareness and helping your organization raise more funds. Using ambassadors can help with the traditional word-of-mouth nonprofit marketing strategy. Ideally you would choose people who are knowledgeable and passionate about your cause. 

Consider recruiting individuals such as: 

Nonprofit leadership and board membersLocal public figuresSocial media influencers connected to your missionYour major or mid-level donorsAny well-connected supporters

Your chosen ambassadors can use their respected knowledge and experience to speak about your nonprofit to their in-person and online networks whether that be on event panels, social media, a blog, or their newsletter. Hearing your ambassadors speak about your nonprofit and watching them take initiative for your cause will encourage their networks to become a part of your organization’s community. 

How do ambassadors help with recurring gifts? 

Ambassadors for your cause are dedicated to helping you reach your goals. There are a number of ways your ambassadors can support your recurring gift program: 

They can share your recurring donation page.They can discuss the benefits of recurring donations with followers.They can post consistently, encouraging followers to continue giving on a regular basis. 

If your goal is to increase funding through recurring gifts, explain that to your ambassadors! Train them on how to engage their followers and create opportunities to encourage them to sign up for your recurring donation program. 

Keep in mind that attracting recurring gifts won’t fully fall on ambassadors. You’ll also need to make sure your recurring gifts are easily accessible for your supporters and that you’re stewarding supporters to drive retention. 

According to Double the Donation’s guide to donor retention, it’s much less costly to retain donors than to acquire new ones. Have your ambassadors focus on speaking to your already established donor audience. Invite your ambassadors to speak at community partner events, in the nonprofit’s social media groups, or make a video showing the work your organization is achieving. 

With a little extra training and their own insider knowledge, your ambassadors can speak to donors more personally while still providing information about your nonprofit. Talk with your ambassadors about your short-term and long-term goals. If you are trying to build out your monthly giving program by attracting recurring donors, ask them to talk about their own contributions to your cause. 

Once a donor joins your recurring giving program, have your ambassadors switch from solicitation to cultivation content to support your newly upgraded donors’ interest in your cause. 

This is a good time to put some boots on the ground and have your ambassadors show supporters the real impact of monthly gifts. They can talk about their “why” of getting involved with your cause and how they have changed since becoming part of the initiative. They can highlight information about what monthly gifts go toward and how they add up to a larger impact within your organization. 

How else do ambassadors help nonprofits? 

Some activities your ambassadors might help with include: 

Serving as a Community Representative

Your ambassadors can connect with their community in a variety of ways, such as:

Attending in-person events. If your ambassador is focused on in-person event support, encourage them to attend community partner events and speak about their work with the organization. Ambassadors can also call and motivate their personal network to contribute to your cause. Spreading awareness. Your ambassador’s work can also be awareness driven, and if they are already great at getting out and about in the community, encourage them to find ways to talk about your cause. This could mean attending partner events, posting general awareness content, hosting live cause-based discussions, or leading their own small events. Partnering with community organizations. Ambassadors can visit local schools, give guest lectures at colleges, or table at your next community festival. By showing up to events with the intention of spreading awareness of your cause, ambassadors demonstrate your nonprofit’s eagerness to make a change. Wearing merchandise and advocating for your brand

Your ambassadors can promote your nonprofit with ease by wearing your branded merchandise whenever they go out. When people see them with the branded merchandise in-person or online, this strengthens your brand recognition and may pique the interest of inquisitive supporters. 

Merchandise can be a great conversation starter, and everyone loves a free t-shirt! Don’t be afraid to send out some merchandise. The effect is passive, but the more people who see the brand the better. 

Sharing your fundraisers with their social media followers

Rally new and dedicated donors through your ambassadors’ social media accounts. Sharing graphics with your fundraiser’s information can be great, but you can go the extra mile by having your ambassadors create and share videos of themselves speaking about the fundraiser to put a friendly face on your campaign.

They can post their personal fundraising page links to request donations, or inspire their network to start their own fundraising page for your organization.

Ambassadors can host a Facebook or Instagram live event answering questions or completing tasks based on donor pledges. Integrate ambassador posts into your marketing strategy, and have them direct donors to your nonprofit’s website and donation pages. Adding a link to your website in their bio is a great way to direct donors to your organization. 

Ambassadors can also post social media challenges based on supporting your nonprofit, encouraging donors to interact with your nonprofit and post about it on their own profiles. Be sure that they are encouraging donors to tag the nonprofit, and conversely be sure to have share buttons on your donation pages that enable donors to share their contribution easily. 

