Experience things fully, vividly, selflessly. Try to shut out the external clues as to what you should think, feel, say, and so on, and let your experience enable you to say what you truly feel. Learn from my failures! MORE
Knight designed the program to provide shared community experiences, and to spur these ad hoc audiences to attend traditional performances—a boost for performing arts overall. How can you bring the experience of your organization’s impact to your supporters? MORE
A new Donor Experience guide is out from Crown Philanthropic Solutions. Emotional: The giving experience should make donors feel closely connected to the cause. And they expect their experiences with philanthropy to help get them there.” “Online technology is evolving from a purely transactional medium to a powerful tool for delivering an enhanced donor experience,” notes the guide. MORE
“ It is a wow experience. With Coca-Cola Journey, you experience the Coca-Cola brand, its story and vision within a context that invites you to participate. Prioritize the user-experience. What can we learn from Coca-Cola’s marketing and advertising approach? . MORE
The Agitator , especially in the persona of Roger, has been hammering away at the importance of improving ‘customer service’ in the context of cultivating donor commitment and retention. Here , here and here are some examples. But if you still aren’t convinced, take a look at what blue-chip corporate consultant McKinsey & Company has to say on the subject. MORE
Thanking donors shouldn’t be a process: it should be an experience. An experience that will last as long as someone donates to your organization, which hopefully will be for a long time. Thanking your online donors is a three-part experience (not process). MORE
A surprising number of fundraisers fail to understand a basic axiom of a successful organization/donor relationship: It is the actions an organization takes toward its donors (the so-called ‘donor experience’) that determines the attitude — positive or negative — of the donor. MORE
I just noticed this — not unfamiliar — fundraiser’s lament from the trenches: “Our donors don’t appreciate us!” ” Phil McCorkle, writing a column in the Salem, Oregon Statesman Journal directed at any and all donors who might be reading (i.e., MORE
experiences by providing exemplary customer service. experiences to keep them coming back. . experience starts with the "Thank you." You can listen to the full webinar recording of How WOW Experiences Create Lifetime Donors. . Zappos.com is an online shoe and apparel store whose mission is to deliver happiness through a philosophy of WOW! It has built an entire culture around these WOW! MORE
Angel Aloma gave us a hugely important reminder in his recent article — Selling the Experience — in NonProfitPRO. That is, on the experience they are having with the organization. Angel’s article was about the deeper positive experience fundraisers channel to donors by helping. MORE
I especially note Tom Ahern’s channeling of Mark Phillips insight, “The only thing worth a damn is the donor experience.” Then Ahern added, “And that experience has many parts worth considering.” MORE
In the commercial marketing arena, there’s heaps of chat about the ‘customer experience’ and how to improve it in the interest of retaining and up-selling customers. Nonprofit marketers who watch that space are probably a bit dismissive, because few of us have stores, physical products, services, complex transactional websites, call centers and so forth where it’s obvious the customer experience plays out for better or worse. MORE
Each year, our Digital Giving Index shows that the online donation experience matters. Donors are more likely to give (and more likely to give larger donations) when they are presented with a donation page that keeps them in the moment of giving. MORE
On January 3, 2011, I started a daily blogging experiment — and by “daily&# I actually meant business daily, Monday – Friday. Monday-Friday blogging has been a great experience for me, and the data supports continuing, which is what I plan to do. MORE
Since 2010, Network for Good has been tracking digital philanthropy across several distinct channels including individual charity websites, charity portals and social giving (peer-to-peer) websites and applications. And one thing is consistently true for donations made directly on nonprofit websites. MORE
No one buys a Chevy because GM needs the money. By the same token, donors don’t give because your organization has a need to balance its budget. Although many think otherwise, donor expectations aren’t usually driven by an organization’s brilliant programmatic details, the expertise of its staff, the number of regional offices or other versions of organization-centric stuff board and CEOs love to brag about. MORE
If you work for a nonprofit, what are your best and worst experiences working with consultants and freelancers? If you are a consultant or freelancer, what are your best and worst experiences working with nonprofit clients? Inquiring minds want to know. MORE
I am a big fan of experimenting with your marketing and fundraising communications. In my next book, I want to include a list of 10 experiments that every nonprofit should try with its communications. MORE
