Marc A. Pitman's Blog, page 7

6 Guidelines for Planning Your Hybrid Silent Auction

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

Running a hybrid silent auction is no easy feat. Between engaging your in-person and remote audiences, procuring appealing items, and smoothly conducting bidding, your nonprofit has a lot of planning and work ahead of itself. However, when you plan a hybrid silent auction correctly, your nonprofit will reap plenty of benefits—from expanding your reach to helping your fundraising results skyrocket.

Unlike a traditional auction, a hybrid auction allows you to engage with donors from all over the world—whether they’re in your local area and able to attend in-person or miles away participating virtually. This can lead to stronger donor relationships, inviting supporters to give to your organization during your event and support your nonprofit for years to come.

To make your hybrid silent auction a success, you’ll need to leverage the right tools and strategies. Follow these essential guidelines to kickstart the planning process:

Invest in powerful auction software.Make it mobile-friendly.Ensure your event reflects your mission.Promote your event widely.Target two distinct event audiences.Collect and leverage your auction data.

Running a hybrid silent auction is a team effort, so make sure your entire nonprofit’s team is on board and ready to engage in the planning process. This will make it easier to assign roles and responsibilities along the way and create a well-designed event and decide if you need additional support by engaging a fundraising event planner. Let’s dive into how you can create a memorable hybrid silent auction, guaranteed to meet and exceed your fundraising goals.

1. Invest in powerful auction software.

Hybrid auctions rely more on technology than a traditional in-person auction does, so investing in the right tools to manage your dual bidding experiences is more important than ever. According to the OneCause guide to fundraising platforms, an all-in-one fundraising solution will make it easier for your organization to manage the entire fundraising process and easier for your supporters to engage and give to your cause.

Specifically, look for a fundraising platform with the following key features:

Mobile bidding. Mobile bidding is the best way to smoothly facilitate incoming bids and make the entire process more convenient for both your in-person and remote attendees. Plus, because of its ease of use, you’ll inspire more bids and give guests a positive impression of your event and organization overall.Table management. For your in-person component of your hybrid silent auction, you’ll need an easy way to assign seats. The right fundraising platform will enable you to complete these assignments in just minutes and upload venue and seating plans.Express check-in and self checkout options. Guests don’t want to wait to start the bidding process. Capitalize on their excitement and immerse them into your auction quickly with contactless express check-in and QR codes for guests. Then, when your event is over, supporters can efficiently checkout and pick up any items they won.Live streaming. A reliable live streaming network allows your remote guests to actively follow along with your event and feel physically present. The right fundraising platform will also offer live chat to drive virtual engagement.Real-time analytics. As your fundraiser progresses, you should be able to monitor progress towards achieving your fundraising goal. Then, you can encourage more donations among your in-person and remote attendees in the final stretch. Your nonprofit should also be able to track donor behavior and trends to inform your fundraising strategy at your next hybrid auction.

A fundraising platform with these features and more will help you lead successful auctions and host other types of events, including galas and peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities. Your platform should grow with your organization and provide long-term value, so ensure that you’re working with a full suite of comprehensive tools that can boost your ROI for any fundraising activity.

2. Make it mobile-friendly.

According to fundraising statistics from 360MatchPro, half of all nonprofit website traffic last year came from mobile users, indicating that more and more people prefer interacting with their favorite organizations right from their phones. That means it’s essential that you prioritize the mobile experience for your guests. When planning your event, here are a few key aspects to consider:

Allow guests to register and bid from mobile devices. Ensure that guests have full functionality to your auction platform from their mobile device, allowing them to register, purchase tickets, make bids and donations, and check out from whichever device they choose.Send real-time outbid notifications. You can’t always count on bidders to be glued to their mobile devices during your auction, anxiously waiting to see if they’ve been outbid. However, by sending real-time notifications to participants’ mobile devices, you can recapture their attention and encourage them to up their bids to win the item.Automatically resize content to fit smaller screens. Your text, images, and interactive content should automatically resize to fit the portrait-mode orientation of a smartphone, freeing users from needless zooming and horizontal scrolling. To achieve this, use bidding software that comes with mobile-friendly tools and optimizes the auction experience for mobile users.

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

3. Ensure your event reflects your mission.

When donors feel emotionally connected to your cause, they’ll be more likely to participate, donate, and bid on items during your event. Continuously reiterate to your guests how your event and the revenue raised will be used to support your nonprofit’s mission.

Consider the following best practices for connecting your event with your greater mission and inspiring supporters to give:

Choose a relevant event theme. Setting a theme is a great way to increase participation and reiterate the meaning behind the event. For example, an ocean conservation organization hosting a hybrid auction might make their event theme “Under the Sea.”Tell constituent stories. One of the best ways for supporters to truly understand the importance of your mission is by hearing it from those who have directly benefited from it. With their permission, consider sharing real stories of constituents and how they were positively impacted. You can even bring constituents in to tell their story in their own words at your auction event!Tie revenue to concrete impacts. Because donors like to know how their hard-earned money is being used, it’s a good idea to highlight impact statements to better communicate impact. For example, consider sharing metrics like $X raised goes to support Y number of beneficiaries in a specific way.

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

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

4. Promote your event widely.

In order to secure a high turnout for your auction, taking a strategic approach to event promotion is a must. A multichannel marketing strategy with the following key methods of communication can help your nonprofit reach diverse audiences:

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

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

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

5. Target two distinct event audiences.

Planning a hybrid event involves juggling a number of moving pieces. Specifically, you’ll need to craft two memorable experiences for your in-person and remote audiences within a single, coherent event.

