Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 52

Building your nonprofit’s email list

Back in 2000, I used email to raise $100,000 in six weeks. I wrote about it in “The $100,000 Guide to Email Solicitation.” (You can buy it in the Fundraising Coach Store but I give it away free to everyone who signs up for my free email newsletter.)

People tell me they find the “ten tactical tips,” the actual examples of email, and the overall strategy helpful. But many ask me, “You did that with alum. We’re not a school so we don’t have alum. How do we build up our email list?”

Avoid shortcuts

Over on LinkedIn, I asked What is your favorite way for nonprofits without alumni to get email addresses? (You can click on the link to add your answer.)

Look over the answers. Some of them seem like shortcuts…but there are no shortcuts to building your email list. Email is not direct mail. You can’t really “purchase a list” and start mailing to it.

Oh, I know there are brokers who’ll rent you a list and claim they aren’t spammers. These must seem like a God-send to new nonprofits. You get to “mail” without any printing or postage costs! But blasting to a list isn’t really effective. Think about your own experience: if you were to receive an email from a group you didn’t know, would you read it? Be honest.

Email can be incredibly effective for marketing and fundraising, but only when

People give you permission to send them email: The best form of this is double opt-in: they have to input their address into a form on your site. Then they get an email asking if they really want to join your list. This double opt-in protects your organization against accusations of spamming. (Email service providers like Aweber [affiliate link] make this really easy.)

Double opt-in makes for a more committed email list. People on your list have jumped through a couple hoops to get there so are more likely to engage in your message.

People care about your organization or your cause: Rather than a random list of email addresses, grow a list of people interested in what you do. This means that you have to be interesting. You have to be committed to communicating your mission well. It is more time consuming than renting a list, but the results will be far better.

Start an email newsletter

The best way to grow a list is to offer an email newsletter that has valuable information. You could curate the news stories related to your cause. You could send out a blog post every other week. You could give “how to” tips on some subject. Your email newsletter can be anything, but it must be something people value.

How do you know if people value it? They’ll sign up and they’ll encourage others to sign up too.

Here’s a pet peeve of mine: don’t offer a “monthly email newsletter” if you’re not going to send it out monthly. Breaking a promise like that leads me to think you don’t have your act together. If you advertise a monthly email, deliver on that promise. Otherwise, invite people to “sign up for our sporadic newsletter” or simply to “our newsletter.” (Be sure to tell them the type of information they’ll get in the newsletter.)

Offer an ethical bribe

One time-honored way to encourage people to sign up for your list is by offering an “ethical bribe.” I do that here at FundraisingCoach.com. I offer an email that goes out every other Tuesday. And I offer the email solicitation ebook free for people who sign up for the list.

What could you give away to new subscribers? A recipe? An action guide? An ebook on a hot topic?

Whatever you give away, I encourage you choose something digital. That way it doesn’t cost your organization anything to send it. (Although some people offer a sticker or a hat so that they can get the physical mailing address of people on their email list.)

Contests and petitions

Another time-honored way of growing your email list is by using contests or petitions that require someone to sign up with their email address. The benefit, especially of a petition, is that you can attract people interested in your work or cause. I’ve never used this strategy but I see it used all the time.

If you use one of these, have the integrity to tell people clearly that by adding their email, they’re also signing up for your organization’s email newsletter or “timely updates” from your organization.

Organic growth is best

In my experience, the nonprofits with the most effective lists are those who’ve grown them organically. Even schools. Offering emails with something of value for the receiver is the best way to ethically grow your list.

What about you? What do you do to grow your email list? Tell us in the comments here or at the LinkedIn question at: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/non-profit/non-profit-fundraising/NNP_FUN/1010057-8616660.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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[Question Marc] Striking out with grants

I am working for a non-profit and recently have begun writing agency grants as well. This organization in the past has never relied on grants, but instead on funding from two fundraisers and the state and federal monies.

However, it seems that all of the foundations we are writing to are coming back and saying that they are not funding in the state or we fall outside their parameters or no reason at all.

We are using a web-based software called Foundation Search. Any opinions on online searches?

Here’s my answer

I can’t stand writing grants. To me, grants feel like a crap shoot or playing a one-armed bandit.

That being said, you can’t just “apply for grants” by blindly sending out grant applications. You have to do your homework. That’s just part of being a professional. It’s not worth wasting your time or their’s by applying for a type of project the funder clearly states they aren’t interested in.

