#FUNDRAISING: Mobile Platforms For Donations Have Pros & Cons
That mobile communications devices like smart phones and tablets are the platform-of-choice for most people around the globe is a truism. Ever more business is being conducted over such devices as well, especially over tablets − and by ‘business’ we mean logistics, orders, and purchases, not just business calls.
Nonprofits have appreciated the impact of mobile devices for their work as well. The Red Cross’s famed text-to-donate drive after the Haitian earthquake of 2010 stands as one of the best-known early examples of such fundraising. But as the platform grows in scope and matures in form, what are some of the options out there that fit best with your nonprofit’s needs?
| Category Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Cross-Post, Crowdfunding, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing Budget, Measurement, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Technology for Nonprofits, Volunteerism | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#DEVELOPMENT: How Much Cash Is Required To Land A Donation?
How often do nonprofits reach out to donors potential and actual online, yet have no real sense of how successful the outreach was? Did the time and money spent developing a program or launching a campaign prove to be worth the support? Dan Norris, founder of the online-analytics service Informly offers a tool to help you make that call. He also recently posted his somewhat-scientific results on using his ‘Cost Per Acquisition‘ (CPA) calculator to see what kinds of costs he was incurring to get people engaged with his for-profit business. Let’s see how the costs to acquire customers or donors can prove strikingly steep.
| Category Blogs, Campaigns, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Cross-Post, Development, Donor Acquisition, Education: General, Fundraising, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Social Networks, Strategic Marketing, Technology for Nonprofits | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#COMMUNICATIONS: Postal Service Rates To Rise on 27 January
Forever stamps still good after the 27th.
We have managed to put off the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ for a couple of months, but we can’t avoid the changes in postal rates coming in a couple of weeks. Thanks to our fine business partners at Ecoprint in Silver Spring, Maryland, for the heads-up! The US Postal Service (USPS) has been on hard times over the last 5-7 years due to the overwhelming presence of email, social networks, and e-fax services. Moreover, the semi-private/ public service is carrying a striking burden of compensation packages for its executives that, frankly, seem to outweigh the performance of the venerable institution. Be that as it may, be prepared for upticks to many of the services. What’s coming at the end of the month?
| Category Advice, Campaigns, Civics, Communications, Cross-Post, Direct Mail, Education: General, Marketing, Marketing Budget, News and Current Affairs, Newsletter, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Politics, Publications, Resource, Web and Print | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: How To Promote Facebook Posts & Why You Might Not Want To
CecilyK on ‘MomCrunch’ blog says ‘No’
This past summer Facebook launched the opportunity to purchase ‘Promoted Posts’ that − for at least a $5 fee − would be promoted across the Facebookiverse. The more you paid, the more broadly the algorithms (aka ‘magic’) circulated the post. It was hailed by many for- and non-profit organizations as an opportunity to push through the background noise endemic in most people’s timelines to get your words and images out to a larger but (broadly) targeted audience.
We want to show you how to promote a post if you are unfamiliar with the easy process, but we also want to call attention to the fact that many power users are not finding the return on investment that Facebook claims. Is it a case of false advertising, or is Facebook still working out the kinks?
| Category Advertising, Advice, Advocacy, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Communications, Education: General, Facebook, Facebook, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Measurement, Nonprofit, Public Media, Site Administration, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Study, Technology for Nonprofits, Web and Print | | 4 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: NTEN 2012 Report Shows Real ROI Growth Over Past Year
Click to go to the report
Okay, so you have been developing your nonprofit’s presence on the staples of social media new for a couple of years. Facebook page? Check. Twitter account? Sure. But how much time do you want to put into keeping up with those outlets? Has your organization seen any growth in volunteers or donors thanks to the outreach on social media?
The 2012 Nonprofit Social Benchmark Report from NTEN is the fourth in this annual series, which means the surveyors have enough materials to start identifying longer-term trends and to offer meaningful statistics as to how social networks are changing communications and fundraising for nonprofits and charities. Spoiler Alert: Nonprofit use of social networks is growing, and with that use most nonprofits are enjoying significant returns on investment (ROI). Still not sure you want to commit resources to it? Please read on…
| Category Advice, Advocacy, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Crowdfunding, Development, Donor Acquisition, Events, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Interview, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Pinterest, Public Media, Public Relations, Report, Research, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Twitter, Twitter, Video, Video Interview | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#COMMUNICATIONS: Visualizing The Impact Of Social Media, Especially Email
Click To Enlarge
Human beings are wired to pick up visual cues before we pick up textual ones. Social media and the internet love visuals too, because visual communication can travel quickly through networks and beyond the original linguistic group. We did a story on the MKCREATIVEmedia Blog last week about the eBenchmark study of 2012 by NTen and M+R Strategic Services that highlighted the ongoing importance of email outreach. What better way to follow that up than with their infographic showing the power of email.