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

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

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

Event themesChatting with other guestsIn-person speakersLive entertainment

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

6. Collect and leverage your auction data.

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

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

To make the most out of your event data, be sure to determine which KPIs to track early on in the planning process and keep up with your progress throughout. Then, take a look at your results by analyzing auction data and seeing what you can do better the next time you plan an event. A strong fundraising platform will automatically track and organize donor activity so you can draw insights and trends from your data.

A hybrid silent auction can be a highly rewarding experience for your supporters and your organization. Take ample time to prepare for your event with your staff and volunteer base and reflect on past fundraising event data so you can create a memorable, engaging event that will appeal to your donors’ interests. The right tools will streamline the entire planning and execution process, so be sure to invest in a comprehensive fundraising platform that will meet your nonprofit’s needs.

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

Integrating Your Nonprofit Website With Social Media: 4 Tips

This article is contributed by Murad Bushnaq, Founder and CEO of Morweb. 

As a nonprofit professional, you understand the importance of a strong online marketing strategy. By tapping into digital channels and creating quality content, your organization can expand its reach, boost its following, and direct supporters to get further involved in your efforts,  whether that’s by donating, volunteering, or participating in your events.

Two of the biggest assets nonprofits have to increase their online visibility are their website and social media presence. Rather than treating these as standalone tools, your nonprofit should integrate them to create two-way traffic between these platforms and effectively introduce new audiences to your cause (and keep them actively engaged).

Connecting your website and social media is easy when you have the right tools and strategies. In this guide, we’ll cover the top tips to unify your marketing strategy:

Share your website contentEncourage sharing with social media buttonsAdd social media live feeds to your homepageUse social media as a fundraising tool

By pairing your newfound knowledge with a content management system (CMS) built for nonprofits, you’ll be well on your way to boost your follower count and site visitors. Let’s begin.

1. Share your website content

Your nonprofit website contains a wealth of information and resources that can be easily transformed into engaging social media posts. This is an effective strategy for improving content creation on your social media profiles, as you’ll begin to create natural opportunities for social media followers to explore your website.

For example, let’s say you want to highlight your annual year-end fundraising event on social media. You might include a photo from the last time you hosted the event, then include a mobile-friendly link in the caption to your event landing page. This way, once you intrigue your social media followers with your exciting event, you can immediately direct them to learn more event details and register on your website.

Here are a few types of content you can post on social media to pique your followers’ curiosity and successfully lead them to your site:

Videos. Your nonprofit might already have videos on your website that cover your history, introduce your team and volunteers, or highlight your events and programs. Instead of creating new videos, repurpose these videos by sharing them on your social media. This is an easy way to generate more content on your social media channels and point viewers to your website to get more information.Podcasts. If your nonprofit records a regular podcast or appears on a guest podcast, share snippets of the episode(s) on social media and direct followers to your website to listen to the full thing. A podcast can be a great outlet for helping your supporters get to know your staff and volunteers through interviews, drumming up excitement for upcoming events, and discussing current events or societal issues related to your cause.Blog posts. Keeping up with your website’s blog means that you are consistently creating new content for your website. This can translate into consistent new content related to your projects or upcoming events for your social media profiles! Share sneak peeks of blog posts on LinkedIn or Facebook to intrigue your followers, then lead them to your website to read the whole piece.

Create a content calendar that includes what will be published on your website and when it will be shared on social media. This will help you stay on track with posting in both places regularly so your followers and website visitors have new content to read and view.

2. Encourage sharing with social media buttons

Putting social media buttons on your blog posts, web pages, and donation form can empower your supporters to share these resources on their own feeds when it’s fresh on their minds. With one easy click, they’re on their way to creating a post about your nonprofit for their followers to see.

To enable social sharing on your website with ease, your nonprofit needs to work with the right website builder. Morweb’s guide to the best nonprofit website builders recommends looking for a CMS that allows you to add social sharing buttons for popular platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn—with no coding required, saving your nonprofit valuable time.

Once you launch your social sharing buttons, place them by your navigation bar to make sure they’re prominently displayed on relevant web pages. You can also design them to match the branding of your website, including the typography and color scheme, so that they blend nicely with your site.

3. Add social media live feeds to your homepage

If your nonprofit CMS offers a social media module, you can easily add social media live feeds to your website. Live feeds automatically update when you post on social media to display your new content. Choose your most active accounts to showcase in a live feed, as this will ensure your supporters are seeing fresh content.
A social media live feed is a great tool for showing that your organization is active on both your website and your social media profiles. By demonstrating that your organization is regularly updating its content and interacting with supporters on various platforms, your organization will appear more organized, accessible, and trustworthy.
For example, if a supporter is interested in volunteering with your organization on Giving Tuesday and sees a recently-updated social media live feed that indicates an active online presence, they’ll know that your “Volunteer Information” page is likely accurate and up-to-date, too.
To encourage the flow of traffic between your website and social media profiles, put a “Follow Us” button near your live feeds. This will help your website visitors take their exploration of your cause a step further and get regular updates on your organization’s work in their social media feeds.

4. Use social media as a fundraising tool

Both your website and social media profiles can help you pull in online donations for your cause. By leveraging both of these tools together, you can boost the support your organization is receiving. To do so, you’ll need to encourage both your social media followers and website visitors to use the online giving tools hosted on your website.

