marketing

Time to Measure Your Progress

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing

We are already three months into 2013.  This is a good time to measure your progress so far.  Take out your fundraising and marketing plans (You do have written plans, don’t you?), and let’s see how you are doing. Here are a few things you should measure.

Fundraising
Are you on target with your fundraising goals?  If not, how far off are you?  You may need to give it a little more time or do something differently. Perhaps the foundations you are approaching aren’t a good match for your organization.

If you have had any events or campaigns recently, assess what worked and what didn’t.  Hopefully, you have already measured results from your year-end appeal, so you can apply what worked to this year’s campaign.

Donor relations
Besides raising revenue, your fundraising plan should include a donor relations component.  Are you thanking your donors and keeping them engaged on a regular basis?  One way to track engagement is to measure the response rates of your email messages.  Another way is to get feedback by sending out a short survey or asking questions on social media.

Volunteer recruitment
If your organization relies on volunteers, are you meeting your recruitment goals?   Keep track of which groups are more likely to volunteer.  Do you tend to get more seniors or students?  Are corporations or faith-based communities a better place to find volunteers?

Marketing/communications
This is closely related to your donor relations.  Are you sending out a newsletter and other updates?  Measure the response rates of your messages and website.

If your messages don’t seem to resonate with your supporters, figure out why.  Maybe you need better email subject lines or more compelling content.  Are your messages filled with gratitude and success stories about how you are making a difference thanks to your donors, or are you sending out something long, boring, and focused on the organization?

Looking at your number of email subscribers and social media followers is just one part of the equation.  Make sure you are keeping them engaged with good content.

Another reason your response rate might be low is that you are sending messages to people who aren’t strong supporters.
You may also want to measure media coverage.  It’s not easy to get media coverage.  You are competing with many other organizations, as well as current news stories.  Make sure you are targeting the right publications (smaller and local is often better) with the right stories.

What else does your organization need to measure?
This post by the Veritus Group offers some more suggestions. 1st Quarter Check Up!  One point they make is that it’s still early in the year.  If something’s not working, you have plenty of time to fix it and still meet your year-end goals.

Here is a great tool to help you with your measurement. Library of Sample Dashboard Indicators
Look it over. You may find some other things you need to measure.

Take some time to measure your progress. Then make a point to do it again at least once between now and the beginning of July.

Navigating the Multi-Channel Communication Stream

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing
We live in a multi-channel communication world. We send and receive messages via direct mail, email, websites, social media, and our phones. Chances are your nonprofit organization is using all these channels to communicate with donors and other supporters. All of these channels can work, and they can work better if you use them together. 


How do you decide which channel works best for you and integrate all channels in your fundraising and marketing campaigns? Here are a few suggestions.

Which channels do your supporters prefer? 

Just because you have people subscribed to your email list or following you on social media, doesn’t mean they are always using those channels.

How do you know which channels your supporters like? You ask them. Conducting surveys a couple of times a year can be very helpful. You might find out your supporters prefer print newsletters or they are glued to their mobile devices. What works best will be different for every organization, and it will often be a combination of channels.

Once is never enough 
If you only mail out a fundraising appeal, your success rate will be much lower than if you also send out appeals through email and social media. According to a study by Convio (now part of Blackbaud), dual channel donors give an average of $123.29 annually, which is 46% more value to a nonprofit than direct mail only donors.

In addition, we are all very busy and have to contend with messages from a variety of sources. We might miss a fundraising appeal when it comes through the mail or email, but have our aha moment when we get a reminder on Facebook. On the other hand, some people never use social media or email and respond better to direct mail.

Quality vs. quantity 
How often you send out messages depends on the channel. Because of the cost, smaller organizations may only send out direct mail pieces a few times a year. Generally organizations send out email once a week and post on social media a couple of times a day.

