What would you do with $20,447,633,199.37? Fund a new program? Hire more staff? Buy that new database software you desperately need? Our team here at Fundraising Report Card has $20,447,633,199.37 and we decided not to buy anything with it. Instead, we wrote some complex algorithms and made a free website to talk about nonprofit fundraising … Continue reading "New Year, New Benchmarks: How Does Your Organization Stack Up?". MORE
Angela Crist. Self-proclaimed “recovering nonprofit CEO, Angela Crist, joins us again to talk about the importance of professional photography. Kristina. Guest Post by Angela Crist. Have you ever pulled back on a marketing piece to avoid scrutiny for “spending too much on marketing”? MORE
Angela Crist. Last week Angela Crist, CEO of Findlay Hope House, reached out to me and Kivi about a thank you video they created after attending our recent webinar. It was so simple, yet so effective, we had to have her tell you the story! Kristina. Guest Post by Angela Crist. MORE
Relationships are tricky. They’re also scientific. Many smart people have dedicated their lives to researching and understanding why human beings interact with one another. As fundraisers, we can leverage this research to inform how we approach raising major and planned gifts. The post Knapp’s Relational Model: The Key to Raising More Major (and Planned) Gifts appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Research MORE
Discover what this new podcast is all about, learn what data-driven fundraising is, how to build a data-driven culture, the basic metrics you’ll need to understand, and how to start using this at your nonprofit. Discover what this new podcast is all about, learn what data-driven fundraising is, how to build a data-driven culture, the basic … Continue reading "Introducing Metrics That Matter (MTM-S01E01)". MORE
Today we’ll walk through 3 metrics you’ll absolutely want to share with your board members at the next annual meeting. These metrics come from our team’s experience presenting to dozens of boards over the past few years. The post 3 Key Fundraising Metrics Your Board Members Want to See at the Next Annual Meeting appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis MORE
Nonprofits are often very good at talking about what they do. But the groups that often have the greatest success connecting with donors, motivating activists, or getting media attention do not spend much time talking about their programs and services. MORE
Rachel Clemens. Do you worry you’re being too intrusive when you ask for information about your supporters? Today, Rachel Clemens shares some tips on getting that information the right way. Kristina. Guest Post by Rachel Clemens of Mighty Citizen. MORE
If you missed it, Antionette Kerr’s blog post from last week talked about “crunchy” conversations – those discussions when someone says something offensive and your body immediately reacts negatively. MORE
Sometimes in the nonprofit world, we get consumed with the specific details of online fundraising, advocacy and education for our causes and forget about the bigger trends at play. MORE
No matter what time of year, it’s always the perfect time to show your donors some love. If you wait until year-end when thanking donors, or right before you are asking for another gift, it may be too late. MORE
Learn about the top fundraising metrics, why they are important, and what questions you should be asking that these metrics can help answer. Download the Metrics That Matter eBook found for free at FundraisingReportCard.com/book. Download your copy to follow along and find some tidbits we didn’t have time to cover on today’s episode. Click here … Continue reading "Fundraising Metrics 101 (Season 1, Episode 2)". MORE
Kelley McGeehan is Principal Consultant and Owner of McGeehan Research. She is a prospect researcher and in this episode we get a chance to explore why prospect research is valuable, the consideration continuum, why some organizations fail even with the right data at the right time and much more. You can find Kelley at www.McGeehanResearch.com. MORE
If you’re competitive like me, you probably want to see how your organization compares to its peers. Now you can do that in seconds, for FREE! My team took all the data from our Fundraising Report Card (2,600 organization’s transactions) and built a nifty little live benchmarking app. MORE
Nonprofit Communications Is Changing. But Are You Changing With It? Yes, nonprofits are supposed to help the world, but that doesn’t make them immune from making huge mistakes and hurting people. MORE