Here are a few ideas for getting started:

Set up a Facebook fundraiser that leads supporters to your online donation page. Facebook is an excellent platform for online crowdfunding. Because Facebook handles payment processing fees, 100% of the money raised goes directly to your organization. For the Facebook fundraiser, your supporters will use Facebook Pay, but make sure to include a link to your donation page on your fundraising page to encourage additional contributions after the campaign ends and even sign up for monthly giving.Encourage peer-to-peer fundraisers to post. According to OneCause, peer-to-peer fundraising empowers your loyal supporters to take the fundraising reins and introduce your cause to people in their personal networks. Have your top supporters create peer-to-peer fundraising pages online, then instruct them to share links to their pages and your website on social media. This way, their followers can give and learn more about your cause, leading to greater involvement down the line.Share information about how to increase impact on your social media profiles. Post on social media about ways that donors can easily give more. For example, if you partner with a matching gift company to embed a matching gifts database on your donation page, you can create a related social media post. In your post, you could discuss how to check whether you qualify for matching gifts and share it with your donors so they can take advantage of their employers’ corporate philanthropy efforts.

Social media gives you the opportunity to promote your organization’s fundraising campaigns to your community of current supporters, but don’t forget that it also enables you to connect with new supporters. Encourage your supporters to share your fundraisers with their own personal networks to increase your reach.

The Gist

By using your social media to promote your website and vice versa, you can level up your donor engagement, create stronger relationships with supporters, and bring in more revenue. First, you’ll need to make sure your website and social media are updated and accessible, so be sure to work with tools like ready-to-go website templates and social media schedulers to build out a strong digital presence. Remember to keep your audience in mind and plan out mission-centric content that will resonate with your supporters.

The post Integrating Your Nonprofit Website With Social Media: 4 Tips appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Your fundraising is stronger than a 1980’s power tie

I talk with a lot of nonprofit leaders who get really, really nervous about the wording of their fundraising ask. While I love the intentionality they show in wanting the right words, their fretting reminds me of power ties in the 80’s.

Do you remember those?

In the 1980’s there were all sorts of books about how to dress. And for many of us, we were told what kind of “power tie” we were supposed to wear. It’s as though if you wore the wrong tie your entire business meeting would fail.

Fundraising isn’t like that.

You’re not going to “mess up” an ask if you stumble over your words. Or if you say the monthly amount instead of the annual amount (or vice versa).

Because fundraising is a conversation with donors and people you hope will consider being donors.

Today’s “ask” is only a part of a long, ongoing conversation with the other person. Their response to today’s ask – or their lack of response – allows you to curiously follow up with them in the coming weeks. I find with donors and with so much of working with people, if you don’t know what someone is thinking it is smart to ask. You can ask them if they received your email. Or if they were put off by the ask. Or you can thank them for their gift.

The ask is important. But remember the ask is part of a longer conversation.

So get out there and ask for gifts. Even if you stumble over your words a little. It’ll make you more human.

Remember, your nonprofit’s fundraising is stronger than a 1980’s power tie.

The post Your fundraising is stronger than a 1980’s power tie appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Protect Your Nonprofit from the Dip in Donations

The latest GivingUSA numbers are out. And the numbers aren’t pretty.

Yes, the USA recorded over $499 billion was given from non-government sources last year. But the trend of fewer individuals giving accelerated. Individuals gave a 64% of the total – still the lion share of all giving – but a drastic drop from last year.

Are people less generous?

Does this mean people are less generous? Not necessarily. It’s easy to assume that people are less giving now. And that inflations in the economy is forcing people to be less generous.

But this data doesn’t include the money giving on GoFundMe’s and other, non-itemized, non-tax deductible giving.

According to the Nonprofit Times article:

“More troubling is when these numbers are paired with earlier research from the Lilly School that showed just 5.4% of American believe they had a personal interaction with a nonprofit – despite more than 10% of the population working at a nonprofit and tens of millions of people involved with organizations…”

One of the telling quotes in the article was from Chris Pitcher, CEO of fundraising firm RKD Group:

“Not enough people are being moved to contribute – because our practices perpetuate talking at them, not talking with them or listening to them,” said Pritcher. “As a sector, we have to change…”

That’s why it is imperative nonprofit leaders learn how to talk to donors more effectively.

For decades talking “at” donors has been “good enough” for the sector to get by. Sure, the return rates on that kind of fundraising were awful. But if nonprofits inflicted “talking at” materials to a large enough group of people, they could at least pay their bills.

But there are many more ways people can align with their values now. Rather than only having the option of giving to a nonprofit, now they can buy products or participate in activities that stand for the same values.

It’s not distracting us from the mission

Whether we like it or not, when we start a nonprofit, we commit to being funded by a community of people who don’t understand the work we do. That’s how the tax structure is in the United States. A board of individuals directs the nonprofit. And a group of people, companies, and foundations fund it.

To complain about having to learn to talk to donors is like a store owner complaining about having to learn to talk to customers. Store owners need to learn where to advertise and how to communicate and relate to customers in ways that encourage them to keep coming back. If the nonprofit cause is as important to nonprofit leaders as they say it is, nonprofit leaders need to learn to communicate effectively with donors.

Not because donors are better.Not because nonprofits should exist to serve donors.Not because donors should direct our nonprofit’s mission.Not because donors are self-centered and egotistical.