But make sure you have something good to say. Don’t just put something on Facebook because it’s been a few days since you posted anything. Make your messages clear, concise, conversational, and compelling. The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content  

I recommend using an editorial calendar to help you plan your multi-channel communication strategy. LightBox Collaborative’s 2013 Editorial Calendar

Keep track 

For every campaign, keep track of how many donors come through each channel. Do the same when you recruit volunteers or hold an event. Figure out what works and what doesn’t. You may not have that many people responding through Twitter because your supporters don’t use it, you haven’t built up a following yet, or you have a lot of followers, but aren’t using Twitter effectively.


Stay consistent 
When you are communicating across channels, make sure your messages and look are consistent. If a donor goes to your website after receiving a fundraising letter, your donation page should have the same message, along with your logo. It’s okay to use exactly the same messages. Just alter them for each channel – e.g. your social media posts will be shorter. Everything you send out needs to look like it’s coming from the same organization. 

All paths lead to your website 
Often when you send out a letter, an email, or a social media post, you are directing people back to your website. Use this checklist to ensure that whatever web page you are sending someone to is effective and engaging. A Website Checklist  

These are a few examples of ways to help you navigate the 

multi-channel communication stream. How do you use multi-channel communication?

Time For Some Spring Cleaning

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing, website, writing

Spring is here, yea!  Spring is a time for new beginnings.  It’s a time to clean up what’s old and make room for something new.

Many of you may take on spring cleaning projects in your home.  Here are a few spring cleaning projects you can do that will benefit your nonprofit organization.

Clean up your mailing lists
Did you have an influx of address changes, returned mail, and bounced emails after you sent out your annual appeal?  Now is a good time to clean up and update both your print and email mailing lists.

You should be emailing your supporters regularly, so you need to keep your list up-to-date.  Remember never to add people to your list without their permission.

You may not mail as often, but why wait until right before your next big mailing to clean up your list.   

Update your donor database
Most likely your print mailing list is part of your donor database.  Besides updating that, make any other additions, changes, and deletions you need to make in your database.  For example, if you had a conversation with a donor, include that. Your donor database is an important tool and you need it to be up-to-date and filled with accurate information about your donors.

Spring Cleaning Your Database

Check in with lapsed donors
As you are cleaning up your mailing lists and database, you may come across some lapsed donors.  These folks can be an untapped source of revenue, so don’t let them get away. Find your best prospects and give them a call.  This is something your board can help you with. 

There are many reasons these donors haven’t given recently – they were too busy to donate last fall, they can’t afford to give right now, or they may not be interested in your organization anymore.  If it’s the last one, hopefully it’s not because you aren’t engaging with them regularly.  Whatever the reason, it’s always good to get feedback.

Where to Find the Gold In Your Fundraising 

Update your website
Your website is often one of the first places a newcomer will visit.  Your current supporters may also visit regularly.  It’s very important that you keep it up-to-date, that it looks good, and it’s easy to navigate. 

Use this checklist to help ensure that you have an effective and engaging website. 

A Website Checklist

Come up with fresh content
In the spring we can open the windows and let in some fresh air.  Have you been using the same stories and photos for awhile?  Start coming up with fresh stories, quotes, testimonials, and photos to use in all your materials.  It’s fine to use the same stories and photos in different materials, but it’s also a good idea to come up with some new ones.

Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?
Take advantage of this time to make any updates and changes you need to make. What spring cleaning projects do you have in mind for your organization?

Let’s Work Together – The Importance of a Good Relationship with the Program Department

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of a good relationship between the development and marketing departments.  Now I’d like to go a step further and explore the importance of a good relationship with the program department. Of course, you want a good relationship between all staff, but I am going to focus on marketing and development’s relationship with program.

Don’t create silos. Always remember that you are all working for the same mission.

Process vs. results
One key to a good relationship is to understand how the different departments work.

The program department focuses on the process – serving the people in need, while development and marketing are more concerned about the results – how you are actually making a difference.  It’s all important.

Sometimes there is a conflict between process and results, but you can’t have programs without fundraising and marketing, and you can’t raise money and awareness without strong programs. The departments need each other. 

Sharing success
The heart of fundraising and marketing messages is how you are making a difference for the people you serve.  The program staff is your connection to get stories, photos, and even videos to share with donors and potential donors.    

