It’s not exactly breaking news that more and more of our daily experiences are moving online. From booking plane tickets, to ordering takeout, or video chatting with relatives; we can do it all on the web. Fundraising is shifting to online channels right along with the times.
While a strong social following on Facebook is already an immense advantage for nonprofits, those fans are about to become even more valuable. Thanks to the introduction of Facebook’s “Donate Now” button, it’s easier than ever for nonprofits to turn online engagement into meaningful monetary contributions.
It was in July last year that the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC) took off after Peter Frates, a Massachusetts man who was was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, posted his challenge video. By the fall, the IBC had raised over $200 million worldwide.
Advertising used to be about smoke and mirrors. The smoke was sometimes literal (“Sophisticated women smoke Virginia Slims!”) and the mirrors reflected who we were and/or wanted to be (“True Americans buy Ford”).
But today, “BEST IN THE WEST” billboards are no longer effective because consumers’ expectations have changed. Every purchase is mere clicks away; there are increasingly few strangleholds on distribution, proprietary sales territories, patented common goods, price or quality differentials.
Everyone notices that ill-advised tattoo you got in high school for your nonprofit-obsessed girlfriend. You know, the Latin quote on your left forearm, written in fancy cursive, that translates to, “She who matches gifts wins.” Or is that just me? Either way, marketing matching gifts online is just like a conspicuous tattoo: the ink only takes up a small portion of your skin, but it grabs everyone’s attention.
As an entrepreneur, failure is an everyday activity. It’s how you manage it that determines your success. [Click To Tweet]
– Beth Doane, Raintees Founder
After spending years in the fashion industry and witnessing environmental pollution and human rights violations, Beth Doane had finally seen enough. But instead of leaving the industry behind, she wanted to try and change it.
A lot of nonprofits have call-to-actions to “Donate Now,” “Volunteer Now,” and “Contact Us,” which they need. Do you also have downloadable content you can offer? Potential donors need to be educated about the cause, your organization, and how they can help make a difference. Likewise, volunteers need to be educated about the cause, and will likely need more content and materials around preparing to be a volunteer, such as a guide to how they can be mentally and physically prepared. Here are four quick tips to help you create content for your nonprofit.
What is one of the most valuable aspects of a member-based, nonprofit organization? Do you have a guess?
It’s the member database.
I’ve been part of the nonprofit world for many years, and even now in my position at a digital agency, I help nonprofits build website and marketing campaigns. So, I know that the member and donor database is immensely important to an organization.
The trend for organizations worldwide is to let customers do the talking, and it works! Customer reviews are trusted 12 times more than a marketing piece from an organization. So they’re bidding farewell to the days of static brochure-ware websites. From Coca-Cola to the American Institute of Architects, organizations realize that a community of educated and passionate members is an incredible source of trusted, user-generated content and opinions.
As part of my work, I speak to a lot of nonprofit groups. Afterward, people come up and tell me they’ve read and enjoy my blog. I appreciate the compliment, but I ask them all the same question: “Have you ever thought of starting your own blog?” People have aContinue Reading
If things like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and Movember have taught us anything, it’s that there is immense power in the creativity of inspired people to do good. As #GivingTuesday approaches and charities are prepping for the biggest fundraising month of the year there are some simple things you can give your supporters to empower them and make it easy to fundraise for you this December.
It’s about to get a whole lot fuzzier in the office. That is, assuming your coworkers are among the more than one million people expected to participate in Movember this month.
Movember, a blend of the words “mustache” and “November,”