Nonprofit leaders need to learn to effectively communicate with donors because nonprofit staffs deserve to get paid. And nonprofit causes deserve to be funded.

If our cause involves using donated funds, then learning exactly what to say to donors is not a distraction from our work. It’s part of the work.

As the Lily School’s Dr. Una Osili says in the article:

“The Giving USA results should be a bit of a reminder or maybe a nudge if not a direct catalyst for a lot of folks around the philanthropic sector to recognize and think about the importance of engagement and building those authentic relationships,” said Osili.

It’s not about focusing exclusively on rich people

While there are definitely incredibly large gifts represented in the “individual” category, it is better for a nonprofit to have a diversity of donors. Too often, nonprofit leaders and boards try to reach “rich” people. People in their community or in the nation that are wealthy. But an exclusive focus on wealthy people can put a nonprofit on very shaky financial ground. When on donor changes her focus, the nonprofit’s entire budget could be put at risk.

We ignore or take for granted our donors at our own peril. Fundraising opportunity exists with donors of all gift sizes. And the tools exist for even the smallest nonprofits to be more personal with donors. It doesn’t take much more effort than writing a letter or making a phone call. The hardest part is usually pushing through an awkwardness similar to learning to speak in a new dialect.

This work is worth it. The benefits of having relationships with donors include: more consistent funding, more engaged advocates for your nonprofit, and a better qualified pool of potential board members.

As you get better communicating with donors, you’ll get less distracted by people who seem obviously able to give “major” gifts. In fact, you may find yourself paying more attention to donors of all levels. For example, many of our nonprofit clients get smaller gifts from donors through donor advised funds. Rather than thinking of a person as a “small” donor, it may do well to treat them as an interested individual.

For example, the article says that:

According to the most recent data from the National Philanthropic Trust, $72.67 billion was deposited into DAFs and $45.74 billion was granted during 2021. The average DAF account was $183,842.

That means that $26.93 billion dollars put into donor advised funds (DAFs) last year wasn’t yet given out. Could your nonprofit use some of that money? It may well be sitting in the accounts of donors you’ve classified as “small.”

Is fundraising getting harder?

Not necessarily. But it is requiring more intentionality.

Nonprofits can no longer get by with crappy messaging or self-entitled assumptivism. Throughout history, human beings have been generous to one another. If your organization relies on donations, the good news is human beings still are generous.

And the opportunity is ripe for nonprofit who genuinely build relationships with donors.

The post Protect Your Nonprofit from the Dip in Donations appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Build Authentic Relationships to Shelter Your Nonprofit from the Dip in Donations

The latest GivingUSA numbers are out. And the numbers aren’t pretty.

Yes, the USA recorded over $499 billion was given from non-government sources last year. But the trend of fewer individuals giving accelerated. Individuals gave a 64% of the total – still the lion share of all giving – but a drastic drop from last year.

Are people less generous?

Does this mean people are less generous? Not necessarily. It’s easy to assume that people are less giving now. And that inflations in the economy is forcing people to be less generous.

But this data doesn’t include the money giving on GoFundMe’s and other, non-itemized, non-tax deductible giving.

According to the Nonprofit Times article:

“More troubling is when these numbers are paired with earlier research from the Lilly School that showed just 5.4% of American believe they had a personal interaction with a nonprofit – despite more than 10% of the population working at a nonprofit and tens of millions of people involved with organizations…”

One of the telling quotes in the article was from Chris Pitcher, CEO of fundraising firm RKD Group:

“Not enough people are being moved to contribute – because our practices perpetuate talking at them, not talking with them or listening to them,” said Pritcher. “As a sector, we have to change…”

That’s why it is imperative nonprofit leaders learn how to talk to donors more effectively.

For decades talking “at” donors has been “good enough” for the sector to get by. Sure, the return rates on that kind of fundraising were awful. But if nonprofits inflicted “talking at” materials to a large enough group of people, they could at least pay their bills.

But there are many more ways people can align with their values now. Rather than only having the option of giving to a nonprofit, now they can buy products or participate in activities that stand for the same values.

It’s not distracting us from the mission

Whether we like it or not, when we start a nonprofit, we commit to being funded by a community of people who don’t understand the work we do. That’s how the tax structure is in the United States. A board of individuals directs the nonprofit. And a group of people, companies, and foundations fund it.

To complain about having to learn to talk to donors is like a store owner complaining about having to learn to talk to customers. Store owners need to learn where to advertise and how to communicate and relate to customers in ways that encourage them to keep coming back. If the nonprofit cause is as important to nonprofit leaders as they say it is, nonprofit leaders need to learn to communicate effectively with donors.

Not because donors are better.Not because nonprofits should exist to serve donors.Not because donors should direct our nonprofit’s mission.Not because donors are self-centered and egotistical.

Nonprofit leaders need to learn to effectively communicate with donors because nonprofit staffs deserve to get paid. And nonprofit causes deserve to be funded.

If our cause involves using donated funds, then learning exactly what to say to donors is not a distraction from our work. It’s part of the work.

As the Lily School’s Dr. Una Osili says in the article:

“The Giving USA results should be a bit of a reminder or maybe a nudge if not a direct catalyst for a lot of folks around the philanthropic sector to recognize and think about the importance of engagement and building those authentic relationships,” said Osili.