Gary Wohlfeill. Finding donors on social media comes down to being true to yourself and your cause. How do you make sure you’re doing that? By having a consistent voice and tone. Gary Wohlfeill explains how you can in today’s post. Kristina. MORE
Make your supporters the superhero in your story. We recently started working with a healthcare nonprofit that wanted to take a fresh approach to its communications and marketing content. MORE
Philanthropy tends to be fairly transactional — I give you some money, you send me a year-end appeal — and less relational — I give you some money, you ask me about my life story and connection to your mission. This could be (and most likely is) a contributing factor to dismal donor retention rates. The post Three Steps to Build Meaningful Relationships in Life (and with Your Donors) appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture MORE
Goals are powerful, especially if you choose only a few. A laundry list is almost impossible to stay focused on. But if you choose two or three realistic, specific goals, and write them down, you are likely to achieve them. But first, make sure you set goals for what matters most. MORE
Yes, it is busy right now. Yes, we are in the midst of a heavy fundraising season, but in two weeks, when we all return to our offices after a brief holiday respite, it will be a clean 12 month slate for us to work with. The post Goal Setting for 2018: Three Metrics You Must Measure appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis MORE
Engaging with donors (just like I engage with my clients) takes thought, skill, and care. Your content — the materials you use to interact with your constituents en masse — carries great weight with them. The post Original Content is Crucial For Fundraising Success appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture MORE
CultureStrike’s Julio Salgado reimagines 90’s sitcoms with diverse casts. A lot of my peers grew up watching the popular 90’s sitcom FRIENDS. But not me. MORE
The quest to become a data-driven nonprofit is not simple or easy. Use these three steps as guidelines. If you had a checklist for “becoming a data-driven organization,” these three steps would be on it. The post How to Become a Data-driven Nonprofit (in 3 Simple Steps) appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis MORE
Fundraising plans, starting a major gifts program, engaging in a capital campaign and a host of other nonprofit initiatives are like caverns — they take time, diligence and patience to develop. The post Building a Fundraising Program Takes Time appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture MORE
Nancy Valentine. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! MORE
When Jen Billow shared with her fellow Communications Director Mentoring Program participants that her organization, the Park City Education Foundation, had received accolades from Constant Contact for their awesome email engagement rates, everyone wanted to know how. MORE
Cane and Table. New Orleans, LA. Greetings from New Orleans! Kivi and I are here for the Nonprofit Technology Conference. For those of you who can’t be with us, I am dedicating today to rounding up communications and marketing breakout sessions from this year. MORE
Measuring key metrics monthly provides the president to “move fast.” Take for instance a three month trend in donor lifetimes values. If month over month over month you see LTV decreasing it would be a sign that something is going on in the minds of your supporters. The post How Often Should You Measure Fundraising Metrics? appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis MORE
Angel Mills. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! MORE
Does this shift in thinking mean that fundraising is more science than art? I don’t think so. It could be that the entire argument is actually broken. Successful fundraising relies on neither art nor science to perform its best. Let’s add another phrase to the conversation: evidence based. The post Art vs. Science in Fundraising? It’s Neither. Try Evidence Based. appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis MORE
Monarch. Kansas City, MO. Photo Credit: Deena Davis. It’s that time again! Are you ready for the best articles, posts, tips, and more from around the world of marketing and fundraising? It’s time for Mixed Links…. MORE
