All in Vision
Many nonprofit leaders need help crafting a comprehensive marketing plan that shares their impact and causes donors to take notice. They either don't spend enough time crafting a strategy and instead post here and there on their social media when an event is coming up or when it's time to ask for money. Or, they feel lost, unaware of the best practices for nonprofit organizations.
So, here are our top nonprofit marketing tips:
Raising funds for nonprofit organizations is a complex process of prospecting, relationship building, campaigns, events, proposals, and more. When you throw the challenge of raising funds for a new initiative into the mix, the process becomes even trickier. Some funders even flat-out refuse to support new programs due to their lack of proven impact. Though, there are steps you can take to secure the funds you need.
A common badge of honor that we wear as nonprofit professionals is the one that states “I’m overworked!” It is time to change that narrative! You are a superhero! You are running a social service organization trying to solve the world’s most pressing problems on limited resources. I totally affirm that you are working your tail off and that you are tired! However, it is imperative that we take the necessary steps to handle our stress in order to help move our organizations forward.
In the nonprofit and business sector the work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become a significant focus these past few years. This work is important and challenging. In this blog, I will be focusing on equity. Achieving equity is one of the hardest parts of DEI work. To work towards equity, we must understand clearly what equity means, how to get started in equity work, and how to build equity into our organizations.
Think of the last fundraising appeal that you wrote. Did it include a client's story? Using personal stories can be powerful but any time you tell someone else's story you need to proceed with caution. If you are going to use a client's story, and do so in a way that honors all of their unique stories, then you must first develop your relationship.
Fundraising is like the stock market. Some stock options are conservative or highly volatile. You have to take a risk to gain or lose a profit, but you need to be strategic about it. You can measure an investment’s profitability by assessing its return on investment. Similarly, in a fundraising world, you have to invest in your donors, be strategic and determine which fundraising activities will produce a high return on investment. Read more to find out how.
The summer months are here, and for many organizations, this is a natural transition period into a new cycle of summer programming. If this is the case for your organization, this transition period can be a great opportunity to check in and check up on your organization’s evaluation practices and processes. Here are 4 easy tips to follow, to set yourself on the right track.
Creativity is an often-overlooked skill at work and people often underestimate their creativity. However, everyone is creative and should bring that skill to work. Creativity at work can lead to innovative ideas for problem-solving, programming, fundraising, and increased productivity. Developing your creative skills at work can be beneficial. Here are five tips to harness your creativity at work.
How do you become an exceptional leader in a time of crisis? Start by understanding your default leadership style. Once we know what leadership style comes naturally to us, we can then build a plan for how to improve other aspects of our leadership. Building up our skills in each of the frames allows us to adapt to changes and crises and become exceptional!
Nonprofit leaders are looking for ways to get back on track with strategic plans developed before the pandemic. But what exactly Pandemic Recovery looks like for each of us varies from organization to organization. Pivoting responds to a new context. It is not the same as ‘mission drift,’ and does NOT signify failure. It takes an organization firmly rooted in its community to respond to its needs.
From the bottom of my heart to the moon and back, you really made my day! Is that too personal or should I be a little more formal? Donor stewardship is everything that happens after someone has made a donation. Your donors should have a positive experience and want to continue supporting your organization’s needs in the future.
These past 18 months have shown us that we have to think of out-of-the-box ideas in order to pivot. We have had to think of out-of-the-box ideas for program development, fundraising, outreach, publicity, workshops, and events. Coming up with new ideas can be challenging. Maybe you feel the tools that you have for brainstorming ideas are not enough. I would like to share some tools and techniques to help in your next brainstorming session.
Nonprofit leaders are very familiar with the need and benefits of strategic plans. We hear about them all the time and likely engage in a strategic planning process within your organization on a regular schedule. However, fewer of us in the sector are aware of the term “operational planning.”
When starting up a non-profit organization, one thing people often get stuck on is coming up with the name of the organization. I have four tools that you can use when coming up with a name for your non-profit organization.
The annual giving campaign is an opportunity to promote your organization’s mission, expand your list of committed donors, and raise necessary funds to support general operations and programs. Below are best practices for a successful annual giving campaign.
Zoom has become a verb for virtual meetings and conferences, but Zoom is not the only available software meeting platform.
Many nonprofits are considering how to replace their annual galas. COVID-19 threw us all for a loop. Overnight we shift services and developed new structures. However, nonprofits are only able to do their love-changing work through philanthropic support and in-person events still aren’t safe. Below is a curated list of several virtual fundraising ideas to help give you the motivation to run a successful event that helps you continue to keep the lights on and the doors open in the midst of crisis.
Many great initiatives fail to launch due to poor planning but with careful consideration, you can set any program up for success. Below are three tips to consider when engaging in your program design process.
