Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 19

5 Tech Strategies for Making a Multi-Channel Fundraising Ask

You already know the importance of fundraising for your nonprofit. Without financial means, it’s more difficult—or even impossible—to achieve your mission.

To get there, you’ll need to perfect the art of making a fundraising ask. That is, the process of soliciting your donors and securing gifts for your cause. But, what is the most effective way to make a fundraising ask?

The answer is: there isn’t just one surefire way to ask for a gift. Rather, you can (and should) utilize several fundraising channels to make these all-important fundraising asks.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the many ways your nonprofit should be diversifying your asking strategy by leveraging tech tools across multiple fundraising channels. Here are five tech-enabled strategies that you should consider as you embark on a multi-channel fundraising effort:

Leverage your CRM data to make effective asks.
Engage with supporters on diverse social media channels.
Tell a visual story with your nonprofit’s marketing materials.
Learn from data insights to hone your fundraising strategy.
Use tech tools to automate the acknowledgment process.

If you’re ready to explore efficient ways to make a fundraising ask across multiple channels, let’s take a look at these awesome strategies!

1. Leverage your CRM data to make effective asks.

It can be challenging to keep your nonprofit’s data organized, especially if you’re growing in size and working with several sources of information. The key item to remember is that, in order to make an effective fundraising ask, you need to know your community well.

If your nonprofit has a CRM on hand, you should be able to access all the data you need to tailor your asks to individual donors, as this will allow you to get to know your constituents and discover the most effective fundraising channels for your cause.

Knowing your donors well starts with doing the right donor research. One way you can research donors is using your CRM to gain valuable insights into your community. In order to make the most of your CRM data, do the following:

Keep clean donor data. Keep your data organized and clean by removing duplicate profiles and extraneous information that’s not relevant to your fundraising strategy. Choose a CRM like Salsa’s donor database software that offers in-built data management tools to ensure your donor data is streamlined and accurate.  
Segment your donor lists. Once you have created unique profiles for your constituents, you can segment each profile into groups (such as repeat givers, female donors, supporters who have reached retirement age, etc.). This way, your team can learn which asking strategies work best for individual groups of donors. 
Personalize asks to donors. After you’ve gathered details about your constituents from their profiles, you can then reach out to them in a more personalized manner. For example, you can draft a customized letter and cite their donation history, as well as how it has helped your nonprofit in the past. Engaging on a more personal level yields a higher chance of creating a long-term relationship with your donor.

Bottom line? The key to effectively using your CRM data is categorizing your donor lists and keeping the data organized and clean. Doing this will give you a better handle on your constituents as the number grows, and still allow you to personalize your asks—which in turn will increase your chances of getting donations.

2. Engage with supporters on diverse social media channels.

Your nonprofit might not be reaching the right donors on social media, which can limit your overall outreach. That’s why it is important to engage with potential donors on platforms they are already using. Remember that the most important part of using social media is developing relationships. On Twitter, for instance, you have limited characters to share your story, but the connections you make as a result can be invaluable.

In order to figure out which channels are most effective, and to determine what platforms particular donors are using, try these tech tools:

Know which platforms your supporters use. In order to successfully reach your potential donors, you should have an understanding of what online platforms they are using. You can obtain this data in a few ways, such as by sending out surveys or tracking engagement metrics on the platforms you’re currently leveraging.  
Use social media marketing tools to automate output. Social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, offer tools that allow you to automate your posts. So, you can schedule when posts are sent out, and on what platform. This helps your nonprofit ensure you reach the right supporters at the right time on the right platforms. 
Leverage engagement insights to tailor your strategy. In order to optimize your output on social media, you can measure certain engagement metrics, such as the number of impressions on your posts. For example, if you get a high volume of impressions but very few engagements with the post (such as shares or likes), then you should reevaluate your content strategy. 

Bottom line? Be sure to take advantage of multiple platforms, as you’ll widen your audience and have a higher chance of reaching potential donors. However, you must also send the right content to the right platforms. Image-based media, for example, might engage more people on Instagram than on Twitter. Once you know what platforms your potential donors use, you can then optimize your content on those platforms and begin to cultivate relationships.

3. Tell a visual story with your nonprofit’s marketing materials.

In order to connect with your constituents, you want to tell a story. Storytelling is an effective way to not only reach out to your potential donors, but also connect with them on a deeper and more personal level. If you don’t offer a compelling reason for someone to make a donation, you are less likely to receive one.

Visual storytelling is an effective method and should not be overlooked. To give your constituents that compelling reason to donate, you should:

Share images and videos to show donors who you are. Frequently engage with your audience by posting images and videos about your organization. Images and videos are more engaging than long text posts, and more likely to be shared and liked. 
Put your beneficiaries front-and-center. Show your donors specifically who they are supporting. Include visuals in your marketing materials and make it clear who the beneficiaries are. For instance, impact videos highlight the impact your nonprofit makes and are a great way to share the spotlight with your beneficiaries on social media. 
Establish a unique brand identity across channels. Make sure your logo, color scheme, and voice of your nonprofit are clear and consistent across all marketing channels. For example, your branding should be consistent on your website and in your direct mail fundraising materials. A stronger brand yields higher credibility.