It’s not about focusing exclusively on rich people

While there are definitely incredibly large gifts represented in the “individual” category, it is better for a nonprofit to have a diversity of donors. Too often, nonprofit leaders and boards try to reach “rich” people. People in their community or in the nation that are wealthy. But an exclusive focus on wealthy people can put a nonprofit on very shaky financial ground. When on donor changes her focus, the nonprofit’s entire budget could be put at risk.

We ignore or take for granted our donors at our own peril. Fundraising opportunity exists with donors of all gift sizes. And the tools exist for even the smallest nonprofits to be more personal with donors. It doesn’t take much more effort than writing a letter or making a phone call. The hardest part is usually pushing through an awkwardness similar to learning to speak in a new dialect.

This work is worth it. The benefits of having relationships with donors include: more consistent funding, more engaged advocates for your nonprofit, and a better qualified pool of potential board members.

As you get better communicating with donors, you’ll get less distracted by people who seem obviously able to give “major” gifts. In fact, you may find yourself paying more attention to donors of all levels. For example, many of our nonprofit clients get smaller gifts from donors through donor advised funds. Rather than thinking of a person as a “small” donor, it may do well to treat them as an interested individual.

For example, the article says that:

According to the most recent data from the National Philanthropic Trust, $72.67 billion was deposited into DAFs and $45.74 billion was granted during 2021. The average DAF account was $183,842.

That means that $26.93 billion dollars put into donor advised funds (DAFs) last year wasn’t yet given out. Could your nonprofit use some of that money? It may well be sitting in the accounts of donors you’ve classified as “small.”

Is fundraising getting harder?

Not necessarily. But it is requiring more intentionality.

Nonprofits can no longer get by with crappy messaging or self-entitled assumptivism. Throughout history, human beings have been generous to one another. If your organization relies on donations, the good news is human beings still are generous.

And the opportunity is ripe for nonprofit who genuinely build relationships with donors.

The post Build Authentic Relationships to Shelter Your Nonprofit from the Dip in Donations appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

You can’t cram for fundraising results

Successful fundraising is built with human relationships. It’s not a mechanical process that you can “turn on” when you need it.

I find it’s better to build a habit of consistent communication with donors and prospect rather than trying to “make up” for not talking to people in weeks or months.

When we try to “make up” for lack of effort, we tend to overwhelm ourselves causing us to stop calling again. This creates a boom and bust cycle of activity.

Stephen Covey talked about man-made systems versus more agricultural ones. A college course is more man-made. You can “cram” at the end and still pass the test.

But a farmer can’t do that. Imagine a farmer deciding to take the spring planting off, not tend the plants in the summer, and then cram in the fall to get a harvest.

That’s unfathomable, isn’t it?

Fundraising leans on the agricultural side.

So rather than cramming, set consistent goals for your personal calls and outreaches. And consistent patterns for your appeals and donor impact reports.

Your nonprofit fundraising will be better for it. As will your relationships with donors and prospects!

The post You can’t cram for fundraising results appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.

Fairway Fundraising: Tips for a Charity Golf Tournament

Nonprofit professionals know the best fundraising events are fun, interactive, and accessible. They bring together supporters and the community in meaningful ways to raise money and awareness for your mission. There’s one type of fundraising event that’s traditional but modern, competitive but fun, keeps people coming back but attracts new donors: .

Donors circle their favorite golf fundraisers on the calendar every year as a can’t miss event. They look forward to time spent on the golf course, doing something they enjoy in support of a good cause. A golf fundraiser accomplishes more than simply raising money—lays the foundation for new partnerships, strengthens important relationships, and shares your mission and message with new audiences. Best of all, you don’t have to be a golfer to plan a successful tournament—tools and resources exist to help from inception to execution.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Set Goals

Think about what you hope to accomplish with the golf event; essentially, what does success look like for your organization? Set some clearly-defined goals for the tournament, such as a target number of golfers, number of sponsors, and overall dollars you hope to raise. This will help you better define a budget for your tournament in terms of revenue and expenses.

2. Recruit a Dedicated Planning Team

You’ll definitely want a point person to take the lead on the overall event, tracking tasks, income, and expenses, but it’s in your best interest to recruit others to help with planning, prep, and execution. Your team can provide varying perspectives and new ideas while also better distributing the workload so one person doesn’t shoulder all the planning burden.

Depending on the size of your nonprofit, you can start with staff and board members. You might also expand your team to include dedicated volunteers or active donors, particularly if they are golfers or have connections to potential sponsors.

3. Lean on Technology

The right technology can make planning and holding your golf tournament easier and more efficient, ultimately saving you time and helping raise more money. Look for an event management platform that’s built just for golf events—most ticketing platforms or CRMs don’t have the capabilities to handle the unique nuances of a golf event, like handicaps, flighting, and scoring. Be sure your software solution has the following features:

Professional, customizable event website. This makes promoting your event super easy—simply share the link all your promotional materials. Share information about the event’s logistics and what it’s raising money for.Online registration and donations with secure payment processing. Collecting golfer and sponsor information online saves a ton of time and effort. This information should drop into the software’s backend, where you can track and manage it in one place. This also ensures that you capture important donor data right at registration so you can include it in your nonprofit’s CRM.Live-scoring. Golfers should be able to track their scores in real-time through an easy-to-use mobile app. Live-scoring makes finalizing the tournament’s results much quicker and easier, and organizers can track the round’s progress on live leaderboards.Push notifications and emails. Keep golfers in the loop about special events, make donation asks, and recognize sponsors throughout the tournament.4. Determine Specifics

Start by approaching area golf courses with a tentative time of year. Narrow in on a date by looking at course availability, other local events, and the day of the week that will work best for your nonprofit. Keep in mind that a private golf course will be more expensive than a public course, but you’ll likely be able to charge more for registration and sponsorships at a higher-end facility.