Most foundation clearly states:

what types of things they give to,

where geographically they like to focus their giving, and

what their funding priorities are.

I am not familiar with the web-based software you mentioned, but I really like the Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online. You can get incredible information there. I’m using it for a campaign right now. (If you don’t like online, you can go to one of the five centers in the USA and many libraries.)

Use the phone

One of the best things you can do is call the foundation after doing some initial research. Tell them why you think they’re a good fit and see if it sounds like something they’ll look at.

More and more funders are inviting calls. It can be hard to hear a person say your project won’t fit, but it sure beats wasting a grant application!

If this answer was way too basic for you, check out Betsy Baker’s Grant Writing Masterclass webinar on June 11. This class is NOT for beginners!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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2 phrases to use when asking for money

I normally speak to large groups at conferences or to entire development teams, but I’ve been privileged to do a lot of one-on-one major gift fundraising training this year. One of the most common questions I am getting from nonprofit employees and board members alike is, “Ok, the ‘Get R.E.A.L.‘ formula is nice, but when it comes tom making the ask, what do I say?”

It’s a great question.

Fundraising isn’t a business transaction. Donors aren’t picking an item off the shelf and going to the cash register. If it were that simple, asking wouldn’t even be necessary.

Here are the two phrases that are helping people the most:

“Would you consider a gift of $X?”

Asking is challenging enough. A question like “would you consider a gift of ____?” accomplishes two things. First, it takes the pressure off the asker. People visibly relax when they hear that this is a good fundraising phrase. This feels like something they can naturally say.

Second, this phrase encourages askers to use a specific dollar amount. “Will you support our cause?” is a vapid cop-out for truly asking for money. One person’s idea of “support” may be $250 when you’d rated her as a $25,000 prospect. Do the donor prospect the courtesy of plainly telling them what number you’re thinking about.

A non-confrontational question like “Would you consider a gift of $25,000?” accomplishes just that.


“Honestly, I have NO idea how much to ask you for, but is a gift of $______ something you’d be able to consider?”

Honesty is quite disarming. And despite our best research, peer reviews, and calculated guessing, there are times we really don’t know how much to ask someone for. So let them know! This is especially powerful for volunteers who’ve been coached by excellent counsel to ask at a higher level then they feel comfortable asking at.

Most people respond well to requests for help. This is basically a request for help: Could you help me know how much I might ask you for? If you’re in the ballpark they’ll tell you. And if you’re too high, they’ll tell you too!


What to say if they ask you how you came up with the specific gift amount

From time to time, prospects will ask how you determined that number for them. Saying, “Well, we were looking at your stock holdings and the sale of your last business so $200,000 seemed reasonable” is an awful explanation. Instead, try using a printout from GiftRangeCalculator.com. “You see, Bob, the entire project is $4 million. To reach that, we need three leaders at the $200,000 level. You seemed like a great fit.”

What do you say?

Those are my favorite phrases for asking for money. What phrases and questions do you like? Tell us in the comments at the bottom of this post!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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The 3 best times to ask for money

Lots of us will be thinking about how to be more “green” since today is Earth Day. But how can we make our nonprofits more green? As in taking in more dollars?

Ask!

You knew that was coming, didn’t you? Asking for money is where the magic happens!

The 3 Best Times to Ask

There are 3 optimum times to ask for a major gift:

Before you meant to ask

When you meant to ask

After you meant to ask

Let’s look at these in depth.

Asking before you meant to

Successful fundraising involves cultivation, time getting to know the donor and letting the donor get to know you. Typically, these aren’t solicitation meetings. But from time to time, a donor might be so excited, they’ll indicate the level of their gift. “I’d give $30,000 to something like that!”

You have a choice: move past that comment, or acknowledge it.

You can nod and keep on “cultivating.”

Or you can stop and say, “We didn’t come here to ask you today…but since you mentioned that level of gift, would you like to make that commitment today?”

You have to get a feel for the situation. This is where asking is more art than science. Being honest– “We weren’t here to ask” — is incredibly powerful. It can work to even say, “Would you like to make that today or should we talk about that at a later meeting?”

I love being able to ask now because it gets us to thanking them so much faster! Thanking is always more fun that trying to get another appointment to set up an ask!