Keeping track of multiple ambassadors can be a challenge, but your CRM can help you monitor their efforts and stay in contact at all times. CharityEngine’s roundup of the top nonprofit CRMs recommends taking your upcoming initiatives into account when investing in a new CRM. If you’re planning to partner with your first ambassador, now might be the time to assess whether your CRM has the features you’ll need to make the most of this opportunity to further your recurring gifts program. 

Ambassadors can help you show the heart of your organization and demonstrate the mission and core values of your organization. Nonprofit ambassadors can win over their own community by inspiring them with their passion for your cause and the effort they put in to help you achieve your goals, which will ultimately merge your communities into one. 

About the author:

Philip Schmitz is the CEO and founder of cloud-services leader BIS Global, creators of the CharityEngine fundraising & communications technology platform. Founded in 1999, Phil has managed the vision and strategy for BIS’s suite of integrated business applications & hosting tools used by more than 400 businesses & non-profits.

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Why fundraising asks are so hard

Fundraising is said to top the lists of things people find most scary. Right up there with fear of public speaking and fear of untimely death. Nonprofit fundraisers and volunteers refer to that fear when they explain why they don’t make the fundraising solicitations they know they need to make.

They know they need to make the calls to pay their staff and fulfill their mission. But they can’t get over the fear. Worse, they don’t even know what that fear is about. Some say it’s fear of rejection. Others say it’s personal issues with money.

But after 25 years of fundraising and coaching nonprofit leaders, I think I finally know what the fear is about.

And it makes me love nonprofit leaders even more.

What the fear of fundraising is really rooted in

I’m convinced that one of the biggest reasons we don’t make fundraising phone calls, is that it feels like the focus is entirely on us.

And most of us leading in the nonprofit sector feel awkward about that self-centered focus. We got into nonprofit work to help others. We see needs and we fill them. And we get stuff done. Once we see the need, we can’t not fix it. With or without others.

But we also have to pay the bills. And needing to pay the bills, meet payroll, and run programs means we have to focus on our costs and on our team. Then we translate those expenses into a “fundraising need.” So the entire fundraising goal is centered around us. Our goals. Our needs. Our debt obligations. Our payroll.

Presented that way, fundraising feels really selfish. Self-centered.

And for people naturally focused on others, this self-centeredness is incredibly jarring.

And, presented that way, our donors feel our unease, our lack of confidence. And they get confused. And put off. Why are we wasting their time on a project we’re not confident about? Our embarrassment gets translated to their irritation. They don’t realize it’s just that we feel like we’re taking from our donors to pay our bills.

We pick up on their irritation and it reinforces our discomfort with our self-centeredness, creating a negative story about fundraising, donors, and society in general.

Here’s the good news: fundraising isn’t about you. Or, more correctly: fundraising isn’t just about you.

You are helping those you ask

It’s true. You need to focus on your needs. Nonprofits still need to run fiscally well. Your staff deserves payment. And you deserve having enough in the bank that you don’t have to lose sleep about each payroll. But don’t let the “need” alone become the message for your fundraising. That sets up a toxic power arrangement with the ones paying the bills having the power over the ones getting the bills paid.

We need to bring equity to philanthropy. One way to do that is by boldly inviting donors to give.

When you ask someone for money, you’re doing them a service. You truly are helping them.

You’re allowing a donor’s hard earned money to make an amazing impact in the world. An impact they could never make in their daily life no matter how hard they tried.

That’s a huge gift. 

Get back into the “serving others” mindset

So before your fundraising calls, remind yourself that you are giving to them, not just “taking from” them.

This is not about hustle culture or a weird, gross bragging posture. This is about approaching these calls with a humble confidence.

An assertive and calm mindset.

Ask your donors

You are giving people an opportunity. A gift. The odd thing about fundraising though? You don’t know what the gift is. (Here’s a hint: it’s typically not what you think it is.)

What if you don’t know the gift you’re giving to your donors? Ask them. Call donors and ask,

“What surprised you the most about giving to [our nonprofit]?”

Or

“What inspired you to become a monthly supporter to [our nonprofit]?”

And then have the courage to be curious. Take their first answer at least one more step.

“Wow. That’s great. Lots of other organizations do that too. Why this one?”

Don’t worry. If you keep your tone of voice as friendly and curious, they won’t wonder, “What was I thinking giving to them? I should probably stop.” They’ll typically love that you’re interested enough in them to ask.

