Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 12

Fundraising is leading – from within

I’ve said for years that fundraising is all about leadership. And we all have leadership opportunities, even if we don’t have leadership titles.

One of the best ways to grow in our ability to lead is to get clear on our values. Both personally and organizationally.

When we know what we value, it makes it easy to figure out why some people, places, or practices are stressful to us. And it helps us connect with the values of others, seeing where their values intersect with our nonprofit’s mission.

Moreover, when we know our values, we can make decisions more in line with our core motivations. And make decisions more quickly, despite being surrounded by uncertainty.

A little while ago, I recorded a very short video on how a child’s toy – the pins that you can use to see an imprint of your hand – can teach us about the importance of values. You can see it at https://concordleadershipgroup.com/values/

And while you’re there, sign up to get the free Values Worksheet. I took an assessment like this 20 years ago and have been amazed at the clarity it continues to give me.

The post Fundraising is leading – from within appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Fundraising is leading - from within

I've said for years that fundraising is all about leadership. And we all have leadership opportunities, even if we don't have leadership titles.

One of the best ways to grow in our ability to lead is to get clear on our values. Both personally and organizationally.

When we know what we value, it makes it easy to figure out why some people, places, or practices are stressful to us. And it helps us connect with the values of others, seeing where their values intersect with our nonprofit's mission.

Moreover, when we know our values, we can make decisions more in line with our core motivations. And make decisions more quickly, despite being surrounded by uncertainty.

A little while ago, I recorded a very short video on how a child's toy - the pins that you can use to see an imprint of your hand - can teach us about the importance of values. You can see it at https://concordleadershipgroup.com/values/

And while you're there, sign up to get the free Values Worksheet. I took an assessment like this 20 years ago and have been amazed at the clarity it continues to give me.

The post Fundraising is leading - from within appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Nonprofit Website Strategies to Use With the Google Ad Grant

Today's article from Grant Hensel, the CEO of Nonprofit Megaphone, dives into how to optimize your current digital presence to make the most of the Google Ad Grant. Grant and the Nonprofit Megaphone team have worked with over 370 leading nonprofits in Google Grant management, and he lends his expertise here. 

The Google Ad Grant is a digital marketing powerhouse that can amplify your nonprofit’s online strategy. However, using it to its fullest potential requires a strong website ready to back it up.

Design is subjective, but there are many qualities that make an effective website. Your nonprofit’s website needs to be designed from the ground up with results in mind. Whether your website is well-established or you are building it from scratch, following a few key guidelines will help you reach your ideal audience with the Google Ad Grant.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, the Google Ad Grant gives qualified nonprofits up to $10,000 in recurring monthly ad credits. You can use these credits to place targeted ads in Google search results to bring visitors to your website where they can donate, volunteer, and engage with your cause. And the best part? It’s easy to apply for and available to any eligible nonprofit!

To get the most out of the Grant, here are a few strategies you can use to strengthen your nonprofit’s website:

Optimize for SEO.Identify key conversions.Prioritize user experience.Keep your campaigns updated.

Your ads will bring new visitors to your website but it’s up to you to help turn those clicks into conversions that matter. Let’s take a closer look at how you can get the most out of the Google Ad Grant.

Optimize for SEO.

A website is only effective if visitors can find it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is your way of making that happen, and there are some tricks you can use to rise to the top of the rankings.

Develop a blog. Creating a blog for your website gives your organization a voice and can help raise awareness of your cause, but it also will help you to stand out in search results. Create strong, promotable content that is at least 300 words (but ideally more than 1,500) that explores topics relevant to your nonprofit in a meaningful way. Use your organization’s voice to advocate for change — Google will notice!Use effective keywords. Utilize keyword research to identify words and phrases that are both relevant to your cause and perform well in Google searches. Make sure that they fit the content you are posting.Include headings and subheadings. Header tags help organize your content and allow Google to determine the content of your articles. Feature important keywords in titles and headers and segment your content with evenly distributed headers to help readability. Headers paired with a table of contents also allow readers to jump straight to content that they want most, which can help reduce your bounce rate.Add alt text to your images. Google uses image alt text, or a description of your image, to further determine what is featured on a page or post. Including alt text is a great invisible way to make your page more recognizable to search engines without affecting your site’s appearance or design.

Improving your website’s ranking in search engines will not only help all of your digital marketing efforts, but it also directly contributes to your success with the Google Ad Grant. Standing out in search results solidifies your brand and domain authority, and attracting relevant visitors increases the likelihood of meaningful conversions.

Identify key conversions.

How can you turn website visits into valuable engagements? The answer: identifying and tracking key conversions. A conversion occurs when a website visitor takes an action that you have determined to be valuable to your goals.

Conversions can take many forms, such as a user making a donation, adding their email address to your mailing list, signing up to volunteer, or sharing your content on social media. Start with your nonprofit’s goals and work backward to determine which conversions are the most essential.

Your organization should remain adaptable and learn to shift your digital marketing strategy and Google Ad campaigns around what you need. The conversions you need at the beginning of the year, for example, might not be the ones you need at the end.

Google Analytics can track your conversions and show the route that a user took through your website to complete the action. Information about how often your goals are completed and which pages are contributing the most to completing your goals is crucial information. Use this knowledge to reshape your website to prioritize key conversions and make your calls to action easier for users to find.

Prioritize user experience.