image courtesy of nattu. What is the main source of health information for Gen Y American Indian and Alaskan Natives? Wikipedia–and they aren’t alone. MORE
At the same time, we started experimenting with shorter subject lines, often just two or three words. I’d love to hear about your experiments! Trying to improve the open rates for your email newsletters? MORE
Neuromarketing guru Roger Dooley calls these hidden traps “land mines, or CX [customer experience] bombs”, because they are sure fire ways to drive customers and donors away and into the arms of the competition. MORE
Do you know why they are there or what they want out of the experience? How can I give the user an experience that is satisfying to them -how can I get people who care a little to give a little? . Remember, improving a donor’s experience starts with meeting their needs, not yours. Do you know what your donors want when they visit your site? Understanding the motivation behind your site’s users can help you direct them to the path of giving. MORE
That is akin to an out of body experience - unusual and enlightening. To be truly effective marketers, we need to see the world not through our own eyes but rather those of our audience. Today is Network for Good’s inaugural Be Your Donor Day , when we ask you to see the world through the eyes of your supporters. Get free resources to do that here.). If you do this, you will find your world looks different. MORE
How can you help people choose the experience they get with your organization A conundrum for many fundraisers is that donors often want to focus their support on specific parts of your work, but you need to raise money for the full gamut of what you do. MORE
So, basically, funders are going to tell you how to solve the problem, with NO on the ground experience. It’s saying that we, the little people, with the immediate experience of the problem, do not know what it is, nor how to solve it, as well as people who live 1,000 miles away from the problem, and maybe cracked a book once that talked about it. Let’s say that you are writing a grant. MORE
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll remember the “thank you&# note experiment I did in 2008 and 2009. More recently, Marta Lindsey’s experiment on keeping all of the nonprofit direct mail she received for a year was also a big hit. MORE
” section of the homepage ), we will now further break down that advice based on experience level, making it easier to find the right advice for you. MORE
Fundraising Major Giving Planned Giving best practices for planned giving charitable giving consideration process cultivation for major gifts major donor fundraising major gift cultivation meaningful donor experiences planned gift marketing sustained giving MORE
In Part 1 I indicated why measuring specific donor experiences represents such a fundamental shift in mindset for most organizations. However, it’s a shift well worth making because measuring the donor experience at various interaction points — and of course acting on what you learn — is one of the ways a nonprofit can grow. Good donor experiences bring greater donor commitment, higher retention rates, higher lifetime value. MORE
We’re so focused on “urgent” to-dos and right-now campaigns that it’s easy to overlook a valuable engagement opportunity: Your website’s “page not found” page (a.k.a. 404 error page). MORE
A great 10-minute exercise for today is to walk through the key experiences you provide to your online donors. The experience is often awful, especially after someone makes a digital gift. I’m a big fan of putting yourself in your donors’ shoes. You can uncover all kinds of areas for fundraising improvement. Just read this post by Kivi Leroux Miller and you get the idea. Ask yourself - as a donor: 1. How hard is it to find the Donate button on my home page? MORE
” — Frank Herbert, ‘The Dosadi Experiment’ The theory of linguistic relativity has been torn down by a number of experts including Noam Chomsky, but lately there’s been a resurgence in interest around it, and people are coming to the conclusion that language can certainly influence thought, but not determine it. Have you ever noticed, upon meeting a new person, that they have a word they like to repeat, over and over, without even noticing it? MORE
Last December I asked you, dear readers, to participate with me in some experiments regarding the types of communications we receive from nonprofits after donating. I eagerly waited for direct mail or e-mail solicitations to come in and really put this experiment in action. MORE
This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: Testing and Analysis google website optimizer MORE
scientific method tools social media platforms Small nonprofit experimentIn the world of social media, very often what we hear about new tools or platforms is like a politician's version of science: here's the conclusion, what facts can we find to support it? As a small nonprofit, you probably read about these debuts and their numbers (Google+ with 10-18 million subscribers) and you wonder if you should exert the effort to get an invitation and set up an account. MORE
For a little preview, I interviewed Pam about “wow&# experiences. Katya: Why do we need to create “wow” experiences – are we not “wow”-ing everyone right now? We create wow experiences to build lifetime donors and really get people involved in our cause. MORE