If this kind of call freaks you out, then I’d recommend you do them until is starts feeling natural. 

Then get to the fundraising you know your nonprofit needs. It may still be bumpy. But now you’ve addressed the root of the fear of asking you’ll have confidence that you are serving others by asking them.

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Nonprofit Donor Management: 4 Awesome Best Practices

Whether in times of stability or uncertainty, building and maintaining strong relationships with your donors is the key to hitting your fundraising goals. Establishing genuine connections with donors builds trust and increases the chance that supporters will continue supporting your mission over the long term.

But before you can establish and cultivate meaningful relationships with your supporters, you’ll first need to organize relevant data about them. Gathering donor data and leveraging it to improve your interactions with supporters is the foundation of effective donor management and fundraising success. 

In this post, we’ll highlight four strategies for improving your donor management: 

Track donor engagement.Conduct prospect research.Use data to improve fundraising campaigns.Engage supporters in all aspects of your mission.

These strategies will allow you to make the most of the resources at your disposal, such as your supporter database, to reach donors where they are, appeal to their interests and preferences, and maximize their engagement. 

1. Track donor engagement.

Donor engagement data is some of the most important information your nonprofit should track. This data includes things like fundraising data, your history of communication with your supporters, and their personal information. This data can give you a sense of how well your engagement strategies are working and where there’s room for improvement.

Collect and store information like: 

Donation history. Store information on the recency, frequency, type, and average amount of each donor’s gifts. Recording this data can help your organization predict a donor’s future donation behavior and send more effective appeals to them during fundraising campaigns. Event attendance. Keep track of the events your supporters attend, including both fundraising and stewardship events. You should also track any donations they made during the event and activities they participated in. Phone calls. One way to deepen your relationships is by having a one-on-one conversation with a donor or supporter. Call your supporters to thank them for their support and to invite them to upcoming engagement opportunities. Keep a log of all phone calls in your donor management software solution or nonprofit CRM, including when the calls took place, whether they were answered, and what was discussed. Meetings. Whether you meet with donors in person or virtually, take notes during each meeting and record them in your CRM for reference. In future conversations, you can touch on personal details and ask questions based on past meetings. This shows supporters that you’ve been paying attention and care about them as individuals. This will increase their affinity for your nonprofit and will increase the chances that they’ll make a donation in the future.Email open and click-through rates. Keep track of the email campaigns you send your supporters and how they respond to different emails. For instance, when a new supporter donates to your organization, send them a series of welcome emails. You can learn about the donor’s interests based on which ones they open, read, and take the desired action or click through to another page. Donor retention rate. Your donor retention rate is one of your most important fundraising metrics. This tracks how many donors continue to give to your nonprofit over time. Once you have the rate, you can assess the impact that different fundraising and outreach campaigns have on this metric. For example, let’s say you add three stewardship campaigns to your outreach calendar, start calling donors to thank them for their contributions, and increase your overall communication with supporters. As a result, you find that your donor retention rate increases that year. You can draw the conclusion that these efforts successfully encouraged donors to give and plan your future fundraising strategies for the next year accordingly.

To effectively track and store these metrics, you’ll need a powerful donor management software solution. This solution will allow you to do things like maintain donor profiles that detail each donor’s full history of interactions with your organization. 

2. Conduct prospect research.

Prospect research is the process of assessing the ability and willingness of a supporter to contribute larger amounts to your organization. When a certain donor exhibits both a high generosity level and a strong engagement history, you can conclude that the individual might be a good person to reach out to when soliciting a major gift.

Throughout the prospect research process, you’ll look for wealth indicators that reveal a donor’s giving capacity. These indicators include real estate holdings, stock holdings, business affiliations, and political giving history. 

All of these metrics are publicly available, so your organization could conduct research on your own about each supporter in your database. However, there are tools designed to help you do this quickly and effectively, which will save your team time that can be better spent on moving your mission forward. Check out Double the Donation’s list of prospect research tools to help make your choice. 

You’ll also want to make sure that the tool you choose integrates with your CRM solution. One example of this is how DonorSearch integrates with Bloomerang, a donor management software solution built for nonprofits of all sizes. This way, you’ll have the information on a donor’s capacity and affinity to give organized in one place.

Measuring donor generosity helps your organization set the groundwork for future fundraising success. Once you’ve identified major donor prospects, you can craft tailored outreach and stewardship strategies that help build genuine relationships. 