Google gives preferential treatment to websites that prioritize usability, so make sure user experience is a top priority. Creating a fantastic user experience will help your visitors to find the content they’re looking for and build positive feelings around online interactions with your brand.

But what helps to create a positive user experience? This can vary a lot from site to site, but here are some general guidelines that will help in almost every circumstance:

Ensure your website is accessible. Accessibility can take many forms, including proper display on mobile devices, designing your site so that it can be navigated by keyboard only, or writing alt text for those with limited vision.Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Think about the last time that you accessed a website for the first time before you knew how to get to the pages you needed. Making important pages easy to find and clearly labeled is essential for a strong website. Users should not have a hard time finding how or where to donate. If it takes too long to find a page, many visitors are more likely to leave than to keep trying.Pay attention to aesthetics. Aesthetics are more than just how nice a site looks. It also helps your site to appear professional and trustworthy to new visitors. Ensure that text is clear and easily skimmable, while images are visually appealing. Good design reinforces your brand.Design with load times in mind. If your website takes too long to load, users are likely to leave. This is particularly important with users who are visiting the mobile version of your site. Limit the size of photos or videos to ensure your site loads quickly.

Creating a positive user experience will affect how Google ranks your website and how users feel about your site. A good digital marketing strategy aims to make meaningful conversions in the present while building your brand’s credibility in the future.

Keep your campaigns updated.

While your organization will likely always need to fundraise or recruit volunteers, your nonprofit’s other needs will change over time. Don’t be afraid to shift your digital marketing strategy so that it aligns with what you need when you need it.

You can use the Google Ad Grant to create ad campaigns and promote your cause’s goals, but don’t stop there. Create new campaigns based on upcoming events, recurring yearly fundraisers, or for any other important needs that arise. Create new campaigns as needed to adjust your strategy as needed.

Once your campaigns are set up, continue to check on them for any necessary improvements or adjustments. Track your performance using the data gathered by Google Analytics. This way, you can continue adjusting them to gain the best results possible.

Your ad campaigns should be reflected on your website. Adjust pages, layouts, or posts to help your ad campaigns become as effective as they can be. In digital marketing, few things are fixed in place. Be creative with your strategy and you will be surprised by the ways you will find to help accomplish it.

The Google Ad Grant is a useful tool but its effectiveness can depend on the website that your visitors land on. Generating clicks won’t matter if users can’t figure out the next steps or find your organization unprofessional. Conversely, visitors will remember if they are impressed and surprised by an excellent website with strong branding and design.

Effective website design helps make conversions happen. Every part of your website has the ultimate goal of creating valuable engagement and strengthening your brand. If you have identified the conversions that matter and built your site to succeed, then you can make the most of the Google Ad Grant and all the new clicks that ad campaigns generate.

The post Nonprofit Website Strategies to Use With the Google Ad Grant appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Future of Fundraising: 5 Nonprofits That Are Leading the Way

This article is contributed by Cassie Losquadro, Solutions Executive at GoodUnited. Cassie has spent the last 5 years in the fundraising technology space. Cassie is energized by working with nonprofit leaders and changemakers who are to a person, saving the world through their initiatives. 

Fundraising is a constantly evolving struggle to engage donors and drum up enthusiasm for your mission. The pandemic hasn’t made this fight any easier, but in the face of all of these challenges, there are a number of nonprofits that have continued to innovate and lead the way towards more intuitive, more engaging fundraising strategies.

American Cancer SocietyASPCAStop Soldier SuicideHabitat for HumanitySusan G. Komen

Explore how these trailblazing organizations have leveraged the power of social and virtual fundraising tools to increase their success. In fact, taking their strategies as an example, you may very well be able to expand your own incoming revenue streams and discover new and exciting ways to connect with donors.

1. American Cancer SocietyHow have they led the way?

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a huge obstacle to the American Cancer Society's typical fundraising event line-up, particularly its Relay for Life campaign. In fact, despite being such a large and well-known organization, ACS faced the very real possibility that it wouldn’t be able to fund its annual research programs.

Luckily, even with its most critical in-person fundraiser dimmed, this nonprofit organization refused to be so easily defeated. Adjusting to restrictions of the pandemic, ACS partnered with GoodUnited to launch a savvy social media fundraising campaign— a Facebook Challenge.

Facebook Challenges allowed ACS to host engaging, virtual peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns to promote their brand and bolster incoming revenue. The organization invited online users to join the Challenge-specific Facebook groups, where they would then complete simple tasks, such as doing squats or walking, while raising funds using personal Facebook fundraisers.

These Challenges not only enabled ACS to meet its annual fundraising goal, but break Facebook fundraising records entirely by acquiring over $23,000 in donations in one day. On top of that, ACS acquired thousands of new supporters through these initiatives.

Now with in-person engagement opening up once again, ACS has paired their new Facebook Challenges with traditional fundraising to maximize overall annual revenue.

How can you emulate their success?

Consider partnering with a social fundraising services provider. These agencies can help you take to platforms like Facebook to reach new supporters and launch intelligent, savvy social fundraising campaigns for increased fundraising success.

For more information on Facebook Challenges and partners to help you host your digital fundraising campaigns, the GoodUnited guide to Facebook fundraisers provides resources and step-by-step information on how you can begin taking advantage of this profitable channel.

2. ASPCAHow have they led the way?

With human health and social concerns at the forefront of everyone’s minds during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASPCA, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, struggled to maintain support for their animal-centered mission. ASPCA had to think outside of the box to increase revenue without diverting important resources away from its rescue projects.

