Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 6

Impactful Legacy Giving Benefits for You and Your Donors

While every donation is impactful for your nonprofit, it takes more than small gifts to fund your work. Specifically, your organization needs sustainable, long-term funding sources to make a lasting difference for your cause. Legacy gifts provide plenty of opportunities to earn long-term funding, but many nonprofits hesitate to promote planned gifts and other legacy giving options because they require a more delicate approach.

However, donors can be more receptive than you might think! You can tap into this impactful fundraising avenue by explaining the mutual benefits of legacy giving and making it easy for donors to give. To help your organization earn more legacy gifts, we’ll cover the following:

What is Legacy Giving?Benefits for NonprofitsBenefits for DonorsHow to Tap Into Legacy Giving

Understanding these benefits is the first step to cultivating substantial legacy gifts for your nonprofit. Let’s explore how you can pave the way for earning more sustainable funding with legacy giving.

What is Legacy Giving?

Legacy giving, also known as planned giving, is a type of donation that’s meant to support a nonprofit, university, or other organization beyond the donor’s lifetime.

This is completed either by setting aside a donation to be given after the donor passes away or by giving a gift during their lifetime that continues to grow following the donor’s passing. Legacy giving can take a variety of forms, including:

Bequests: NXUnite defines bequests as “a legacy gift where the donor includes a nonprofit in their will, leaving a portion of their estate to it.” Depending on the donor’s wishes, your nonprofit may receive funds, stocks, or a percentage of the estate itself.Life insurance: Donors can list your organization as a beneficiary on their life insurance policy. They can also donate any unused retirement assets to your nonprofit.Endowments: If a donor wants to give both during and after their lifetime, they can gift a named endowment fund to your organization. Donors can add to the fund, watch it grow throughout their lifetimes, and rest assured that it will continue to grow and leave a charitable legacy after they pass away.

While not commonly considered legacy gifts, donor-advised funds (DAFs) also provide donors with the potential to create a lasting legacy of giving throughout their lifetimes. These funds are similar to endowments, except they’re managed by the donor and their DAF provider instead of gifted to a specific nonprofit. This way, DAF-holding donors can give to multiple nonprofits throughout their lives instead of just one.

Benefits for Nonprofits

First and foremost, legacy gifts provide more financial resources for your nonprofit to use to further your mission. Not only are legacy donations typically larger, but they also help you plan for the future of your nonprofit’s fundraising. Bequests act as future revenue you can project, and endowments provide sustainable, predictable funding that grows over time.

Plus, soliciting legacy gifts allows your organization to engage donors and deepen important relationships. The work you put into cultivating relationships with prospective legacy donors will benefit your organization now and in the future.

Benefits for Donors

The biggest benefit of giving a legacy gift is the ability for donors to make a substantial, lasting impact on your nonprofit’s cause. Infinite Giving’s nonprofit endowment guide explains that legacy gifts enable donors to extend their personal impact beyond their lifetimes and financially support your organization for generations. Every donor wants to make a personal difference, and legacy giving is one of the best ways to do so.

Additionally, legacy gifts offer donors:

An easier way to give a major gift. Some supporters may want to make a major donation but don’t have the means to do so due to other financial responsibilities. Since most planned gifts don’t affect the donor’s current finances, this presents an easier way to give a large donation without hurting their budget.Tax benefits. Just like any other donation, legacy gifts offer tax benefits like charitable tax deductions. For instance, any time a donor adds funds to their endowment or donor-advised fund, they receive immediate tax deductions.Family legacies. Even though the donor may not see their gift’s impact themselves, their family members will. Planned gifts and named endowments help the donor’s children and grandchildren remember them fondly and celebrate their life.

With legacy giving options like endowments and bequests, donors also have the ability to restrict their donation—meaning they can decide how they want the gift to be used. While this isn’t a requirement (and it’s often better for your organization if the gift is unrestricted), having the freedom to choose how their funds are used can be an incentive for donors. Donors can also leave their gifts unrestricted but still note preferences for your nonprofit to honor.

How to Tap Into Legacy Giving

Now that you understand the benefits for both you and your donors, you’re ready to start promoting legacy giving and tapping into the opportunity.

To earn any legacy donations, you first need to develop a marketing strategy that makes donors aware of the option. Create a page on your website that explains what legacy giving is, the associated benefits, and how they can learn more about donating. Then, reach out to individual supporters who may be interested and communicate the advantages to them.

Along with promoting the option, you can better tap into legacy gifts by investing in software that makes donating easier. For example, you might invest in nonprofit endowment software so you can easily:

Create a branded donation page or widget that lets donors give endowments and other non-cash gifts like stocks, DAF grants, and cryptocurrency.Simplify the giving process for donors by letting them give a legacy gift right from your donation page. They input their financial information, then the software notifies you of the donor’s intent and starts the endowment creation process for you.Track everything in a comprehensive dashboard where you can monitor the growth of endowment gifts and let donors see their impact.

Finally, consider doing prospect research to determine which of your existing supporters may be the most interested in giving a legacy gift. Look for markers in your database that indicate individual donors have demonstrated a passion for your cause and a commitment to give over time. This research will help you focus your outreach efforts and increase your chances of success.

Legacy giving may seem like a difficult avenue to pursue, but these impactful benefits make it worthwhile. When you explain the major difference a legacy gift can make for both your nonprofit and the donor, you may be surprised by how many supporters are interested.

About the Author

Karen Houghton

Karen Houghton is the CEO of Infinite Giving, a relationship and technology driven Nonprofit Investment Advisor. Karen leverages her deep nonprofit expertise to bring a modern and curated investment experience to nonprofit organizations all over the US. She advocates for organizational sustainability through better financial management, strategic access to curated investment practices for reduced management fees, and increased asset giving. 

The post Impactful Legacy Giving Benefits for You and Your Donors appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Are people not giving? Or are you not asking?

I while ago, I spoke with a nonprofit leader who wanted to explore working with me. She posed a problem that many fundraising coaching clients have: she has a six-figure fundraising goal and is struggling with getting donations.

As we prepared to meet, I asked her what the biggest challenge was – if it were the six-figure fundraising goal, or something else.