3. Use data to improve fundraising campaigns.

After you’ve taken the time to carefully track donor engagement and generosity, it’s time to put the insights you’ve gathered to use. Use your donor data to develop a concrete plan to help you reach your goals, especially when it comes to large-scale fundraising campaigns.

For example, if your nonprofit plans a capital campaign, you may develop a gift range chart depending on findings from your prospect research and your historic fundraising success. These charts depict the number of gifts of certain sizes that your nonprofit needs to achieve its overall fundraising goal. Assess your prospective donors’ giving capacity to determine which prospects might be able to fulfill the different giving amounts required to reach your goal. 

To give another example, if your nonprofit is seeking to raise $100,000 during the beginning stages of a capital campaign, you may want to reach out to donors for one gift of $50,000, two gifts of $10,000, and six gifts of $5,000. Using the donor data you’ve collected, you can easily determine which of your major donor prospects may be able to give at each level. 

You can also use donor data to: 

Segment your donors. Segmentation is the act of grouping your donors based on their shared characteristics. For example, you might create a donor segment of the supporters in your database who give at the same donation level or who attended the same fundraising event. This allows you to send more tailored, relevant content to each group that they’re more likely to engage with. Steward donors. Once you identify major donor prospects, you should steward them to increase the likelihood that these individuals will be inclined to support your organization. Bloomerang’s major gift fundraising guide recommends arranging face-to-face meetings, asking for a prospect’s feedback, and maintaining regular contact through social media and email. Personalize fundraising asks. Personalized messages will resonate with your supporters more than generic communications. Reference the data in your database to use supporters’ names and contact information and their individual interests to tailor your messages when reaching out to them.

In order to use your data effectively, you need to make sure it’s accurate. This is also known as data hygiene (making sure your data is “clean”). Review your database regularly to scan for any duplicates and profiles that have incomplete or outdated information. Once you’ve determined which actions you need to take to practice good data hygiene, establish ongoing data entry processes to ensure your data is accurate. 

4. Engage supporters in all aspects of your mission.

Using the data in your donor management system can help you deepen your relationships with donors and encourage them to get more involved in your mission. 

Stay connected with your supporters throughout the year by inviting donors to get involved with: 

Volunteering opportunities. Let donors know about your upcoming volunteer opportunities and how they can register to support your organization. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Encourage your donors to become peer-to-peer fundraising ambassadors and raise funds on behalf of your cause. By participating in these campaigns, they’ll describe their connection to your mission and promote your cause to their family members and friends, helping you reach more potential supporters. Appreciation events. Show donors that you appreciate their contributions by inviting them to formal or informal appreciation events. These can include things like a casual happy hour or a formal appreciation gala. 

Fostering deeper relationships with donors can help you earn lifetime supporters for your mission. Use the data you have to start deepening those relationships today. 

Storing and analyzing the data you collect in your donor management software solution is at the center of effective fundraising and marketing strategies. With an effective system in place, your nonprofit can make the most of your donor data and improve your overall approach to donor relationships.

About the Author: Jay Love

Co-Founder and current Chief Relationship Officer at Bloomerang

He has served this sector for 33 years and is considered the most well-known senior statesman whose advice is sought constantly.

Prior to Bloomerang, he was the CEO and Co-Founder of eTapestry for 11 years, which at the time was the leading SaaS technology company serving the charity sector. Jay and his team grew the company to more than 10,000 nonprofit clients, charting a decade of record growth.

He is a graduate of Butler University with a B.S. in Business Administration. Over the years, he has given more than 2,500 speeches around the world for the charity sector and is often the voice of new technology for fundraisers.

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Perfecting the Online Donor Experience: 4 Strategies

Did you know that online giving increased by 9% across the nonprofit sector in 2021—and continues to grow for organizations big and small? Online giving and engagement have become a cornerstone of the fundraising world, making it essential for nonprofit organizations to offer a seamless online giving process.

So, to help your team improve the online donor experience, maximize online giving, and better engage with your donors, we’ll walk through a few essential steps to perfect the online donation process. From data-based fundraising outreach to investing in the right payment tools, we’ll cover the following strategies:

Focus on your donation form’s design.Optimize giving for all devices. Use a secure, accessible payment processor. Leverage post-gift outreach. 

Ready to improve the way you accept online donations and promote a streamlined giving experience for your donors? Let’s jump in.