Their innovation came in the form of matching gift software. Matching gifts are corporate philanthropy programs wherein a donor’s employer will match their donation by a fixed ratio, sometimes doubling or even tripling the original donation.

By investing in Double the Donation’s matching gift database software, ASPCA was able to integrate a streamlined matching gifts tool directly into their donation form. This has allowed it to multiply thousands of incoming gifts with the simple click of a button.

Best of all, donors were not even burdened to give more than expected—their employers were automatically requested to add onto employees’ gifts.

How can you emulate their success?

Studies show that between $4 – $7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed every single year. Don’t allow these funds to continue to pass you by. To raise awareness for matching gift programs and facilitate matching gifts for your donors, consider integrating a dedicated matching gift tool into your own donation form.

3. Stop Soldier SuicideHow have they led the way?

Stop Soldier Suicide (SSS) has been dedicated to battling the rising epidemic of military suicides since 2010, yet COVID-19 presented a uniquely harrowing risk to its cause that it had yet to face. While other nonprofits simply feared financial losses from the pandemic, social distancing and limited person-to-person engagement meant that veterans and their families were more isolated than ever during a time of great emotional distress.

To overcome these grave obstacles, SSS used Facebook groups to connect with people in need. By forming its own state-by-state communities on this platform, SSS was able to maintain a rich network of support between its followers and soldiers in need.

These groups facilitated the sharing of online resources, mental health support, and even the aforementioned Facebook Challenges that enabled SSS to raise over $2.5 million more in 2020 than in 2019.

From greater donations to the creation of lifesaving emotional support networks, SSS was able to revolutionize its online engagement and fundraising strategies in the face of harrowing obstacles.

How can you emulate their success?

Take to social media. Social media is truly the wave of the future, and platforms like Facebook offer sophisticated solutions to generate online donor communities, host Challenges, share resources, and more meaningfully connect with supporters.

4. Habitat for HumanityHow have they led the way?

Habitat for Humanity has had quite a diverse array of different fundraising and engagement programs for decades. For example, not only is it well-known for its volunteer program, but it also actively processes in-kind donations and has run its donation-driven ReStore since 1996.

Between all of these rich and well-maintained programs, it’s difficult to think of how it might’ve been able to expand its operations. Yet impressively enough, Habitat was able to push the envelope of fundraising innovation even further through its online auction initiatives.

Leveraging its Bid to Build program, Habitat for Humanity partnered with OneCause’s virtual fundraising software to seamlessly continue their auction events through virtual and hybrid means.

Not allowing the global health crisis to faze it, Habitat’s online auction campaigns have allowed it to sharply raise incoming donations, continue supporting communities in need, and find yet another way to engage its loyal supporters.

How can you emulate their success?

Consider engaging in online auctions. This is a highly lucrative fundraising method, and the right software solution could easily accommodate the success of any auction type, from traditional auctions to completely new virtual and hybrid auction events.

5. Susan G. KomenHow have they led the way?

The pandemic brought so much attention to the health crisis of COVID-19 that other illnesses and their research campaigns, such as breast cancer, faced a dire threat to their fundraising and engagement goals.

While Susan G. Komen was already active on social media long before the pandemic, it took the crisis as a challenge to double down on their digital strategies, strengthen donor relationships, and engage supporters in fun, innovative ways.

Facebook communities and Messenger allowed it to achieve these objectives. Facebook groups offered Komen a dedicated space to foster intimate, active supporter communities who collaborated to increase the success of the cause for which they were all so passionate.

Meanwhile, Messenger provided an opportunity to engage with supporters one-on-one. Through automated and customizable conversational messaging, Komen was able to encourage supporters to share their survivor stories, engage with supporter communities, and even participate in Facebook Challenges for the mission.

Through these social media tools, Susan G. Komen was able to expand its online audience, exceed fundraising expectations, and deeply enrich its relationship with supporters on a broad and individual scale.

How can you emulate their success?

Make your social media presence count. Engage your supporters in fun and enriching activities, and take to existing social media tools such as Messenger to create lasting connections with your donors through one-on-one conversations.

The world is changing, and many traditional methods of fundraising need to be supported by new techniques. But there’s no reason to fear these new fundraising tools. Many of them are fairly simple to use, and rather than just replacing traditional methods of engagement and brand awareness, they can optimize and even supersede the old ways.

Implement these new, cutting-edge techniques to maximize your fundraising success, connect with supporters, and foster community-building in ways that scarcely could have been imagined not so long ago.

The post Future of Fundraising: 5 Nonprofits That Are Leading the Way appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Fundraising in Uncertain Times

Last week, I blogged about leading in uncertain times. It's gotten the most feedback of any blog post this year.

As I've been thinking about it, the three things that help leading through uncertain times fit perfectly with fundraising too. We shouldn't be surprised - fundraising is all about leadership. So leadership principles should apply to fundraising too.

3 Commitments for Fundraising in Uncertain Times

The times certainly are uncertain. (See what I did there?)

Is inflation transitory or here to stay?Are my best donors going to give now?Should I hold an in-person event or not?Will my staff stay or are they going to be part of the "Great Resignation"?

What is a leader dependent on fundraising results to do? Is there anything she can commit to?

Yes. Here are three things you can commit to.

