Fundraising Detective I've been catching up with some reading in the last month or so and wanted to share short reviews of four books that I believe will help you be a better fundraiser. If you've read any of them then do let me know what you thought or if you've got any other reading recommendations, then please share them in the comments. Note: The titles all link to the author's blog or website and there is a US and UK Amazon link as well. Difference: the one-page method for reimagining your business and reinventing your marketing by Bernadette Jiwa This book is only one hundred pages, but it packs a powerful message about how to develop your brand and tell your story. The book revolves around the premise that to be successful today you need to go beyond the traditional 'four P's' of marketing and develop products with heart and soul. Amazon UK Amazon The PR Masterclass: How to develop a public relations strategy that works by Alex Singleton His advice applies to organisations of all sizes and budgets.
The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits It's you, not me | Rebecca Davies Today’s post is a morsel. Short and sweet, it’s a petit four or, if you’re more of a savoury person, a piece of bleu bénédictin to finish a sumptuous year of blogging on 101fundraising.org, our crowdblog. A year ago next week the very first blog post was published on this site. Now. On the subject of thank you’s, today’s blog post subject: a quick case study on email subject lines. Within two months of the Haiti earthquake of 2010, MSF Canada received over 50,000 new donors. 34,000 of them came online and designated a gift to the emergency. After a series of stewardship emails, we set the groundwork to test an ask for conversion of our 34,000 new Haiti online donors to become monthly donors. We prepared three email solicitations with distinct messages and subject lines, and sent them on March 4, 2010. The email with highest open and click-through rates would inform the telemarketing script. Open rate – 31.4%Clickthrough – 1.5% Open rate – 35.1%Clickthrough – 1.9% Open rate – 42.3% (WOW!)
Best Practice in Action: Getting creative with your fundraising ideas Our “Best Practices in Action” series highlights fundraising tips nonprofit organizations can share with their own supporters. We’ve highlighted a story about the Down Syndrome Associate of Greater St. Louis to help illustrate an important idea. It started with a bet Sometimes the best fundraising strategy is creativity. $10,000 in four days! Not only did they raise the $10,000 in four days, Jeff’s team raised a total of $16,000 as a result of the videos! “The Challenge” was a big success not only because the DSAGSL team met their goal, but also because it boosted their overall fundraising efforts. For other nonprofits looking to create a similar buzz (pun intended) Jeff has some advice: “…Use someone that people feel like they know. How can your nonprofit get a little creative? Sign up for FirstGiving’s nonprofit account and get your fundraisers on board Photo Courtesy opensourceway 2010
Three Classic Fundraising Images from SOFII - Fundraising Detective This month's Non-Profit blog carnival (hosted by Katya Andresen) is all about how you can use imagery to improve your storytelling and fundraising. I thought I'd raid the SOFII archive and pick some of my favourite fundraising images from over the years. The RNLI Lifeboat Man For years the RNLI have used close up shots of a rugged looking man in a sowester and with a beard to ask for support. The simplicity of the image and accompanying headline is what makes it so effective. This man is a hero. I've heard a couple of lectures about these adverts over the years and apparently the RNLI have tested every variable you can imagine with these images - men without beards, groups shots, women etc - but they've never been able to beat the beautiful simplicity of this offer and ask. The NSPCC Centenary Appeal This was the poster that launched the biggest fundraising appeal of its type in 1984 and which has been used as a benchmark for how fundraising appeals should be run.
Finding New Friends: The Art & Science of Acquisition Transcript now available. Scroll to see results of donor acquisition poll. Without question, one of the most difficult aspects of fundraising is finding new friends and converting them into donors to your organization. Let’s put our heads together on Wednesday, April 4 at 12 p.m. for a #fundchat conversation about “Finding New Friends: The Art & Science of Acquisition.” Here’s what to do: Take the survey and tell us about your most effective acquisition strategies.Spread the word. Here is some homework to get you in the right frame of mind: For those of you who like a head start, here are the questions for this edition of #fundchat: Do you view donor acquisition (direct mail, telemarketing, etc.) as an essential investment? #fundchat is a weekly conversation on Twitter where experts from across the U.S. Many #fundchat members use Twebevent or Tweetchat to participate.
12 Elements of a Great Online Fundraising Campaign 1. A concept that immediately makes donors feel good. American Red Cross’ Heroes campaign asks people to “Become a Red Cross Hero”, “Support a Hero” or “Donate to Heroes”. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. See Also Bust a Move – 5 Simple Steps to Improve Your Online Fundraising You May Also Like: Welcome to #fundchat! web event Confirm you are the Host for this event June 13, 2012 <h3 align="center">June 13, 2012 Topic:</h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;">Helping Nonprofits Manage Their Social Media Presence<br /></h3> <p><a text-align:="" center;="" color:="" rgb(8,="" 16,="" 255);"="" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href=" is a weekly Twitter chat for nonprofit fundraising, development and marketing professionals.</a> Visit us online at <a href=" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></p> <p>During the hour-long chat, the moderator (<a href=" will post a question on the topic and participants will discuss, offer insight and advice or share their experiences. After the chat, it will be archived on the blog for future reference. Views