It can get tricky. Development and marketing need to be updated with client numbers and accomplishments, so they can share them with donors.  But program is busy serving clients and may not see that as a priority.

Plan ahead
You need to be respectful of the program staff’s time.  Don’t approach someone the day before your newsletter needs to go out and ask for a success story ASAP.

I always recommend nonprofits have an ongoing collection of stories, profiles, and photos to use, so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute.

If you get grant funding, you must work with program staff to determine what outcomes you will measure in the grant. Also, program needs to know when your grant reports are due, so they can give you results.

Again, don’t wait until the last minute.

Come up with a system
You need to come up with a system where the departments can work together without feeling overburdened.  This could mean sharing success stories at staff meetings; regular meetings between the departments to discuss stories, accomplishments, and funding needs; or program providing written monthly updates of client numbers and accomplishments. 

Seeing your programs in action
Development and marketing can sometimes be removed from the program work of your organization, especially if it’s done offsite.  If possible find ways for other staff to meet clients, visit your community center, or volunteer at your food bank.  

The more you know how the programs work, the easier it is to put this in human terms and share it with donors.  I used to work for a mentoring organization and staff were required to take the mentor training and encouraged to attend group activities with the mentors and mentees.  Doing that gave me a deeper understanding of the organization’s mission.

Working together
If you can create an atmosphere where the departments understand each other’s role, realize that program needs to share success stories with development and marketing, and know that those departments need to spend time seeing the programs in action, you will have a better chance of working together to accomplish your mission.

Here’s more on the importance of working together.
Fundraisers and Program Professionals: Can’t Everyone Just Get Along?
How is the relationship in your organization?

Let’s Work Together – The Importance of a Good Relationship Between Marketing and Development

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing

If your organization has separate marketing and development departments, how well do you work together?  Do you even work together, or do you get territorial about responsibilities?


Remember, it’s not a competition between departments. There is a huge amount of overlap between fundraising and marketing. You are all working for the same mission. If you distance yourself from each other, what is popularly known as siloing, you are not doing what’s best for your organization.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Everyone in your organization has a role in marketing
All staff, board members, and volunteers are brand ambassadors for your organization.  You should have a consistent set of messages that you use in all your materials.  If you don’t, here’s some information about creating a message platform.  Make Your Messages Clear and Consistent 

Everyone should have an elevator pitch and be prepared to share your organization’s messages.

Everyone in your organization has a role in fundraising
Fundraising is the lifeblood of all nonprofit organizations.  Creating a culture of philanthropy Building a culture of philanthropy in your organization lets everyone know the importance of fundraising. 


Your role as an ambassador includes fundraising as well.  Depending on the size of the organization, sometimes it can be all hands on deck during annual appeal time as everyone pitches in to get it out.  Staff might be asked to send annual appeal letters to family and friends, as well as invite them to events.

PROBLEM AREAS AND HOW YOU CAN WORK TOGETHER
There may be times when the two departments might clash.  Here it’s important to go beyond what is development’s responsibility and what is marketing’s responsibility, and remember you are all working on behalf of your mission. 

I like this quote from donor communications expert Tom Ahern – “The heads of development and marketing have to accept that they are oxen pulling the same wagon, a wagon labeled ‘increasing community support’.”


You need clear and consistent messages
As I mentioned before, your organization needs consistent messages in all materials, fundraising and others.  Your messages also need to be conversational and easy to understand – no jargon. 

There may be a case when someone in marketing makes edits to your fundraising letter so that it includes your organization’s messaging and that it is easily understood by your donor. It’s important not to take this personally.  It’s not your writing, it’s your organization’s.  Your fundraising letter needs to captivate your donors.

You need control of your communication
A large part of fundraising is building relationships with donors and one way to do that is to share success stories and updates by email, social media, and on your website.

Marketing and development should work together on an editorial calendar that includes fundraising campaigns and events, along with newsletter submissions and other updates.  You can’t have people sending out three different messages one day and then not communicate again for three weeks.

