Online Fundraising

How to Calculate Your Nonprofit’s Organic Reach on Facebook
October 11, 2016 at 10:23 am

According to Facebook, organic reach is the total number of unique people who are shown your post(s) in their News Feeds through unpaid distribution, and although Facebook Insights provide a lot of useful data about your fans and reach (organic and paid), the one critical piece of data not provided is your nonprofit’s weekly, monthly…

Want People to Share Your Story? Stop Making It So Hard
October 7, 2016 at 11:22 am

A few weeks ago, in preparation for my Nonprofit Marketing Guide Tweet Like a Boss Pass Holder webinar, I had a wonderful conversation with Kids Are Heroes founder Gabe O’Neill. We chatted about how he became a big fan of Twitter, and then he asked me to look at this section on his website called Share…

Try This Fresh Twist on Giving Tuesday
October 5, 2016 at 11:07 am

I’m not a particular fan of Giving Tuesday. In my experience as a staffer, I found it a time-suck. Worse, if your organization doesn't have a strong community profile (a “best-kept secret”), it’s time spent building recognition for Giving Tuesday, not for your organization. And of course, it doesn’t always raise much money, either. Tom…

How to Generate a Steady Stream of New Donors Online
September 26, 2016 at 12:14 pm

Looking for more donors? Wishing you had an endless stream of fresh prospects? Dreaming of an automated system that could foster new donor relationships while you focused on other pressing issues? Well, stop dreaming! Make it a reality. Regardless of the size of your nonprofit (or the depths of your pockets), you can generate a…

The New Email Metric You Might Want to Try
September 22, 2016 at 11:03 am

Let’s talk about email engagement. Right now, I bet most of you are looking at your open rates and click-through rates, and maybe your click-to-open ratio. The email service providers spoon-feed us those numbers, so they are easy to track. But they don’t really tell us much about the real percentage of people who care…

How to Get Started With Mobile Fundraising
September 21, 2016 at 9:34 am

Mobile fundraising is a craze that’s sweeping the nation. And if you’re a nonprofit professional who’s curious about how you can jump on this exciting bandwagon, you’re in the right place! In this article, we’re going to discuss five of the top ways to make mobile fundraising a part of your organization’s strategy. Let’s dive…

3 Things Successful Nonprofits Do Now to Prepare for December Online Fundraising
September 15, 2016 at 11:05 am

The other day my daughter and I were walking down an aisle in a department store, and she noticed a huge Halloween products display. "Oh come on!" she said. Too soon. I agreed, and we had a laugh about how I forbid holiday music until after Thanksgiving. Ah, the apple doesn’t fall far from the…

8 Secrets to Building Online Relationships With People Who Matter
September 14, 2016 at 11:09 am

Collecting—whether business cards, followers on Twitter, "likes" on Facebook or first-time donors—is meaningless without a strategy to turn those relatively blank connections into meaningful, lasting relationships. If your marketing and/or fundraising strategy is based on collecting and counting, it’s time to rethink this strategy...

No. 1 Thing to Achieve With Your Nonprofit Website
September 12, 2016 at 11:41 am

What do you think is the No. 1 priority of your nonprofit’s website? Think about it for a minute. Is it to properly introduce your organization to the visitors? Is it to answer visitors’ questions? Is it to get them to make donations? Is it to get them to volunteer or attend an event? Is…

Orlando Fundraising Exposes Weaknesses in Do-It-Yourself Charity Campaigns
August 30, 2016 at 11:02 am

The more than 430 fundraisers posted on the GoFundMe website after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., have exposed weaknesses inherent in these popular do-it-yourself charity campaigns: waste, questionable intentions and little oversight. The fundraisers—an average of more than four for each of the 49 killed and 53 wounded—include travelers asking…