Bonus! When pursuing direct mail fundraising, you can use tech resources to make your direct mail efforts more powerful. Tell your story in a visually appealing and easy-to-digest manner, but also use your CRM to draft your letters and personalize them to each constituent. (Fundraising Letters offers a great resource for customized template letters.)

Bottom line? There are multiple ways to create your visual identity, but it should be consistent in order to project a professional image and give your organization more clout. From there, you’ll be on your way to inspiring your constituents to donate and forming lasting bonds with them.

4. Learn from data insights to hone your fundraising strategy.

There’s a lot you can learn from social media and the data insights it provides. Data will show you how effective your content is and will also help pinpoint areas of improvement. More specifically, you can track social media impressions, as well as your click-through rates and conversion rates, and compare them across platforms.

In order to successfully gather and evaluate data, focus on some of the following factors:

Social media impressions. Compare your impressions against engagement metrics, such as click-through rates and conversion rates. Using this data can help highlight where you’re losing supporters in the engagement pipeline.  
Click-through rate. How many people have clicked on your links? If you’re receiving clicks on one social media platform, focus on sharing content like your donation form or volunteer sign-up forms on this channel. If you’re not receiving sufficient clicks on another platform, how can you adjust the content you’re sharing to yield more clicks? 
Conversion rate. How many people have clicked-through your links and donated as a result? Create a conversion goal for your nonprofit, which can be broken down by donor segments, in order to track your success in each category.

Bottom line? If you’re getting a lot of impressions on social media but very few engagements, use that data to reevaluate your tactics and optimize your content. On the other hand, if you’re receiving many clicks on one particular platform, take advantage of that and direct those clicks to important pages on your website, such as donation forms.

5. Use tech tools to automate the acknowledgement process.

The most effective way to create and maintain donor relationships is to show them they are appreciated. You want to continue engaging with your donors and openly communicate, and that in turn will make them more likely to donate again.

Making sure your donors have a good experience with your nonprofit is important. In order to foster a strong relationship, you should note the following:

Personalized thank-you messages should be sent out immediately after receiving a gift. In order to create a long-term relationship with a donor, you want to ensure they know their donation has been received and appreciated. Creating an automated thank-you message is key to quickly following up with a donor to thank them for their contribution. 
When a campaign is complete, thank donors again for helping you get there. Thanking your donors once the campaign has finished gives you an opportunity to explain what their contribution helped achieve. For example, you may say, “With your $200 contribution, we were able to reach our $10,000 goal to put toward breast cancer research.”
When you ask for another gift, reference their past giving history. Noting your history with the donor will help them feel appreciated and acknowledged, and make them more likely to donate in the future. Before asking for another gift, consult your CRM to see when this individual has given in the past, what they gave, and what kind of campaign they previously supported.

Bottom line? Similar to creating relationships through social media, you want to continue nurturing relationships with your donors after the fact. Continue to show them how their contribution has benefited your cause and be sure they receive acknowledgement. Your donors want to know where their money went, so communication is key.

Want to learn more about which tech tools can enhance your asking strategy? Take a look at this list of top fundraising software to see what features could push your efforts forward.

If you want to make the right ask, use these tried-and-true methods and be sure to utilize these tech tools to help improve your strategy. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be on your way to effectively engaging with your donors and building long-lasting relationships!

The post 5 Tech Strategies for Making a Multi-Channel Fundraising Ask appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Setting up solicitations based on hardwiring

.One of the hardest stages of asking for money is getting the appointment. The good news is that getting the appointment is mostly about consistency and polite persistence. But hardwiring plays a role too.

For a more complete description of the four DISC quadrants, click the image to go to Marc's talk from the 2017 Nonprofit Storytelling Conference. Or go to: https://youtu.be/96_8QCOs0iM?t=1730 The DISC part starts around minute 28.

In my Quadrant 3 Leadership training, I show participants how our hardwiring can impact our leadership: abilities, behaviors, and motivations. Most assessments are geared to behavior hardwiring. The one I like the most for this is the DISC assessment.

The DISC model comes from an ancient Greek behavior theory that classifies human beings based on two axes:

the active/reserved axis and
the task-centered/people-centered axis.

Active people are quick to action, talk fast, and tend to think by verbally processing. Reserved people tend to have a more deliberate pace, talk more slowly, and tend to think internally before verbalizing.

Task-centered people tend to lead with tasks and deadlines and objectives. At times at the cost of relationships. People-centered people tend to lead with relationships and others, sometimes at the cost of actually getting tasks accomplished.

In their Asking Styles teaching, using a similar model, Andrea Kihlstedt and Brain Saber offer tips that can each of the four types modify their fundraising work to get the results they want. Let's look at how each type might best set up major donor appointments.

Tips for Setting Up Fundraising Appointments

While just about anybody asking for money needs to set up appointments, the way you set them up may be influenced by your DISC style. Here are some tips that may help you (or help you understand the people you manage).