In many organizations one person is in charge of controlling the flow of communication that goes through the channels listed above and often that is someone in marketing.  That doesn’t mean that someone in development can’t send out fundraising messages, but you need coordination so that you are sending out the right amount of messages.  This person also needs to know how use the platforms (especially the email template) so everything you send out has a consistent look.

Development needs understand that most communication goes through marketing.  Marketing needs to understand that one of the main purposes of the newsletter and other updates is to communicate with donors and potential donors.  See how the two departments are so interconnected?

The links below provide more insight to the importance of a good relationship between development and marketing. One key is support from leadership.

How is the relationship in your organization?

When Fundraising is Your Marketing Goal – And Not
4 Steps to Moving Your Marketing and Fundraising Teams to a Productive Partnership
In my next post I’ll write about the importance of a good relationship with the program department.

Your Attention Please

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing, writing

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve written about the importance of engaging your donors.  One way is regular communication with them.  You may have created a plan and chosen donor-centered content, which is great.  Now you need to get their attention to get your messages across. 

Think short
You might have better luck with shorter more frequent messages.  Aim for every week or every two weeks.  If you only send out a monthly e-newsletter, your donor might miss your email due to a number of reasons – vacation, work, family.

You only have a few seconds
When sending email choose subject lines that will capture your donor’s attention.  February Newsletter is not as enticing as Learn How You Can Help Prevent Childhood Hunger.  The same goes for headlines in your newsletter and website.

Consistency is key
All your messages and materials, both electronic and print, should have a consistent look.  Your donors will start to recognize your brand, and hopefully see you as a reputable source.

Make it easy
Your donors are busy and are receiving messages from a variety of different sources besides your organization.  In most cases, they are going to scan your message, so make sure they still get the gist of what you want to convey.

Your messages should be easy to read and scan.  Use a white background with black type.  Use lots of white space and bold headings.  In addition, use at least a 12 point font (bigger is better).

Make it visual
Photos and graphics can tell a story in an instant, but in certain venues such as email, they can create problems.  Here are some ways to prevent this. Top Five Worst Nonprofit Email Marketing Mistakes: #3 Assuming Users Will See Your Graphics and here is a creative way to enable images. How to get donors to enable images in email
Photos are great in print pieces and on Facebook.

You need good content
That might seem obvious, but if your donor has come this far and is ready to read your message, don’t shortchange them. Put yourself in your donor’s shoes.  What would they be interested in?  In most cases personal stories triumph over a bunch of statistics.

When creating content, remember the four Cs – be clear, concise, conversational, and compelling. The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content 

Think multichannel
Use different channels.  Besides email, communicate by social media, on your website, and through the mail.  Measure which channels work best for you.  You can communicate the same message through different channels. For example, include links to your newsletter on social media.

Be mobile friendly
Many people read email and look at social media and websites on their mobile devices or tablets.  I am not a technology expert, but I do know that when I read content on my iPhone, I’m much happier when it fits nicely on the screen.  This will make your donors happier too, and that’s what you want.

Here are some resources about going mobile.

Four Strategies for Going Mobile
Mobile Resources
Be known but don’t be annoying
Some organizations are afraid of annoying their donors by communicating too often, but most don’t communicate enough.  Remember your donors might miss some of your messages. 

Staying in touch once a week and sending out short, engaging messages will help you get your donor’s attention.

Your Audience Isn’t Everyone

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing, writing

Have you or someone in your organization ever said “We want everyone to know about us.” Everyone, really?  I hate to break it to you, but EVERYONE is not interested in your organization, even though you may be doing great work.

Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com points out there is no general public, and when you try to reach out to everyone, you reach out to no one.

In addition, just saying you want people to know about you (e.g. raising awareness) is a vague goal.  You need a call to action, such as donating, volunteering, contacting your legislator, or attending an event. With a clear call to action,you will also raise awareness.

Who is your audience?
Take some time to put together audience profiles or personas.  You can survey or interview your supporters, or just put together a profile to the best of your knowledge.  The more accurate you can make it, the better.