I’d like to point this out as an example of poor timing and what not to do when trying to deliver a brand experience. If AC had this in mind, they would know that no matter how hard they try, there will always be passengers getting on their plane, that are pissed off about something at that exact moment in terms of the flying experience. At this point some basic classical conditioning occurs as they experience a negative feeling during this exposure to your brand. MORE
This incredible experiment in using virtual reality to build empathy—the first step to engagement and action—could be groundbreaking. And it’s meta—Van does a fantastic job of making the experiment relevant to us in this video. I was thrilled to see Van Jones’ introducing Dream Corps ‘ Day of Empathy via this video. I am following closely, can’t wait to see how this evolves, and promise to report back along the way. MORE
Simone Joyaux calls them “extraordinary experiences.” ” personal experiences that draw your donor deeper into your organization. Donor newsletters: Extraordinary experiences … for the rest of us. Tom Ahern. MORE
When Marta Lindsey, the communications and development director at TransForm , told me about her experiment to see what she could learn about fundraising from all the charity solicitations that arrived in her mailbox over one year, I immediately asked if she would share the story with you. MORE
Save the Children has made getting an error a positive experience with this humorous, adorable and on-brand message that appears when you attempt to access a page that doesn't exist. Are you making this experience one that helps visitors to your site feel good about your organization? MORE
Inspire – Activate – Experience. This activation is followed up by a high-quality personalized experience with the nonprofit. What is your donor experience? Donor experience” is really just another term for what you may call “donor cultivation”. MORE
A surprising number of fundraisers fail to understand a basic axiom of the organization-donor relationship: It is the actions an organization takes toward its donors (donor experience) that determines the attitude positively or negatively of the donor. Old-fashioned, traditional organizations measure the efficiency of the organization’s own internal actions rather than the effectiveness of how the organization’s actions directed toward the donor actually affect donors’ attitudes. MORE
Experience Related Topics Getting Attention
FEBRUARY 17, 2016
We’re so focused on “urgent” to-dos and right-now campaigns that it’s easy to overlook a valuable engagement opportunity: Your website’s “page not found” page (a.k.a. 404 error page).
The Agitator
JUNE 5, 2017
I especially note Tom Ahern’s channeling of Mark Phillips insight, “The only thing worth a damn is the donor experience.” Then Ahern added, “And that experience has many parts worth considering.”
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MARCH 9, 2016
At the same time, we started experimenting with shorter subject lines, often just two or three words. I’d love to hear about your experiments! Trying to improve the open rates for your email newsletters?
SocialButterfly
NOVEMBER 13, 2012
“ It is a wow experience. With Coca-Cola Journey, you experience the Coca-Cola brand, its story and vision within a context that invites you to participate. Prioritize the user-experience. What can we learn from Coca-Cola’s marketing and advertising approach? .
Social Media Bird Brain
AUGUST 8, 2011
scientific method tools social media platforms Small nonprofit experimentIn the world of social media, very often what we hear about new tools or platforms is like a politician's version of science: here's the conclusion, what facts can we find to support it? As a small nonprofit, you probably read about these debuts and their numbers (Google+ with 10-18 million subscribers) and you wonder if you should exert the effort to get an invitation and set up an account.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
APRIL 13, 2011
On January 3, 2011, I started a daily blogging experiment — and by “daily&# I actually meant business daily, Monday – Friday. Monday-Friday blogging has been a great experience for me, and the data supports continuing, which is what I plan to do.
The Agitator
APRIL 4, 2016
The Agitator , especially in the persona of Roger, has been hammering away at the importance of improving ‘customer service’ in the context of cultivating donor commitment and retention. Here , here and here are some examples. But if you still aren’t convinced, take a look at what blue-chip corporate consultant McKinsey & Company has to say on the subject.
The Agitator
FEBRUARY 28, 2016
A surprising number of fundraisers fail to understand a basic axiom of the organization-donor relationship: It is the actions an organization takes toward its donors (donor experience) that determines the attitude positively or negatively of the donor. Old-fashioned, traditional organizations measure the efficiency of the organization’s own internal actions rather than the effectiveness of how the organization’s actions directed toward the donor actually affect donors’ attitudes.
