Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide
Here’s your chance to strengthen your nonprofit fundraising results with tested strategies shared by 219 of your peers around the world.
Download your free copy of The Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide to capitalize on their smarts, effort and experiences for your organization.
Edited by our friend Nancy Schwartz at Getting Attention.
These are not big essays or articles, just pithy bits of advice Nancy compiled by surveying frontline fundraising practitioners.
For example …
- Stir your donor’s imagination first before making any ask. A compelling story is only a few seconds away from a positive response.
- If an organization stops acquisition for a year, losing 20 to 40% of its 0 to12 month donors due to attrition with no plan to replace them, it’s tough to come in and turn that ship around. It is a reminder of the art and science of direct mail, knowing that the one year with no acquisition will take at least three years to recoup.
- Do create personas representing your target audience. Imagining the characteristics of an individual who is part of your target audience can be such a helpful resource when crafting messages for that audience.
- Be consistent. Whatever your message, keep it clear and consistent. Never forget the KISS principle.
- What gets measured gets done. Set measurable goals, keep accurate records and celebrate successes.
- If many things need updating, revamp your website first.
- It’s great to take the time to brainstorm, talk, discuss and even argue why you should or shouldn’t do something. But we’ve learned that sometimes you just need to take a (calculated) risk and jump in to try something new.
- Here’s one I seem to re-learn every year—teach yourself and your people how to embrace failure and keep experimenting.
It won’t take you long to breeze through the Guide over a coffee and pick out some helpful insights … and some advice you might dispute.
Tom
One response to “Nonprofit Marketing Wisdom Guide”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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Great link Tom. Thank you. And thanks to Nancy too!