Here is more information on putting together audience personas.
Create Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target Audiences 

How to Develop Donor Personas for Your Nonprofit
Make a point to get to know your audience.  Listen to what they have to say about you.  Social media is a great platform for that.  

Communicating with your audience
Once you figure out who your audience is, visualize yourself communicating with them, or better yet, with one person.  Your messages should meet their needs and interests.

Remember that one size doesn’t fit all. Messages to donors will be different from messages to volunteers.  Come up with content which will persuade that group to take action. Create clear, concise, conversational, and compelling messages.  The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content
Your audience is a great resource
As you plan to find new donors, volunteers, and other supporters, you usually don’t have to look very far.

How many people who subscribe to your mailing list and follow you on social media are donors?   If they aren’t, they are great candidates to become ones.  Much more so than people who don’t know you.

Your volunteers are potential donors and your donors are potential volunteers.

Also, social media makes it easy for supporters to share information such as attending events, volunteering, and even donating with their friends.

You often don’t have to go far to find new supporters.

Track your audience
Of course, you will need to expand your audience and your best bet is people who will be most likely to support your cause.

Keep track of how your audience responds.  Who donated to your annual appeal?  Was it current donors, mailing list subscribers, or event attendees?  Who is more likely to volunteer – seniors, people in faith communities or colleges students?

Keep this in mind as you seek to expand your audience.

Finding an audience through media coverage
Getting media coverage is not as essential for publicity as it was in the past.  Now you can also communicate the same information via your website and social media.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek media coverage.  But plan carefully.  Besides coming up with a newsworthy story, choose publications that will be most likely to publish it and ones that have a similar audience.  Sometimes small and local will bring you better results.

Always remember that your audience isn’t everyone.  The more you know who your audience is and can create messages they will respond to, the more successful you will be.

Resolutions Nonprofits Need to Make

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing

Happy New Year! 

The New Year is a time when many people make resolutions in their personal lives. I’ve never been that fond of making personal New Year’s resolutions, but try to strive for continuous improvement throughout the year.

Nonprofit organizations do need to make resolutions. You have to plan and strategize in order to be successful. 

Here are some resolutions for you and your organization to make and use throughout the year.

Stick with your plan
One of the biggest problems with making New Year’s resolutions is that people don’t keep them.  In my last post I wrote about creating plans and strategies to prepare for 2013.  Do you create fundraising and marketing plans and then ignore them?

Make a resolution to stick with your plans and monitor your progress.  If something is not working, you can always make adjustments.

This Dashboard can help you monitor your progress. Library of Sample Dashboard Indicators 

Be realistic
If you want to lose weight, it’s unrealistic to say you will lose 20 pounds in a month.  It may also be unrealistic for your nonprofit to hold a huge gala or produce a glossy print newsletter. Figure out what will work best given the resources you have.

Make room for growth
In our personal lives, we might want to learn a new skill or take a class.  This should apply to our professional lives, too.  Make a resolution to learn something new or build on existing skills.

Your organization should also take advantage of new opportunities. Be realistic, of course.  As you look to increase your donor base, reach out to people who will be receptive to your cause.

Do your best
Always strive to do your best within your capabilities.  If it’s only feasible to send out a monthly e-newsletter, make it the best newsletter you can produce.  Give your readers interesting stories that show how you are making a difference. 

Be nice
Many people want to improve their personal relationships, and this should also apply to professional ones as well.  If you want people to be nice to you, you need to be nice to them first.

Be nice to the people who support you.  Send thank you letters right away.  Keep your supporters engaged and interested in your work.  Make your messages positive and conversational.  Always be warm and friendly.

Don’t give up
If something isn’t working, don’t give up.  Perhaps you need to do things differently.  Take a moment to assess what you have done.  Maybe your fundraising campaign didn’t do as well as expected because you targeted the wrong people or didn’t use engaging messages.

Figure out what adjustments you need to make and keep going.

Relax
Some of us work on reducing the stress in our personal lives, and the same should be true in the workplace.