The Agitator
JULY 13, 2016
A surprising number of fundraisers fail to understand a basic axiom of a successful organization/donor relationship: It is the actions an organization takes toward its donors (the so-called ‘donor experience’) that determines the attitude — positive or negative — of the donor.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
DECEMBER 27, 2010
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll remember the “thank you&# note experiment I did in 2008 and 2009. More recently, Marta Lindsey’s experiment on keeping all of the nonprofit direct mail she received for a year was also a big hit.
The Agitator
FEBRUARY 3, 2015
I just noticed this — not unfamiliar — fundraiser’s lament from the trenches: “Our donors don’t appreciate us!” ” Phil McCorkle, writing a column in the Salem, Oregon Statesman Journal directed at any and all donors who might be reading (i.e.,
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
AUGUST 14, 2014
” section of the homepage ), we will now further break down that advice based on experience level, making it easier to find the right advice for you.
The Agitator
MARCH 5, 2015
Neuromarketing guru Roger Dooley calls these hidden traps “land mines, or CX [customer experience] bombs”, because they are sure fire ways to drive customers and donors away and into the arms of the competition.
The Agitator
APRIL 11, 2012
In the commercial marketing arena, there’s heaps of chat about the ‘customer experience’ and how to improve it in the interest of retaining and up-selling customers. Nonprofit marketers who watch that space are probably a bit dismissive, because few of us have stores, physical products, services, complex transactional websites, call centers and so forth where it’s obvious the customer experience plays out for better or worse.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
MAY 9, 2013
A new Donor Experience guide is out from Crown Philanthropic Solutions. Emotional: The giving experience should make donors feel closely connected to the cause. And they expect their experiences with philanthropy to help get them there.” “Online technology is evolving from a purely transactional medium to a powerful tool for delivering an enhanced donor experience,” notes the guide.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
Simone Joyaux calls them “extraordinary experiences.” ” personal experiences that draw your donor deeper into your organization. Donor newsletters: Extraordinary experiences … for the rest of us. Tom Ahern.
Public Sector Marketing 2.0
JANUARY 25, 2011
I’d like to point this out as an example of poor timing and what not to do when trying to deliver a brand experience. If AC had this in mind, they would know that no matter how hard they try, there will always be passengers getting on their plane, that are pissed off about something at that exact moment in terms of the flying experience. At this point some basic classical conditioning occurs as they experience a negative feeling during this exposure to your brand.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
JUNE 30, 2011
Last December I asked you, dear readers, to participate with me in some experiments regarding the types of communications we receive from nonprofits after donating. I eagerly waited for direct mail or e-mail solicitations to come in and really put this experiment in action.
Fundraising 123
APRIL 25, 2012
Save the Children has made getting an error a positive experience with this humorous, adorable and on-brand message that appears when you attempt to access a page that doesn't exist. Are you making this experience one that helps visitors to your site feel good about your organization?
J Campbell Social Marketing
JANUARY 7, 2015
Inspire – Activate – Experience. This activation is followed up by a high-quality personalized experience with the nonprofit. What is your donor experience? Donor experience” is really just another term for what you may call “donor cultivation”.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
AUGUST 12, 2014
Each year, our Digital Giving Index shows that the online donation experience matters. Donors are more likely to give (and more likely to give larger donations) when they are presented with a donation page that keeps them in the moment of giving.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
DECEMBER 7, 2010
When Marta Lindsey, the communications and development director at TransForm , told me about her experiment to see what she could learn about fundraising from all the charity solicitations that arrived in her mailbox over one year, I immediately asked if she would share the story with you.
The Agitator
JUNE 7, 2017
No one buys a Chevy because GM needs the money. By the same token, donors don’t give because your organization has a need to balance its budget. Although many think otherwise, donor expectations aren’t usually driven by an organization’s brilliant programmatic details, the expertise of its staff, the number of regional offices or other versions of organization-centric stuff board and CEOs love to brag about.
Ann Green
FEBRUARY 17, 2015
Thanking donors shouldn’t be a process: it should be an experience. An experience that will last as long as someone donates to your organization, which hopefully will be for a long time. Thanking your online donors is a three-part experience (not process).