Next, determine the event’s format. Most charity golf tournaments use the scramble format, which typically consist of two or four person teams that utilize the best shot until the ball is holed. This format makes the event approachable for golfers at all skill levels, which broadens your potential audience.

Think about tournament add-ons, games, or contests that can supercharge fundraising. selling mulligans (basically a “do over” for a shot) or raffle tickets, holding an auction, having a hole-in-one contest, or adding on-course entertainment and games.

Finally, you’ll want to brainstorm ideas to market your tournament and get the word out about your event. Leverage channels such as Google Ad Grants, social media, email, and direct mail to rally your supporters for your tournament.

5. Build & Sell Sponsorships

Sponsorships are where you will bring in the most revenue from your event. Take a hard look at your event’s fixed costs and build sponsorship packages to cover them. Golf tournaments are unique in that they attract a typically affluent and influential demographic, with a higher than average net worth. This makes your golf event an attractive way for to get in front of prospective clients and customers! What’s more, businesses are looking for a win-win when sponsoring events—they want to make an impact on their community by supporting a worthy cause while also benefiting from brand lift and exposure.

Look for connections to potential sponsors on your planning team, board, or through other supporters who might be able to make an introduction. You can also research potential sponsors by connecting with the local chamber of commerce or digging through their social media to find out more about the types of events they typically sponsor. Your sponsorship packages should provide benefits and high ROI for the sponsor, such as logo exposure, social media mentions, or an opportunity to interact with participants or speak at the event. In-kind corporate sponsorships are also valuable for things like pin prizes, player gifts, auction or raffle prizes, or specific event services.

6. Stay Organized

Using a golf-specific platform makes it simple to keep all your information in one place, so your team and the golf facility staff can easily access up-to-date player information, easily make hole assignments, and print cart signs and registration lists. Communicate the day’s schedule with all registrants ahead of time so they know what to expect. You might also develop a master schedule and task list to keep volunteers and planning team members on track with what needs to be done and when it should happen.

Check-in should be appropriately staffed and prepared for a rush of golfers so no one is waiting for long periods of time. You might also set up a donation station at check in and sell mulligans or raffle tickets. Your event website should be mobile-friendly so folks can make payments right on their mobile device so you don’t have to mess with cash.

7. Follow Up After the Tournament

Once the event is over, your job isn’t done! Send thank yous to express your gratitude to golfers, sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Share videos or photos that highlight the day and get them excited about coming back again next year!

Do a deep dive on the outcomes of your event to help you determine any changes that need to be made. Do you need to increase registration fees? Are there other sponsorships to add to the lineup? Did the golf course meet your needs? What other ways can you promote the event? Is there a different day of the week or time of year that might work better? You might also conduct surveys to get feedback from golfers and sponsors to help further inform your strategy for subsequent golf events.

Wrapping Up

Golf tournaments are a great way to bring in dollars while engaging donors and driving impact. Even if you’ve never planned a golf tournament before, it doesn’t have to be scary! Start by getting your tech platform in place to launch an event website, collect registrations, sell sponsorships, and facilitate a successful, lucrative golf tournament.

About the Author Logan Foote

Logan Foote has been around the game of golf nearly his entire life. He first picked up a club at the age of four, and despite thousands of attempts, he’s never had a hole-in-one. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and pursued a career in sales. Logan came to GolfStatus in 2017, where he channels his passion for golf to help nonprofits raise money through the game. As Sales and Education Manager, Logan oversees a team that works with thousands of nonprofit clients to maximize their golf fundraisers with the GolfStatus platform, and shares his golf fundraising expertise through GolfStatus’s free educational webinars. He lives and golfs in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife and three sons.

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What to do if you have run out of donor opportunities

As I talk with nonprofit leaders, one of the common complaints I get is “I wish I had more opportunities. I feel like my list is so short. I’ve already reached out to them over and over.”

Does this sound like you?

My friend Phil Jones has a helpful framework to address this.

He says that most of us want opportunities so we can get donations. But the problem is, opportunities don’t just come to us. They don’t find us.

He says to get to opportunities, we need to start with questions.

Questions lead toConversations which lead toRelationships which develop intoOpportunities that create chances forDonations

So this week, as you look at making your 5 – 10 contacts to further your major gifts, consider your starting place. If you don’t have as many opportunities as you want, try moving up, earlier in the process to asking good questions of people.

Some powerful phrases I like using are: “I’ve been wondering about your opinion on…” and “How do you think people in your position handle…”

Find something that will help you in your leadership or in running your nonprofit or in conducting a project. Something you’re sincerely curious about. And ask.

These are legitimate in the fundraising process. Asking for money is only one part of the entire cycle. But “cultivating” or engaging prospects is a vital part too.

Have fun asking curious questions this week! And bonus points if you ask major gift prospects who aren’t yet donors. And even prospects who aren’t yet part of your database or contact list.

A similar version of this was first sent to those subscribed to the weekly Fundraising Kick coaching emails. To sign up for yourself, go to: https://fundraisingcoach.com/fundraisingkick/

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How many times should you follow up a fundraising ask?