Asking when you meant to

It’s great when you’ve met a donor prospect, engaged them enough to have a feel for the right ask, asking is so much easier.

When you set up a solicitation appointment, be sure to say you want to get together to “talk about the project” or “discuss your involvement in the project” so they know the meeting has a purpose. If you set it up like this, getting to the ask is natural.

When that moment does come, ask for the specific dollar amount and then shut up! You need to let them process the ask. So just shut up and wait. They’ll let you know they’re done processing because they’ll be the first people to speak.

Asking after you meant to

Everyone chickens out at times. We lie to ourselves saying things like, “The timing wasn’t right.”

But remember: it is far less awkward to ask for money when you meant to then after you meant to.

Asking after you intended to means setting up another face-to-face meeting. Something that seems odd. This is where it starts to feel that you only are interested in the person’s money. But it’s important to still invite them to consider investing in your cause. So gut it out and get that next appointment!

Asking will add green to your nonprofit

Your nonprofit is making our world a better place. It’s worthy of people’s donations. So this Earth Day, commit to making your nonprofit more green by asking more often!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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3 Common Questions about 100 Donors in 90 Days

Since launching “100 Donors in 90 Days” on Monday, we’ve had many folks email and ask us some questions about it.

There have been three main questions asked about the system, I emailed the answers to those on my newsletter list earlier today. But I figured more of you might be wondering so I decided to share them here too.

Question 1 – Will “100 Donors in 90 Days” work in a small organization or is it just for organizations with large development shops?

Answer – The “100 Donors” system was actually created for the smaller shop nonprofits. Whether you have just a few folks on staff or you’re a staff of 1 or none, this will help you find more donors. We designed it to lighten your load a bit, and make it as easy as possible for overworked folks who wear too many hats.

Question 2 – Is it really about finding donors or just more fundraising advice?

Answer – It really is all about finding donors. The Action Guides walk you through what you need to do each week to be able to bring in 100 new donors in the next 90 days.

The one exception would be the first week where Tom Ahern walks you through putting your own simple case for support together. He even walks through a real fundraising letter written by a volunteer at a small nonprofit and explains why it was so successful. Without a strong case for support, no “system” in the world will get you donors. So that’s why we included this module at the beginning.

Question 3 – Do you have a free trial?

Answer – No. But we do have a pretty amazing 30-day “give it a try” guarantee. We believe you will love this program so we stand behind it unconditionally. If you don’t start seeing results from the “100 Donors in 90 Days” system within 30 days we will refund all your money, hassle-free. And I mean “hassle free.” Call me up or send me an email saying you’d like your money back and I’ll make sure you get it. It’s that simple.

One other thing

I’ve been told by a couple people that Tom Ahern’s module (week 1) is worth the the price all by itself. As I said above, he’ll walk you through putting a simple and highly effective case for support together.

I hope that helps answer some of your questions.

Oh, and if you’d like to get “100 Donors in 90 Days“, just go to http://www.100Donorsin90Days.com.

The special introductory offer of $50 off lasts until next Friday, April 20. But the bonus of 10 free movies on stewarding donors ends tomorrow so it’s best to get the program today.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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Don’t turn to the “dark side”

We fundraisers are a fascinating group of talented individuals. But this year, I’m seeing many of us talk ourselves out of asking for money, even when the donors have told us they’ll give!

I guess it should make sense: successful fundraisers need to be good storytellers. But as they say, your greatest strength can become your greatest weakness. Rather than using that storytelling imagination to imagine reasons why the donor might want to give, we often build stories about why this is a bad time to ask for money. And we can be quite convincing!

The good news is that if we’re already telling ourselves negative stories, we already have the skills needed to tell ourselves positive ones! As you start practicing telling yourself reasons why someone will give, it’ll probably feel like you’re lying to yourself. You may be, but no more than you’re lying to yourself with the negative story!

I jokingly call this negative use of our imagination “turning to the dark side.” Last week I was able to be in the 501 Videos studio to talk about it for yesterday’s Movie Monday.

I also talk about the phrases I use to ask for money. And how practicing these phrases helps me to actually focus on the donor during the appointment!

You can see the entire three and a half minute video at:

http://www.501videos.com/cmd.php?Clk=4684422

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Get 100 donors in the next 12 weeks? Learn how: 100 Donors in 90 Days!

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