When setting up calls:

D's - Active/Task-Centered People

Pick up the phone! You’ll be great just calling the people out of the blue.
Remember that your goal includes money and relationships! Remind yourself to be aware of the person as much as you are focused on setting a meeting.
Don't be too fast to hangup. You'll be so focused on the task of making the call, and the need to make many more, that you might hangup faster than others expect. That can leave them feeling "used" or disrespected. Try counting to 3 before hanging up.

I's - Active/People-Centered People

As much as you want one, you’re not going to fit into a “regular” schedule. You can try setting aside 9 am to 10 am to make calls. But most I's find they don't stick with that. Asking Styles suggests using your bursts of energy to your advantage. Keep a list of names and numbers ready so you can call when the mood strikes. (I’d remind you that you do still need to set up appointments – whether you feel like it or not!)
Remember your job is to raise money – not just friends. Your strength is in building relationships. That is great. But be sure to set up appointments using wording like “I’d like to get together for coffee to talk about a project" or other wording that lets them know your appointment has a purpose beyond just hanging out.
Don't feel like you're being disrespectful if you just greet the person, set up the meeting, and hangup. Many people do not want a long phone conversation. You can visit when you're at the appointment.

S's - Reserved/People-Centered People

Looking at your entire prospect list could be overwhelming. So create smaller groups to focus on. Maybe groups of 10 donors at a time. Or people committed to a similar project.
The lack of formal structure in “just making calls” will likely drain you. So consider setting up calls through a letter or an email. (Most active people will see writing a letter as a stall tactic. They'll say "just pick up the phone!" But it’s not. As you write the letter or email, you define your role in the appointment and remind yourself of your goals and the reason for the appointment.
Be prepared to feel like you’re “insisting” on a face-to-face meeting. Your tendency is to not want to inconvenience others. But face-to-face will help you and them get your best results. So make sure you pleasantly persist with people until they agree to a face-to-face meeting.

C's - Reserved/Task-Centered People

You’ll be great at contacting lots of prospect. Your commitment and sense of duty will make sure you get them done. And your organizational abilities will help you keep all the calls straight.
Feel free to write a letter or send an email to set up the appointment. The writing will help you plan your visit.
If you make calls, remember to smile. People really can hear a “smile” on the phone. And, try to let them hangup first. Or count to three before you hangup. You don't want people to think they were a "task" to get through.

Use Hardwiring for Help, not for Excuses

Don't allow yourself to be “labeled” DISC. You are wonderfully complex. Tools like this should never be used to limit you. And don't use them as an excuse for why you “can’t” do something. We’re all required to stretch, grow, and work on things outside of our comfort zone.

And if we're fundraisers, our work is to raise funds. Nothing less.

But knowing our hardwiring can help us strategize and plan our work to play to our strengths. And if you managed others, this might help you figure out why they act differently than you do.

If this hardwiring format inspires you, you’ll love the full-day Quadrant 3 Leadership Intensive on May 23rd. We spend a whole day helping you learn about yourself and craft your work around your strengths. Apply before April 30 to qualify for $700 savings ($297 instead of the normal $997 registration): https://concordleadershipgroup.com/leadership-intensive/

The post Setting up solicitations based on hardwiring appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Email deliverability is more than double opt-in

Nonprofits love sending email. It doesn't take all the printing time of direct mail. And it costs less.

But what if your emails aren't getting to your list?

In the last few weeks, Google and Yahoo have tweaked they algorithms - the systems they use to determine if your email is wanted or unwanted. In fact, Yahoo is reported to be deactivating thousands of email accounts that haven't been logged into. Some of these they'll delete. But some they'll turn into spam traps.

This means that "getting" your emails legally isn't all you have to watch. It's not just how people get onto your list that matters. It's what they do with your emails once you start sending them.

A Handful of Email Addresses May Be Messing Up Your List for Everyone Else

Email service providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all monitor how users interact with email. They're constantly tweaking systems to help make sure you only get email you're interested in. The rest they mark "promotions" or "bulk" or "spam."

So even if you get your emails legitimately - even making donors confirm a second time that they want to be on your list - you're not done. You now have to be watching how people respond or interact with your emails. Ignoring this can be hurting you, stopping people on your list from seeing your emails.

[ACTION REQUIRED]

This was a rude awakening for me. I always make sure people double opt-in to my lists. So I thought I was fine. But in our industry, people change jobs all the time. Many get on my list for help but then don't get off the list when they move to a different career. So people wanting to hear from me were getting hindered because of those dormant emails. Email list providers so those dormant emails and assumed that my emails may not be something subscribers really wanted.

Those of you on my Ask Without Fear! email list (or lists from The Concord Leadership Group or The Nonprofit Academy) know this first hand! When Yahoo deactivated accounts, over 200 of my list (of around 10,000 total) were impacted. My email service provider (Infusionsoft - sort of like MailChimp on steroids) warned me they would close my account if I kept emailing to these addresses. Addresses I didn't even know were no longer being used!

