Your charity needs more than a fancy gathering to attract reporters. It needs a news hook. MORE
Communications work is complicated enough as it is. When you aren’t exactly sure who is responsible for what, it gets even more complicated. MORE
Want to get your supporters pumped? Try a “Share Your Story” page on your website. MORE
According to research by Teresa Amabile from the Harvard Business School, your best work days likely include making progress – even if it is just a small win — on work you consider meaningful or important. MORE
We are all about helping you not only learn your job but love your job. Part of loving your job is taking care of yourself to avoid burnout. MORE
Let’s face it, media relations isn’t near the top of the priority list at most nonprofits. Nor should it be. Nonprofits don’t exist to grab sexy headlines. MORE
Another day, another meeting. Or three, or five. When you literally have to schedule time on your calendar to think, that means you are in too many meetings. But meetings aren’t all bad. They are a great tool for collaboration when used well. MORE
I know many of you are working on your 2017 budgets now, so rather than make you wait until mid-January to get the budget information from our 2017 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report, I’m sharing it with you today. I hope you can use this data to make the case for increasing your budget! MORE
Earlier this summer, I mentioned that we’ve been tracking the communications of pairs of national nonprofits working in the same space. Where are the organizations’ strategies in sync? Where do they diverge? What can you learn from their approaches? We are calling the comparisons The Showdown. MORE
But smart organizations are also planning ahead for another year-end tradition: increased coverage of charities during the holidays. MORE
Peer pressure works. Strangers make the smallest gifts. And love ‘em or hate ‘em, matches and prizes drive donations. MORE
Is your writing dry and boring? A lot of nonprofit messaging is. Eliminating jargon and overall wordiness is a great place to start, but here are 20 more ways that you can bring your writing back to life. Use more descriptive nouns and verbs. MORE
Could your annual report fit right in with this scene? It’s time to update your approach. If you’ve heard me on an annual reports webinar any time in the last decade, you’ve heard me say some version of this: It’s OK to go short and stop publishing the donor list. Seriously. MORE
Photo by Jurg Vollmer. When nonprofit communicators think about media relations, they often focus on proactively pitching stories and reaching out to reporters and editors. But effective media relations isn’t just about pushing our story ideas on unsuspecting reporters. MORE
via GIPHY. Want to make your website better? And by better, I mean get more people to join your email list, sign up to volunteer, and donate. You could ask for user feedback, but what users say and do are often polar opposites. MORE
Abby Jarvis. Today we have part 1 in a two-part series by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv on how to promote your online donation page. Read the first three marketing strategies below, then join us next week for the final three. Kristina . Guest Post by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv. MORE
Jeff Gordy. If your nonprofit’s website hasn’t been a top priority, it’s time to change that. But don’t worry, if you don’t know what to do. Today’s guest post will help you get started. Kristina. Guest Post by Jeff Gordy. MORE
It’s tough to implement methods that keep your nonprofit marketing organized and on track when you can’t effectively manage your own time, attention and energy. MORE
Source: https://flic.kr/p/8q7cDb. p/8q7cDb. 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 Oh come on!” she said. TOO SOON. I agreed, and we had a laugh about how I forbid holiday music until after Thanksgiving. MORE
It’s Kivi here. At Nonprofit Marketing Guide, we are all about helping communications directors do the best job possible for their organizations and to do the work with purpose, enthusiasm, and integrity. We are also very much about being pragmatic and keeping it real. MORE
Happy Friday! Join me for some Mixed Links… Have you done your year-end fundraising debrief yet? If you need more help getting started, here is How To Conduct An End of Year (EOY) Fundraising Review & Audit. MORE
Congratulations, you’ve got new email subscribers! Now what? Dump them in your normal communications stream without recognition or welcome? Welcome them – quickly, warmly, sincerely. The welcome email may be the single most important email you send. MORE