Commit to the Basics

The basics are still solid. Human beings give generously to other human beings. The number one reason people give is that they're asked. So commit to clearly stating the problem, making the ask, and thanking them for being part of the solution. We can do this ethically. And as Brené Brown says, "Clear is kind." The clearer we get, the kinder we're being.

 

Recommit to Learning

In times of uncertainty, our worlds can shrink. Learning helps it expand again. There are dozens of conferences, trainings, and lots of online fundraising training. A great place to start is by committing two hours a week to learning about something. Anything. (Hint: Leaders, your team would love it if you spent even 30 minutes watching a video on how to use your donor database effectively.)

 

Commit to what Isn't Changing

Commit to clarifying your values. And to the mission your organization exists to fix. List those. Find the places where your personal values overlap with your nonprofits. Remind yourself of these each time before you make a fundraising call, write a fundraising letter, or go into a fundraising meeting.

Fundraising in Times of Uncertainty

Fundraising is one of those amazing fields where we get a front row seat to human generosity. So commit to these three areas: the basics, learning, and your values. And you'll see yourself navigating these uncertain times with a renewed poise and more inner calm than you expected. Almost like each is an umbrella you can have over your head.

The post Fundraising in Uncertain Times appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

4 Fundraising Tips for your Nonprofit from Jerry Panas

Facebook used this picture to remind me that twelve years ago, I was with Jerry Panas at a fundraising training at the University of Southern Maine.

What struck me about the picture is the pad of paper beside Jerry. These few fundraising tips are powerful. And they'll serve you well as you head into the last quarter of this calendar year.

4 Fundraising Tips from Jerry Panas

Here are four tips Jerry Panas shared that will help you make the most out of your nonprofit's fundraising efforts. The bold it his point (as seen in the photo); the commentary is mine.

Top 100

So often we think "everyone" is a possible donor. But traditional experience is that fundraising often succeeds with a focus on a committed group of donors. These people give generously and will draw in qualified prospects to join them.

This is not to say that the communications and asks should be exclusively made to a small group. And it certainly doesn't mean that a nonprofit should start bending it's mission to center around this group of donors. We have tremendous peer-to-peer opportunities now. And different cultures give in different ways. This is good and as it should be.

What I find helpful about the "Top 100" is the focus it brings. When "everyone" is a prospect, our message tends to not get through. But when we start communicating to a specific group of people, our message is more clearly heard. And more quickly acted on.

If you're a busy, overwhelmed nonprofit CEO or fundraiser, taking a look at your nonprofit's top 100 would be a worthwhile exercise. (When I did this as a fundraiser, I was surprised by the people in that group. It was a school and some of our faculty were in that donor group. This helped me communicate with them as I was with the off campus donors.)

Don't Say No

Your not asking is saying "no" for the donor. You don't have that right. We need to treat our donors with at least enough respect to let them make up their own mind. And we have to realize there is nothing compassionate about not asking. The only way to know if a donor is saying "no" is when the donor says no.

Ask

Yes!! Asking is where the magic is. A clear ask with a specific dollar amount is incredibly respectful of donors. My guess on why some donors are tired of nonprofits is all the hinting, suggesting, and alluding we do. We can't read the minds of our loved ones. Why do we expect our donors can read our minds? Clearly asking for what we want, without guilt or manipulation, allows them to easily understand what we'd like.

Never a Better Time

I love the last point on this list too. There really is never a "better time." Too often, our waiting is more about us than about the donor. Or about our cause. If our nonprofit relies on donor support, our not asking puts our staff and mission in jeopardy.

This doesn't mean we need to become belligerent or annoying. Remember Ned in the movie Groundhog Day? Don't be like Ned.

Not waiting to ask doesn't mean being rude. You can always ask if now is a good time to ask. If the donor says now isn't a good time, great. Ask them when might be a better time. Or ask them if you could follow up in a week or two. That will make your follow up not be nagging. You'll just be being a person of your word, following up as promised.

Tools Change Faster than People

I love the simplicity of this list. With the unprecedented fundraising opportunities nonprofits have, the options can get dizzying. When you lose focus, it's easy to return to this list and get your fundraising back on track.

What would you add? Or what would you change?

The post 4 Fundraising Tips for your Nonprofit from Jerry Panas appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

4 Tips To Recruit Volunteers For Your Next Major Event

Between working out all the logistics, sending invitations, and actually hosting your event, there’s a lot that goes into a successful nonprofit event. Recruiting and screening volunteers might seem like just another time-consuming task to add to your already massive to-do list, but our guest blogger Addison Waters of Galaxy Digital outlines four key pointers that will help you find people who are motivated to put in the effort that will ease your overall workload. Through the Galaxy Digital team's work with thousands of organizations across the U.S. and Canada to improve their volunteer programs, Addison shares the best practices from the team's experience. 

Four Tips To Recruiting the Right Volunteers For Your Next Major Eventby Addison Waters

Whether you’re hosting your annual 5K, a massive music festival, or a big conference with dozens of vendors, finding plenty of quality volunteers is a vital part of the event planning process.

Think about it: volunteers are the face of your event. They’re your guests’ go-to resource and who they interact with the most from check-in to check-out. Even in the virtual space, your volunteers are running point on various activities, like event promotion or setup. The final product is the direct result of your event planning team and volunteers’ hard work behind the scenes. Recruiting the right people for the job can mean the difference between reaching your fundraising goals and falling short.