So I deleted those accounts. But then I decided to do some email list hygiene. You see, Infusionsoft marks people as "unengaged" if it can't see someone's opened an email or clicked on a link in the last 4 months.

Which is why many of you saw an email from me with "ACTION REQUIRED" in the subject line. Unfortunately, the email was in a couple different fonts and a couple different sizes. 15 years ago, the Courier font was a normal font for this type of email. Today it's not. Worse, if you look at it closely, it's got different font sizes and even a duplicate "unsubscribe" link at the bottom - in two different fonts.

Many people replied back to me, worried that I'd been hacked. They thought this "ACTION REQUIRED" email was a phishing scheme, trying to get information from them or install malware. The good news is they knew how I normally send emails (Arial font). The bad news is people who wanted to stay on my list probably didn't respond because they didn't trust this to be legitimate.

What I Learned

Some things I've learned from this attempt at list hygiene:

Make sure you're confirming only those needing confirmation. Many of the people getting my "confirm you want our emails" email were not getting them to begin with. I'd searched "unengaged" but neglected to see if they were even on a list.
Consider if you use multiple domains. I use three domains for the three different parts that make up The Concord Leadership Group: ConcordLeadershipGroup.com, FundraisingCoach.com, and TheNonprofitAcademy.com. But, despite FundraisingCoach.com being the largest list and longest brand name of the three, I sent it from the lesser known ConcordLeadershipGroup.com. This probably confused people. Even people who would gladly hear from FundraisingCoach.com or TheNonprofitAcademy.com.
Test your confirmation email. I wish I'd tested my confirmation email. Unfortunately, I didn't send myself a test one before emailing a few thousand people. So many people wanting my emails my not get them because they thought this "click here" link (forced on my by my provider) was a hoax. I could've worded it differently if I'd sent myself a test email first.
Get professional help. We in the nonprofit sector like to do things on the cheap. But just as you'd likely not try to repair your own car or do your own heart surgery, you shouldn't exclusively work on your own email list. Emails are the vehicle with which you communicate your mission. They often provide the lifeblood of donations and support. So spend a little money to have an expert make sure your MX, SPF, and DMARC. There are many providers who can help. I use Evan Samurin at Fundamental Marketing. (Not an affiliate or anything. He's just super-knowledgable and helpful.)

Email list health is going to be something you'll need to check regularly. GMail alone is reported to make changes to its algorithms 500-600 times a year. If you want to an early warning for possible problems, check out https://mxtoolbox.com/domain/ or https://dmarcian.com/spf-survey/.

Doing this will likely result in a smaller list. But a more engaged list, a list of people actually wanting to know more about your work, will be much more effective for you than a large list of unengaged people that causes your emails to go to "bulk" or "spam."

The post Email deliverability is more than double opt-in appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

When in doubt, write a JTOY

Excellent fundraisers know that fundraising is about a relationship with a donor. Since they're a "donor," the relationship is centered around their giving. But it is a relationship. That giving is linked to a donor's values and passions - things that make her uniquely human. And it's those values and passions that contribute to a genuine relationship.

Mapping out the relationship

One of the best tools I've found for helping us keep track of the relationship part of the "donor relationship" is in the Veritus Group's book It's Not (Just) About The Money. They share a Major Donor Dashboard that includes spaces for mapping out touches with each donor for a full year.

This mapping out really causes my coaching clients to stumble. Usually, they're conditioned to need an excuse to contact a donor - primarily because they only contact a donor when they're asking. So when they're looking at one or two asks but 10 - 11 more touches, they quickly run out of creativity.

What if you run out of creative things to do or say?

The good news? Relationships aren't a creativity contest. Relationships are about human beings relating to each other.

So when you're not sure what touch to give one of your top donors or prospects, why note write a simple JTOY note? "Just thinking of you."

It can be as simple as:

Hi Bob,

Just a note to say I was thinking of you today. Thanks for your ongoing support.

Marc

Short and sweet. It doesn't take a lot of time from your schedule or from theirs. But it's a note that most people don't get. Even from their own family.

Want to stand out from the crowd of all the other nonprofits asking your donors for money? Send them a JTOY note. Because while donor relationships are about the money, they're not only about the money. They are genuine relationships.

The post When in doubt, write a JTOY appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

How to Find Major Donors: The Nonprofit's Ultimate Guide

Whether your nonprofit seeks to expand its outreach, embark on a new project, or maintain the good work that you’re already doing, you need the significant support of major donors. Major donors make the largest contributions that your organization receives, so your organization will want to work hard to find them and retain their support.

Donors who are capable of giving major gifts tend to prefer that your organization ask them for these significant contributions. Before you make these crucial asks, however, it is essential that you have identified the right candidates! We’ll walk you through the process of identifying potential major donors by showing you how to:

Gather valuable information using prospect research.Hire a fundraising consultant.Identify corporate connections.Invite current and prospective major donors to an event.