Giving Tuesday is 12 days away. Are you ready? Whether you’re almost done with prep or seriously behind the eight ball, here are some flourishes and finishing touches you still have time to implement. Open Your Donation Form As Soon as Possible. If people want to give early, let them. MORE
Joshua Clay. We Internet users have a voracious appetite for online video. Video is increasing in nearly every digital channel, from email to web pages to social networks. Done right, it drives clicks and conversions better than text alone. MORE
There’s an adage in public relations that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But while this might be true if you’re a celebrity or a political candidate, bad publicity can have dire consequences for nonprofits. MORE
Looking for ways to engage supporters online? Get inspired by these real nonprofit digital engagements! Ask An Artist To Illustrate. Take that hashtag contest to the next level. Invite an artist to illustrate your supporter’s thoughts submitted online. Make a Reading List. Summer’s coming. MORE
You are so excited because your nonprofit is getting ready to do some strategic planning and you think you might — finally! — get some real strategic direction for your communications plan. Don’t hold your breath. MORE
Image: [link]. You’re losing email subscribers. Every month. All year long. They unsubscribe. They bounce. They stop responding. According to M+R Benchmarks, on average, about 24% of subscribers are considered inactive. What’s a nonprofit communicator to do? MORE
Photo by Jeronimo del Villar. Many nonprofits use the “spray and pray” technique when they are pitching their stories to the media. They spray their pitches everywhere and pray that somebody picks them up. MORE
A well-placed op-ed can help your nonprofit call attention to an important issue or change minds about a controversial topic. Unlike reported news stories, op-eds are opinion pieces that are written by those who aren’t on the staff of a newspaper, magazine or website. MORE
Kerri Moore. This summer, Kerri Moore gave us The Ultimate Checklist for marketing events. Today she’s back with some ideas on what to do after your event is over. Kristina. Guest Post by Kerri Moore of Booster. MORE
Thomas Negron and Ruby. Welcome to the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! MORE
Do you wonder if other nonprofit communicators are spending as much time on certain tasks as you? Check out the results from the 2017 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report and see for yourself. MORE
Kristina and I are on the verge of deleting about 10,000 people from our email list here at Nonprofit Marketing Guide. It’s the same exercise we went through last year when we removed about 15,000 people. MORE
Abby Jarvis. Last week, Abby Jarvis finished her two-part series on marketing strategies to drive donors to your donation pages. Today, she starts another two-part series on how to avoid common mistakes on your donation forms. Kristina. Guest Post by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv. MORE
Damien Johnson. Distributing information to your entire organization can be difficult, especially in a time of transition. Damien Johnson was a member of our Communications Director Mentoring Program and shared this great idea on using video for internal communications. Kristina. MORE
Do your fundraising and communications staffs work together well? It can be a challenge to get everyone on the same page. Especially if neither department has a clear understanding of what the other one is trying to do. MORE
I apologize for the headline (and the macarons). I had to get you here and I knew “New Year’s Resolutions,” and sweets, might work. But here’s the thing – I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I think if you want to make a change, now is as good a time as any. MORE
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. MORE
Even if you have no connection to Boy Scouts of America, you are probably well aware of the organization’s motto: Be Prepared. But in the wake of President Donald Trump’s address to the organization’s Jamboree this week, it appears BSA’s media relations team wasn’t following that motto. MORE
Billy Attar. We know you guys love your nonprofit marketing tools – especially when they are free! Billy Attar of Pipl is here today to share some tools we haven’t even heard of. Let us know what you think and share your favorite tools too! Kristina. Guest Post by Billy Attar of Pipl. MORE
Melanie Swiftney. Welcome to the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series! MORE
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JULY 25, 2017