If you’re doing everything you can think of but still struggling to staff your events, it’s time to revamp your approach to volunteer management and recruitment. With the right tactics in your back pocket, you can connect with volunteers, show them the value of lending a hand, and create an incredibly memorable experience for attendees. Here are four easy tips your team can implement that will multiply the effectiveness of your recruitment:

Write a clear job description.Share your volunteer opportunities far and wide.Reach out to local businesses.Provide training resources.

As a volunteer leader, you know what a major undertaking it is to invest in volunteer recruitment. However, as you invest more time into developing your program, you’ll start to see your pool of on-hand volunteers grow as people stay engaged with your vision. Not to mention, your volunteer system will simplify how you stay connected with these individuals between events. Let’s kick things off with our first tip.

1. Write a clear job description.

Creating an effective role description is your first stop on the volunteer recruitment journey. While you might be able to get away with not writing one for simple one-off tasks, multifaceted positions for big events can’t afford to skip this step.

After all, how will people know whether they’re a strong fit for the role if they don’t know what all is expected of them?

Put yourself in your volunteers’ shoes and ask what they’d want to know. A few key elements that you’ll want to include in the description itself are:

Time and location. Say exactly when and where your event will take place. This gives prospective volunteers an idea of how far they’ll need to travel and whether they’ll be able to attend.Tasks. Explain exactly what you need the volunteer to do. Take a 5K for example. Tasks might include checking people in, handing out race numbers, distributing swag bags to participants, or setting up directions along the course.Skills. Include both hard skills, like marketing and tech-proficiency, and soft skills, like effective communication and teamwork.Qualifications. What experience do they need to successfully carry out their duties? Perhaps they need to be CPR certified or able to lift a certain weight (such as a 30-pound box of t-shirts). Age requirements can also factor into this category.Time commitment. Let them know how much time they should plan to spend volunteering. Do you only need them for an hour, or should they expect to be there for a full afternoon? Are there shift time slots they can specifically request?

A few other elements that aren’t quite as necessary that you may want to infuse could be your nonprofit’s mission and the training you’ll provide. This will help you connect with the best candidates for the job. Plus, well-written job descriptions communicate that your event, and therefore your nonprofit, are organized and willing to put in the effort to create a positive experience.

When finalized, feature your job descriptions on your application, and make sure your form inquires about each of the factors you included in the role outline. As applications start to roll in, your team can screen everyone to ensure they’re fully qualified. Then, match them to the best-fitting roles based on skills and availability.

Better yet, your volunteer management software (VMS) may automate the screening, role matching, and scheduling for you. That way, you can focus on sharing the role description and volunteer opportunity, which we’ll explore in the next section.

2. Share your volunteer opportunities far and wide.

After you’ve built effective job descriptions and added them to your application, it’s time to spread the word about the opportunity. The digital world vastly expands your potential volunteer pool, so you’ll want to place a heavy focus on digital marketing in your outreach efforts.

Start by infusing your call to action (CTA) into any event announcements you share, linking directly to your application where prospects can learn more. Push the opportunity across several platforms, including your website and social media.

Website

Morweb’s guide to the best nonprofit websites explains that your site is a supporter’s go-to resource to learn more about your organization and involvement opportunities. It explains that your website is “the hub of all information…where prospects learn about your mission, volunteers sign up for shifts, and donors contribute to your work.”

This makes it the perfect opportunity to promote ongoing volunteer opportunities. You can:

Create a volunteer page on your website. Be sure to feature it in the navigation menu. Your dedicated page should include information regarding your program, details on how to get involved, and a CTA that links to your VMS with a clear label (like ‘Click here to volunteer for our upcoming silent auction’).Feature your event and CTAs to volunteer on your homepage. Your homepage will naturally be the most visited page on your site. Instead of just asking people to register to attend, use this as an opportunity to ask them to volunteer.Include a regularly updated calendar page. You can include all upcoming opportunities, whether that’s volunteer days, events, or fundraising campaigns.

However you promote your events and volunteer opportunities, the point is that your website can drastically improve their visibility. Think through where you want to promote these opportunities and infuse them across multiple pages on your site, not just one.

Social Media

When building out your promotion strategy, don’t neglect social media. Social media’s shareability makes it the ideal place to spread the word about volunteer opportunities. Between Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you probably have quite a few followers who are willing to help make your next major event possible.

As we mentioned, start posting your volunteer CTAs within your event announcements and provide a link to your volunteer registration page on social media. You’ll likely want to post separately about the opportunity too to ensure it doesn’t get overlooked by people absent-mindedly scrolling through their newsfeeds. Beyond this, you can:

Ask supporters to join in on the promotion. Whether they simply press share or go out of their way to draft their own posts, your supporters will likely testify on your behalf, multiplying your potential pool of candidates.Answer questions in your posts’ comments. The great thing about social media is that it enables two-way communication. Encourage people to leave questions about volunteering for your event in the comments. Then, make sure to follow up with an answer quickly.

By regularly updating your social media and getting followers in on the action, you can get in front of audience members who might not otherwise encounter your cause. In no time, you’ll have a strong list of volunteers for your next event.

3. Reach out to local businesses.

Businesses are quickly becoming aware of the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Proactively supporting charitable causes creates a positive reputation for companies and has proven to positively impact staff satisfaction since employees can make a notable difference in their communities. As part of these CSR initiatives, companies often implement volunteer programs, which represent the perfect recruitment opportunity for motivated volunteers.