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
AUGUST 24, 2012
A great 10-minute exercise for today is to walk through the key experiences you provide to your online donors. The experience is often awful, especially after someone makes a digital gift. I’m a big fan of putting yourself in your donors’ shoes. You can uncover all kinds of areas for fundraising improvement. Just read this post by Kivi Leroux Miller and you get the idea. Ask yourself - as a donor: 1. How hard is it to find the Donate button on my home page?
Getting Attention
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
Knight designed the program to provide shared community experiences, and to spur these ad hoc audiences to attend traditional performances—a boost for performing arts overall. How can you bring the experience of your organization’s impact to your supporters?
Fundraising 123
APRIL 21, 2011
experiences by providing exemplary customer service. experiences to keep them coming back. . experience starts with the "Thank you." You can listen to the full webinar recording of How WOW Experiences Create Lifetime Donors. . Zappos.com is an online shoe and apparel store whose mission is to deliver happiness through a philosophy of WOW! It has built an entire culture around these WOW!
iMarketSmart
DECEMBER 4, 2015
Fundraising Major Giving Planned Giving best practices for planned giving charitable giving consideration process cultivation for major gifts major donor fundraising major gift cultivation meaningful donor experiences planned gift marketing sustained giving
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
OCTOBER 24, 2012
That is akin to an out of body experience - unusual and enlightening. To be truly effective marketers, we need to see the world not through our own eyes but rather those of our audience. Today is Network for Good’s inaugural Be Your Donor Day , when we ask you to see the world through the eyes of your supporters. Get free resources to do that here.). If you do this, you will find your world looks different.
Fundraising 123
DECEMBER 14, 2010
Do you know why they are there or what they want out of the experience? How can I give the user an experience that is satisfying to them -how can I get people who care a little to give a little? . Remember, improving a donor’s experience starts with meeting their needs, not yours. Do you know what your donors want when they visit your site? Understanding the motivation behind your site’s users can help you direct them to the path of giving.
SocialButterfly
NOVEMBER 14, 2012
image courtesy of nattu. What is the main source of health information for Gen Y American Indian and Alaskan Natives? Wikipedia–and they aren’t alone.
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014
If you work for a nonprofit, what are your best and worst experiences working with consultants and freelancers? If you are a consultant or freelancer, what are your best and worst experiences working with nonprofit clients? Inquiring minds want to know.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
JULY 17, 2012
How can you help people choose the experience they get with your organization A conundrum for many fundraisers is that donors often want to focus their support on specific parts of your work, but you need to raise money for the full gamut of what you do.
DonorDigital
JUNE 5, 2012
This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: Testing and Analysis google website optimizer
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
AUGUST 28, 2012
Since 2010, Network for Good has been tracking digital philanthropy across several distinct channels including individual charity websites, charity portals and social giving (peer-to-peer) websites and applications. And one thing is consistently true for donations made directly on nonprofit websites.
Wild Woman Fundraising
DECEMBER 28, 2012
Experience things fully, vividly, selflessly. Try to shut out the external clues as to what you should think, feel, say, and so on, and let your experience enable you to say what you truly feel. Learn from my failures!
Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog
MAY 31, 2017
I am a big fan of experimenting with your marketing and fundraising communications. In my next book, I want to include a list of 10 experiments that every nonprofit should try with its communications.
Nonprofit Marketing Blog
APRIL 15, 2011
For a little preview, I interviewed Pam about “wow&# experiences. Katya: Why do we need to create “wow” experiences – are we not “wow”-ing everyone right now? We create wow experiences to build lifetime donors and really get people involved in our cause.
Wild Woman Fundraising
MAY 14, 2012
So, basically, funders are going to tell you how to solve the problem, with NO on the ground experience. It’s saying that we, the little people, with the immediate experience of the problem, do not know what it is, nor how to solve it, as well as people who live 1,000 miles away from the problem, and maybe cracked a book once that talked about it. Let’s say that you are writing a grant.
Wild Woman Fundraising
JUNE 25, 2012
” — Frank Herbert, ‘The Dosadi Experiment’ The theory of linguistic relativity has been torn down by a number of experts including Noam Chomsky, but lately there’s been a resurgence in interest around it, and people are coming to the conclusion that language can certainly influence thought, but not determine it. Have you ever noticed, upon meeting a new person, that they have a word they like to repeat, over and over, without even noticing it?
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