If your organization takes the right approach toward your potential major donors before and after they make their gifts, you’ll make the first step toward creating lasting and beneficial partnerships with these generous individuals. Let’s begin with the process that is central to identifying the right donors for your organization: prospect research.

1. Gather valuable information using prospect research.

Prospect research is the process of gathering information on your current and potential donors to determine who among them is most likely to be both willing and able to contribute to your organization. To find major donors, your organization seeks individuals with a high capacity to give and a demonstrated interest in your cause or mission.

Prospect research data is broadly divided into two categories: wealth markers and philanthropic indicators. Wealth markers provide insight into a potential donor’s financial status and evaluates their capacity to give. Wealth markers include:

Real estate ownership and stock holdings. Real estate ownership is one of the most reliable indicators of wealth, and owners of significant or valuable property are more likely than the average person to be philanthropically active. Information on stock holdings, available through SEC.gov for publicly traded companies, can also be a useful wealth marker.



Career and business affiliations. It’s likely that your strongest candidates for major giving have high-ranking positions within their companies, but any business affiliation opens the possibility of increased giving or corporate sponsorship. Ensure that you ask eligible donors to submit requests for matching gifts from their companies.



Political giving history. Donations to political campaigns are another strong indicator that a potential supporter is wealthy. Even relatively small or one-time political gifts imply a high capacity to give. If your potential donors have histories of contributing to political campaigns, they’re likely strong prospects for major giving.

You can learn more about the wealth screening process and the information it provides using Donorly’s guide to donor research. Wealth markers, however, aren’t the only component of prospect research. Your organization wants to identify wealthy prospects when searching for major donors, but it’s equally important to evaluate how likely these prospects are to support you.

Philanthropic indicators measure a potential donor’s likelihood or willingness to donate to a particular nonprofit. They include:

Past giving history. If your potential donors have supported other nonprofits in the past whose missions are similar to yours, they’re likely to give to your organization as well. Your current donors are also strong prospects who may be willing and able to make major gifts, but need you to ask them to do so!



Other involvement with nonprofits. Individuals who are engaged with nonprofits in other ways aside from donating—as volunteers, employees, or board members—demonstrate their commitment to the causes they choose to support. Provided that they’re also highly capable of giving, these individuals can be strong prospects for major gift giving.



Activities, hobbies, and interests. How do your potential donors spend their free time? What causes do they express their support for on social media? If their activities and interests align with your organization’s goals and mission, they’re worth reaching out to.

With thorough donor research on your side, your organization will be able to identify potential donors who are both financially capable of making major gifts and dedicated enough to your cause to want to do so. Even with the help of prospect research data, asking for major gifts can still be challenging! Your organization may decide to seek the professional guidance of a fundraising consultant.

2. Hire a fundraising consultant or coach.

Whether your organization is unsure as to the best way to approach potential major donors or wants a professional perspective on your strategy before you put it into action, you may want to consider hiring a fundraising coach or fundraising consultant. Your fundraising consultant can review your top prospective major donors with your and help you develop stronger asks for each of them.

When hiring a fundraising consultant, look for one who meets your organization’s specific needs. A prospect research specialist, for instance, can help your team identify strong potential major donors, while a consultant specializing in campaign planning can help you develop your approach toward major donors within your larger campaign strategy.

Your organization can search for fundraising consultants online or in nonprofit directories, creating a list of candidates and taking note of each of their experiences finding major donors for the organizations they have partnered with in the past. Client testimonials and recommendations from other organizations are particularly useful when searching for a fundraising consultant.

Choosing a fundraising consultant familiar with nonprofits of your organization’s size and fundraising experience levels can be comforting. But having one familiar with a variety of organizations can help you see potential that you may be missing. Your potential consultants’ records of securing major gifts and improving major giving programs should be central to your decision making.

Logistical factors such as location can also be important to consider as you finalize your choice of a fundraising coach or consultant. Most importantly, hire the fundraising consultant that your team is excited to work with and who will bring significant experience in identifying major donors and approaching them in the right way.

Whether your team identifies your top potential major donors on your own or with the help of a fundraising consultant, one of the key pieces of information that your fundraising research will provide is your prospects’ business affiliations. Use these corporate connections to make significant gifts to your organization even larger!

3. Identify corporate connections.

It’s likely that many of your top candidates for major giving have important roles in their companies or are otherwise closely tied to corporations. Take advantage of your major donors’ connections to businesses for increased contributions to your organization!

Especially if you’ve cultivated strong and lasting relationships with your major donors, they may be willing to open the possibility of their businesses providing your organization with corporate sponsorship. This is one of the reasons that the wealth screening component of prospect research, which provides information on business affiliations, is so important!

Another great way to increase support from your business-affiliated major donors—and business-affiliated donors at all levels!—is through corporate matching gift programs. When donors who work for companies with matching gift programs make their contributions, their companies provide an additional contribution, typically in a 1:1 ratio to the original.

Corporate matching gift programs tend to have upper limits on the amounts they will match annually, so some major gifts may be too large to be matched. However, the definition of a major gift varies among organizations, so matching gift programs may be able to match the gifts of your organization’s most significant donors, or elevate their contributions into the major giving range!

