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Creating An Effective Nonprofit Blog: A Mini Guide

September 11, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

A guest post by Sarah Fargusson of Cornershop Creative

Picture this: you’re searching online for things you can do in your daily life to be more environmentally friendly and come across a blog post with a list of daily life changes that you can make to help the environment.

You find the post super helpful, take a few of the suggestions to heart, and then begin exploring the rest of the nonprofit’s website to see what else this organization can teach you and how you can support them in return.

This scenario is common for organizations with blogs. Blog posts help your nonprofit share relevant and meaningful information with your audience, engaging your current audience with fresh content and bringing in new supporters through the process.

Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Blog

As a marketing tactic, blogging is an oldie, but a goodie. While maintaining a blog isn’t possible for every organization, if you’re able to keep up with a consistent posting schedule, blogs are an excellent tool to connect supporters to your mission through relevant topics.

There are tons of benefits, including:

  • Establish your organization as a thought leader. Sharing your expertise on topics related to your mission in a public place like your site’s blog can help set you up as a thought leader in your space.
  • Share important updates/information/stories. Blog posts are a great place to share timely content with your audience, including news or organizational updates and stories from your community.
  • Engage with your nonprofit’s audience on a regular basis. Consistency is key when it comes to blogging, and regular, fresh content will have your audience visiting often to see what’s new.
  • Boost your visibility via SEO-driven content marketing. Potential supporters interested in your area of work, but unfamiliar with your organization, can find you through optimized blog posts on relevant topics.
  • Fuel your other marketing channels. Blog content can also be shared on social media, in email campaigns, and through other marketing channels you may use to stay connected and keep your organization top of mind for supporters.

With all of these great benefits, have we convinced you yet? Starting and maintaining a blog allows your organization to connect with your current supporters and attract new ones. It’s well worth the time and effort!

Blogging Tip #1: Tell Stories That Resonate With Your Readers

Who doesn’t love a good story? Sharing stories helps us connect with each other and drives home the impact of your nonprofit’s work in the lives of real people.

Like any good story, the stories that you share on your organization’s blog should have:

  • Characters that your audience can relate with
  • A familiar setting
  • A conflict that is resolved (ideally through your organization’s work)
  • Details that help readers connect to the characters and outcome

Share stories about beneficiaries who tapped into your services, volunteers who are passionate about your cause, or donors who made a big difference to your organization. Anyone who represents the impact that you’re able to make toward your mission is a good contender. The sky’s the limit!

 

Just be sure to get permission from the subject of your story before sharing their story on your blog.

Blogging Tip #2: Incorporate Compelling Visuals

Compelling visuals have the power to take your blog content to the next level. While text will likely be the meat and potatoes of the majority of your posts, visuals and great nonprofit website design helps keep things interesting and give readers a bit of visual relief and a different way to engage with the topic as they work through the text content.

Mix things up for your readers and incorporate a variety of different visuals into blog posts, taking into account the particular topic or post. You might include:

  • Photos
  • Infographics (with details from your annual report)
  • Visual quotes
  • Videos

Compelling visuals stick with readers and drive your topic home. And, for all of the skimmers out there, solid visuals keep visitors’ attention, keeping them on the page and reading more of your post than they otherwise would have.

Blogging Tip #3: Post New Content Regularly

When it comes to blogging, consistency is key. Determine a posting schedule and stick to it. While there’s no need to schedule down to the minute and urgent to-dos will come up, posting content regularly helps to keep people visiting the blog.

It’s what brings all of those wonderful benefits listed above and shows your community that you’re actively working to keep them updated on important information.

To keep yourself on track, consider creating a content calendar, working ahead during quieter times, or pulling in other team members (or even a marketing partner) to help create blog content in a timely manner.

3 Strategies for Promoting Your Blog

In order to bring visitors to your blog and reap all of the benefits, you’ll need to promote your blog to your audience. Plus, getting more eyes on your blog more often will encourage blog readers to explore other parts of your nonprofit’s website, too.

These tips will drive more visitors to your new blog and keep them coming back:

  • Leverage on-page SEO best practices. Following SEO best practices will help your blog post rank for relevant keywords and bring the people searching for those keywords right to your site.
  • Collaborate with other bloggers in the nonprofit space. By partnering up with others in the nonprofit space, you can expand your audience even more by guest blogging and building backlinks.
  • Share blog posts on social media and in emails. Sharing your blog posts with your current audience through social media and email will engage your current audience and keep them coming back to your site.

While adding a blog to your nonprofit marketing toolkit does take time and effort, the benefits are well worth the work. A blog can help you continuously grow and engage with your audience, encouraging them to visit your website and take action for your cause on a regular basis. So what are you waiting for? Get blogging!


Sarah Fergusson digital mavenSarah Fargusson – Director of Digital Strategy at Cornershop Creative

Self-described as a “non-profit junkie,” Sarah has dedicated her career to serving the needs of the non-profit sector. Her project management experience spans a variety of non-profit management disciplines including strategic planning, community engagement, capacity building, fundraising and research. She has worked both in and for the non-profit sector at the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, and the consulting firms The Lee Institute and The Curtis Group.

With her ever expanding non-profit tool belt, Sarah joined Cornershop Creative to tap into her techie, creative side, while developing meaningful partnerships with her clients to help them more effectively achieve their goals.

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Fundraising Tuesday: 4 Tips for Getting Started with Virtual Product Fundraising

September 5, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

A guest post by Debbie Salat of ABC Fundraising

As a nonprofit fundraiser, you likely host a variety of different fundraising events and campaigns each year. You can improve upon your current practices by finding fundraising ideas that are easier to implement, more accessible to donors, and more profitable. That’s where virtual product fundraising comes in.

According to Double the Donation, 63% of donors prefer donating online. Virtual product fundraisers allow donors to contribute to your organization in a way that caters to their needs. Additionally, they’re easy to set up, simple to participate in, and offer donors something in return for their donation.

To help you leverage this impactful fundraising method, we’ve created a list of four tips for how to get started with virtual product fundraising.

1. Determine your goals.

Provide focus to your virtual product fundraiser with clear goals. That way, your fundraising team has a complete understanding of the  purpose of the fundraising.

To develop a distinct fundraising goal, follow the SMART goal framework:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

These guidelines allow you to set objectives that are easy to track and evaluate. For example, a goal of raising $10,000 over the next six months through a virtual product fundraiser to support people without access to healthcare is a more tangible goal than simply raising money in support of a good cause.

Additionally, sharing these goals with your supporters will provide greater transparency about what you’re raising money for. As a result, you can gain donors’ trust and build lasting relationships with them.

2. Select a product.

The goals you’ve set should drive your product selection. For example, if you’re trying to connect with donors during the holidays through your fundraising efforts, selling holiday decorations could help you achieve that goal.

Check out these examples of different product types you might consider for your fundraiser:

  • Food: Give your donors the chance to buy their favorite snacks and support your cause at the same time. ABC Fundraising recommends selling cookie dough in particular because you can earn up to an 80% profit.
  • Branded merchandise: Turn donors into brand advocates with branded merchandise. Selling t-shirts, hats, and travel mugs with your organization’s logo can help boost brand awareness.
  • Discount opportunities: Allow your donors to save on everyday purchases and give back to your cause by selling discount cards. You can even give back to the community by including local vendors in the discount offerings.

If you’re having trouble deciding which product to sell, think about your donors. What would they most like to purchase? Consider sending a survey to collect donor feedback and get them excited about your upcoming virtual product fundraiser.

3. Promote your fundraiser.

Let your supporters know about your fundraiser by promoting it effectively. You can spark interest in your fundraiser by showing some product sneak peeks beforehand. Then, you can share how to participate once the fundraiser is up and running.

Make sure to promote your fundraiser using a variety of communication channels, such as:

  • Email newsletter. Include a section about your virtual product fundraiser. Make sure to add pictures of the product you’re selling and the link to your online store.
  • Social media. Show off images of the products you’re selling. People will be more enticed to buy snacks and merchandise if they can get a good look at them before they make their purchase.
  • Website. Your website is the hub for updating your supporters about your organization. Create a new page to market your virtual product fundraiser.

To spread even more awareness of your fundraiser, lean on your supporters for help. Encourage them to share your online store link with friends and family. You can even turn it into a contest or giveaway, offering one entry per referral. Then, you can offer some of the products you’re selling as the grand prize.

4. Track your fundraiser’s progress.

One of the reasons why creating clear goals for your fundraiser is so important is that it allows you to measure your success.

One way to measure your success is through a fundraising thermometer. This visual allows you to track donations and provides an easy way for your supporters to monitor the fundraiser’s progress. A fundraising thermometer can also encourage supporters to contribute, especially if you’re close to reaching your goal.

Another way to measure your fundraiser’s success is through Google Analytics. Through the Google Ad Grants program, eligible nonprofits receive $10,000 in monthly ad credits they can use to promote important landing pages on their websites. If you’re part of the program, you can create goals in Google Analytics that align with your fundraising goals and promote your virtual product fundraising page.

While Google Analytics can’t necessarily track donations, you can measure the success of your marketing efforts and determine which are most effective. Then, you can make sure to keep up those methods for future campaigns.

It can be daunting to set up a new type of fundraiser for the first time, but these tips will set you on the right track for a successful virtual product fundraiser. For extra help, consider partnering with a virtual product fundraising provider that can assist you with setting up your online store and managing your fundraiser.


Debbie Salat head shotDebbie Salat 

Debbie Salat is the director of fundraising activities and product development at ABC Fundraising(r) – Debbie joined ABC Fundraising(r) in 2010 and is responsible for launching over 6500 fundraising campaigns for schools, churches, youth sports teams and non-profit organizations all across the USA.

With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Debbie knows the path to success for fundraisers which she shares with groups on a daily basis so they can achieve their fundraising goals.

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Fundraising Tuesday: How to Choose Metrics for Your Nonprofit to Measure

August 22, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Picture this: Isabella is the executive director of Academic Stars Network, an organization dedicated to tutoring at-risk high school students in STEM subjects. She’s worked for years to deliver high-quality programming and services to local students, teachers, and parents.

One day, during a meeting with the board of directors, a discussion arises about the need for more data-backed decision-making for the organization. Isabella realizes that Academic Stars Network lacks a strategic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of its initiatives and measuring its overall impact on the community. She and her team decide that it’s time to start tracking metrics for different aspects of their operations—but they aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Many nonprofits find themselves in this same position—wanting a better way to understand just how much of a difference they’re making, but unsure of how to measure success metrics, also known as key performance indicators (KPIs).

In this short guide, we’ll help you get started with choosing metrics for your nonprofit to measure its progress, whether you’re looking to improve your website’s performance or boost your donor retention rate. Let’s begin!

Review your long- and short-term goals.

When it comes to selecting metrics, it can be tempting to simply select a few and begin to gather insights just for the sake of having insights. But this can lead to information overload, giving your team an overwhelming amount of data to organize and analyze.

Instead, start the process by reviewing your organization’s long- and short-term goals. Aligning your metrics with these goals will help ensure that your team gets the insights that it needs on the most important aspects of your organization’s operations. 

For example, say that you have a goal to increase the number of major contributions your organization receives each year by 20%. With this goal in mind, you could consider tracking metrics related to donor acquisition, average gift size, and donor engagement.

Similarly, if your organization wants to improve its Google Ad Grant results, you could start to more proactively track metrics related to your performance online, like the conversion rate on your website landing pages.

Selecting your metrics based on the goals you’re currently working toward will empower you to reach those goals faster as you track your progress and use what you learn to course-correct and improve your efforts to meet your goals.

Consider different metric focus areas.

You might be thinking, “I know what my goals are and what parts of my organization I’m hoping to improve. But what are my options for measuring my progress?”

It’s a good question. The short answer is that if it can be measured, it can be turned into a metric you track over time and use to work toward a goal. The long answer is this: There are many different metric focus areas that you can consider as you choose your own metrics to track. 

According to DonorSearch, here are some of the most popular focus areas and a few examples of metrics within those areas: 

  • General fundraising metrics: cost per dollar raised, fundraising return on investment (ROI), number of gifts secured, matching gift rate, pledge fulfillment rate
  • Donor relationship metrics: donor retention rate, donor churn rate, donor lifetime value, donor acquisition cost, demographic metrics
  • Giving level metrics: gift frequency, average gift size, average giving capacity
  • Engagement metrics: donor or prospect outreach rate, fundraising participation rate, number of asks made
  • Online performance metrics: online gift percentage, email open rate, landing page conversion rate, social media amplification rate, social media applause rate

In addition to these focus areas, you could also look at metrics related to your volunteer program, such as volunteer hours tracked or volunteer acquisition rate; or your events, such as number of event registrations, event attendance rate, and revenue raised. Or, if you’re looking to make improvements to your internal operations, you could focus on metrics like your employee retention rate.

Remember, you don’t want to try to track every metric at once—this will lead to the most important insights getting lost in a sea of information. Instead, choose one focus area to look at or a handful of metrics from a few focus areas.

Determine how you’ll measure your metrics and how often you’ll review them.

Once you’ve selected the metrics you want to track, you still have a few steps to take to set your team up for success. Prepare to get the most actionable insights possible by asking yourself these two questions:

1. What tools will we use to measure and calculate our metrics?

With the right tools, your team won’t have to calculate its metrics by hand and risk errors that could derail your insights. Choose your tracking tools based on the metrics you want to measure.

For example, if you’re tracking metrics related to your major donors and their capacity and affinity markers, you might rely on the help of a nonprofit-specific AI tool to help you gather those markers and make predictions about your prospects and donors.

2. How often will we review our metrics?

Dedicate time to reviewing your metrics on a regular basis. You may do this at the beginning of a fundraising campaign and then again at the end, or at specific times of the year, like at the beginning and end of each quarter.

It may also be helpful to set baselines and thresholds for certain metrics so that you know when to act on the information. For instance, if you start tracking your virtual event registration numbers and see a jump from your baseline number of attendees to your threshold for action, you could take the time to evaluate what made this positive change possible—and keep doing more of it!

As you begin tracking your chosen metrics and getting into the swing of consistently reviewing them, remember to give yourself enough time to see change. Just like waiting for a plant to grow or a pot of water to boil, time has to pass for you to notice changes in your metrics. Be patient as you start your tracking journey—it will pay off as you’re able to identify consistent patterns and trends that you and your team can act on.

Metrics empower your organization to point to specific, quantifiable measurements that illustrate your nonprofit’s progress toward a certain goal, whether it’s a goal related to fundraising or strengthening donor relationships.

Start your metric-tracking journey today by following the three steps outlined above to select the right metrics for your nonprofit and to set yourself up to see changes and trends over time that you can take action on. You’ve got this!


Sarah TedescoSarah Tedesco is the Executive Vice President of DonorSearch, a prospect research and wealth screening company that focuses on proven philanthropy. Sarah is responsible for managing the production and customer support department concerning client contract fulfillment, increasing retention rate and customer satisfaction. She collaborates with other team members on a variety of issues including sales, marketing and product development ideas.

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