A common fundraising question from nonprofit leaders is “How many times should I follow up on an ask?” The situation I’m seeing a lot recently:

A nonprofit leader asks a donor for a specific amount of money.The donor seems positive and says they need to talk with someone or check on something.Then the donor doesn’t reply to any follow up communications

Can you relate?

What do you do? Most people I coach want to give up. “I’ve sent them an email. If they’re really interested, they know where to donate.”

Or in the face of the silence from the donor, the asker starts making up a story, “They must have changed their minds” or “We must’ve upset them since our visit.”

When do you know when to stop?

The problem with stopping following up is that we end up making up the mind for the donor. We are deciding they’re saying “no.”

We don’t have the right to make up a donor’s mind. As fundraisers and leaders, our job is to treat the donor like an adult. Let them make up their own mind.

And in the situation above, all we have to go on is that the donor is interested in giving. If they’re interested, our duty is to help them complete their giving.

So this means following up. A lot.

Following up tips

Here are some tips on effective follow up

It takes 6-7 attempts to reach a donor to set up an appointment so expect the follow up to take at least that many times.Mix up the forms of communication to find the one that is a best fit with the donor. Phone, text, snail mail, social media direct message, Whatsapp. They may simply not be seeing your reminders.Keep at it. Following up is one of the worst parts of fundraising. But one of the most necessary. So set a schedule to remind yourself to follow up regularly.

When do you know when to stop following up? When the donors tells you. That’s the best way to know you’re done following up.

This is what I call being pleasantly persistent. We need to assume that the donor does still want to give to us. And we’ll follow up until they do. Or until they tell us they changed their mind.

After all, who are we to we make up a donor’s mind for them?

Sign up for free Follow Up Friday email reminders at https://concordleadershipgroup.com/followupfriday/

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Understanding Stock Donations: Quick Guide for Nonprofits

Has your nonprofit accepted gifts of stock? If not, perhaps donors have mentioned the possibility of giving stock, or you’ve heard about stock giving programs from peers in other organizations. Maybe you’ve never considered soliciting stock from donors but want to learn more.

Organizations of all sizes are increasingly devoting more time and energy to forms of giving beyond straightforward one-time or pledged cash donations, like non-cash gifts of securities and appreciated assets or more complex planned gifts. There can be a lot of value in diversifying your revenue streams in this way, especially in today’s turbulent economy.

Stock giving in particular brings a considerable set of unique benefits to the table. It’s also easier to begin pursuing and accepting gifts of stock than you might initially assume if it’s a new undertaking for your nonprofit.

What do you need to know to get your bearings and start accepting gifts of stock?

Stock Donation FAQs

Let’s review the most immediate questions you might have about stock giving:

What kinds of stock can be donated?

The stock of publicly traded companies is most commonly donated to nonprofit organizations. Shares of mutual funds can also be easily donated.

Private stock can also be donated and often bring higher values, although the process involves a few extra steps. Since the price of these stocks is not publicly known, they require an independent appraisal to determine fair market values for liquidation and tax purposes.

Why would donors give stock instead of cash?

Donors see benefits from donating stock that could be quite motivating:

By donating the stock rather than selling it, donors avoid paying capital gains taxes on its appreciated value.Donors can also claim a tax deduction for the fair market value of donated stock.Donating stock exempts donors from wash-sale rules, essentially making it easier to repurchase the same company’s stock at a higher cost basis, thereby reducing capital gains taxes on future sales.

Practically speaking, donating stock could also simply be more convenient than giving cash for some donors. Others might appreciate the ability to give to a cause they care about while rebalancing or restructuring their investment portfolios. In some cases, an emotional connection might even come into play, for instance, if the stock was inherited from a loved one who was a passionate supporter of your organization.

Why should nonprofits accept stock donations?

What are the benefits that nonprofits can see from soliciting and accepting stock from donors? As a new revenue stream, stock fundraising stands out because:

It often generates large gifts. The average stock donation is worth $5,000 and is often the equivalent of a mid-size or major gift for many nonprofits.You keep all the proceeds. In most cases, your nonprofit won’t pay capital gains tax on income generated from liquidating your donated stock, which is the generally accepted best practice. If you do hold onto stock, you will most likely be exempt from taxes on its dividend payments.Stock giving is often easier to pitch than gifts of cash. Since giving out of non-cash assets doesn’t affect a donor’s day-to-day spending power, it can change their generosity mindset and ultimately encourage them to be more charitable.It opens up new giving opportunities. 80% of high-net-worth donors own appreciated assets, but only 21% have given non-cash gifts to charity before, perhaps because they aren’t aware of their options or because they’ve simply never been asked. Other donors could also own stocks they’d be willing to donate but haven’t yet been on your radar as top prospects.

Not to mention, creating new and potentially more convenient ways to give simply increases the odds you’ll see new gifts come through. If you open up this new opportunity for donors, you’ll just need to actively support it with an organized, intentional process in order to start seeing these benefits.