There are several ways you can leverage local businesses in your volunteer recruitment efforts, beginning with simply starting the conversation. If you don’t already have existing partners or event sponsors, it’s never too late to start! Write a letter to a handful of local businesses, requesting help. Your letter should:

Explain that your upcoming event needs volunteersGive details regarding how many volunteers you need, the types of skills required, and what the time commitment isCommunicate the impact on both the event and their companyExplain any perks they can expect in exchange (such as featuring their logo on marketing materials)Lay out necessary next steps to get everyone signed upGive your volunteer coordinator’s contact details to answer any questions

A general rule of thumb you’ll want to follow is to seek partnerships with companies that share similar values. This maximizes your chances of the company’s employees actually signing up to help out with your event since they’ll see the value in your cause. They’ll also be more likely to stick around if your cause resonates with their personal values. Who knows? You may even form a long-term partnership with the company as a result, making it much easier to recruit volunteers for future events.

4. Provide training resources.

Especially with COVID-19 still throwing event plans for a loop, it’s crucial that you train your volunteers to be well-versed in proper event management procedures. The last thing you want is for volunteers to show up on event day unprepared, or worse, they don’t show up at all.

Galaxy Digital’s volunteer training guide takes a deep dive into several areas that basic training generally covers, including:

Background on the cause or community needHow to effectively communicate the nonprofit’s missionGoals for the event and how to evaluate successHow to perform various volunteer tasksSafety measures (including COVID-related measures like wearing gloves and social distancing)Rules and expectations for volunteering with your organizationAn overview of equipment and how to use itHow to log volunteer time

Traditional, face-to-face volunteer training helps volunteers build a sense of community, perfect for event day when they have to communicate and work through any obstacles. However, we’re aware that in-person training sessions might not be feasible with social distancing and ongoing health concerns.

If you’re going virtual with your training, you can replicate this sense of engagement with the right tools in place.

For example, a tactic for in-person training is to teach volunteers how to complete certain tasks (let’s say checking guests into your annual gala). Then, you can test how well they paid attention by having them complete the task, whether they need to scan a QR code or check guests’ names off a list after verifying their identity. Transfer this training to the digital space by having volunteers take an online quiz. Alternatively, use methods like eLearning that feature interactive lessons and pre-recorded or live training videos.

Not only will a successful training experience influence your upcoming event, but it can kickstart the recruitment cycle for your future ones. Plus, they’ll likely share their experience with their friends, opening up the door to a wider pool of potential recruits next time around. Conversely, a poor experience can deter existing volunteers from returning or potential prospects from jumping on board when they hear about how your event was stressful for volunteers.

Volunteers make the vision for your nonprofit’s major events possible. Without them, you’d be severely understaffed and unable to provide guests with a good time. As a volunteer coordinator, it’s up to you to find the right volunteers, create a memorable experience, and communicate everything they need to know to be successful in their roles.

Recruitment is a crucial part of the volunteer management cycle. Investing time, thought, and energy into it will pay off both for your upcoming event and future volunteer opportunities. Good luck and happy recruiting!

The post 4 Tips To Recruit Volunteers For Your Next Major Event appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

The biggest mistake with major gift asks

One of the biggest mistakes I see with major gift solicitations is incredibly easy to fix.

If you've ever made an appointment for a major gift ask, you've probably felt the stress of "getting it wrong." The worry that you might offend the other. Or that you won't have the answers they want. Or the worry that you'll let your nonprofit team down.

Rather than listen to that doubt and do something about it, most people just carry that stress into the ask. Whether on Zoom or in-person, the donor picks up on the stress but can't identify the source. So they think that it must be their own intuition warning them against making a gift.

It doesn't have to go like this.

What do you want? Do you really, really want?

Whenever you go into a major gift solicitation, you want something. Most of the time, you want a gift or pledge commitment.

So why not be honest about that? Why not specify what you want?

This is the biggest mistake people make with major gift asks: not being clear on the goals of the solicitation.

If you're fundraising, the goal needs to be around raising funds. Too often, nonprofit leaders seem to think an acceptable goal for a major donor ask is "I want to leave being liked by the prospect."

Being liked by the prospect is fine. But it doesn't help you support your staff by meeting payroll. In fact, "being liked" is a goal that confuses donors too. They end up wondering, "Why did she meet with me? Was there a point to that visit?"

As a nonprofit fundraiser, you're not paid by your nonprofit to be a donor's best friend. You're paid by your nonprofit to raise funds.

So make sure to go into every solicitation with a dollar amount in mind. Or even small, medium, and large gift amounts.

But make sure the small is still something you'd be proud of.

This isn't manipulative. Donors aren't stupid. They know why you're there. So be clear to yourself on why you're there too.

Absolutely be friendly. And respectful. Amazingly, getting clear on the goal of your outcome, can focus you and free you up to really listen to the donor.

And listening to the donor helps you learn what her goals are. Because her goals are just as important.

And what do they want? Do they really, really want?

Just like a soccer field has two goals, so does any interaction with two human beings.

Each person has some sort of outcome they'd like from the visit. Once you're crystal clear on yours, you are able to be open to exploring the donor's.

As a nonprofit fundraiser, you job is not to do whatever it takes to meet the donor's goal. No! Your job is to try to find the places the donor's goals overlap with your nonprofit's mission.