Focus on your donation form’s design.

When donors click into your online donation page, they should be greeted with an easy-to-read, straightforward, and aesthetically-pleasing form. After all, if your donation form is too confusing or poorly designed, it can reflect poorly on your organization—or worse—drive donors away and lead to form abandonment. 

These donation form strategies will help you to keep donors on the page until they complete their gifts:

Eliminate unnecessary questions and fields. If you include too many fields in your donation form, the process may become tedious enough for some donors to say “I’ll get back to it later” and ultimately forget about their gifts. Instead, stick to the essentials, such as basic contact and payment information.Use consistent branding. Colors, text, images, and other design and branding elements should remain consistent across your entire website—especially on your donation page. This is not only a mark of professionalism, but it also signals to your donors that they’re in the right place and their information will be safe.Embed your form into your website. By embedding your donation form directly into your website, you can keep donors from being redirected to a third-party website to complete their gifts. This small but significant step can make donors feel more comfortable, preserve the design of your form, and streamline the donation process.

As with the rest of your nonprofit’s website, the right design and accessibility elements can have a big impact on how donors navigate your pages and—most importantly—whether or not they decide to stick around and continue engaging with you. 

Optimize giving for all devices. 

With the rise of smartphones, you can no longer expect all of your donors to access your donation page on their desktops. In fact, according to 360MatchPro’s fundraising statistics, mobile users made up approximately 33% of online donation transactions last year. 

With this in mind, you’ll need to prepare for the significant portion of users who will be using mobile and handheld devices to click into your platform and attempt to complete the nonprofit payment process. 

To promote an inclusive giving experience for donors on different devices, you can:

Use large buttons and text that are readable across devicesIncorporate a sticky navigation menuUtilize a vertical layoutInvest in donation form tools with mobile-friendly templates

To make absolutely sure that the giving experience is optimized for multiple devices, you can try to access your donation form using a smartphone and leverage tools like Google’s mobile-friendliness test. 

Use a secure, accessible payment processor. 

Your payment processor is the behind-the-scenes software that ensures donor data and payments are being facilitated safely and conveniently. This makes it a critical component of the donation process that needs to be as secure and reliable as possible. 

In particular, pay attention to these key features to ensure that you’re using effective payment processing tools for your organization: 

PCI security compliance. As discussed in the iATS Payments guide to PCI compliance, PCI compliance is “a checklist of rules and requirements created by the major credit card companies to ensure that merchants are securely handling customer information.” It’s the closest thing to a golden seal of security that a payment processor can receive, and it signifies that your payment tools can be trusted to defend donor data.Anti-fraud tools. As mission-based organizations that rely on people’s goodwill and trust to raise funds, nonprofits are uniquely vulnerable to the reputational backlash that comes with hacks and fraud scandals. To prevent fraud, opt for payment and donation tools that have dedicated anti-fraud measures, such as CVV2 verification and encryption.Multiple payment options. Some donors prefer to give with their credit cards, some opt for ACH, and others will be trying to facilitate payments from the other side of the world. To accommodate all of your donors and expand your giving potential, ensure that your payment processor accepts various payment methods, such as credit, ACH, and international processing. 

Poor security, limited payment options, and other hiccups can turn donors away from submitting online gifts. These features will help uphold donors’ trust in your organization and pave the way for a comfortable giving experience. 

Leverage post-gift outreach. 

The online donation experience doesn’t end when donors have submitted their gifts. Far from it—the way that your organization communicates with donors after the fact can determine whether or not they decide to give again and stay connected with your organization.

An integrated payment processor can be a big help in this regard, as it should be able to integrate directly with your CRM and organize payment and contact information. These details should then be used to create more effective post-gift outreach by: 

Improving future fundraising appeals with donors’ names and giving sizeLeveraging donors’ names and giving history to personalize thank-you messages and acknowledgmentsAlerting donors to additional giving opportunities, such as promoting matching gifts programs based on donors who used their work emails to submit gifts

While it’s easy to focus on donors as they’re in the process of navigating your website and donation page, taking steps to further steward donors in the aftermath of their gifts can pay back in dividends.

Now that you’ve explored key tips, tricks, and tools to promote a more positive online donation experience, you should have everything you need to get started with improving online fundraising for your organization. Start the process by implementing these best practices and staying informed about donation and payment software in the nonprofit space. 