Her response was remarkably candid. She said that the fundraising goal is the big point for us to be working together. But in utter clarity, she said she really hasn’t been doing the fundraising part of her responsibilities.

Getting Clear on Your Focus

It’s rare for any of us to have such clarity.

Many of us have multiple responsibilities. This leader certainly did. Many of those other responsibilities were more urgent, so fundraising was easy to put off.

It’s not just those in nonprofit leadership positions. Even those supposedly tasked solely with fundraising have competing responsibilities. Often fifty-percent of their time is consumed with “being a team player” activities like staff meetings and community events.

Where is Your Focus?

It’s easy to feel busy with all these competing demands. And to fall into the trap of wondering why the donations aren’t coming.

Sometimes the struggle isn’t really with getting donations. The struggle is our own self-discipline to actually do the asking.

This week, make sure to block out time to actually do the asking. And honor yourself by keeping that commitment.

Don’t worry if, at first, the work seems like drudgery compared to your other activities. That’s natural. It will get a bit easier as you see donations coming in.

Remember, fundraisers raise funds. So asking is what you’re supposed to be doing.

A version of this was first sent to our Fundraising Kick coaching email subscribers. You can subscribe for yourself at: https://fundraisingcoach.com/fundraisingkick/

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Staffing for a Capital Campaign: How to Prepare

Growing your fundraising staff for a capital campaign is the norm for most nonprofits.

After all, you’re planning a campaign to jolt your organization beyond its current capacity, a campaign that will raise 5 times (or more) the amount you raise through your annual fundraising. And keep in mind that these campaigns don’t occur frequently. 41% of surveyed nonprofits conducting campaigns haven’t done so in six or more years. For 24% of them, it’s been over a decade since their last campaign (2023 State of Capital Campaigns Benchmark Report).

So you might not be fully equipped in your current state to tackle a large, special campaign. A bigger fund development team is often necessary to help you make that stretch to your next level of impact and avoid making mistakes along the way.

If you’re considering or planning a capital campaign—what should you know about campaign staffing? Let’s take a look.

Hiring for a Capital Campaign: 6 Steps

Although only 7% of nonprofits report staffing as a key campaign challenge, selecting the right person will be important. The success of your campaign is important and you’ve got to get the right team in place.

To find the best candidates for the job and set your organization up for long-term success, you should take an organized approach. Follow these steps:

Determine your needs. Take stock of your development team’s current state. Ask staff to track their activities and to-do lists over the course of a week. Use these insights to determine what realistically can/can’t get done and what an ideal workload looks like for each member of your team. Knowing that your development work will drastically intensify when the campaign is in full swing, estimate how much more you need to grow your team to meet those needs. This may be a good opportunity to reconsider current responsibilities and shift staff roles to make them more efficient and effective. Then, look carefully at what positions you might add. Some organizations add a campaign director or manager. Others find that they are well-staffed at the management level but that additional support staff will add greater efficiency.Determine your priorities. Take a close look at your insights from Step 1. What are the most important things that are or aren’t getting done? Can tasks be reshuffled to boost overall productivity? For example, would it make more sense to hire additional gift officers or a single fundraising coordinator who can take over those logistical tasks and free the rest of the team’s time for more fundraising? Every nonprofit’s staffing plan will vary, but campaigns give you the chance to improve the way you and your staff work.Secure buy-in early. If you are planning to increase your staff for the campaign, you will have to get approvals from your board and executive staff. If you are working with a campaign consultant, they can help put the staff increases in the context of other campaigns. The conversations about staffing should happen during the early phases of planning your campaign in order to build the expectation that the current development staff will not be able to carry out the campaign without increasing its capacity.Budget appropriately. As you secure buy-in for hiring, consider the campaign budget and how it fits into your larger campaign plan. Explain to leaders and the board that it is a common practice to fold hiring expenses into your overall campaign goal. The organization’s increased capacity following the budget’s projected timeframe (often 3-4 years) may be able to cover some or all of the new staff members in an expanded operating budget after the campaign is over.Create job descriptions. Develop descriptions for both new and adjusted roles. Clarify the expected duration of the role and any specific KPIs that team member performance will be measured with. Make sure everyone understands his or her responsibilities, particularly as they relate to the capital campaign. This step will help create a smooth and cooperative work flow, even during the busiest days of your campaign. Determine compensation and benefits details for any new positions, as well.Start promoting and interviewing. Finally, start promoting your open positions on the channels you’d typically use to recruit new team members.

Understanding this process ahead of time will allow you to develop a more thorough and realistic campaign plan and timeline. With a well-organized team of the right size, you’ll be equipped once the quiet phase of your campaign begins in earnest.

Whether you ultimately retain your entire campaign staff or not, your organization will be in a much stronger position to continue fundraising effectively in the future.

As you head into a campaign, remember that preparedness and organization are key. You need to foster a team that’s well-equipped to handle and learn from the campaign experience without being stretched too thin.

About the Author

Andrea Kihlstedt

Andrea is the author of Capital Campaigns: Strategies that Work, now in its 4th edition, as well as How to Raise $1 Million (or More) in 10 Bite Sized Steps, in addition to other books. Andrea has been leading successful capital campaigns for more than 30 years. To learn how Capital Campaign Pro can support you through a capital campaign, visit capitalcampaignpro.com.

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Evaluating Nonprofit Impact: Analytics to Take from Form 990

As a nonprofit professional, you understand the importance of filing Form 990 in a timely and accurate manner. After all, your status as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization depends on it.

However, did you know that you can gain valuable insights about your nonprofit from your Form 990 that can help you obtain donors? You just need to know where to look!

It can be challenging to decipher the numbers on your Form 990, much less glean actionable insights from them. But, by looking out for certain trends and data, you can make your Form 990 valuable to you in more ways than one. Let’s dive into some key takeaways!

What information is reported on Form 990?