If there's no overlap, then politely part ways. They're not the right donor for you.

But if there is overlap, then you can introduce your goal by making the major gift ask.

Get clarity about both goals!

To avoid the biggest mistake in major gift asks, get clarity on both goals: yours and the donors.

Get clear on yours before the visit or Zoom call. And do what you can to try to gain clarity on theirs before the appointment. But give yourself space in the appointment to find out what the donors wants.

Then, and only then, can you confidently offer a solution in the form of an ask.

The post The biggest mistake with major gift asks appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

6 Guidelines for Planning Your Hybrid Silent Auction

When it comes to key fundraising events for your nonprofit, auctions can be a highly effective avenue for increasing donations to your cause. However, when embarking on an auction-planning journey, it helps to have guidance to get started. Karrie Wozniak, CMO at OneCause, outlines six essential tips in this article. Karrie has more than twenty years of experience in marketing and passion for helping nonprofits expand their reach, leading industry research, marketing strategy, and fundraising consulting initiative. 

Planning an auction event can be a big undertaking. Taking an auction hybrid can mean even more moving pieces to manage.

Yet transforming your traditional silent auction fundraiser to incorporate both virtual and in-person engagement opens your event up to increased accessibility and convenience for guests. If planned well, this can bring increased revenue and deepened donor relationships for your organization.

A hybrid silent auction typically involves online, real-time bidding functionality in-person from a specified venue as well as for remote participants. It’s a bit more logistically complicated than a fully in-person or virtual auction, so success will hinge on careful planning.

If hybrid auctions are a new undertaking for your team, we’ve put together this quick guide to help inform your planning strategy. For the best results, remember these tried-and-true, research-backed tips:

Invest in powerful auction software.Make it mobile-friendly.Ensure your event reflects your mission.Don’t forget about event promotion.Target two distinct event audiences.Collect and leverage your auction data.

Ready to dive into each of these best practices and find out more about planning a successful hybrid silent auction for your cause? Let’s get started.

1. Invest in powerful auction software.

Hybrid auctions, by their very nature, rely more on technology than a traditional in-person auction does. As a result, investing in the right tools to manage your bidding experiences is more important than ever—for both the guests who participate and the team behind the scenes. Let’s take a closer look at each:

For guests: The 2021 OneCause Giving Experience Study reported ease of use as the #1 motivator and engagement driver for virtual and hybrid experiences. When there are no roadblocks in the giving, bidding, live streaming, or other participation processes, event attendees will be more likely to contribute more to your organization.For staff: Having a powerful event planning solution allows staff members to manage every aspect of your auction from start to finish with as little difficulty as possible. Technology can help manage item procurement, registration, bidding, and check-out processes, saving your team valuable time and resources to reinvest in building relationships with donors.

Luckily, the right silent auction software can play a significant role in streamlining both guest and staff experiences and providing a positive user experience for everyone involved. This way, regardless of whether attendees participate on-site or from afar, they can experience an organized and cohesive auction event and support the mission they care about with ease.

2. Make it mobile-friendly.

According to fundraising statistics from 360MatchPro, more than 50% of all nonprofit website traffic last year came from mobile and tablet users. That means it’s of utmost importance that you prioritize the mobile experience for your guests. When planning your event, here are a few key aspects to consider:

Allow guests to register and bid from mobile devices. The first step in increasing supporter engagement in your auction is to get guests registered in the first place. Then comes the actual bidding. In both cases, it’s vital that guests have full functionality to your auction platform from their mobile device, allowing them to register, purchase tickets, make bids and donations, and check out from whichever device they choose.Send real-time outbid notifications. You can’t always count on bidders to be glued to their mobile devices during your auction, anxiously waiting to see if they’ve been outbid. But by sending real-time notifications to participants’ mobile devices, you can recapture their attention and encourage them to up their bids to win the item.Automatically resize content to fit smaller screens. Just because your web content loads on a mobile device does not mean it’s mobile-optimized. Instead, be sure your text, images, and interactive content automatically resizes to fit the often portrait-mode orientation of a smartphone, free from needless zooming and horizontal scrolling. Circumvent this issue entirely by using bidding software that’s built specifically for mobile use, whether on-site or remote.

Providing a mobile-friendly user experience is critical for maximizing engagement. Otherwise, you risk missing out on a significant portion of your supporter base simply because your hybrid experience was not accessible.

3. Ensure your event reflects your mission.

Beyond ease of use, the two next two significant engagement motivators uncovered in our Giving Experience Study were a connection to the mission and an understanding of the impact of each donation. In order to maximize these elements, be sure to continuously reiterate how your event and the revenue raised will go to support your nonprofit’s mission.

Consider the following best practices for building “mission moments” into your hybrid auction:

Choose a relevant event theme. Setting a theme is a great way to increase participation and reiterate the meaning behind the event. Plus, our studies found that 59% of donors reported event themes to be a highly engaging element of hybrid event experiences they’ve attended.Tell constituent stories. One of the best ways for supporters to truly understand the importance of your mission is by hearing it from those who have directly benefited from it. With their permission, consider sharing real stories of constituents and how they were positively impacted. You can even bring constituents in to tell their story in their own words at your auction event!Tie revenue to concrete impacts. Because donors like to know how their hard-earned money is being used, it’s a good idea to highlight giving tiers to better communicate impact. For example, consider sharing metrics like $X raised goes to support Y number of beneficiaries in a specific way.