You have a lot to do this year.  But that doesn’t mean you have to work every single minute and stress out about your to-do list. Take breaks and time for yourself.  Creating a better work-life balance will help make you more productive.

Remember that these resolutions are just as important in June as they are now, so keep them up.

Do you have any resolutions to add?

Best of luck for a successful 2013!

Get Ready for the New Year

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing

It’s hard to believe the New Year has arrived.  I hope 2012 was a successful year for you.  But if your marketing and fundraising didn’t go as well as you would have liked, take some time to analyze what worked and what didn’t, if you haven’t already done so.

Creating plans and strategies can help. Here is some information that you can use as you can continue to prepare for 2013.

Marketing Plan
If you have never created a marketing and communications plan, now is a good time to get started.  A few things to keep in mind – Raising awareness is a vague goal.  You need a call to action, such as donating, volunteering, attending an event, or contacting your legislator.

Also, your audience is not everyone.  Target the people or groups who will be most receptive to your message.

Finally, don’t forget to measure your progress at least once a quarter.

How to Create a Marketing Plan
Fundraising Plan
You also need a fundraising plan, and it needs to include a donor relations component.  

Plan to raise money from a variety of sources and be realistic about what makes sense for your organization.

Map out each step of your annual appeal or an event.  And, remember to monitor your progress.

How to Create a Fundraising Plan
Donor Relations
You should spend just as much time on donor retention as donor acquisition.

Come up with ways to thank your donors all year round.  Of course, you must send a great thank you letter immediately after receiving a donation. 

Other ways to show gratitude include seasonal (Valentine’s Day, spring etc.) thank you notes or email messages, holding an open house or some other type of event for your donors, creating a thank you video, and providing donors with regular updates via a newsletter and social media.

Ideally, if you keep your donors engaged and interested in your work, not only will they give again, but they may give at a higher level.

Thank Your Donors All Year Round
Editorial Calendar
Does the idea of coming up with content to share with your supporters on a regular basis stress you out?  Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to.

Create an editorial calendar that lists important dates and events, as well as “evergreen” content – stories you can use at anytime. 

Be sure to have a collection of stories and profiles you can use in your newsletter or website.  

Remember that your updates need to focus on success stories that show your donors and other supporters how you are making a difference.

How to Create an Editorial Calendar
Taking the time to plan, strategize, and monitor your progress is time well spent.

Best of luck to you for a successful New Year!

Is Your Website Donor-Friendly?

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing, website


December is the busiest month for fundraising, which means your website will be receiving an increased number of visitors.


Even if you mailed an annual appeal letter, many people donate online.  If you are sending out reminders by email and social media, you are also including a link to the donation page on your website. 

Are you ready for all your website visitors?  Here are some ways to ensure that your website is donor-friendly.

Your donation page
Take a moment to check your donation page.  Is it easy to use and navigate? Does it have a compelling message and photo?  Is that message consistent with the one in your annual appeal letter?

Read on for more information on creating a great donation page. 
How You Can Create A Welcoming Donation Page
Your home page
Let’s say you have a donor who wants to contribute, but doesn’t have immediate access to the link to your donation page.  That person will Google your organization and be taken to your home page.

This means your home page should not only have a prominent Donate Now button, but a friendly message letting people know your annual appeal is underway.

More information please
Having a donor-friendly website applies to all your web pages.  What if someone wants to know more about a program you mention in your annual appeal?  Does your site have that information?   Is it easy to read and understand?

Maybe you have a prospective donor who wants to find out more about what you do before they give.  Do you have some compelling stories and accomplishments to share?

Perhaps someone else wants to volunteer.  Do you have up-to-date and clear information on how they can get involved?

You never know what will happen once someone enters your website.  You need to be prepared for them to visit multiple pages, and of course, you’d like them to.   

Are all your web pages up-to-date and audience-friendly?  Use this website checklist to find out. A Website Checklist

This information is relevant all year round, not just during a fundraising drive.

The internet is still a popular place to get information, and now it is becoming the preferred method of donating.  Don’t miss out by not having a donor-friendly website.