The answer depends on a number of factors specific to your nonprofit. For instance, if you’re a smaller nonprofit, you can fill out a shorter form, whereas if you have more gross receipts, you need to provide more information. According to File 990, The types of Form 990 you should know are as follows:

Form 990-N, which is meant for nonprofits with gross receipts less than $50,000Form 990-EZ, which is meant for nonprofits with gross receipts between $50,000 and $200,000Form 990, which is meant for nonprofits with gross receipts more than $200,000Form 990-PF, which is filed by private foundations regardless of financial status

As the nonprofit filer grows in size and gross receipts, the more financial records they have to provide to the IRS, so the information required at each tier varies. That said, the IRS requires information about your nonprofit’s:

Name, address, and Employer Identification NumberMission statementGoverning documents, such as the Bylaws and Articles of IncorporationFinancial information, such as your total expenses, assets, and budgetary breakdownCompensation of key officersProgram accomplishments and setbacksGrants and other major contribution informationFundraising activitiesExternal contractor information, such as accountants or consultants

With these key details in mind, let’s explore the areas your nonprofit can improve with information found on Form 990.

1. Financial Health

Perhaps the most straightforward area your nonprofit can gauge using Form 990 is your financial stability. After all, Form 990 is at its core a document that verifies your organization’s tax exempt status. Here are the main places you can look for information on your nonprofit’s financial health:

Revenue streams. Simply having enough fundraising revenue isn’t enough to gauge if your nonprofit’s financially healthy. You should also take a look at your revenue streams to see if you’re overly reliant on one or the other. For instance, if 75% of your fundraising revenue comes from one-time donors, you should probably look into expanding other revenue streams such as corporate partnerships to build a more reliable support base.Cash and noncash assets. Having liquid assets is important for managing your nonprofit’s cash flow, correcting for unforeseen circumstances, capitalizing on unexpected opportunities, and demonstrating financial responsibility to donors. Analyze your assets and discuss whether you have enough or if you need to liquidate more funds.Expense efficiency. As important as fundraising is for your nonprofit, keep in mind that mitigating wasted expenses is crucial. Compare your reported expenses with those of previous years and determine if there’s room for future improvement given your current programming.

Financial health, while one of the most important indicators you can gauge using Form 990, is far from the only one. Let’s explore some others.

2. Program Effectiveness

Another area your nonprofit should focus on is the efficiency of your initiatives. Check out the following metrics to ascertain how effective your programs are in supporting your mission:

Program descriptions. Your team knows your programs better than anyone else. Review the descriptions you provided for your programs and evaluate if they’re still accurate, comprehensive, and mission-oriented. If not, you should get your team on the same page while you modify your definitions.Measurable outcomes. Let’s say your nonprofit focuses on providing free tutoring for neurodivergent teenagers. Have your programs led to higher test scores? How about an influx in beneficiaries? What are your online reviews like? Information like this should be present in your “program accomplishments” section.Fund allocation. Using both of the metrics above and relevant financial data, evaluate whether enough funding has been allotted for your initiatives. For example, if your nonprofit’s math tutoring programs have especially strong outcomes but are underfunded compared to the other subjects, you might allocate more funds to it to expand its potential.

Keeping your initiatives in line with your mission is the best way for your nonprofit to play to your your strengths and reduce your weaknesses. These data fields help you identify if your programs are mission-oriented, effective, and worth your time and money to execute.

3. Transparency and Accountability

Form 990 is an effective instrument for establishing for trust and transparency with supporters, leading to donor retention. However, it’s up to you to make sure the following aspects of your form have enough data to keep supporters informed:

Independent auditor’s report. Working with an external auditor indicates that your nonprofit cares about working with an external, unbiased party to present financial records. This speaks to your organization’s credibility and shows your commitment to using funds for the right purposes.Collaborations. Transparency in partnerships and marketing is crucial for maintaining your donors’ trust in your nonprofit. Clearly outline any formal partnerships you have with companies, government organizations, and other nonprofits so your supporters can understand your alliances.Compensation disclosures. Remember, your nonprofit must be organized purely to aid your beneficiaries and pursue your mission, meaning no internal party can benefit from nonprofit funds. Ensure you have detailed records about your officers’ compensation, including if they’ve received raises and how long they’ve been working at your nonprofit so your supporters know their salaries are fair.

By filling any of these gaps with useful facts in your Form 990, you can rest assured that your nonprofit is giving supporters the information they need to support your organization.

Whether you’re filing the full Form 990 or just the 990-N postcard, you can decide the strongest way forward for your nonprofit. As long as you maintain proper data hygiene practices and file your information accurately, Form 990 is a treasure trove of information that, used correctly, can secure your nonprofit’s place in your community.

About the Author

Melissa Geitgey

Melissa Geitgey, APR, is the director of marketing for Togetherwork’s higher education product group. Togetherwork is a Saas company that provides integrated software and financial solutions that help organizations and membership groups manage, grow, and engage with their communities.

Melissa has extensive experience leading marketing and communications departments to advance strategic initiatives, managing events and corporate brands for Saas, higher education, athletics, professional services, and nonprofit organizations. She graduated from Valparaiso University with a B.A. in Communications and received her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) by the Universal Accreditation Board in 2011.

She’s a past president of the Public Relations Society of America Hoosier Chapter and former chapter Ethics Chair. When she’s not geeking out about marketing communications strategy and the creative process, Melissa loves spending time with her family, listening to live music, visiting art museums, restoring vintage handbags and subversive cross stitch.

The post Evaluating Nonprofit Impact: Analytics to Take from Form 990 appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Fundraiser Troubleshooting: 3 Hurdles + How Software Helps

As a fundraiser, you’ve surely run into obstacles during fundraising campaigns before. Maybe you’re still a few hundred dollars away from your goal during your most important fundraiser of the year, but it feels like you’ve totally run out of donor opportunities. Or, perhaps your staff and volunteers are carrying far too many responsibilities and struggle to complete all of their tasks.

Issues like these can make it feel like the sky is falling, but investing in the right software solution can help you overcome them. For instance, you might already use a marketing tool to schedule posts and emails in advance or have a CRM to track donor relationships to free up your team’s bandwidth. Specialized fundraising tools play a similar role in your campaigns, streamlining the process and helping you raise more for your cause.