We call your attention to such metrics as the fact that 35% of all online giving in 2011 came through email, whereas all other platforms together made up the other 65%. Therefore, email remains the single biggest tool in a nonprofit’s outreach toolbox, but it should not be considered the only tool. But how to be successful with email?
| Category Advice, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Crowdfunding, Development, Donor Acquisition, E-Mail, eBook, eNewsletter, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Permission Marketing, Public Relations, Publications, Resource, Site Administration, Social Media, Social Networks, Video | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#HOWTO: Get Guidance From Google On Simple SEO Success
Is your site worth searching for?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a social media buzzword: gotta have it, gotta work at it, gotta pack it in to your website or blog! And it is true that SEO needs to be a part of your nonprofit’s online and outreach strategies. Why develop a new site or even update your outdated one if people will struggle to find it, much less relevant information on it? The go-to standard for web searches (including images and videos) is, of course, Google. Even as the e-behemoth develops Android and G+ and even augmented-reality glasses, millions of us use it simply, almost exclusively, for web research.
So why not find out what the folks at Google recommend to bolster the searchability and discoverability of your website?
| Category Advice, Blogs, Cause Marketing, Communications, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Public Media, Public Relations, Resource, SEO, Site Administration, Social Media, Social Networks, Storytelling, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Video, Web and Print, Web Design, Writing, YouTube | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#INTERVIEW: Chris Forbes, Co-Author of Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits, Offers Great Advice to Groups
Chris Forbes is the co-author of Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits and a certified guerrilla-marketing coach. His varied background in marketing includes experience in the faith sector and work on five continents, and he has pioneered several media initiatives in public relations, television, radio and the Internet. The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: What drew you to the marketing field?
CHRIS: I grew up in a marketing family. My mom had a product-administration service and worked with grocery stores and established networks with, say, free samples of food. When I was 14, she wanted me to dress up as Twinkie the Kid in a big foam-rubber costume to pass out Twinkies. When I was 15, she wanted me to dress up as Freddy the Fresh Guy from Wonder Bread. Then at 16, she asked me to be the Planter’s Peanut guy, but you have to wear leotards for that costume. I drew the line there.
| Category Advertising, Advice, Book, Branding, Campaigns, Case Study, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Interview, LinkedIn, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Permission Marketing, Pinterest, Public Relations, Research, Resource, Social Media, Social Networks, Special Series, Strategic Marketing, Tumblr, Twitter, Twitter, YouTube | | Comments Off
Written by: Don Akchin
#INTERVIEW: Michael Hoffman, CEO of See3 Communications, Discusses Why Nonprofits Need to Embrace Video
Michael Hoffman is co-founder and CEO of See3 Communications and a leading authority on online video for nonprofits and online fundraising and outreach strategies. After turns as a political consultant and developer of Internet startups, he founded See3 to bring together his vision of the web and his passion for nonprofit fundraising. The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: What was the concept of See3 when you founded it?
MICHAEL: See3 was a coming together of my background, which was really on the web side in terms of Internet business and strategy, and that of my partner, Danny Albert, which is video. Danny has been a documentary filmmaker for 20 years. Around 2004-2005, we both saw some trends that we call our ‘your chocolate and my peanut butter moment.’ I was telling Danny about changes on the web and the development of broadband (It’s hard even to remember that only a few years ago, some 90% of people were still using dialup). Broadband was around the corner and Danny asked me, ‘What does that mean? What will broadband do?’ And I immediately answered ‘video.’ When you have broadband web, the web will become a platform for video, just as it is with us talking over Skype now on this interview.
| Category Campaigns, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Facebook, Fundraising, Interview, LinkedIn, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Measurement, MySpace, Nonprofit, Pinterest, Posterous, Scoopit, Social Media, Social Networks, Special Series, Storytelling, Strategic Marketing, Technology, Tools, Tumblr, Twitter, Twitter, Video, YouTube | | Comments Off
Written by: Don Akchin
#SM4NP: ROI From Social Media May Be Elusive, But It’s Not Impossible
If you search for information about how to measure returns on investment in social media, you will be quickly reminded about just how new social media is in the business and nonprofit economies. Mathematicians are still searching out formulae and quality-control gurus want to talk about the developments of relationships that will bring customers and donors a bit later down the road. One of the underlying themes, though, is that no one doubts the value of social media writ large, even as we try to quantify that value and/or make it predictive of our outreach.