Damien Johnson. Distributing information to your entire organization can be difficult, especially in a time of transition. Damien Johnson was a member of our Communications Director Mentoring Program and shared this great idea on using video for internal communications. Kristina.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 18, 2017
Looking for ways to engage supporters online? Get inspired by these real nonprofit digital engagements! Ask An Artist To Illustrate. Take that hashtag contest to the next level. Invite an artist to illustrate your supporter’s thoughts submitted online. Make a Reading List. Summer’s coming.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
AUGUST 23, 2017
Peer pressure works. Strangers make the smallest gifts. And love ‘em or hate ‘em, matches and prizes drive donations.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 19, 2017
Jeff Gordy. If your nonprofit’s website hasn’t been a top priority, it’s time to change that. But don’t worry, if you don’t know what to do. Today’s guest post will help you get started. Kristina. Guest Post by Jeff Gordy.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
AUGUST 16, 2017
Do your fundraising and communications staffs work together well? It can be a challenge to get everyone on the same page. Especially if neither department has a clear understanding of what the other one is trying to do.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JULY 26, 2017
Even if you have no connection to Boy Scouts of America, you are probably well aware of the organization’s motto: Be Prepared. But in the wake of President Donald Trump’s address to the organization’s Jamboree this week, it appears BSA’s media relations team wasn’t following that motto.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
NOVEMBER 10, 2016
Kerri Moore. This summer, Kerri Moore gave us The Ultimate Checklist for marketing events. Today she’s back with some ideas on what to do after your event is over. Kristina. Guest Post by Kerri Moore of Booster.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
NOVEMBER 17, 2016
Giving Tuesday is 12 days away. Are you ready? Whether you’re almost done with prep or seriously behind the eight ball, here are some flourishes and finishing touches you still have time to implement. Open Your Donation Form As Soon as Possible. If people want to give early, let them.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JUNE 20, 2016
Is your writing dry and boring? A lot of nonprofit messaging is. Eliminating jargon and overall wordiness is a great place to start, but here are 20 more ways that you can bring your writing back to life. Use more descriptive nouns and verbs.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JANUARY 3, 2017
I apologize for the headline (and the macarons). I had to get you here and I knew “New Year’s Resolutions,” and sweets, might work. But here’s the thing – I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I think if you want to make a change, now is as good a time as any.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
AUGUST 8, 2017
You are so excited because your nonprofit is getting ready to do some strategic planning and you think you might — finally! — get some real strategic direction for your communications plan. Don’t hold your breath.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
FEBRUARY 16, 2017
Do you wonder if other nonprofit communicators are spending as much time on certain tasks as you? Check out the results from the 2017 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report and see for yourself.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
SEPTEMBER 8, 2016
Source: https://flic.kr/p/8q7cDb. p/8q7cDb. 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 Oh come on!” she said. TOO SOON. I agreed, and we had a laugh about how I forbid holiday music until after Thanksgiving.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
FEBRUARY 21, 2017
Kristina and I are on the verge of deleting about 10,000 people from our email list here at Nonprofit Marketing Guide. It’s the same exercise we went through last year when we removed about 15,000 people.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
DECEMBER 13, 2016
I know many of you are working on your 2017 budgets now, so rather than make you wait until mid-January to get the budget information from our 2017 Nonprofit Communications Trends Report, I’m sharing it with you today. I hope you can use this data to make the case for increasing your budget!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 22, 2017
Image: [link]. You’re losing email subscribers. Every month. All year long. They unsubscribe. They bounce. They stop responding. According to M+R Benchmarks, on average, about 24% of subscribers are considered inactive. What’s a nonprofit communicator to do?