Additionally, these tools have benefits (like increased efficiency) to offer any social good organization, whether you’re raising funds for children to access books or to conserve land of historical and ecological significance in your community. To get started, we’ll focus on one of the most common—and frustrating—fundraising challenges: a lack of reach and disengaged donors.

Hurdle 1: Limited Reach and Engagement

While it’s important to have a core group of passionate supporters who are dialed into each of your fundraisers, it’s essential to consistently reach and recruit new supporters to grow your organization.

However, it can be difficult to find ways to expand beyond this core group or to reach those outside your local area. Digital fundraisers supported by fundraising software offer a low-lift, cost-effective way to cultivate new supporter bases, extend your reach, and engage your existing supporters more deeply.

Here are a few simple digital fundraising methods you can pair with your theme or idea of choice:

Peer-to-peer. Bloomerang’s peer-to-peer fundraising guide describes this method as “a fundraising strategy where individuals organize personal campaigns to raise money on behalf of a nonprofit organization.” The pledge fundraising model, in which supporters contribute pledged donations that are delivered after the fundraiser, can easily fit into this strategy. For example, you might organize a fun run, have participants collect $5 pledges from their peers per mile they run, and collect donations via online channels.Virtual challenges. These challenges take place primarily on social media, and they urge supporters to take part in a challenge (which can be funny, difficult, etc.). Think back to the Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014 which raised $115 million for the ALS Association. Design a challenge your audience is likely to be interested in, does not have a high barrier to entry, and aligns with your organization’s identity and mission.Text-to-give. Text-based fundraisers are extremely sharable and make it as simple as possible for your supporters to donate. Typically, you’ll need to use a special software solution to facilitate the process of creating the phone number and codes that supporters will use to donate. Then, all you need to do is write a compelling request, promote the challenge online, and urge supporters to share the campaign with their friends and family.

Each of these methods empowers participants to make the fundraiser a huge success. For example, if your marching band is holding a peer-to-peer fundraiser, students and their families will feel motivated to post about their individual donation pages in order to generate enough revenue to reach the fundraising goal.

This feeling of shared responsibility to your cause will inspire participants to engage more deeply with your organization and work to share about the cause with their networks.

Hurdle 2: Overworked Staff and Volunteers

Most effective campaigns rely on help from your organization’s support system, whether that be staff members, volunteers, members of your PTA, or other supporters. But without the right tech to take recurring administrative tasks off your plate, you could quickly end up with too much work to go around.

Fundraising software can lift the burden of repetitive administrative tasks off your organization’s shoulders. This way, staff and supporters can allocate their time toward more productive tasks, like preparing decorations for your upcoming fundraiser event or scheduling meetings with major donors.

Here are some of the tasks fundraising software can do for you:

Set up team, individual, or organization-wide donation pagesTrack and log each donation madeSend automated donation receipts and thank-you messagesAllow you to send mass messages to participants and donors in just a few clicksCollect and consolidate data, making the process paperlessProcess payments for you, quickly delivering the total funds raised to your account

Because your staff will have more time to dedicate toward other tasks, consider making an effort to recruit more volunteers to help out with offline responsibilities, like event setup and tear down. After all, not all of your communications must be about financial support—instead, ask supporters if they’d like to help out by donating their time.

Hurdle 3: Difficulty Tracking Donations

Closely tracking donations is critical to ensure that your organization can accurately report the revenue it made on tax forms, maintain transparency with donors, measure profitability for campaigns, and continue to fund its work. Ensuring that you are meeting fundraising goals and minimizing costs is more important than ever as the U.S. begins to see a dip in donations.

However, if you’re tracking donations without software, the process can get messy. This is particularly challenging when it comes to pledged donations because they are completed after the fundraiser wraps up.

Rather than struggle to keep up with the influx of donations, make sure to invest in software that automatically tracks gifts and processes payments as we discussed in the previous section. If you choose a method like a pledge drive fundraiser, it can be helpful to find a solution with features like automatic payment reminders to prompt donors to honor their pledged gifts. And to make giving as convenient as possible, 99Pledges recommends choosing a software solution that accepts and tracks popular payment methods such as major credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

While these are some of the most common fundraising challenges, your organization might face other obstacles that software can assist with. For example, fundraising software can support donor retention efforts by sending automated thank-you emails when a donation is made. When powerful tech is paired with expert nonprofit management techniques, your organization will be able to reach and retain new audiences, automate tasks, and accurately track data.

About the Author

Brad Dowhaniuk

Brad Dowhaniuk is the co-founder of 99Pledges, which provides schools and teams with an easy-to-use, web-based fundraising solution to manage and drive success in Fun Runs, jog-a-thons, baseball hit-a-thons, and much more.

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How To Make Your Nonprofit’s Marketing Unforgettable

How many sentences of this introduction will you read? How long can this paragraph hold your attention? According to Treetop Therapy’s attention statistics, the human attention span is eight seconds, dropping by 25% over the past few years.

Between volunteer recruitment, community partnership appeals, spreading awareness, and donation and follow-up requests, your nonprofit practically revolves around effective communications. The trouble is, almost every nonprofit is highly communicative.

In a time of heightened cell phone and social media usage, it’s no wonder brains are filtering out marketing messages, including those from your nonprofit—there’s a mess of them!

So how do you make your marketing efforts stand out? In this guide, we’ll explore four ways your nonprofit can make its messages unforgettable:

Choose the right marketing channelsMarket to a target audiencePromote your nonprofit’s storyAdvertise relevant and valuable information

When you adjust your marketing efforts to capture more than eight seconds of a supporter’s attention, your nonprofit will stand out and garner more support for your cause. Learn how to do just that by employing the following strategies.

1. Choose the right marketing channels

To reach your audience, you need to start by figuring out where they can be reached. Getting Attention’s guide to digital marketing recommends using a multichannel approach to maximize your reach. Try leveraging the following channels:

Social media: Since your supporters are likely already on social media for a few hours each day, these sites are a great place to get your nonprofit on users’ minds. Your content may get a simple “like” or quick comment, but you’re gaining the visibility needed to pave the way for more engaging communications.Email: Newsletters or other longer communications allow nonprofits to build out their messages; send emails to provide supporters with more detailed updates about the nonprofit’s work, upcoming events, and ways supporters can get involved.Direct mail: Which would be more attention-grabbing: an announcement from your doctor’s office warning that their list of accepted insurance policies is changing or a direct letter listing your outstanding payments? People listen more closely to messages that are personalized to them, and few communications are more personal than a physical letter. Use direct mail to thank supporters for their involvement, recruit more help, or simply update them on your important work.