Curious about the matching gifts process? Here’s how it works:

A donor contributes to your nonprofit. To ensure that eligible donors are aware of their employers’ matching gift programs, your nonprofit can use automated software for matching gifts to alert donors to these programs and remind them to submit their matching gift requests.The donor submits a matching gift request to their company. Donors can learn whether their employers offer matching gift programs by using matching gift software or finding information on their companies’ websites.The company reviews the request to determine whether it is eligible for a matching donation. Companies tend to have upper and lower limits on the donation sizes they will match, and some have restrictions on the types of nonprofits to which they will make matching gifts.Your organization verifies that it received the original donation. Your donor’s employer will confirm with your organization that the donor made the initial gift before the company contributes its matching gift.Your nonprofit receives a check from your donor’s company. Once your donor’s gift is confirmed, the company will send its matching gift, effectively doubling or even further increasing the amount your organization receives from that donor!

Matching gift statistics indicate that a majority of donors are more likely to give if their corporations offer matching gifts programs and that these programs encourage many donors to give more than they would otherwise. Matching gifts programs are a great way to increase total donations to your organization and elevate more of your donors to higher giving levels.

Once your organization has identified potential major donors or has secured your first major gifts from successful asks, you’ll want to ensure that your major donors remain involved with your organization. Acknowledge your major donors’ importance and build stronger relationships by holding an event for them.

4. Invite current and prospective major donors to an event.

An event for your current and prospective major donors isn’t the same as the other fundraising events your organization likely has on its calendar for the year. To build relationships with major donors and recognize their essential contributions to your organization, you’ll probably want to hold a special event just for these key supporters.

You may have supporters among your current donors who are capable of giving major gifts, but have not yet done so because you haven’t asked them! Donors capable of giving major gifts who are not asked to do so will eventually stop giving, so you’ll want to invite these supporters to your event to better determine their willingness to give a major gift.

If the donors you select attend your event and seem receptive to the suggestion of increasing their support, you’ll want to follow up by asking each of them individually to become major donors.

In addition to your current supporters, you should also invite potential major donors who may not have as much previous involvement with your organization. Have them get to know your board members and your current key donors, and ensure that they’re well-informed on the good work your organization does and your most recent projects.

Fundraising events for major donors should feel like special occasions. But special doesn't have to mean "expensive." Above all, ensure that you use the event as an opportunity to thank these essential donors for either making or considering making the donations that allow your organization to continue its progress. Want to make your event planning and hosting smoother? Make the process easier for your team by checking out Double the Donation’s list of fundraising software.

Holding a special event for major donors can help express how much they mean to your organization. These are the donors who ensure that you work toward achieving your mission each day, so finding the most capable and passionate donors is essential to your organization’s fundraising strategy. Building lasting relationships with your major donors is central to you continued success.

Nonprofits depend on their major donors for the largest portions of their funding, so finding and cultivating major donors is an essential component of your fundraising efforts. Prospect research data and fundraising consultants can help your organization identify the right donors to ask, while corporate connections and events to show your gratitude can ensure that you’re getting the most support possible.

The post How to Find Major Donors: The Nonprofit's Ultimate Guide appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

48% of US nonprofits say December fundraising was lower than last year

But most say overall 2018 fundraising is the same or better than last year's.

What a year 2018 was here in the USA. It started with a lot of nonprofit professionals and boards scared that the new charitable deduction would hurt giving. As the year went on, others worried about the tariffs and their impact on the economy and specific donors' businesses. Then came the wild fluctuations of the stock market in December, causing donors to reconsider year-end giving.

As the dust settles on 2018 and nonprofits begin to close their books, we wondered, "Was all the worry warranted?" So we launched a 90-second survey to find out. It asked how overall fundraising was compared to 2017's, specifically how December's fundraising was compared to December 2017, and if people that the tax law was helpful or harmful to their fundraising.

Sent to the subscribers of our fundraising coaching emails and leadership coaching emaillists, as well as shared through social media, the sample was a relatively small 178 respondees. But the results are interesting to look at. The following is the findings in this survey followed by some interpretation of the results. Hopefully these findings will help you as you work to understand your 2018 fundraising results.

OVERALL FUNDRAISING

The first question was about overall 2018 fundraising results. Of those located in the USA, about two-thirds reported their fundraising for the year was the same as or better than, last year. The results were:

Lower - 35%About the same - 18%Better - 47%

While 92% of answers were from within the USA, it might be helpful to look at the international responses. These were: lower - 36%, same - 7%, better - 57%.

DECEMBER FUNDRAISING

The response shifted a dramatically when fundraising was focused on December. Practically a reverse of the numbers above. Almost half of responses from the USA said their December 2018 fundraising was the worse than last year. The breakdown is:

Lower - 48%About the same - 17%Better - 35%

For nonprofits outside of the USA, the responses were: lower - 21%, same - 21%, better 58%. Interestingly, over one quarter of nonprofits in this group said December 2018 fundraising was "significantly better" than the prior year.