 

About the author: Peggah Azarvash

Peggah, a sales account executive at iATS Payments, is a passionate Sales Executive with 10 years’ experience providing payment solution support and guidance to nonprofits.

 

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[Question Marc] How to re-engage a hard-to-reach major donor

Question: How have you successfully re-engaged a major donor who was challenging to reach?

Great question. A big thing is to keep mixing up the communication. Often I find fundraisers favor one form of communication. Or maybe two. They’ll email and email and email. Then decide that the person is hard to reach. Really, they may only be hard to reach by email.

So call, email, text, message through LinkedIn, DM in Facebook, find out what meetings they’re at and show up. (I had one client who weekly “just happened” to be around the staircase a leader was walking down after his staff meeting!)

Since the person has given in the past, it’s also important to continue sharing gratitude. Specific gratitude. Not just “your gift made a difference” but also “here’s a story of one person helped.” You have great stories.

If that doesn’t work, I’d also look to your board and other donors to see how might have a relationship with her.

Finally, don’t give up. I called/texted/emailed one donor each week for six months before finally connecting. When we connected, he thanked me and apologized to me!

So don’t grow weary in doing good.

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Inspiration and Advice for a New (Fiscal) Year

July 1st is the “New Year” for many nonprofits. New fiscal Year, that is!

No matter how well the past year’s fundraising was, today is the day you start back at zero. Again.

So I asked some of the top experts in the field what advise they’d give to nonprofit leaders and fundraisers starting the new year. Here’s what they said!

I would encourage NonProfits to choose their targets wisely for the next year: know what you will raise money for, how you will report on those funds (internally and externally), and to whom you will ask for help (your segments). Then you are ready to write your appeals, prioritize your campaigns, and charge up your gift officers.

Glen Quiring, Executive Director, Fresno Pacific University

Not in that position (thank goodness) but we all have our fiscal year starts, no matter where they fall on the calendar.

So my advice is – don’t think of it as starting from zero. Think of it as a fresh start, a new chance to accomplish goals, make good habits stick, and grow as professional, and as a person. And if you’re like me, a chance to use some of that advice you give to others – schedule that vacation, take time to read that book, or just take a day to sleep in and reset your mind.

Amy Lazoff, Director of Development, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo

Fiscal years are artificial; relationships are not. Reminding people of accounting standards is rarely, if ever, inspirational. So while your board, executive director, or finance team might be focused on a new fiscal year and that blank cell next to the year to date, remember your donor is passionate about the cause you help them address. It’s a deep longing in their heart for a better world. Keep inspiring them about the continuing work. It turns out that by not having your donors focus on YTD = zero, you can shift your focus towards continuous momentum as well. Your donor isn’t starting from zero and neither are you.

Cherian Koshy, Chief Development Officer, Endowment Partners

I would say that right now, there are many things outside our locus of control—the economy, the continuing impact of the pandemic and more. Focus on the things that *are* in your locus of control. Things like providing outstanding donor stewardship, listening to donors concerns and interests, offering meaningful opportunities for stakeholder engagement and caring for both your team and yourself. These are the things that matter regardless of external unpredictability.

Heather R. Hill, Head of Foundations, Chapel & York

The immediate investment made into building a relationship between a CEO and chief philanthropy officer will yield some of the best results. Philanthropically, relationship wise and in the building of sustainable donor relationships.A listening tour to truly understand your organization, your history and your opportunities is one of the best investments made in the first 60 days within a new organization. While we want to head out the door quickly. Taking the time to understand nuances and culture support longevity and success.Kathy Drucquer Duff, KDD Philanthropy

So there you have it. Take a deep breath. Listen. Focus on what you can impact, things like relationships within your organization and with donors.Happy new (fiscal) year!And in case you don’t hear it enough, click here for a video saying thanks: https://youtu.be/_aBpY7WgHfQ

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Deadlines drive donations

One of my favorite fundraising colleagues, John Donovan, once said,

“Deadlines drive donations.”

As we approach the end of June, this truth can help your fundraising efforts. Many nonprofits in North America end their fiscal year in June. The end of a fiscal year is a deadline.

Chances are, there are people in your sphere of influence who’ve been meaning to donate. They just haven’t gotten around to it.

Your deadline could be the excuse they need to make the gift they’ve been meaning to make.

Sure, the most fun fundraising is centered around story and values and transformation.

But there is no “donor” without a “donation.”

So use your end of June deadline to help your donors donate.

Then you can do the fun job of thanking them and showing them their impact.

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