Think about nonprofit marketing efforts like exercise. If you want to build muscle, you first need to identify where you want to bulk up or which muscle group you want to focus on. You’ll also need to consistently exercise to see real results.

In the same way, one marketing message won’t cut it for your nonprofit. To yield real results, you’ll need to regularly send communications and consistently keep your supporters in the loop. Remember, you’re not looking for readers, but subscribers.

2. Market to a target audience

Reaching out on the right channels is important, but within those channels, you must also reach out to the right people. Narrow down your audience to identify the supporters who will be the most receptive and valuable to your cause.

Donor research can help you learn more about your target audience, allowing you to connect with them more deeply through your marketing efforts. Try to learn more about your donors than just their names and contact information by researching their:

CareersCommunity involvementHobbiesFamily members or social circles

These factors can influence who you reach out to and how you approach them. For example, if you know someone who has a history of volunteering, you might first send them messages about your volunteer program rather than donation requests. Specifying your target audience lays the groundwork to develop appealing content.

3. Promote your nonprofit’s story

Of course, reaching out to the right audience is only effective if your message is compelling. You’ll also need to make your message engaging, and the key way to do this is by telling your nonprofit’s story.

Think about the crucial elements of your nonprofit’s story, such as:

Main characters: You might tell the inspiring story of your nonprofit’s founders, beneficiaries who have been helped by your organization, or past volunteers who have accomplished significant work.Setting: Cultivate a feeling of community pride by explaining how your nonprofit helps a locality, state, nation, or even the world.Conflict: Why does your nonprofit exist? What is the issue it aims to address? Emphasize the severity of the issue to explain why your work is so important.Core message: Your story, no matter how you tell it, should always point back to your nonprofit’s efforts to fulfill its mission according to its values. Let your core values take center stage as the solution to the problem presented in the story.

Attention spans can be affected by a person’s emotional engagement, which is why storytelling techniques can so effectively capture the attention of prospective supporters. Your organization’s unique story will stand out from other nonprofits’ because it’s yours! No other organization has your background, your staff members, or your impact. When told through a compelling story, these unique elements will speak volumes to your target audience.

4. Advertise relevant and valuable information

Just like the compelling nature of storytelling, relevant and valuable information will also capture your audience’s interest. Meyer Partners’ guide to nonprofit marketing warns that donors may be frustrated by a sole focus on asking for money and distance themselves from your mission if you only send them donation requests.

Since your website is a hub for information about your organization and its cause, it’s a great place to provide highly sought-after information. Your homepage should immediately capture visitors’ attention and also encourage readers to click through your additional pages for valuable information about your organization, such as:

BackgroundCause and missionCore valuesVolunteer opportunitiesUpcoming eventsActive board members

Draw attention to your website with tools such as Google Ads. When you leverage the Google Ad Grant program (or hire an agency to manage it for you), your nonprofit’s website will reap the benefits of increased visibility. Use Google Ads and other advertising opportunities to promote your volunteer program, educational content, an ongoing campaign, or any other page on your website.

No matter which channels you use or how you structure your content, create marketing content that speaks to your audience by recognizing their point of view and keeping their needs in mind. When you appeal to your target audience with unique content on the right channels, you’ll quickly capture their attention and keep your cause top of mind even after they click away from your message.

The post How To Make Your Nonprofit’s Marketing Unforgettable appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Following up IS fundraising

A few weeks ago, I heard that 65% – 70% of sales happen during the follow up phase.

65% – 70%!

The person sharing this information said that most business owners get stuck chasing the “cream,” just looking for the three people out of ten who are easy to sell to. Even though the majority of sales is in the additional ten, they ignore them. And wonder why they’re struggling.

True for Fundraising Too

In my experience, this rings true with fundraising too. Especially major gift fundraising.

Nonprofit leaders and fundraisers too often look for the “easy” or “new” donors, while ignoring the discipline of following up with those who haven’t responded. Or who have given in the past but not for a while.

Looking for new donors is wise. But too often, the search for “new” people can be a distraction that leads to funding struggles.

The thing is, it’s a struggle of our own creation. There could be another four or five gifts in the seven people waiting for our follow up.

Following up is a kindness

My friend Hilary Blair said that whenever she is second guessing making a follow up call to a prospect, she remembers the people she wishes would follow up with her! Would you go to the gym more often if someone followed up with you? Or get your hair done more regularly if they’d call you? I know I wouldn’t have changed barbers in the pandemic if mine had followed up consistently.

Remembering she’d be grateful for a follow up helps put her in a better mindset for calling.

Hopefully it can help you get into a better state of mind too. Following up is part of the job of fundraising. You don’t have to enjoy this process of following up. But if you have to meet payroll or hit specific goals, you’ll be glad you did.

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A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Nonprofit Auction Catalog

This article is contributed by Jeff Cova, President of Winspire. 

When your nonprofit hosts a fundraising auction, your catalog is a vital resource for connecting with supporters and sponsors before, during, and after the event. Not only does it serve as a guide to the event, but it’s also a component of your marketing strategy and a resource for thanking everyone who made your fundraising success possible. Additionally, an auction catalog with a professional design and well-written content can motivate event participants to bid on high-value items.

According to the fundraising experts at Winspire, a fully fleshed-out auction catalog is best suited to an in-person live auction because the item list is usually short and finalized well in advance, making the catalog relatively easy to put together. For silent and virtual auctions that feature more items, well-designed bid sheets serve a similar purpose in catching supporters’ attention. However, you might still create an abbreviated catalog to preview a few carefully selected silent auction prizes.

In this guide, we’ll cover the key elements of a nonprofit auction catalog and discuss how to distribute the catalog when it’s complete. Let’s get started!