What Does This All Mean?

So why such a dramatic shift in December results? The comments that came with these responses suggested some interesting themes.

Lower Retention - Higher Average Gifts: Multiple nonprofits reported that while their dollars raised stayed the same, their number of donors dropped. Often dramatically. At least two nonprofits said they had half as many donors but still raised the same amount of money. Perhaps these nonprofits are getting better at asking for larger gifts. But this drastic drop in retention should be a major concern.

December 2017 was abnormal: Many nonprofits experienced a higher than normal level of giving in 2017. Donors unclear on the implications of the new tax law chose to give more generous gifts creating a spike in giving. Some of the responses on the survey indicated that, while December 2018 giving was lower than December 2017, it was on par with December 2016. So perhaps December giving was stabilizing. (Although, at least two nonprofits saw their December 2018 giving drop by about 50%.)

Tax law unclarity continues: While 39% of the USA responses said the new tax code was hurt their fundraising. Many nonprofits left comments that donors were advised by their accountants to skip giving this year in favor of "bundling" their gifts next year. But a full 59% said that it had no impact on their fundraising. These comments shared that their donors were more interested in the impact of their gift than the tax deductibility.

Politics continues to shift giving: Another trend in the results was nonprofits being told by donors that all their giving was focusing toward mid-term election campaigns. It will be important for nonprofits to follow up with each of these donors to re-engage them in this coming off year.

Rough waters ahead

These themes point to some rough waters ahead. Especially when combining the drop in donors with the prospect accountants and financial planners encouraging donors to "bundle" their giving. Since most nonprofit communications systems are tied to donations, this could mean that donors who didn't give this year will hear less from the nonprofits they've historically supported. Or they'll be treated more like first-time donors with "acquisition" appeals than trusted supporters. These donors run an higher than normal risk of permanently dropping the nonprofit from their philanthropic giving priorities.

And if bundling becomes the norm, nonprofits will need to consciously work harder than ever at retaining donors. We are suggest nonprofits adjust their communications in two ways.

Nonprofits should get better at showing donors the impact of their giving. Based on survey comments, nonprofits indicated that better storytelling increased their fundraising results. Showing donors the impact of their giving helped across all gift ranges. And likely protects the nonprofit from the affects of politics and tax code changes. As one nonprofit stated, "If we're not raising funds, it's because of a lack of compelling story, not tax laws."Nonprofits need to review their normal donor communications and budgeting systems. If donors are going to shift to giving every other year, nonprofits will need to figure out how they'll disburse the funds. Will they use half for this year's operating and hold the other half in reserve for next year? Executive Directors and boards will have to be careful of unrealistically raising fundraising goals mistaking a donor's doubled gift as a new level of annual giving. Nonprofits that currently celebrate "consecutive years" of giving will have to decide if giving two years worth of gifts every other year still counts as "consecutive." (Odds are, the donor will think it does.)

And nonprofits will have to create donor communications systems that are effective at showing donors their impact powerfully enough to keep donors engaged over these much longer two-year spans. A number of nonprofits reported very poor results with their "lapsed donor" campaigns. So it's more critical than ever to keep these donors from becoming lapsed.

Fundraising effectiveness is always a moving target. Hopefully nonprofits will be able to use these challenges to get better at communicating the powerful impact donors have. The good news? Paying attention to these suggestions for stewarding donors will help your fundraising no matter what the economy does!

How was your 2018 fundraising? What trends are you seeing? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 48% of US nonprofits say December fundraising was lower than last year appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Get fundraising unstuck by reframing

I just returned from training NGO leaders in Lebanon. Prior to the training, I spent time studying Lebanese philanthropy and interviewing people who'd registered. Fundraising is clearly getting harder. I kept hearing the two reasons it was particularly hard in Lebanon were

The government in Lebanon doesn't cover most things other governments cover.The economy is getting worse.

These two realities were like Kryptonite to Lebanese fundraisers, sucking their enthusiasm and strength. 

Reframing can Renergize

You should've seen the surprise in the room when I said that Lebanese had two things going for them that we didn't have in North America. What were those two things? A government that wasn't covering basic needs and a weakening economy.

The government situation: Since everyone already knew that basic support wasn't happening, NGOs didn't need to make this argument. They were already starting their fundraising with common agreement on the need.The economic situation: Like the government, everyone already knows things are getting tougher. Even more, experience in North America after the economy crashed in 2008 shows that NGOs the invested in fundraising during the downturn actually recovered far more quickly than those that didn't. Finally, down economies help us realize what isn't working. So we can test and tweak until we find out what works with our supporters. 

That's right. I was saying that very things that were seen as huge impediments from successful fundraising were actually huge advantages!

A third bonus that the Lebanese had was a long history of Lebanese supporting each other. So combined together, this was likely one of the best times for Lebanese NGOs! The common knowledge of the need, the evidence of the benefit of investing in tough times, the acute need to change methods, and the history of steadfast caring for each other could well be a perfect blend of increased revenue. 

What beliefs are your Kryptonite? 

