Brian Sooy's Blog, page 7

The Alumni Letters, Part Three

“You never call, you never write.When you do, it’s only because you want money.And when I send you money, you forget to say thankyou.”

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Does your college or university have a culture of gratitude?

What’s your process for acknowledging a gift from a donor?

Are small gifts as meaningful to your college as the large gifts?

No matter the size of the gift, you must express your gratitude to your supporters (alumni, friends, and donors), remembering that their gifts are meaningful and their genero...

Out of the Box: Simple Guidelines for Better Typography

Open a book; pick up a magazine; read a brochure… Readability is not accidental. Read these practical tips and recommendations for better typography!

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When you launch your favorite layout software, you’re trusting that it shipped with the proper settings for beautiful typography. Having worked with design software since the days of Adobe PageMaker — through tests and trial and error — I’ve developed a simple set of standards and guidelines for better typography. Your layout software just needs...

Engage Younger Donors as Champions

Just like Olympians don’t master the baton pass in one practice session, you have to train your team to build sustainable relationships with your rising donor population.

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You've come to expect perspectives you won't find anywhere else from Aespire. In that spirit, we welcome a guest perspective from Blake Groves of Salsa Labs.

Anyone who has watched track and field at any level has likely seen the awkward devastation of a failed baton pass. In a relay race, the baton transfer is make or break...

The Alumni Letters, Part Two

“You never call, you never write.When you do, it’s only because you want money.”

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This statement is not just the cry of your great aunt, or of a parent to a college student—It’s how your alumni will feel when they begin to receive the campaign and donor appeals from your college or foundation if your outreach is one-sided.

People have a soft spot for where they got their start

The memories of an individual’s experience from a college or university is important to their life story. Their experi...

It’s Giving Tuesday, and We’re Not Ready… Now What?

Giving Tuesday happens once a year, but nurturing relationships with donors is a year-round activity.

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Are you out of ideas? Panicking? Waited too long again? Don't panic.

What have you been doing to build relationships with donors and prospects for the other 364 days of the year?

October through December is the giving season. As nonprofits plan year-end giving campaigns and appeals, it seems to be the most apprproiate time for any meaningful cause to look for donations and funding to advance...

The Gift of Small Potatoes

Giving Tuesday and the year-end is nearly here. How will you acknowledge the financial gifts you’ve been planning for?

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My friend, a personal philanthropist, showed me a thank you card she received after making a four-figure gift to a charitable organization.

"Even though it's signed," she began, "it's a form letter. For a gift of this size, I would expect a more personal response, even if it's from one of the staff or a board member. To me, this says my donation is no more important than a $5...

Raise Your Voice Now to Change a Child's Future

Raising your voice now can make a meaningful impact in the future of just one person.

[image error]Every quarter, over 100 women and a growing number of men gather in Lorain County, Ohio to to raise funds for local charities. These groups, respectively known as 100 Women Who Care About Lorain County, and 100 Guys Who Care About Lorain County, meet with the goal of raising $10,000 each quarter to donate to a local charity.

Here’s how it works: At each quarterly meeting, members choose one local non-profit o...

Save Time with One Image Size for Social Media

One size seems to work best for many social media platforms. Learn how to make it work for you.

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Have you ever been concerned with having adequate time to create graphics for your social media and blog posts, because you think you need to create a different size for each platform?

There’s a simple solution for social media images that works well for most social media platforms, especially when you’re short on time.

One particular size seems to work best, and I’ll show you a few practical examp...

3 Ways Prospect Research Propels Nonprofit Marketing Forward

Take advantage of the relationship between marketing and prospect research to create personalized communication.

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Written by Ryan Woroniecki

Prospect research is usually brought up in fundraising talks about finding giving candidates and catering asks. The relationship between marketing and prospect research is often left out of the discussion.

Well, it shouldn’t be! And here’s why.

The nonprofit world has an invigorated interest in donor-centricity. It’s all about the donor and every aspect o...

Interview with Todd Henry and the Power of Your Authentic Voice

Key insights from my conversation with Todd Henry about Louder Than Words from the Raise Your Voice podcast.

My guest for this episode of the Raise Your Voice podcast was author Todd Henry. Todd teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of three books, The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and his new book, Louder Than Words.

Louder Than Words captured my attention simply on the title alone. Todd wrote this book as a guide to...