Perhaps success can be measured in hard, but not precise, numbers. Moreover, we should also consider social media as a ‘value added’ component to the core vocation of our nonprofit or charity, rather than as a fundamental element. How might we do both?
| Category Advice, Blogs, Campaigns, Case Study, Communications, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Social Media, Strategic Marketing, Twitter | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SM4NP: Beware Not Of SM But Of SM Snake Oil & Silver Bullets
Should you? Must you?
If we aren’t careful, we might be entranced to believe social-media networking platforms have been around for quite a while. I mean, if Facebook is valued at $5 billion in its Initial Public Auction, then surely it’s a tried-and-true company that still has room to grow. Right?
Before you jump over to your E*Trade account, you might ask yourself “What has Facebook (or Twitter, for that matter) done for me?” That query, if you are a nonprofit or a small business, can be tricky to answer, unless you started with a plan and with some measurable goals that can be stood next to what you have in fact done. And sometimes, what you want done can get a nice push from social media but social media won’t necessarily do the heavy hauling. And that’s ok!
| Category Advice, Blogs, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community Gardens, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Interview, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Site Administration, Social Media, Storytelling, Strategic Marketing, Technology for Nonprofits, Twitter | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Communications: Postal Rates Raised Last Week – Not For Nonprofits
The United States Postal Service has been struggling financially for the last few years. The Bush Administration saddled the service with pre-paying its future retiree benefits for a decade (2006-2016), a demand uniquely imposed on the USPS. Bush’s policy meant the service went from profits in the $1.4 billion range in 2005 to one that has laid off thousands of works, closed numerous branches, and still needs to raise postal rates in an effort just to stay open. So what he did to the postal service he did to the country.
This past Monday many postal rates changed. For example, first-class mail went up by a penny and its guaranteed one-day delivery (depending on distance) was removed. Or perhaps you didn’t notice?
| Category Advice, Campaigns, Civics, Communications, Community, Direct Mail, E-Mail, Fundraising, Interview, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newsletter, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Politics, Publications, Strategic Marketing, Web and Print | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Development: Make The Nonprofit Video – Don’t Sweat The ‘Viral’
Happy New Year to our much-appreciated readers! May your 2012 be notably donor-rich and Mayan-free. In case we are not here in 360 days, let’s get right to work.
We turned our attentions toward video outreach last December, and we begin this year’s posts with a story expressly about a business that turned an internal demonstration into a massive video campaign. The takeaway of the ‘Will It Blend?’ series, though, is to make your video brief, friendly, perhaps a bit off-kilter, and don’t worry about whether the video goes viral. Consultation and strategy are the foundation – Your organization must be invested not in polished production, but in long-term outreach.
| Category Advice, Blogs, Campaigns, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Development, eBook, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Nonprofit, Resource, Storytelling, Strategic Marketing, Technology | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SocialNetworks: Does Your Nonprofit Still Doubt There’s An ROI For Social Media?
The opportunity to develop a following online has been a part of our business and communications landscape for a decade now, yet many organizations remain shy about using social media as part of a broad strategy of outreach, conversation, and client/donor-development. The time to pay employees and consultants to develop a presence on social networks seems rather too daunting – especially in the current economic climate, as we all hunker down to known knowns. Social networking can seem too much like a known unknown (Oh, Rummy, what you have done to our language and nation…).
So how can be sure we connect with those who are out there waiting to get engaged with our work?
| Category Advice, Blogs, Campaigns, Case Study, Communications, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Site Administration, Social Media, Strategic Marketing, Technology, Twitter | | 2 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Finance: Postage Rates For Nonprofits Realigned. Do Yours Go Down Or Up?
