Day to day, we are all confronted with scenarios that require us to consider options and choose an ethical path. Unfortunately, that path is not always clearly marked. Tech4Good Cleveland recently gathered to discuss a few ethics questions. Questions/scenarios were posed by various nonprofit technology & fundraising professionals; we discussed them as a group and …
“I’m a new nonprofit just beginning to fundraise. Where do I start?” We hear this over and over again from our startup nonprofit clients. New nonprofits have dual goals: Raise Money, Raise Awareness. They want to build a donor database and let the community know who they are and what …
Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball that told you where donors are, what they are thinking, what they will do, how to talk to them? Have you heard the story about how Target’s predictive marketing resulted in a teenager being sent coupons for diapers and cribs and baby clothes? The girl’s father …
Fundraising professionals generally recognize James Greenfield’s finding that average fundraising cost per dollar raised is $0.20 (Fund-Raising: Evaluating and Managing the Fund Development Process). Obviously, the goal is to reduce this fundraising cost as much as possible in order have more funds for mission. Let’s look at one way to reduce costs associated with …
Packaging your donations is an effective way to increase the volume of giving and the size of the average gift.. Before you start contemplating packaging, however, you want to be sure that you’ve identified your target audience(s). If you have not yet done this in any sort of structured way, I strongly suggest that you …
A simple method to identify nonprofit audiences and improve communication. In a recent blog post, 2 Things Your Donation Page Desperately Needs, I stressed the need for nonprofits to package their online asks and make the most of all of the various levers available to drive conversion. As I have discussed this …
In his fascinating book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. explores 6 fundamental psychological principles that direct human behavior. Using straightforward language and fascinating anecdotes, he unveils the mystery behind how we react to influence and offers valuable insights for those who rely on their persuasive ability. If you ask yourself questions …
Today, we recognize World Storytelling Day. In the spirit of the day, let’s take a look at a cause that gets it just right when it comes to utilizing storytelling to connect with supporters online. There has been a good deal of news coverage surrounding the Lawrey family, and it’s not because little Gavin Lowery …
A good story can simultaneously inform & inspire. It can be triumphant or sad or joyful or revolting. As nonprofit organizations work to build content and engage online audiences, storytelling plays an essential role. But knowing what stories to tell and how to tell them is not always an easy task. The following articles that …
We love our clients and we are so excited to celebrate their success and share some tips about how they accomplished it. Let’s look at one of our membership organizations. The Cleveland Zoological Society moved from Convio to the Big River platform in August, 2013. Preliminary results are fantastic with web revenue for 2013 …
How Did The Cleveland Zoological Society Increase Online Donations 7%? Read More »