It’s important to continually remind guests that they’re participating in your event to support your nonprofit and its vision for social good. It’s not just a fun night out or a way to win exclusive prizes—although those are certainly excellent benefits of a fundraising auction as well.

When attendees understand the impact that their contributions make on your mission, they’ll be more likely to support your organization by giving well above the fair market value for the items up for bid or by making donations outright.

4. Don’t forget about event promotion.

In order to ensure an effective event with high turnout, taking a strategic approach to event promotion is a must. We suggest a multichannel marketing strategy with the following key methods of communication:

Direct mail: Sending physical invitations via direct mail can grab supporters’ attention and increase excitement for your upcoming event. Because direct mail is one of the more costly promotional tactics, consider reserving this method for engaging with high-value donors and historic event attendees.Email: Email is one of the easiest and lowest cost ways to get a message out to a wide range of supporters. To make sure your message stands out in recipients’ already crowded inboxes, however, be sure to choose an eye-catching subject line and address the reader by name.Social media: Your organization’s social media presence can go a long way for promoting your event and boosting attendee engagement beforehand. Be sure to share information on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and encourage supporters to interact with and share your posts as well!Web presence: Your nonprofit website is likely the hub for all sorts of information about your upcoming auction, including how to learn more or register for the event. Use this invaluable resource well by directing traffic to a dedicated event web page or virtual event center from your other marketing channels.

It’s important that you don’t leave event marketing as an afterthought! Get started early on in the planning process to ensure your supporters are aware of the upcoming opportunity as well as understand what a hybrid auction is, how to get involved, and all that it entails.

You’ll also want to determine how you’ll handle the two audiences of virtual and in-person attendees. Will you promote one experience to certain types of donors more heavily? How will you explain the virtual bidding process so that even the least tech-savvy supporter can join in? Answering these questions beforehand can go a long way to ensuring a seamless and well-thought-out experience for each group.

5. Target two distinct event audiences.

Planning a hybrid event involves juggling a number of moving pieces. Specifically, you’ll need to incorporate two dual experiences, targeting two different audiences, within a single coherent event.

To do so, it’s important that you take the time to plan for each experience based on what that particular audience is interested in. For example, donors have reported that certain elements are much more engaging during virtual events than others. These components tend to cater well to virtual and remote audiences:

Mobile-optimized event platformsPicture-in-picture technologyLive-streamed contentReal-time chat breakout roomsOne-click donations

On the other hand, these elements were favorites for engaging face-to-face audiences:

Event themesChatting with other guestsIn-person speakersLive entertainment

Other elements like raffles, auction bidding, matching gifts, and online promotion beforehand will be experienced by both remote and in-person event audiences. Regardless of the components you incorporate into your plans, be sure to consider the way your various groups of supporters will interact with each. And remember—no one audience is more important than the other!

6. Collect and leverage your auction data.

Tracking your event performance through fundraising data is an impactful way to learn about what works well along with what leaves room for improvement. If you’re looking for key performance indicators (or KPIs) to track for a hybrid auction, consider the following data points:

Percentage of attendees who engage in-person vs. onlineAverage bid sizeAdditional donations beyond ticket sales and bidsNumber of bids on each itemAverage time attendees spent participatingEvent ROI (return on investment)

To make the most out of your event data, be sure to determine which KPIs to track early on in the planning process and keep up with your progress throughout. Then, take a look at your results by analyzing auction data and seeing what you can do better the next time you plan an event.

To get started planning a hybrid auction, it’s important that you do your research and equip your team with the tools they need beforehand. Then, you’ll be ready to get into the details and launch an engaging experience for all attendees, both in-person and remote.

When you offer a hybrid event like a silent auction, you can increase engagement and deepen relationships with donors, laying the groundwork for continuous support, larger gifts, and even more successful and accessible events in the future. Happy fundraising!

The post 6 Guidelines for Planning Your Hybrid Silent Auction appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Fundraising Kick: Don't Grow Weary

This issue of the weekly Fundraising Kick seems to have come at the perfect time for subscribers. So I'm sharing it here as well.

Fundraising Kick coaching emails are written for busy nonprofit CEOs and my private coaching clients. The goal is to remind people who have full schedules to keep working on major gifts every week. Since it's written for CEOs, I refer to calling "5 - 10" donors. Obviously, if your job is dedicated to fundraising, you'll be calling more people than that each week!

Good morning, Kickers!

As you reach out to your 5 – 10 major gift prospects this week, it’s likely that they are the same 5 – 10 you tried to contact last week. Or the week before that.

Don’t grow weary in calling.

We really need to guard our minds during this “in between” time. You might find yourself thinking “They don’t want to hear from me” or “I am probably bugging them.”

You don’t know that.

The only way you know if you’re bugging a donor is when they tell you.

Most of our donors are extremely busy people. Generous, but extremely busy. So your consistent, reliable attempts to contact them are actually a service. You are trying to help them do another valuable thing with their time and money.

So keep at it. Don’t succumb to the feeling of “I’ll wait until September.” One thing we learned from last year is that donors give when asked. Donors gave generously even in what we’d come to see as the slow times of the calendar.

So be encouraged. Your calls this week matter.

You’ve been Kicked!

Marc

If you'd like to sign up for these weekly Fundraising Kick coaching emails, go to https://fundraisingcoach.com/fundraisingkick/

The post Fundraising Kick: Don't Grow Weary appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.