The Nonprofit Times has a story we wanted to pass on to our readers about the adjustments to US Postal Rates that will have an impact on nonprofits and their mailing budgets. The news is important, but not dramatic. The story quotes Anthony Conway, Director of the Alliance for Nonprofit Mailers, who was rather sanguine about the rate adjustments:
The changes reflect the CPI for October, so the USPS has every right to increase mailing charges. Nonprofits are now prepared to deal with these increases as they can be predicted based on where the CPI is. This is not bad compared to other increases and at least they are not trying for an exigent increase again.
How will the changes affect your organization’s rates?
| Category Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Budget, News and Current Affairs, Newsletter, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Publications, Report, Resource | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Interview: Sarah Durham, Nonprofit Communications Strategist & Author of “Brandraising”
This interview series is produced with the generous support of the Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Zone.
Sarah Durham left the world of corporate communications and marketing in 1994 to launch Big Duck, an agency that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations to help them communicate effectively so they can fulfill their missions. She is the author of Brandraising: How Nonprofits Increase Visibility and Raise Money through Smart Communications (Jossey-Bass, 2010). The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: First of all, as Chico Marx once asked, “Why a Duck?”
Sarah: I think the true answer is deep and Freudian and subliminal, but the conscious answer is, when I was starting Big Duck, I was leaving Disney Consumer Products, where I had worked on some of the branding issues around Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto, and I think I had the mice, the ducks and the dogs in my head. I wanted to come up with something that had the personality I was going for – creative, playful and sort of open-ended and flexible. (more…)
| Category Advertising, Advice, Blogs, Book Review, Branding, Campaigns, Case Study, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Direct Mail, Facebook, Facebook, Interview, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Permission Marketing, Public Relations, Publications, Research, Resource, Reviews, Social Media, Special Series, Twitter, Writing | | Comments Off
Written by: Don Akchin
#Social Networking: Entrance Is Free. Influence Is Not.
Are you following a funeral home? Really?!
The voices questioning the impact of social media are legion, and we have shared some of those voices with you over the last eighteen months. Most of those voices that question the value of social media question not its presence or influence, but the way so many sectors of modern ‘connected’ society assume ‘social media presence’ equals profits or political change.
A counterweight to such unfounded optimism helps keep us all in check. But such arguments, again, challenge an exponential formula linking ‘free’ social media with economic growth or social change.
MP Mueller takes a slightly different approach to offering challenges to the social-media bandwagon, suggesting that small businesses should think about social media as they would any other investment: does it pay dividends to the organization?
| Category Advertising, Advice, Cross-Post, Facebook, Facebook, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Measurement, Nonprofit, Social Media, Twitter | | 3 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Communications: Postal Rates Up? No Worries: Direct Mail Still Makes Sense.
Image via Wikipedia
We’re firm believers that direct mail is not dead, its merely entering the final stages of a metamorphosis into the perfect solution to support:
- Social media marketing campaigns
- QR codes;
- interactive television promo campaigns; and
- Website landing-pages.
So when our friends at Ecoprint reminded us that postal rates will change on April 17 AND we needed to update our The Intelligent Mail (IMb) barcodes for new designs of reply envelopes, we took notice.
| Category Advertising, Communications, Direct Mail, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Measurement, printing, Resource | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Philanthropy: Different Pitches For Different Needs
For many of us (baseball fans), spring officially arrived this weekend. Whichever team you support, may their ball season be as productive and rewarding as your fundraising year.
And as you revitalize your new-year’s resolutions and strategies for fundraising, consider an interesting article we came across over the weekend. Written by Sean Stannard-Stockton, CEO of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors and the author of the Tactical Philanthropy blog, it presents three kinds of giving and three ways to raise money for each of those kinds of giving. This particular article he posted on The Stanford Social Innovation Review.
| Category Blogs, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Major Gifts, Marketing Budget, Nonprofit | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Even In Charity Work: It Takes Money To Make Money
Don't Fear The Overhead
Raising money for your charitable organization takes money. And time. These commodities (along with the office lease and the electric bill and the sticky notes…) are often lumped into the category of ‘overhead.’ Moreover, the category ‘overhead’ is often presented as the antithesis of the charity’s good work for its constituents. But, the Red Rooster Group argues, such self-imposed categories do a disservice to the very charities claiming they have a handle on lowering their overhead for the sake of their charitable work.
| Category Advice, Blogs, Campaigns, Development, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Marketing Budget, Marketing Skills, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Sustainability | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD