Entries by Contributor

Donor Recognition: Best Practices & Ideas for Nonprofits

In the nonprofit world, expressing gratitude for your donors’ gifts is not only polite, but essential to your long-term success. Donor recognition is a critical piece of the donor retention puzzle that helps secure lasting support for your organization’s mission. After marketing your campaigns and events like a pro and driving results in your fundraisers, there’s still […]

4 Strategies for Meaningful Nonprofit Storytelling

Most of us love a good story. Whether we’re watching our favorite TV series, reading the latest best-seller, or listening to a friend relate a past experience, storytelling engages our emotions in a way that facts can’t do on their own. Stories also tend to stick with us—it’s estimated that stories are 22 times more […]

How to Transform Your Alumni Into Long-Term Supporters

When your members joined your sorority or fraternity, they gained many brothers or sisters, both those currently involved and those who had graduated. Leveraging alumni giving is a powerful way to not only raise money for your chapter but also strengthen your community’s bonds across age groups and other demographics. Paying forward the aid your alumni received […]

DIY Fundraising for Nonprofits: 4 Strategies for Success

As the fundraising field diversifies and evolves, new strategies and campaigns have taken center stage. Do-it-yourself style peer-to-peer fundraising is the perfect example. DIY fundraising, whether it takes the form of a one-time campaign or evergreen fundraising opportunities that are always available for supporters, has become a prominent strategy to get supporters to participate in […]

Forming Long-Term Relationships with Supporters: 4 Benefits

While acquiring new supporters is important, there are many often overlooked benefits to forging long-term relationships with your existing donors. Retaining supporters requires a mix of appreciation strategies, strong communication practices, and a continued dedication to fulfilling your mission. While this can take quite a bit of effort, in exchange, your nonprofit will begin forming […]

How to Effectively Market Your Upcoming Fundraiser: 4 Tips

How to Effectively Market Your Upcoming Fundraiser: 4 Tips Imagine your most perfectly-planned fundraiser. You’re all set with the most desirable auction items, the most engaging entertainment, or the catchiest campaign slogan. With all the details squared away, you can just sit back, relax, and watch the funding come flowing in, right? Not so fast. […]

Here’s What’s Missing From Your Nonprofit’s Social Strategy

When you Google the American Cancer Society (ACS), the second organic listing is for the nonprofit’s Facebook page. When you click on the first listing— American Cancer’s website— and navigate to opportunities to get involved, Facebook fundraisers are placed front-and-center. In fact, these fundraisers are listed as an opportunity to “make the most impact.” ACS […]

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Converting Direct Mail to Donations: 4 Best Practices

Direct mail is an integral part of any multichannel fundraising campaign. Your organization benefits from mail’s high visibility, response rates, and separation from online marketing clutter. There are a few best practices you can take to make the most out of your direct donation request letter efforts.  Effective direct mail can be the turning point […]

Communicating with Volunteers: 5 Best Practices

Volunteers are extremely valuable partners for nonprofit organizations. They donate their time and expertise to help drive your mission forward, making them essential to your mission. When fully engaged, volunteers can become excellent advocates for your organization, spreading word to their friends, family, colleagues, and the rest of their personal networks. Because volunteers are so […]