Greetings!
I'm going to do something a little different this month...
Many of you have emailed me with questions or suggested
topics that you'd like to see addressed in this e-newsletter. Well, since Keep the Change is only a monthly
publication, you'd be waiting forever for me to get to your suggestion.
So, in this issue, I'm going to touch briefly on a few of
the most common questions that have come up over the last few months.
Buckle up for a crash course on:
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Social media as a fundraising tool
- Strategies for reaching younger donors
- A creative idea for an event to replace your gala
In the meantime, keep the ideas coming. I'm listening...
Happy almost spring!
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Facebook, Young Donors & Galas... Oh my!
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Question: How can we maximize our fundraising using
Facebook, Twitter, and other social media?
Everyone seems to be talking about social media these
days. And Facebook and Twitter do seem
to be more popular all the time. But, most
organizations are still not raising significant amounts of money via social
media.
If you tweet or have a Facebook page, use it as a way to
connect with donors and stay in touch. The more ways you have to communicate with
the friends of your organization, the better.
Social media provides
all kinds of new and interesting ways to be in contact with your supporters. And, the more involved they feel with
your organization, the more money you will raise. But expect the majority of your income to continue to come from direct mail, calls, personal visits, and,
increasingly, email/online.
And, please -- make sure you have a strong website and an optimal online giving process before you start dallying in social media. I know it's not as sexy, but it's far more important.
With all the money raised via text messaging for disaster
relief and rebuilding in Haiti, this strategy has also started to get a lot of
attention. For a reality check before
you leap into this, read what the always insightful Jeff Brooks has to say...
Question: Do you have strategies for how we can reach
younger donors?
Donors increasingly want more from the groups they
support. And, this is especially true of
younger donors. According to research, Generation X and Generation Y want to be engaged with
the organizations that they give to.
They want to be thanked, updated, and invited to get involved in
different ways.
They really only want what all donors should have been
getting all along. But because it's a
new way of operating for most organizations, it can require some change
to implement.
With younger donors, the priority should be on getting them
in the door.
There is often not a lot of disposable income... yet. So, forget about the gift
level.
- Create a giving club that specifically targets certain
generations or age brackets. Market to
them specifically and make the "cost" to join really low.
- Plan events with a strong social component and a low
ticket price.
- Give them opportunities to have their friends and family
donate to you in lieu of giving them birthday presents or holidays gifts.
Just get your young donors in the door and then excel at donor
relations. Be sure to involve them as
more than simply people who write checks.
Make sure they can see, hear, feel, and touch the work you're doing.
And take a long view of what's possible down the road. Your focus must be on their lifetime value,
not on what they can do for you now.
Question: People are tired of galas. What ideas do you have for other kinds of
events?
My favorite type of event is called a "non-event." Perhaps it's because I'm not a fan of event
planning...
A non-event offers less planning, lower costs and
more net revenue for your cause. Here's
how it works -- people receive invitations to a non-event and are asked to make
a donation to the non-profit for the privilege of not attending the "event"
and in exchange for a quiet night at home.
Confused? Look at
this example of a non-event from an organization called Home Front, courtesy of
SOFII...
Non-events have huge benefits for both the
organization and the "guests."
The benefits to the organization include:
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A major reduction in expenses (food, drinks, entertainment, etc.) so more revenue goes to the cause
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Less planning time required
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Zero concerns about event cancellation
The benefits to the "attendees" include:
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One less event on their calendars
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No need to pay for babysitters, tuxedo rentals, etc
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Almost all of their donation will go
to the cause
Another group that I donate to organized a non-event and
it was a tea party. They included a tea
bag with the invitation. The trick to a
successful no-show event is creativity.
If this strategy proves to be a huge success for you, you
can turn it into an annual "non-event."
One word of caution -- If your supporters really look
forward to a chance to get together, this may not be the right fit for your
organization.
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FREE Webinar - Creating a Fundraising Plan
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Share the Wealth
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Did you receive this as a forward? Do you want your very own copy delivered to you?
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Upcoming Training
| How to Create a Fundraising Plan: Save Time and Money by Planning Ahead!
Tues, March 30th 8:30-12:00pm
at the Center for Nonprofit Management at Stonehill College
Click here for more info or to register |
Last month's e-news got rave reviews. It's not too late if you missed it...
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About Us
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Funding Change Training & Consulting
helps grassroots nonprofits raise more money from individual donors --
your most reliable and sustainable source of funding.
Our approach
focuses on building relationships and communicating with supporters --
not simply soliciting.
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