In This Edition:

• You Are What You Are Or Are You?
  
  
• Grants ...
  Web apps that can bring in money
  
  
• Donors ...
  6 steps to creating mid-level donor clubs
  
  
• Online ...
  5 reasons storytelling is vital to giving
  

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You Are What You Are Or Are You?

By Mark Hrywna

While some nonprofits go for a complete overhaul of name and brand, others realize they only need a few nips and tucks.

One of the first things Sharon Saxelby did when she became president and CEO at Friends of the Orphans was get started on updating the logo and brand. The Arlington Heights, Ill.-based nonprofit also added a tagline (“Raising children. Transforming lives.”) sharpening the focus on its mission.

The new brand and logo kicked off in April after a research effort that started this past summer.

To read the complete article click here...
 

Grants ...
Web apps that can bring in money

Some organizations use Google Grants AdWords as a tool to drive potentially interested users to their Web site. Google Analytics is a free Web analytics program that helps organization evaluate their site. Use them together and your organization can maximize your Web site’s performance, according to Kristie Ferketich, Google Grants senior strategist.

Ferketich explained how the two programs working together might give you more insight into your site’s appeal at NTEN’s recent 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference:

• Link the accounts. If you link your AdWords and Analytics accounts, you can then track landing pages and view your highest performing ads.
• Keep your eyes on the exit. Edit Web pages where you are seeing a substantial user drop off.
• Get rid of low performers. Delete keywords that aren’t getting the bang for their buck. Test similar words or phrases that may perform better.
• Cream of the crop. Determine what site pages are driving the most page views and try to make that the landing page for your AdWord links.
• Location, location, location. See if any geographic region stands out for visits, page views and conversion rates. Then you can customize your campaign for those users.
  

Donors ...
6 steps to creating mid-level donor clubs

Some nonprofits reserve places in giving clubs for some of their grand-slam donors. But nonprofits might want to start thinking about a mid-level donor club. These donors many not hit the ball out of the park with gift amounts, but they always try to make a hit.

They deserve to be recognized, according to Lynn Edmonds, president, and Bryan Terpstra, fundraising vice president, both of L.W. Robbins Associates, based in Holliston, Mass.

This is what you need to know before creating mid-level donation clubs:

• A full file audit can help you figure out which donors should be invited into the club.
• Keep an eye out for donors that renew with the organization with high-value gifts. These can be donors that give you a substantial gift, like $100 or more, but cannot commit to the major gifts program.
• Create guidelines for your prospects like cumulative giving history and highest recent gift.
• Make sure the project is cleared with the board and senior management.
• This group should require targeted attention, so do not commit to the project if you don’t have the resources.
• While it may take different messages to target the club, the benefits could include high gross and net revenue for mail programs and a fully cultivated, reliable group of donors for special or emergency appeals.
  

Online ...
5 reasons storytelling is vital to giving

Writing is important to your organization, but it’s not the internal memos or press releases that will connect you with donors, according to Roger Burks, senior writer at Portland-Ore.-based Mercy Corps.

It’s your job to connect donors to your organization, and one of the best ways is to tell stories, according to Burks at NTEN’s 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference.

Here’s why storytelling is important:

• Engages constituents and attracts donors. The fundraising mantra, “people give to people” holds true. Donors will feel that they are giving to that person in the story, not an organization.
• Informs of news and events. Most nonprofits are on the frontlines in many different ways -- from war-torn developing countries to the local food pantry. Show where you are and your impact in that area.
• Shows accountability. By telling stories based around a beneficiary of services, it shows impact that the Form 990 just can’t paint with numbers and figures.
• Defines who you are as an organization. Brand can only go so far in making a connection with potential donors. Let the people you help shape how your organization is viewed.
• Persuade. You are always trying to make readers take action, whether it’s donating time or money or taking action. Stories will push constituents to make a commitment.

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