Thanks to guest blogger Rachel Carnegliaa, a nonprofit marketer and graphic designer promoting parks, trails, and green spaces at the Austin Parks Foundation. . Hey, I have the inside scoop on Facebook, from Facebook (take it with a grain of salt, I guess), and I want to share it with you. MORE
Whereas most nonprofits send the same old mail to each and every donor (a newsletter, an annual report, a solicitation), the “learn from your experiences” organizations send out something different: they survey their donors. The post Learn from Experiences (and Build Stronger Relationships as a Result) appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture MORE
Earlier this month, I put a call out to nonprofits communicators asking them what worked for their organization on Facebook in 2017. A tactic or tool that they would use again in 2018. A day later, Facebook Zero happened. MORE
Jenna Czaplewski. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! MORE
Most people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. On social media you’ll find a lot of people posting and making comments on posts. At conferences you’ll hear speakers babble on about stuff. MORE
Scarlett Bauman. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! MORE
On this afternoon’s #NPCOMM Chat Live on Facebook , I talked about how nonprofit communications staff need to set boundaries. You can check out the replay here. Here’s a quick outline of what I discussed. Define the Boundary. MORE
Ward 8 – Boston, MA. I hope you all had a fantastic week! Let’s start winding down and check out the best articles, posts, tips, and more from around the world of marketing and fundraising. It’s time for Mixed Links…. MORE
Learn why Donor Acquisition Cost is so important, how to gather this data, and how to use this data to make better decisions. Mentioned in this episode: DAC Cheat Sheet: [link] DAC Excel Calculation Template: [link] What is overhead: [link] Expenses: [link] Click here to listen on YouTube! Topic Timestamps Donor Acquisition Cost [01:40] What is … Continue reading "Diving in with Donor Acquisition Cost (Season 1, Episode 3)". MORE
Another week, another change to Facebook. ( See Mark Zuckerberg’s post from January 11, 2018.). This one actually may make a big difference in how nonprofits use the networking site though. In case you haven’t heard, Facebook is changing what you see on your news feed. MORE
I decided to go all in with Google for my productivity apps this year, getting everything into some combination of Inbox by Gmail , Google Calendar, and Google Keep. MORE
I’ve been thinking about ways to work with you and your team on getting #CALMnotBUSY since the book came out, and I’m declaring Summer 2018 as the Summer of CALM! We’ll launch the free online book club and also a brand-new team coaching program in June. MORE
Fundraising Report Card
APRIL 10, 2018
Today we’ll walk through 3 metrics you’ll absolutely want to share with your board members at the next annual meeting. These metrics come from our team’s experience presenting to dozens of boards over the past few years. The post 3 Key Fundraising Metrics Your Board Members Want to See at the Next Annual Meeting appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis
Fundraising Report Card
APRIL 18, 2018
Learn why Donor Acquisition Cost is so important, how to gather this data, and how to use this data to make better decisions. Mentioned in this episode: DAC Cheat Sheet: [link] DAC Excel Calculation Template: [link] What is overhead: [link] Expenses: [link] Click here to listen on YouTube! Topic Timestamps Donor Acquisition Cost [01:40] What is … Continue reading "Diving in with Donor Acquisition Cost (Season 1, Episode 3)".
Fundraising Report Card
MARCH 6, 2018
Does this shift in thinking mean that fundraising is more science than art? I don’t think so. It could be that the entire argument is actually broken. Successful fundraising relies on neither art nor science to perform its best. Let’s add another phrase to the conversation: evidence based. The post Art vs. Science in Fundraising? It’s Neither. Try Evidence Based. appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis
Fundraising Report Card
APRIL 17, 2018
Learn about the top fundraising metrics, why they are important, and what questions you should be asking that these metrics can help answer. Download the Metrics That Matter eBook found for free at FundraisingReportCard.com/book. Download your copy to follow along and find some tidbits we didn’t have time to cover on today’s episode. Click here … Continue reading "Fundraising Metrics 101 (Season 1, Episode 2)".
