The right fundraising image can make or break an appeal, but we live in a roaring sea of communications. Stock photography is everywhere we look. In fact, 9 times out of 10, the commercial and nonprofit messages we see incorporate some type of stock imagery. Although the pressure to pick the “right shot” is high for organizations, it’s even more intense for nonprofits because of tight budgets and dependence on high ROIs.
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Many nonprofits never think they’ll need to respond to their donors in emergency situations, until disaster suddenly strikes. This became a reality for many nonprofits over the past couple of weeks with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Over the years, we’ve compiled a list of best practices for our clients to prepare for these unanticipated events. Here’s what you need to know to plan for the future — because we never know when or where the next emergency might happen.
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Dear Fundraising and Branding,
It seems like the nonprofit universe is constantly atwitter about your compatibility. Prevailing opinions seem to think you don’t get along. Others see your potential together.
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It’s no secret that mid-level donors are critical to the short-term and long-term fundraising success of your charity.
Many fundraisers know too well that they don’t have (or haven’t been able to find) a proven “white glove” strategy for mid-level donors that works, integrates easily into their existing
processes, and doesn’t break the bank. That is, until now.
“The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new.” — Samuel Beckett, Murphy
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When natural disasters hit, there’s a familiar chain of events. Discourse often turns to whether the public had adequate notice; how responsive local and state governments are; and the robustness of the response from the federal government. Charities and their legions of dedicated volunteers will mobilize to help with immediate and long-term needs. Fundraisers will go into fire drill mode. And so it’s going with Hurricane Harvey.
But Harvey is different. Harvey is epic.
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AHHHH, the sweet sounds of monthly sustainers. Committed and highly engaged monthly donors, whose gifts hit a charity’s bottom line with increasing regularity as more and more of them embrace autopay options.
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An internship can be exciting — an opportunity to get real world experience from knowledgeable professionals, cultivate skills that will help throughout your career, and build your professional network.
At TrueSense, we have the unique opportunity to invest in our interns in two ways: providing valuable business experience and exposing them to the important work of nonprofits. Our hope is that our interns leave their time with us believing that donors are heroes, an unstoppable force for good through their giving.
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My first boss, a respected if not legendary direct mail fundraiser in the political arena, once told me it is far easier to raise money against a perceived evil than it is to raise it for a perceived good.
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Email deliverability is one of the most important metrics to the success of your digital fundraising. Why? Because if your email doesn’t even make it into the inbox, your donors and prospects won’t have the opportunity to open your email and ultimately give. All other fundraising email metrics are influenced by email deliverability.
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