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Best Nonprofit Tagline Goes After Guns,
Jobs
The tagline “Nothing Stops A Bullet Like A Job”
from Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries won all-star honors in
the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards.
Homeboy Industries, which assists at-risk and former gang
member youth with job training and placement, received the top
honor among 12 other winning nonprofit taglines this year.
To read the complete article click
here...
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Donors
...
9 reasons ‘no’ can be
‘yes’
As a fundraiser, you probably will hear
“no” a lot more than you hear “yes.”
Fundraising wisdom would lead you to believe
that you should accept the “no” and move on, which
will hopefully turn into a “yes” later down the
road. But maybe you should think about what kind of
“no” you received, according to Bernard Ross,
director of Management Centre based in London, United Kingdom.
Ross gave nine examples of different
“no” explanations donors tend to give. If you
listen hard enough, maybe you will hear the real reason behind
their decline and change it into a “yes.”
-
No, not for this. Are you asking for the
wrong thing? Find out what your donor is most interested in and
try to formulate a gift ask around your donor’s
passion.
-
No, not you. The only worse situation hearing
that answer is when you are trying to ask someone out. Try to
find out other nonprofits the donor would prefer giving to and
why.
-
No, not me. Ask why the donor is involved
with your cause in the first place. Then ask that if he or she
doesn’t give, who will fund those important programs?
-
No, not in this way. Find out what
way.
-
No, not unless? For some donors there will
always be a condition. Perhaps they are willing to give with
some recognition, want to give to a specific program or want to
meet with the organization’s CEO. See what the donor wants
and think about whether the request is feasible and fits the
gift size.
-
No, not now. In this economy, people want to
give but might not have the capacity at the moment. Try to see
if donors will consider gift-planning options. Or, try to work
with the donor and explain that every little bit counts.
-
No, too much. Make sure you do your research
about how much a donor might be able to give. If you went
outside the donor’s comfort zone, try for a smaller
gift.
-
No, too little. Ross said one time he wanted
to make a gift in memory of a loved one. He asked what he could
do for the organization, and someone replied that the
organization needed a new television. Ross said he was a little
insulted. Don’t take a donor's time of great
need to give and offer he or she a paltry way of expressing
it.
-
No, go away! Respect donors but send a
thank-you for their time anyway. These donors might be so
shocked they might rethink giving a
gift. |
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Direct
Response ...
Playing response channels off each
other
Direct mail or email? Direct response
television or YouTube? Twitter or Facebook? The number of
fundraising channels is growing, but it’s still all about
communication, according to Geoff Peters, president and CEO of
CDR Fundraising Group in Bowie, Md.
Peters talked about multi-channel
fundraising, from snail mail to PURLs (personalized URLs),
during the recent National Catholic Development Conference in
Arlington, Va.
The sheer volume of channels available
might scare off some people, but using these channels
strategically could end up helping your organization’s
communication efforts, according to Peters.
Here are his thoughts:
- It’s about the math. Integrating
communications across multiple channels should work positively,
increasing your donor numbers. You aren’t subtracting
anything -- so you only have room to gain.
- Not one size fits all. People respond
differently to various channels. The person who might answer
your email campaign might never respond to your Facebook posting
or your direct mail.
- Small organizations have an advantage
online. Social networks and email campaigns can be implemented
with little or no cost. But these channels still require time,
especially social networks that need time dedicated to building
relationships.
- Direct mail is not dead. People have
bemoaned the death of direct mail since the Internet took off.
Peters reminded that people said the same thing with the fax
machine supposedly taking over for direct mail. Look how that
turned out.
- The average nonprofit makes 5 percent of
its revenue online, which has increased substantially in the
past 10 years but still doesn’t beat the donation
juggernaut of direct mail at most organizations.
- Have one hand help the other. If you are
looking to grow your email list, look no further than your
direct mail house file. These names represent people who love
your organization. Try an email append to get their email and
build another relationship online.
- Integrate across channels. Keep your
branding consistent with all channels so you don’t confuse
the donor. If you send out a direct mail piece about puppy
mills, don’t make dog fighting the prominent theme in your
telemarketing follow-ups or email. Stick with one issue at a
time and see if you can segment donors by their responses.
- Each organization is different. Ask
yourself what is the return on investment for anything that you
do and make sure it works for the organization. Test everything
so you know exactly how the communication integration
works.
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Fundraising ...
You can’t make
a goal unless you set one
The recession has put many development professionals on edge,
feeling helpless to change their current fundraising
environment.
Instead of feeling paralyzed by circumstances, nonprofit
professionals should hit the ground running, according to
Margaret Cuccinello, planned giving and major gifts officer at
the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin Order in New York.
Cuccinello gave some of her ready-to-use suggestions at the
National Catholic Development Conference in Arlington, Va.
Here are some tips:
- Set goals. Establish some real goals your organization wants
to accomplish every year. Don’t just think about a
dollar amount to put on a thermometer cardboard cutout. Create
some non-revenue specific goals, such as a 5 percent increase in
volunteer hours.
- Enlist board and leadership. Don’t let your leadership
and board members take a backseat in the organization. Find out
where their influence and expertise would be most useful. See if
board members or even the organization’s president will
accompany a development officer to a major donor meeting.
- Create a gift acceptance policy. A policy could protect you,
the organization and your donors. Think about the level of
difficulty with each gift type, such as real estate or
annuities. Decide if your organization can properly handle the
gifts. Reevaluate the acceptance policy terms every six months
to make sure you are on point with your gift direction.
- Know your prospects. Take a look at your marketing
strategies for planned giving. Figure out which donors you need
to speak with one-on-one and which donors can be cultivated even
further through major or planned gifts. Cuccinello explained
that with bequests, 97 percent of donors put a charity in their
will because they were asked and had faith in the
organization.
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