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How Do You Find Nonprofit Blogs to Follow?

October 23, 2017 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

best blogs 2017I’m honored.

Literally.

In the past few weeks, the Communicate! blog–the one you’re reading right now–has been recognized by multiple groups in the nonprofit field.

The Fundraising Digest named it one of The Best Fundraising Blogs of 2017.

Top 75 Nonprofit Blog Feedspot selected Communicate! as one of the Top 75 Nonprofit Blogs on the web.

And it has previously been featured on Bloomerang‘s list of 100+ Fundraising Blogs You Should Be Reading in 2017.

I’m honored. But why should you care?

Nonprofit Blogs Keep You Up to Date

Reading the right blogs is an incomparable way to keep up with what nonprofits need to know. Share on X

What you need to know could be technical advice, like Three Reasons to Require Verified Opt-In for your Email Newsletter by John Haydon.  John explains the best way to ensure that the people getting your newsletter actually want to read it. (And John’s blog is on on these lists.)

Or it could be reading a great idea at just the right time of the year. Giving Tuesday is right around the corner. Mary Cahalane and Claire Axelrad have suggested you use it as Giving Thanks Tuesday, an opportunity to connect with your donors before you ask them for money.

If you subscribed to their blogs, you’d hear about that idea in time to put it into practice. And you’d find both Mary and Claire on these lists, too!

Nonprofit Blogs Share Timeless Wisdom

Not all good ideas are new, and not all of them have a use-by date. Sometimes what you really need is a reminder, and the inspiration to do the best you already know how to do.

One of the most popular posts on the Communicate! blog since I first published it in 2015 is The Golden Rule of Nonprofit Writing. It’s very short, and here’s the key insight in one sentence:

The golden rule of writing is to write unto others the way you wish they wrote unto to you.

The next time you are getting ready to write a newsletter, or a fundraising appeal–or even a tweet–remember this blog post. You can find it on my blog. And you can find other pearls on other blogs, if you read the right ones.

Take a Moment to Look Through The Lists

I’m like you. I have a lot to learn, and a limited amount of time to spend each day learning it. The key for us both is to pay attention where it counts.

May I make a suggestion? Give yourself a gift today. Take the time to look at one of the lists from The Fundraising Digest, Feedspot, or Bloomerang. Mark the blogs you’re most interested in reading, then subscribe to them.

You can get the new blog posts delivered to your email inbox. You can subscribe to them as an RSS feed.  You can even use Feedspot as a tool to see posts from the blogs you like best and easily share those posts on Facebook or Twitter.

Because other people you know have trouble finding the right blogs to follow, too, and you can make it easier for them.

 

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Fundraising Tuesday: Make Your Donors Love You

February 14, 2017 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

You’ve heard the saying, “It’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year’s–it’s what you eat between New Year’s and Christmas”?  Similarly, it’s not what you write to your donors in your end-of-year appeal letter that determines how they feel about your organization. It’s what you write all year long.

Communication in marriageCommunications are the key to a good marriage. Your nonprofit’s communications are the key to a good relationship between your donors and you.

By next Valentine’s Day, make your donors love you. Here are the four steps to win their hearts.

This winter, work on your email.

When donors or prospects give you their email address, it’s like they met you on a blind date and decided to give you their phone number. What they’re saying is, “I want to hear from you.” It’s a huge gesture of trust.

Be worthy of their trust.

  • Find out the kind of content they want to see, and send it to them as often (and no more often) than they want to see it.
  • Write subject lines that signal, “I wrote this especially for you and I know you’ll want to read it.”
  • Personalize every email. “Dear friend” is not acceptable in 2017. It tells your donors they’re not worth your time.
  • Keep your list up to date. There are good email tools out there: MailChimp and Constant Contact are two that many nonprofits use. Buy one and learn how to use it. You–and your donors–will be glad you did.

This spring, take a good look at your website.

Your website is your online living room. If you’re going to invite donors there, you want them to stay a while.

