Network for Good

Are you planning your year-end fundraising push now? If not, you should be. It's simply too critical for the future of your nonprofit to put off until the last minute.

People often ask me, is it important to thank recurring donors every month? The answer depends on how they gave in the first place. When someone becomes a recurring donor offline, say through direct mail, telemarketing, face-to-face, TV or any other "offline" medium, I always recommend sending an immediate snail-mail thank-you letter for joining but then after that NOT to send donors monthly thank-you letters.

For online credit card recurring donors, where a monthly thank-you email is typically generated automatically, I recommend something slightly different.

Spring is report season in the nonprofit sector. A slew of new data is released, and this year the emerging theme is that online fundraising is rapidly rising, especially on mobile devices. Nonprofits that have not yet adopted a mobile-first approach to online communications and fundraising can use the new data to help convince executive staff and boards that a new mobile-compatible website should be high on their priority list. Crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, monthly giving and email fundraising are also proving to be effective.

Receiving guaranteed monthly gifts is a game changer for any organization. In the newest eBook from Network for Good, you'll learn how to launch a successful and sustainable monthly giving program. Get your copy today and start raising more money by converting one-time donors into monthly givers.

Online giving is still growing, but triple-digit annual increases are a thing of the past. Internet fundraising grew by roughly 13 percent last year, according to a survey of 100 of the largest nonprofits conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Chronicle surveyed all the organizations in its Philanthropy 400 rankings of the largest nonprofits measured by annual fundraising. Of the 100 that responded, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society topped the list, with more than $98 million in Internet gifts in 2013.

Thanks to a partnership with the Public Interest Registry, Heather Mansfield of Nonprofit Tech for Good was able to report live from the Nonprofit Technology Conference (#14NTC) last week in Washington, D.C. Empowered with a tablet and smartphone, one of Heather’s first priorities was to reveal the faces and expertise behind some our favorite nonprofit brands. The results are below and what you’ll hear are the responses to the question: “What is your number one piece of nonprofit technology advice for nonprofits?” You can view all videos at instagram.com/nonprofitorgs.

Your fundraising event's success depends on the quantity (and quality) of guests who RSVP (and actually show up). Getting guests to let you know that they're coming shouldn't be so hard, right? If you're busy fighting responses like, "I'm too busy that week," "I lost the invite," and "I don't know anybody else going," don't lose hope! To help you get more RSVPs, try these five ideas before your next fundraising event!

If you’re a fundraiser who is struggling to get your executive director or board to understand why you should launch an online fundraising program or invest more in online giving tools, try these talking points to help plead your case: Online giving boosts individual giving. Online giving allows you to interact with your donors where they are — online. You don't have to set up a merchant account. It's not just a fad.

In the July 2008 issue of FundRaising Success, Katya Andresen, then with Network for Good and now CEO at ePals, spoke with Kivi Leroux Miller, president of Nonprofit Marketing Guide, about how to take nonprofit and fundraising newsletters "From Snoring to Soaring."

Valentine's Day will be here soon, and what a perfect time to thank your donors and show how much you appreciate their support. Whether you want to send something out on Valentine's Day is up to you. But do something fun and creative to show appreciation in February. The holidays are over, and there's still a lot of winter left for many of us to endure. Here are some ideas.