Contents of a Nonprofit Auction Catalog

It’s no secret that at a fundraising auction, the items are the star of the show. Although you should reflect this by making your item descriptions take up the bulk of your auction catalog, this isn’t the only section you should include.

Let’s walk through each component of a well-designed catalog in more detail.

Cover Page

Because your cover page is the first thing supporters will see when they pick up (or download) your auction catalog, it needs to be eye-catching and have a professional feel to entice them to look inside. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to feature your nonprofit’s brand front and center.

Kwala’s guide to nonprofit branding recommends including the following brand elements in your organization’s marketing materials, including your auction catalog’s cover page:

Color palette. Ensure adequate contrast between the text and background colors. Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background improves readability.Typography. To add visual variety to your catalog, consider choosing two brand typefaces: one for titles and one for body text. But avoid using more than three fonts so as not to create a cluttered design.Logo. Place your logo at the top of your catalog’s cover page to ensure it’s immediately visible and recognizable to auction participants.Tagline. A tagline is a short, memorable phrase that captures the essence of your mission. Include it on the cover next to your nonprofit’s name and logo so new supporters can quickly understand the cause they’re supporting by participating in your auction.

Additionally, include photos or another interesting visual design on your auction catalog cover page. These visuals should relate either to your mission or to your auction items, depending on what would appeal most to your nonprofit’s supporters.

Mission Information

Once you’ve drawn supporters in with a visual overview of your event and its purpose on your cover page, dive deeper into the cause your auction will support. On the inside cover of your catalog, write out your organization’s mission statement and provide specific examples of how you’ll use the funds raised to further that mission.

You could also convey this mission information with a letter from your nonprofit’s executive director or board chair addressed to auction attendees. This approach not only provides space to include data and tell stories that demonstrate your organization’s impact, but the signature from a leader at your nonprofit also boosts credibility to reassure participants that they’re supporting a good cause.

Event Agenda

The event agenda section is fairly straightforward: include the order of events at the fundraiser, the start and end time for bidding on live auction items, and any other logistical details participants should know, such as where to collect their prizes and whether food will be served. Once the live auction begins, bidding can quickly become intense, so it’s helpful for attendees to know how the event will proceed beforehand.

Item Descriptions

This section should take up the majority of your catalog, and it’s best to include about 12-15 live auction items in total. This way, you can highlight two or three per page, add relevant photos, and write detailed descriptions that encourage supporters to bid.

Here are some tips to make your descriptions more persuasive:

Give each item a catchy title. For example, “French Countryside Chateau Getaway” will pique supporters’ interest more than “Vacation to Bordeaux, France” would.Write concisely. Keep your sentences short and use bullet points where possible to make your descriptions skimmable.Include all essential information. List everything included in a prize bundle, along with any limitations on its use (such as the dates when tickets are valid), so supporters can make an informed decision about whether to bid on each item.

Accompany each description with a tracking number so you can find the winning bidders and ensure they claim their items at the end of the auction.

Sponsor Acknowledgments

Securing sponsorships is critical to maximizing your auction’s fundraising ROI. Corporate partners can either provide financial support to offset event planning costs or assist you in procuring auction items at little or no cost. However, sponsorships need to be mutually beneficial to succeed.

One benefit you can provide your event sponsors is free publicity by recognizing them in various event materials, including your auction catalog. If a corporate partner donated an auction item, add their logo to the description with a short blurb such as, “This item was provided by [business name].” On the last page of your catalog, list financial contributors according to their sponsorship level to thank them for their support.

How to Distribute Your Nonprofit Auction Catalog

Once you’ve designed an auction catalog that includes all of the above elements, you should send it to a print shop to make physical copies and save it as a PDF for digital distribution. There are two main reasons for using both distribution methods. The first is to allow supporters to choose their preferred method of following along during the event—some participants might like a hard copy, while others would rather download the catalog on their smartphones.

Additionally, having both print and digital versions of your auction catalog ensures you can seamlessly incorporate it into all of your marketing materials. Include a physical copy with mailed invitations, and link to the PDF in emails, social media post captions, and the events section of your nonprofit’s website. This way, no matter how supporters find out about your auction, they can get a sneak peek at your auction items and come prepared to bid on their favorites.

While some nonprofits solicit professional graphic design services for their auction catalogs, there are also free tools and templates available online if you’d prefer to take a do-it-yourself approach. By including all of the elements listed above, incorporating your organization’s branding and high-quality photos, and ensuring your design translates to both print and digital distribution methods, you can create a polished-looking catalog for your nonprofit’s next auction no matter your level of design experience.

About the Author

Jeff Cova

Jeff has over 17 years of experience in the Nonprofit and fundraising industry. Prior to Winspire, Jeff worked for 5 years as the Director of Development at Cal State Fullerton before co-founding a company specializing in producing charity auctions for Nonprofits where he successfully produced the auctions for 250 of Southern California’s most successful fundraising events.

In 2008 Jeff founded Winspre with the goal of helping non-profits across the country increase their event fundraising revenue and identify new fundraising sources. Jeff and his team at Winspire have helped over 12,000 non-profits to date.

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Charity Auctions: 3 Best Practices for Fundraising Success

One of the most profitable events a nonprofit can host is a charity auction. These events give donors a new way to support your organization while being highly cost-effective. Auctions are also very flexible and can be adapted for a number of audiences and goals.

We know how easy it is to fall into the same routine of hosting the same event every year, so we’ve compiled a list of tips to help set your next charity auction up for success. Use these best practices and fresh ideas to create a profitable and memorable auction.

1. Host an Online or Hybrid Auction.

Traditionally, most nonprofits hold in-person auctions. People get dressed up, hire babysitters, and enjoy a night out. But what if it wasn’t the only option?

Adding online bidding options creates a hybrid auction where your guests can participate as they’re able. Online bidding gives virtual attendees the tools they need to bid from anywhere, and it also enables people who have to leave early to stay engaged with their open bids. Donors don’t have to be in the room to support your cause – they are invited to join in the fun from afar.