How to Accept Stock Donations

Here are the recommended steps for accepting stock donations as part of a dedicated giving program:

Assign program ownership and establish policies. A development team member should oversee the donor-facing side of your stock giving program, and someone on your accounting or finance team should own the internal reporting process. Establish stock acceptance and investment policies to start off on the right foot, including a same-day liquidation policy.Open a brokerage account. Do some research to find the best fit (and lowest fees) for your organization, then ensure that your accounting or finance lead actively monitors the account each day to identify new stock donations so that they can be valued and acknowledged.Create web assets and data collection forms. A stock giving web page, other promotional and educational materials, and a dedicated form for donors to initiate the transaction are essential. We’ll discuss the importance of taking an active approach to facilitate stock donations below.Explain the steps your donor should take. Once a donor initiates a stock gift, immediately direct them to instructions for setting up the transfer. They’ll need to obtain the right form from their broker and provide your organization’s brokerage and DTC (Depository Trust Company) information. If a donor is gifting private stock, you’ll need to take a more hands-on approach so that it can be appraised and handled properly.Sell your received shares. It’s a best practice to liquidate stock on the same day it’s received to minimize any loss of value and prevent tricky accounting discrepancies. Once sold, transfer the proceeds out of your brokerage account.Send a receipt. Receipts are required for any donation over $250, and tax benefits are likely a big motivator for your stock donors, so acknowledge new gifts as quickly as possible. Thank them and provide clear documentation of the transfer date, number of shares, and stock name.Thank and steward your donor. By collecting stock donor information upfront, you now have everything you need to thank and steward them like a typical major donor. Funnel them into your normal stewardship cadences to keep them engaged and primed to give to your mission again.

For a more detailed look at each of these steps and a real-life example of the donor-facing stock giving process, explore the FreeWill guide to accepting gifts of stock.

Succeeding with Stock Giving: Key Reminders

What are the most important tips to keep in mind as you launch a stock giving program?

Take an active approach before, during, and after the gift.

As mentioned above, you should actively promote your program and collect stock donor information at the start of the donation process. This is in contrast to the historical or more typical process that many nonprofits follow, in which they publish their DTC information online and simply wait to receive stock gifts via their brokers.

The drawback of this more passive approach is that gifts facilitated through brokerages are usually reported anonymously—meaning if a donor hadn’t already notified you of their intention to give stock, you’d have no way of knowing who they are, how to get in touch with them, or how to thank them.

Instead, you should collect this information upfront:

Donor contact informationType of shares to be donated (public, private, mutual fund)The intended date of the donationWhether the stock’s value has appreciated and has been held for more than a year

(Note that donors can only receive a tax deduction for the stock’s fair market value if they’ve held it for longer than a year. If not, donors can instead deduct the stock’s cost basis.)

By proactively gathering this information, you’ll have everything you need to create a stellar donor experience. Your stock giving tool should notify you first of incoming form completions and then whenever a donor reaches the point of requesting your DTC information to begin the transfer. This allows you to jump right in, offer initial thanks, and generally be available to discuss the gift or answer questions.

Once the gift is complete, actively follow up and steward your relationship with the donor. Develop your own unique cadence that will express your gratitude and encourage future engagement, like this example:

Send an initial thank-you, receipt, and impact statementFollow-up via email to reiterate the impact of the giftConduct wealth screening/prospect research to learn more about the donor, then sort them into an appropriate development segmentRegularly reach back out to invite the donors to events, volunteer, etc.For high-value segments, set up a one-on-one meeting or call to re-express gratitude and discuss future giving options

Effective stewardship relies on ongoing and regular communication. Depending on how your new stock donors fit into your segmentation or development strategy, this could mean automated or highly personal communication. Either approach can work to boost engagement, but the key is being active and consistent

Aim to be helpful at every step of the process.

Donating stock may be brand new to your donors. As you promote your program and work with donors to facilitate gifts, position your organization as a helpful and grateful partner. Don’t take it for granted that they already understand the ins and outs of the process.

We recommend building out a library of promotional materials to help educate donors. They might include:

A dedicated web pageEmail streamsSocial media templatesDigital and printed one-pagersA new section in your annual report or newslettersPhone scripts

Across these materials, you should explain the tax benefits of stock giving, how the process works, what they’ll need to do, and why and how stock giving benefits your mission.

Keep in mind that you should avoid giving or implying that you’re giving financial advice any time you promote non-cash donations, including stocks, crypto, property, and more. Direct your donors to their financial/investment advisors for official guidance and answers as needed.

Using the right tools and taking the right approach makes all the difference when expanding into a new form of giving. Stock giving was previously treated as a kind of black box that spat out gifts but offered little visibility. But remember that a modern, active approach generates more value—not just in terms of the gifts themselves but also increased control over the process and the ability to directly connect with and steward your non-cash donors.

Ready to start building your stock giving program? Begin by laying out its guidelines, ownership, and processes, then create a dedicated form or use a stock giving tool to ensure you’ll have all the information you need to maximize your new revenue stream’s long-term value.

About the AuthorPatrick Schmitt, Co-CEO of FreeWill

Patrick Schmitt and fellow FreeWill co-CEO Jenny Xia founded at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2016. FreeWill’s charitable giving platform makes it easier for nonprofit fundraising teams to unlock transformational gifts, and to date has generated over $6.6 billion in new gift commitments for thousands of nonprofit organizations. Patrick hosts FreeWill’s popular webinar series, educating thousands of nonprofit fundraising professionals each month about planned and non-cash giving strategies.

Before FreeWill, Patrick was the Head of Innovation at Change.org, where he helped grow the organization to 100 million users in four years. Prior to that, he ran email marketing for President Obama and served as Campaign Director for MoveOn.org.

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