Fundraising Report Card
APRIL 3, 2018
Relationships are tricky. They’re also scientific. Many smart people have dedicated their lives to researching and understanding why human beings interact with one another. As fundraisers, we can leverage this research to inform how we approach raising major and planned gifts. The post Knapp’s Relational Model: The Key to Raising More Major (and Planned) Gifts appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Research
Fundraising Report Card
FEBRUARY 27, 2018
Measuring key metrics monthly provides the president to “move fast.” Take for instance a three month trend in donor lifetimes values. If month over month over month you see LTV decreasing it would be a sign that something is going on in the minds of your supporters. The post How Often Should You Measure Fundraising Metrics? appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis
Fundraising Report Card
DECEMBER 12, 2017
Engaging with donors (just like I engage with my clients) takes thought, skill, and care. Your content — the materials you use to interact with your constituents en masse — carries great weight with them. The post Original Content is Crucial For Fundraising Success appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture
Fundraising Report Card
NOVEMBER 28, 2017
Philanthropy tends to be fairly transactional — I give you some money, you send me a year-end appeal — and less relational — I give you some money, you ask me about my life story and connection to your mission. This could be (and most likely is) a contributing factor to dismal donor retention rates. The post Three Steps to Build Meaningful Relationships in Life (and with Your Donors) appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture
Fundraising Report Card
JANUARY 30, 2018
Whereas most nonprofits send the same old mail to each and every donor (a newsletter, an annual report, a solicitation), the “learn from your experiences” organizations send out something different: they survey their donors. The post Learn from Experiences (and Build Stronger Relationships as a Result) appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Culture
Fundraising Report Card
JANUARY 23, 2018
What would you do with $20,447,633,199.37? Fund a new program? Hire more staff? Buy that new database software you desperately need? Our team here at Fundraising Report Card has $20,447,633,199.37 and we decided not to buy anything with it. Instead, we wrote some complex algorithms and made a free website to talk about nonprofit fundraising … Continue reading "New Year, New Benchmarks: How Does Your Organization Stack Up?".
Fundraising Report Card
DECEMBER 19, 2017
Yes, it is busy right now. Yes, we are in the midst of a heavy fundraising season, but in two weeks, when we all return to our offices after a brief holiday respite, it will be a clean 12 month slate for us to work with. The post Goal Setting for 2018: Three Metrics You Must Measure appeared first on Fundraising Report Card. Analysis
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 19, 2018
Jenna Czaplewski. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 22, 2018
Angela Crist. Self-proclaimed “recovering nonprofit CEO, Angela Crist, joins us again to talk about the importance of professional photography. Kristina. Guest Post by Angela Crist. Have you ever pulled back on a marketing piece to avoid scrutiny for “spending too much on marketing”?
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 2, 2018
Goals are powerful, especially if you choose only a few. A laundry list is almost impossible to stay focused on. But if you choose two or three realistic, specific goals, and write them down, you are likely to achieve them. But first, make sure you set goals for what matters most.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 7, 2018
Rachel Clemens. Do you worry you’re being too intrusive when you ask for information about your supporters? Today, Rachel Clemens shares some tips on getting that information the right way. Kristina. Guest Post by Rachel Clemens of Mighty Citizen.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 20, 2018
Monarch. Kansas City, MO. Photo Credit: Deena Davis. It’s that time again! Are you ready for the best articles, posts, tips, and more from around the world of marketing and fundraising? It’s time for Mixed Links….
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 11, 2018
Gary Wohlfeill. Finding donors on social media comes down to being true to yourself and your cause. How do you make sure you’re doing that? By having a consistent voice and tone. Gary Wohlfeill explains how you can in today’s post. Kristina.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 16, 2018
Another week, another change to Facebook. ( See Mark Zuckerberg’s post from January 11, 2018.). This one actually may make a big difference in how nonprofits use the networking site though. In case you haven’t heard, Facebook is changing what you see on your news feed.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 13, 2018
Cane and Table. New Orleans, LA. Greetings from New Orleans! Kivi and I are here for the Nonprofit Technology Conference. For those of you who can’t be with us, I am dedicating today to rounding up communications and marketing breakout sessions from this year.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 6, 2018
Ward 8 – Boston, MA. I hope you all had a fantastic week! Let’s start winding down and check out the best articles, posts, tips, and more from around the world of marketing and fundraising. It’s time for Mixed Links….