  • Make the lighting comfortable. Is the font size large enough for middle-aged eyes? Does it read as well on Chrome or Firefox as on Internet Explorer or Safari? Can donors read it on their mobile devices? Can they read it with their screen readers (if they have limited eyesight)?
  • Make the room easy to get around. Place navigation bars on the homepage and on every page. Clearly label your pages and tabs, and don’t get too cute: “About Us” or “Who We Are” are better than “The 411.”
  • Put out the treats.  Your donors need to find what they’re looking for quickly or they’ll leave your site. Be sure everything is within three clicks from the home page: for instance, 1) home page, 2) contact us, 3) email. If you’re inviting people to sign up for an event, consider using a landing page with its own URL.

This summer, spice up your blogging life.

Did you ever meet someone and think to yourself, “I love talking with him. I could spend all night just listening to him?”

Writing a blog gives your donors a chance to say that about you.

Blogging is better for those long explorations than email. It’s more of a conversation than the rest of your website. Blogging is for lovers.

  • Set up your blog using WordPress or some other professional looking tool.
  • Get good ideas for blog posts from your own emails and from the questions people always ask you. Always write for your audience.
  • Turn one good idea into ten different posts!
  • Publicize your blog using your email and social media.

This fall, finally get social.

What would the love of your life think if when you were together, you only talked and never listened? Or if you only listened when he or she was talking about you?

Not very romantic, right?

But too many nonprofits think the reason to use social media is to have one more place to rattle on about themselves.

Social media are really more like social gatherings: parties, conferences, Chamber of Commerce meetings, public forums. You go those events to meet people and become an important part of the community. You go on social media to do the same.

Over time, if you pay attention to them, people come to know, like, and trust your organization. They actually seek you out for information and advice and opportunities to volunteer. They start thinking of you as “their” organization. They fall in love.

How do you use social media to make donors love you? I’ve been studying this subject for years, and I’m happy to share it with you.

social mediaThe No-Nonsense Nonprofit Guide to Social Media: How You Can Start Small, Win Loyal Friends, and Raise Funds Online and Off is your step-by-step guide to courting your donors.

Download it now, and by next fall, you can be happily engaged.

By next winter, you can be busy writing thank-you notes.

By next Valentine’s Day, your donors can be yours for life.

The No-Nonsense Nonprofit Guide to Social Media: How You Can Start Small, Win Loyal Friends, and Raise Funds Online and Off

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Fundraising Tuesday: Best Fundraising Blogs of 2017

February 7, 2017 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Joe Garecht

Joe Garecht

Joe Garecht must have a crystal ball. It’s only February, and he can already say which are the best fundraising blogs for you to read this year!

Seriously, though, what Joe has published on The Fundraising Digest is a great list (and I don’t say that only because this blog is on it). Joe has included some of my personal favorites, including these ten:

Beth Ann Locke – Donor-centered fundraising “with a heart.”

Communicate! – by yours truly, Dennis Fischman, with Fundraising Tuesday, Thank-You Thursday, and Marketing (and Miscellaneous) Monday posts.

Concord Leadership Group  (Marc A. Pitman)– Articles and podcasts on best practices for non-profit leaders.

Fired Up Fundraising (Gail Perry)– Fundraising ideas and tips with a special focus on major donors and capital campaigns.

Get Fully Funded  (Sandy Rees)– General fundraising strategy, tips and tools.

Hands-On Fundraising  (Mary Cahalane)– Thoughtful strategies for fundraising planning, donor communications and more.

John Haydon – Online fundraising and marketing for non-profits.

Kivi’s Non-Profit Communications Blog (Kivi Leroux Miller)– Better donor communications for non-profit organizations.

Pamela Grow – Strategy and tips for small fundraising shops.

The Storytelling Non-Profit (Vanessa Chase Lockshin)– How to tell great stories about your work to donors, volunteers, and more.

There are other blogs I know and enjoy on Joe’s list, plus several new ones that intrigue me. I recommend you check it out. Perhaps try reading one new blog a day for the next few weeks, and settle on your favorites?

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