Multichannel

Have you tried to break down silos in favor of a cultural organizational change that emphasizes the whole and not the parts? To help you do this, consider employing the following steps.

Successful advancement must be strategic and integrated. It relies on the understanding of what each discipline is — and is not — and how together, the disciplines become a beautiful orchestra creating a masterpiece yielding a great donor relationship and experience, plus many more dollars raised to achieve the organization's mission.

A strong integrated marketing strategy features consistent brand messaging across all channels plus an internal team that works together closely and seamlessly to provide a unified experience to supporters. After all, your audiences view and support your organization as a whole, not in fragmented silos of IT, fundraising, marketing, programs or leadership. Streamlining the process internally to accurately and fully convey your organization’s identity ensures you don’t confuse your audience with different personalities, opinions and voices.

Here are three common mistakes that undermine your organization’s marketing.

I don't like fundraising programs that don't raise funds and the attitude that it has to be "either/or" when it comes to things like email and direct mail or social media and newsletters. I much prefer "both/and." So in that spirit, I once again turn to my old friend, Mark Twain, for advice on achieving the best results in our fundraising efforts.

Many of my clients have one-person development offices. If they are lucky, that means that there is a development director and maybe a (often part-time) assistant. If they are not, that means that the CEO is also the development director. Lucky or unlucky, this means that the one person is responsible for it all — from grant writing, managing special fundraising events, annual giving, major gifts and anything else that comes up.

In reality, what that means usually is that at best one thing is done pretty well and the rest … well, the rest.

With the onset of new and emerging technologies in the fundraising arena, today’s fundraisers have many channels by which to acquire new donors. The question is: Which are the best?

The one big thing your nonprofit must do today to succeed in 2014 and beyond: Adopt an integrated inbound marketing and fundraising strategy. Here are four practical things I’m going to implore you to do to fully integrate marketing and fundraising. Make these strategies your top priorities for 2014: 1. Start blogging regularly. 2. Create specific calls to action that direct folks to your website and inspire them to engage with you. 3. Create compelling, branded, easy-to-use donation landing pages. 4. Create a plan to nurture your relationships.

Call me stupid, dear friends, call me stupid but I despair of some big charities. I am about to call communication departments of some large charities stupid, and I think for very good reasons. Please let me know if I am wrong. Tweet your views to your heart’s content: Be angry, be happy, be questioning but please do not just sit there saying nothing.

Let me tell you some stories that are enough to make me angry or make me cry or lead me to the verge of violence.

Recent discussions focus on a myriad of topics, but in the past two months, the recurring targeted topics seem to include the following: cold calling, converting supporters into superstars, the education angle, increased brand awareness, determining what is fundraising ROI, how to apply for grants, the correct use of social media, and planning and executing events. In part 1, I covered the first half of these themes. Here, I tackle the remaining themes.

Here's Fairleigh Dickinson University's strategy and results, and my recommendation of a four-step process to bring marketing and fundraising into a productive partnership.