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
But smart organizations are also planning ahead for another year-end tradition: increased coverage of charities during the holidays.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 4, 2017
Communications work is complicated enough as it is. When you aren’t exactly sure who is responsible for what, it gets even more complicated.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JUNE 9, 2016
There’s an adage in public relations that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But while this might be true if you’re a celebrity or a political candidate, bad publicity can have dire consequences for nonprofits.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 5, 2016
Abby Jarvis. Today we have part 1 in a two-part series by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv on how to promote your online donation page. Read the first three marketing strategies below, then join us next week for the final three. Kristina . Guest Post by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JUNE 22, 2017
Congratulations, you’ve got new email subscribers! Now what? Dump them in your normal communications stream without recognition or welcome? Welcome them – quickly, warmly, sincerely. The welcome email may be the single most important email you send.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 16, 2017
Another day, another meeting. Or three, or five. When you literally have to schedule time on your calendar to think, that means you are in too many meetings. But meetings aren’t all bad. They are a great tool for collaboration when used well.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 12, 2016
Your charity needs more than a fancy gathering to attract reporters. It needs a news hook.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
AUGUST 3, 2017
Joshua Clay. We Internet users have a voracious appetite for online video. Video is increasing in nearly every digital channel, from email to web pages to social networks. Done right, it drives clicks and conversions better than text alone.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
OCTOBER 19, 2016
We are all about helping you not only learn your job but love your job. Part of loving your job is taking care of yourself to avoid burnout.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JUNE 10, 2015
Billy Attar. We know you guys love your nonprofit marketing tools – especially when they are free! Billy Attar of Pipl is here today to share some tools we haven’t even heard of. Let us know what you think and share your favorite tools too! Kristina. Guest Post by Billy Attar of Pipl.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 24, 2016
Want to get your supporters pumped? Try a “Share Your Story” page on your website.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 19, 2016
via GIPHY. Want to make your website better? And by better, I mean get more people to join your email list, sign up to volunteer, and donate. You could ask for user feedback, but what users say and do are often polar opposites.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
OCTOBER 27, 2016
A well-placed op-ed can help your nonprofit call attention to an important issue or change minds about a controversial topic. Unlike reported news stories, op-eds are opinion pieces that are written by those who aren’t on the staff of a newspaper, magazine or website.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JUNE 28, 2016
Photo by Jeronimo del Villar. Many nonprofits use the “spray and pray” technique when they are pitching their stories to the media. They spray their pitches everywhere and pray that somebody picks them up.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
NOVEMBER 15, 2016
Could your annual report fit right in with this scene? It’s time to update your approach. If you’ve heard me on an annual reports webinar any time in the last decade, you’ve heard me say some version of this: It’s OK to go short and stop publishing the donor list. Seriously.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 20, 2016
Abby Jarvis. Last week, Abby Jarvis finished her two-part series on marketing strategies to drive donors to your donation pages. Today, she starts another two-part series on how to avoid common mistakes on your donation forms. Kristina. Guest Post by Abby Jarvis of Qgiv.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 6, 2017
According to research by Teresa Amabile from the Harvard Business School, your best work days likely include making progress – even if it is just a small win — on work you consider meaningful or important.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
NOVEMBER 22, 2016
It’s Kivi here. At Nonprofit Marketing Guide, we are all about helping communications directors do the best job possible for their organizations and to do the work with purpose, enthusiasm, and integrity. We are also very much about being pragmatic and keeping it real.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
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.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
AUGUST 18, 2016
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
FEBRUARY 4, 2016
Photo by Jurg Vollmer. When nonprofit communicators think about media relations, they often focus on proactively pitching stories and reaching out to reporters and editors. But effective media relations isn’t just about pushing our story ideas on unsuspecting reporters.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
SEPTEMBER 6, 2016
Earlier this summer, I mentioned that we’ve been tracking the communications of pairs of national nonprofits working in the same space. Where are the organizations’ strategies in sync? Where do they diverge? What can you learn from their approaches? We are calling the comparisons The Showdown.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
FEBRUARY 10, 2017
Happy Friday! Join me for some Mixed Links… Have you done your year-end fundraising debrief yet? If you need more help getting started, here is How To Conduct An End of Year (EOY) Fundraising Review & Audit.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
FEBRUARY 20, 2017
Melanie Swiftney. Welcome to the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words. We’d love to feature YOU in this series!
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