To keep your remote bidders engaged, follow these best practices:

Host a livestream. Hybrid auctions don’t have to sacrifice the face-to-face element that in-person guests rely on to engage with one another. One popular solution is to host a livestream where you present the items to the online audience as well. We also recommend that you use this livestream as an opportunity to publicly thank your donors – both in-person and virtual.Provide them with a mobile bidding app. With mobile bidding, attendees will be able to bid across the globe or even without cell coverage. As long as they have internet access, they can participate! Plus, instant push notifications and text updates will notify them when they’ve been outbid, so they can jump back in. This also helps in-person attendees stay engaged no matter where they are at your event. When you use a mobile bidding app, you’ll see fewer bid sheet mix-ups and be able to provide a faster checkout experience for the winners.Add photos or a video to each item in your catalog. Since your remote attendees won’t be able to see your auction items in person, high-quality images or embedded videos are the next best thing. With images and videos, they can see exactly what they’re bidding on, so take time to choose the right angles and lighting for the most visually appealing results.

Whether you plan to go fully digital or just incorporate mobile bidding into your physical event, using technology doesn’t mean your events have to be any less engaging than traditional ones. Incorporating the above tips will help you create a positive online bidding experience.

2. Market Your Auction Well in Advance.

Prior to hosting your event, you’ll need to develop a detailed strategic marketing plan that will help you proactively promote the event to supporters. Market early and often to effectively spread the word. After all, if no one hears about your auction, attendance will be very limited.

To start, you’ll need to take advantage of multiple marketing outlets. With numerous platforms available, you’d be remiss if you didn’t take advantage of them. We recommend considering your audience and their communication preferences and then choosing the outlets that will best reach your audience. These might include email, social media, eCards, text, or direct mail.

From here, you can incorporate the following practices to take your marketing strategy to the next level and amp up support for your next charity auction:

Leverage social media. Don’t overlook the power of the share button! As part of any strong digital strategy, social media is crucial. Simply put, it allows supporters to share your auction with their personal networks, expanding your reach to a much larger audience. With nearly 4.9 billion social media users worldwide, it’s an excellent opportunity to market your charity auction.Include the link to your auction site in all marketing materials. An auction site houses all the important information regarding your event. This includes event details, information about your cause, your auction items, and more. Using an auction site eliminates the need to print out a physical catalog and makes it much easier to share key information in each message.Highlight your top items and packages that will be up for bidding. Your auction items and packages are the main attractions for your event. Incentivize potential attendees to register by showcasing bidding items that are tailored to their interests. Be selective about which items you share ahead of time – you want to make sure you leave room for some surprises.

Marketing is a critical step in the planning process. Refining your promotion strategy well in advance gives you plenty of time to spread the word and boost registrations. The above tips will serve as a solid starting point, so you can start generating buzz around your upcoming auction.

3. Use Nonprofit-Specific Auction Software.

Charity auctions have several moving pieces, which can be overwhelming to many newcomers. With the right software though, you can streamline the entire process, from registration to item distribution. The right tools can alleviate stress and make hosting an auction a breeze.

Don’t just settle on the first auction platform that comes your way. Instead, go with a solution that’s specifically designed for nonprofit use. Nonprofit-specific auction software will give you a range of functionality without having to piece together individual solutions, starting with easy management and planning tools.

Let’s take a look at some of the features you’ll need access to, so your charity auction is the best it can possibly be:

Mobile bidding app: As we touched on earlier, mobile bidding allows people to bid at their convenience wherever they are, whether they’re socializing at your auction or in the comfort of their own homes. Apps account for nearly 90% of people’s internet time on smartphones, so bidders will be very receptive to this approach. Make sure your tools offer instant push notifications, an intuitive interface, and secure checkout options.Gamification: Gamification tools add a layer of friendly competition to your charity auctions. Keep the energy high with tools like leaderboards that showcase top bidders, a countdown timer to drive those last-second bids, and a live fundraising thermometer so people can see their bid’s impact in real-time.Livestreaming capabilities: The best charity auction software will offer its own livestreaming tools which will allow you to stream directly within the app or the web platform. This way, the bidding experience won’t be interrupted by making participants access the stream elsewhere. What’s more, you should be able to promote items directly under the livestream to drive participation.Robust reporting features: Reports will help you gain deeper insights into your bidders’ behavior and your auctions’ performance. This will help you tremendously in pinpointing areas of improvement, so you can refine your strategies for future auctions, launching your team towards success.Secure payment processing: Processing payment through your mobile bidding app is much more convenient for your guests, providing faster checkout and shorter lines. When comparing options, make sure that the auction software is PCI-compliant to ensure the security of your guests’ personal data and payment information. And ask about the payment types your guests can use, like credit cards and Apple Pay. Accepting multiple types of payment will increase trust and increase the revenue potential of your event.

The tools you use for your auctions can mean the difference between an engaging, successful auction and one that falls short of expectations. Taking the time to choose the right tools upfront will lead to greater results later on. Looking for the above features will help you make a much more informed decision, putting you on the fast track to success.

Along with choosing the right software, training your in-person volunteers on how to use the software will be invaluable. They don’t need to be experts, but make sure that they’re trained for the level of software support for their volunteer roles. Not only will your guests feel at ease that your volunteers know their way around, but your volunteers will be more excited and engaged during the event, increasing volunteer retention.

If you need guidance in finding the right charity auction software for your team, check out Handbid’s complete nonprofit auction software guide. You’ll learn about key features to prioritize in your search and gather some tips for making the most of your tools along the way!

As you get started planning your next charity auction, take these ideas back to your team and adjust them to suit your needs. In no time, you’ll create an engaging and profitable fundraiser that beautifully impacts the success of your nonprofit.

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How to Write Compelling Text-to-Give Requests: 4 Key Tips

Before you can dive into leading a text fundraising campaign, you need to familiarize yourself with nonprofit text messaging best practices. One of the most important components of running a successful text-to-give campaign is drafting effective, persuasive messages that will resonate with supporters and encourage them to donate.

Think of it this way: if you were a donor contemplating giving to an organization, you’d likely be inspired to donate after reading an illustrative text that tugged at your heartstrings and told a great story about the impact of donating. Compare this to a generic “Donate now” text that leaves a lot on the table and doesn’t do much to sway supporters to give.

