Resource Thursday: A Persuasive Infographic

Having trouble persuading your board or leadership team that online giving is important? Check out this infographic that Network for Good released around their 10th anniversary last week. Yes, that's right, online giving has been around for more than a decade - I'm pretty sure that means it's mainstream for the majority of the population, so if that isn't enough to persuade your board, hopefully these other tidbits will help:

Schedule Your December Appeals

Happy Monday! Hopefully by today, you've overcome the food coma that Thanksgiving induced and are ready for the biggest giving month of the year. 

Now is the time to start thinking about when you're going to email your supporters to encourage them to include your organization in their holiday/end of year giving plans. If you've been reading this blog, you've already laid the foundation for your giving case by sending around a compelling story about one of your constituents - and giving your supporters credit for the life they changed.

It's a good idea to email your supporters at least a few times throughout the month of December - including at least twice during the last week of the year. This chart of online giving through  Network for Good in 2008 makes a powerful case for reaching out to donors on the 30th and 31st - when 22% of the year's online giving happens.

 

That's right - 33% of all online giving happens in the last month of the year, and 22% in the last 2 days!  So it's not too late to set up a powerful plan for year-end giving, and the first step is deciding when you're going to reach out to your donors. 

Here's my plan for an organization that I'm working with:

• December 14 (1 month after my thank you story email) - another constituent story, this time with an ask for support to change even more lives in 2012
• December 21 - another story of a life that's been changed, another ask
• December 29 - a short, sweet story and reminder to make a donation by the end of the year
• December 31, 8 am (to make sure it's at the top of their inbox) - don't drop the ball - make a donation before the ball drops!

After each email, I'm going to check my list carefully and exclude anyone who has already made a gift in December - you don't want to treat your donors like ATMs - if they've already given, concentrate on thanking them, not asking again!

Resource Thursday (a day early): Idealist.org

I'm posting this resource a day early since I'm going to take tomorrow off for Thanksgiving!

If you have open career or volunteer opportunities, Idealist is an excellent place to start your search. Here's their mission statement:

Idealist connects people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives.

Idealist is independent of any government, political ideology, or religious creed. Our work is guided by the common desire of our members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

That doesn't tell you a whole lot about how your organization can use Idealist, so here are a few things to get you started:

• Add your organization (this is necessary to post jobs and internships)
• Find candidates for internships,  jobs and volunteer opportunities
• Publicize events and programs

From my experience, the best use of Idealist is finding candidates for open positions, but I'd love to hear success stories of how others have used it to publicize events and programs.

Happy hunting!

Don't Panic!

One of my favorite books is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the movie doesn't do it justice), and one of the key principles of inter-galactic hitchhiking is "Don't panic."

That principle also applies to nonprofit management and writing appeals. It's easy to get caught up in your left - or logical - brain when you're in the thick of things, especially if your organization is struggling. But it's not logic that creates a vital connection with your supporters, it's emotion.

When you find yourself getting caught up in all the practical things that your organization needs money to fix - the heater, the computers that have viruses, the staff that need paychecks - don't panic!

Take a step back and look at the big picture. Your supporters don't want to buy you a new HVAC unit. But they do want to make sure that the constituents you're serving aren't so distracted by the cold that they can't get the help that they need from you.

So think about one of your constituents and how they're affected by not having heat or a working computer or a case manager, then write to your supporters about that person. 

Stir your donors emotions, and they'll be more likely to open their wallets to help your organization do the work you're so passionate about.

Donors are people too! Give one a call!

A couple weeks ago, you spoke to one or more of your constituents, then sent that great story to your supporters. Now, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, take a few minutes to call one of your most loyal donors and ask them what they thought.

Remember: Donors are people, too! The key to fundraising is engagement - creating a relationship with a donor, rather than treating them like ATMs. 

Before you call, take a moment to look at their giving history to see how much they've given to your organization over time, whether there are any noticeable trends in their giving patterns, and how much they've given this year. Be prepared to tell them how their specific gifts have helped constituents of your organization.

When you get them on the phone, thank them for their support and the impact it has had. Then ask them how they first got connected to your organization, how satisfied they are with the information that you send them, what else they might like to know about what's going on, what their plans are for the holidays (both personal and in giving) and about any patterns that you've noticed in their giving history. Then, if they seem amenable, ask them to consider stepping up their giving level this year.

There are lots of ways to recognize their giving leadership, whether it's a "President's Circle" of top givers or "Founding Partners" of people who have supported the organization from the beginning or a special "Impact Fund" in their name.

Resource Thursday: Foundation Center

If you're new to institutional fundraising or could just use some refresher training, the Foundation Center is the place for you. They offer everything from how to get started identifying potential funders to a searchable online database of grantmakers, grants and 990s to classes in proposal writing and nonprofit management. You can use their resources online or in one of their five libraries.

Ask Your Supporters to DO Something

Donate now!
Forward to a friend
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Give us feedback 
Write your Councilmember

All of the above are actions. Look at the last appeal you sent to your supporters. Unless it's simply an update on your work (which is a critical part of your engagement strategy), it should end (and even begin) with a clear call to action.

Don't just tell readers who you are and what you do - engage them by inviting them to take action.

You can also apply this principle to your website. Does your homepage have 2-3 clear calls to action (including Donate Now) that direct visitors where to go next?