iMarketSmart
APRIL 9, 2018
Most people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. On social media you’ll find a lot of people posting and making comments on posts. At conferences you’ll hear speakers babble on about stuff.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 28, 2018
Make your supporters the superhero in your story. We recently started working with a healthcare nonprofit that wanted to take a fresh approach to its communications and marketing content.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 21, 2018
If you missed it, Antionette Kerr’s blog post from last week talked about “crunchy” conversations – those discussions when someone says something offensive and your body immediately reacts negatively.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 12, 2018
CultureStrike’s Julio Salgado reimagines 90’s sitcoms with diverse casts. A lot of my peers grew up watching the popular 90’s sitcom FRIENDS. But not me.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 15, 2018
I decided to go all in with Google for my productivity apps this year, getting everything into some combination of Inbox by Gmail , Google Calendar, and Google Keep.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 16, 2018
Angel Mills. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 13, 2018
Sometimes in the nonprofit world, we get consumed with the specific details of online fundraising, advocacy and education for our causes and forget about the bigger trends at play.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
FEBRUARY 22, 2018
Nonprofits are often very good at talking about what they do. But the groups that often have the greatest success connecting with donors, motivating activists, or getting media attention do not spend much time talking about their programs and services.
iMarketSmart
APRIL 19, 2018
Kelley McGeehan is Principal Consultant and Owner of McGeehan Research. She is a prospect researcher and in this episode we get a chance to explore why prospect research is valuable, the consideration continuum, why some organizations fail even with the right data at the right time and much more. You can find Kelley at www.McGeehanResearch.com.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 23, 2018
Earlier this month, I put a call out to nonprofits communicators asking them what worked for their organization on Facebook in 2017. A tactic or tool that they would use again in 2018. A day later, Facebook Zero happened.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 17, 2018
I’ve been thinking about ways to work with you and your team on getting #CALMnotBUSY since the book came out, and I’m declaring Summer 2018 as the Summer of CALM! We’ll launch the free online book club and also a brand-new team coaching program in June.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 3, 2018
Nancy Valentine. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
DECEMBER 5, 2017
Angela Crist. Last week Angela Crist, CEO of Findlay Hope House, reached out to me and Kivi about a thank you video they created after attending our recent webinar. It was so simple, yet so effective, we had to have her tell you the story! Kristina. Guest Post by Angela Crist.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 18, 2018
Nonprofit Communications Is Changing. But Are You Changing With It? Yes, nonprofits are supposed to help the world, but that doesn’t make them immune from making huge mistakes and hurting people.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 10, 2018
When Jen Billow shared with her fellow Communications Director Mentoring Program participants that her organization, the Park City Education Foundation, had received accolades from Constant Contact for their awesome email engagement rates, everyone wanted to know how.
Getting Attention
APRIL 19, 2018
Thanks to guest blogger Rachel Carnegliaa, a nonprofit marketer and graphic designer promoting parks, trails, and green spaces at the Austin Parks Foundation. . Hey, I have the inside scoop on Facebook, from Facebook (take it with a grain of salt, I guess), and I want to share it with you.
iMarketSmart
APRIL 20, 2018
If you’re competitive like me, you probably want to see how your organization compares to its peers. Now you can do that in seconds, for FREE! My team took all the data from our Fundraising Report Card (2,600 organization’s transactions) and built a nifty little live benchmarking app.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 22, 2018
Scarlett Bauman. Welcome to our latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 27, 2018
On this afternoon’s #NPCOMM Chat Live on Facebook , I talked about how nonprofit communications staff need to set boundaries. You can check out the replay here. Here’s a quick outline of what I discussed. Define the Boundary.
J Campbell Social Marketing
MARCH 19, 2018
No matter what time of year, it’s always the perfect time to show your donors some love. If you wait until year-end when thanking donors, or right before you are asking for another gift, it may be too late.
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