Taking your text-to-give messages to the next level requires the right strategies and tools. Use these tips to make your text donation requests absolutely irresistible to your subscribers and meet (and exceed!) your fundraising goals:

Leverage StorytellingUse Eye-Catching VisualsCreate a Strong Call to ActionPersonalize Your Messages

To easily send compelling messages, leverage a nonprofit-specific text messaging platform that can readily meet your needs. Tatango’s guide to nonprofit text messaging recommends working with an intuitive platform that has robust segmentation capabilities, automation, and more so you can take the guesswork out of creating great messages and hit the ground running.

Armed with the right technology, you’ll be in great shape to bring these best practices to life. Let’s begin.

Leverage Storytelling

Storytelling can play a pivotal role in a nonprofit organization’s ability to connect with their audience, demonstrate their impact, inspire action, and achieve their fundraising goals.

Specifically, storytelling is a powerful tool that nonprofits should leverage when making donation appeals for these key reasons:

Humanizes your cause: Through stories, nonprofits can help donors and potential donors connect emotionally to their cause. This emotional connection can be far more persuasive than mere facts and figures or generic requests to give, helping donors to see themselves in the shoes of your beneficiaries and empathize with them. This is an effective way to encourage them to take action.Demonstrates impact: Storytelling is an effective way to demonstrate the impact of a nonprofit’s work. By sharing stories of individuals they’ve helped or changes they’ve brought about, nonprofits can show donors and supporters how their contributions are making a real difference.Increases retention and engagement: Stories can help nonprofits keep their supporters actively engaged and invested in their cause. They can help to foster a sense of community and shared purpose, which can lead to increased donor retention and involvement.

Now that you know the many benefits of storytelling, here are a few ways you can use this essential tool in your text messages:

Highlight the real individuals your organization has helped: This way, donors can see exactly who their contributions are going to and how it’s making a difference.Position your donors as heroes in your ongoing journey: Don’t give your story an ending just yet! For instance, an animal welfare organization might tell the story of a rescued dog who needs life-saving surgery and therefore donations to fund his care. This way, donors are part of providing the solution and will feel more motivated to act by the urgency of the situation.Use vivid language: Use description to bring your story to life and help supporters envision it. However, remember to keep your story on the shorter side. You can always include the full story in a blog post and direct supporters to visit that page to read more.

Let’s consider another example of storytelling in action. A church running a text fundraiser could share a short story about a homeless family who counts on their food bank to stay alive. By urging churchgoers to continue to give, they can help this family and many more have regular access to meals.

By sharing stories of the individuals they’ve helped, nonprofits can better engage their supporters, demonstrate the impact of their work, and encourage further involvement in their cause.

Use Eye-Catching Visuals

Images, videos, and graphics are key components to enhance your storytelling. Using these types of compelling visuals gives a tangible face and story to your nonprofit’s work. A healthcare nonprofit, for instance, could share an image of a patient in need of urgent medical care. This emotional visual could encourage more donations.

Tectonic Video’s guide to nonprofit video storytelling explains that video is an especially effective medium for connecting with donors and sharing stories so they’re engaging and easily digestible. For instance, you might have staff sit down and explain their fundraising needs in a short video. Or, you could invite beneficiaries to give testimonials and explain how your nonprofit has changed their lives. With the permission of these individuals, share this video through your text messaging campaign.

You could also repurpose this content on your social media and website to promote your text-to-give fundraiser. In your caption, make sure to provide clear directions on how to opt-in to your text messaging campaign. This way, you can grow your subscriber list and inspire even more donors to give.

Create a Strong Call to Action

All of your text messages should end in a firm call to action that gives your supporters a clear next step to take. For example, you might invite supporters to:

Give to your organization’s annual fundraising campaignSign up for your upcoming fundraising eventApply to volunteerCreate a peer-to-peer fundraising pageSign up for your monthly email newsletter

Primarily, you’ll be directing supporters to give on your mobile-friendly donation page, so it’s important that your call to action to donate is specific, personalized to the individual, and uses active language.

Make sure to include a time element in your donation requests to convey urgency. For example “Donate this week” isn’t as effective as a message like “Donate by midnight to have your gift matched” or “Donate by Friday to save our oceans.” Be concrete and make it as easy as possible for donors to take the next step. To do this, include a mobile-friendly link to your donation page in your text message.

Personalize Your Messages

A donation request that is personalized to the individual is much more likely to inspire action. To personalize your texts and ensure your donation request feels reasonable to the individual, you need to use segmentation. Segmentation is the process of dividing your contact list into subgroups based on shared characteristics.

For example, you can segment your supporters based on factors like:

Donation amountDonation recencyDonation frequencyDemographics (age, location, etc.)InterestsEvent attendancePrior engagement with your organization

Donation history is especially important to consider when sending donors a specific donation request. For instance, you wouldn’t send the same donation request to a major donor that you would send to a smaller, lower-tier donor. Taking donation history into account ensures that your donation requests feel reasonable based on the donor’s willingness and capacity to give.

To segment your contacts with ease, you need the right technology. Having an intuitive text-to-give platform allows you to segment your lists and personalize your messages further by greeting donors with their first names and acknowledging their specific donation contributions in your thank-you messages. This not only makes your donor communications more attention-grabbing but also helps to strengthen supporters’ connection to your cause.

Conclusion

Achieving the full potential of your text-to-give campaign requires careful planning, compelling storytelling, and the right tools for personalization. With a comprehensive texting software, your nonprofit can streamline its text messaging strategy and significantly boost revenue. Remember, the most effective messages are those that connect with the heart of your supporters and inspire them to make a difference, so put ample time and thought into the content of your messaging.

About the Author
Mike Snusz

Mike Snusz brings 19 years of digital fundraising experience to his role as Director of Nonprofit Customer Experience at Tatango, a text messaging platform for nonprofits and political campaigns. Prior to Tatango, Mike spent 15 years at Blackbaud leading a team of digital consultants that helped nonprofits improve their online fundraising, monthly giving, email marketing and peer-to-peer fundraising programs. Mike started his nonprofit career managing the Ride For Roswell from 2003 to 2005 in his hometown of Buffalo, NY.

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