So much of fundraising is about attitude and belief. What we believe can transform our work with life or cripple us. 

What negative beliefs are currently impacting yours? How might you reframe them to be positives? 

Tell us in the comments!

The post Get fundraising unstuck by reframing appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Fundraising in the last days of December

Year-end is a huge time for nonprofit's fundraising. There's a debate if the spike in giving is because we ask so much more frequently at this time of year or if it's because people are more generous because of the mix of public and religious holidays combined with the end of the tax year. What ever the cause, this is the time of the year nonprofit's need to be clearly engaging with donors.

It's definitely not a time of the year to wing it! Especially during the last week of the year.

Steven Screen's Last Week Strategy

Fortunately for us, fundraising expert Steven Screen has a simple strategy for the very last week of the year. This strategy is actually odd. It's just about opposite everything you'll read on this blog. I teach that our role is to focus on what Chris Davenport calls "transformation rather than transaction." We should focus on "impact" not the process of giving.

But not during the last week in December. In the "Simple Year-End Campaign" video, Steven says this is the

"one time of the year to forget all other rules and focus on the deadline by which the donor has to give you a gift."

He gives the plan in this short, 3 minute video. It breaks down to three emails:

One December 28 around 10 a.m.

One December 30 around 10 a.m.

One December 31 around 10 a.m.

The message gets shorter with each one. And it's all focused on telling donors to give before midnight on December 31st.

Weird isn't it? Steven agrees. But it works time after time.

Try it yourself this year

Good fundraising is so often counter-intuitive. Just as this email campaign in the last 3-4 days of the calendar year.

If this strategy makes you queasy, I understand. So does Steven. At the end of the video, Steven gives two strategies for testing this strategy so see if it'll help your donors.

Year-end fundraising is a big time for nonprofits. Don't wing it this year. Especially in the last 3-4 days.

You can watch the entire 3 minute video at https://nonprofitstorytellingconference.com/year-end-email-campaign/

The post Fundraising in the last days of December appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Who's leading the army?

Last month, at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, I saw Jeff Brooks help nonprofits understand donor communication by sharing a great image.

I wrote about it to my Fundraising Kick email subscribers. But I wanted to share it here. Hopefully it'll help as you write your next fundraising letter or thank you note!

SUB: Who’s leading the army?

Good morning, Kickers!

Last week, at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, fundraising legend Jeff Brooks shared a perspective I think will help you in making your 5 – 10 calls this week.

First, he showed a picture of a soldier leading an army. Everyone was marching in lockstep. He said that nonprofits tend to think of donors this way: the nonprofit is out in front (like the lead soldier) leading an army of committed donors, willing to sacrifice for the nonprofit’s cause.

He then showed a reversed image: a soldier leading the same army in a different direction. He said this is how the donor sees giving: she’s in front of an army of nonprofits who fight for her values.

He said the second picture is closer to reality. Donors pick nonprofits that represent their values. The nonprofits can come and go on the donor’s choosing.

And nonprofits that realize the donor is in charge of her army will be the ones that successfully raise money. The nonprofits that say, these values seem to match yours.

So this week as you make your calls, experiment with coming more from a place of asking for a part in the donor’s army rather than as a commanding general dictating how a donor gives.

Pay attention to how this type of ask feels different. Do you like it? Or does it feel like you’re giving up control?

Let me know!

Marc

P.S. You’ve been Kicked!

So as you prepare your mailings, ask yourself who you see leading the army you picture. And see what you can do to write to the donor as the head of her army.

Fundraising Kick is a weekly subscription email to remind you to get out and make 5-10 major gift appointments. To get your subscription, go to: https://fundraisingcoach.com/fundraisingkick/

The post Who's leading the army? appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Capital Campaigns for the 21st Century

Capital campaigns are a mainstay in nonprofit fundraising. There's something special about a time-limited, specific goal like a capital campaign. It gets us motivated to give generously and accomplishes results we can see and touch.

But things are changing. For starters, in our smartphone saturated world we have many more options to connect with donors. In addition to calling and mailing, donors can be tweeted, LinkedIn, SnapChat'd, WhatsApp'd, Facebooked, and any other number of social media communications.

And in an age of Google, fundraising tactics and information is more available now than ever. Consultants can still be helpful, but nonprofits are no longer 100% reliant on them for information. Nonprofit leaders can now search for training, tips, and even connect with others as they try to conduct capital campaigns.

Unfortunately, most capital campaign training is still stuck in the 20th century.

So what's working today? We're bringing fundraising expert Amy Eisenstein and capital campaign maven Andrea Kihlstedt in to tell us just that!

Join us on November 6, for a free training on "3 Keys to a Successful Capital Campaign in Today’s Hyper-Busy World." Get the free link to register at: https://thenonprofitacademy.com/trainings/keys-to-successful-capital-campaigns/

Learn how to build real partnerships, effectively harness volunteers, and whether or not to work with a consultant.

Can't join us? Register anyway and you'll have access to the recording!

The post Capital Campaigns for the 21st Century appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.