Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Surprise! Your Favorite Blog Posts from 2022

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This blog is for you. The reason I keep thinking of new topics (and new twists on old topics) is so that you, at your nonprofit, can communicate better, make more friends, and raise more money.

So it matters to me what you like, and what you read.

Here are the your favorite posts from 2022, and some of them surprise me!

1. When You’re Planning Meetings, Include Other Religions: I was sincerely surprised that this was your most viewed post in 2022. Also, gratified. Thank you to every nonprofit that made an effort to understand what Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, Samhain, Nowruz, and other religious holidays and practices are all about, and to schedule so that all your staff can feel included. (And if you were one of those staff people using the post to say to your employer, “See? See?”, I’m not as thrilled but still happy to be helpful to you.)

2. Remember the Postscript. Donors Do! We all work so hard to craft the ideal fundraising appeal. Then, that work goes to waste if the potential donor doesn’t read the letter! One of the best ways to catch their eye is with a postscript that speaks to the heartfelt reasons they give.

3. Top Ten Steps to Fundraising During a Leadership Change. I’m so glad you enjoyed this guest post by Robin Cabral of Development Consulting Solutions. Between the pandemic and the big cohort of nonprofit Executive Directors reaching retirement age, a lot of organizations needed to know what to say to their donors to ensure continued support. Robin’s post gives you a step-by-step plan for communications and fundraising while in transition.

4. Appeal Letters, Easy to Read. As I get older, my eyes increasingly appreciate the things that make appeal letters easier to read at any age: large font, plenty of white space, short paragraphs, and plenty of pictures, bold and italic font, and bulleted lists.

5. What Do You Call a Donor? Say anything you like about me, as long as you get my name right! Nothing is more personal to your donors than their names–and nothing says “I don’t know who you are and I don’t care” faster than calling them a name they don’t use. This blog post examines the pros and cons of  first names, last names, full names, with or without titles. (This post dates back a few years, and today I would add that getting people’s pronouns right is also key.)

And for a bonus, a little humor: A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Communications Pro Walk into a Bar… Because we take our missions seriously, but we don’t always have to BE serious!

Happy 2023 to all readers of the Communicate! blog, and if you could use expert assistance with your communications and fundraising in the new year, write me: [email protected].

Fundraising Tuesday: Virtual and Hybrid Events Sponsorships–5 Standout Ideas

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A guest post by Aidan Augustin at Feathr 

Over the past few years, the types of events hosted by nonprofits have shifted dramatically. Even throughout the 2010s, most events took place in person. Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly forced everything online.

But we adapted, and now virtual events have become a normal part of many organizations’ operations. Besides being safer health-wise, virtual events are often more convenient to attend, although creating a sense of community requires more effort online than in person.

We’ve now found a solution to the convenience vs. community problem. Hybrid events are the best of both worlds, allowing supporters who want that sense of community to attend in person but keeping a convenient, safe space open for attendees who prefer to log in from the comfort of their homes.

If your nonprofit planned in-person events in the past, you probably relied on sponsorships to provide the supplies and funding needed to reach your goals. But sponsorships aren’t just for in-person opportunities — they can also help with your virtual and hybrid events.

In this post, we’ll cover five ideas to make the most of sponsorships for your virtual and hybrid events:

  1. Co-branding your marketing materials with your sponsors.
  2. Asking sponsors to promote your event.
  3. Offering your sponsors audience insights.
  4. Adding sponsor logos to your event merchandise.
  5. Creating tiered sponsorship packages.

 

1. Co-brand marketing materials with sponsors

Effective sponsorships depend on creating ways for both you and your sponsor to benefit from the event. One place where you can provide value to sponsors is by incorporating their branding into your marketing materials.

As you develop your event marketing strategy, co-brand your supporter outreach with both your branding and sponsor branding. Some opportunities to promote your sponsors while marketing your event include:

  • Adding their logos to digital ads, direct mail, or emails. In digital outreach, you might offer opportunities to link to sponsors’ websites plus links to your registration form so that supporters can learn more about these organizations too.
  • Posting about sponsors on your social media accounts — schedule a shout-out post for your sponsors after they agree to support your event. Consider posting another appreciation post for your sponsors shortly before or after the event. This serves the dual purpose of thanking them publicly and reaching sponsoring organizations’ audiences as you tag the sponsor in your posts and the message shows up in their followers’ feeds.
  • Positioning your sponsors as thought leaders by writing blog posts or profiles discussing their work and impact. Feature these on your website, social media, or other platforms to get the word out about your sponsors. You may even suggest sponsors create their own content that you then share on their behalf.

Your sponsors want to feel valued and personally connected with your event and your mission as a whole.  Offering more ways to help their reputation as philanthropic supporters through marketing will drive more business for them and encourage them to continue supporting your mission in the future.

2.  Ask sponsors to promote your event

It benefits your sponsors to co-brand their marketing materials. They can get the word out about their partnership with your organization, further boosting their reputation as a philanthropic organization.

The best way to encourage your sponsors to help with the promotion of your organization is to make it as easy as possible. Provide them with co-branded marketing pages where they can simply fill in a paragraph or two about why their organization cares about your mission. After that, they can share the resource online with their followers.

Plus, if you provide the pages your sponsors need to market your organization, you can add specific features that will be helpful in promoting your event. Make sure to include:

  • A button that leads supporters to your registration page.
  • The date, time, and location of the event.
  • Information about your nonprofit’s mission.
  • Tracking information so you know which attendees signed up due to which sponsor’s efforts.

Any marketing your sponsors do on behalf of your organization is great and should be appreciated by your organization. But if your organization provides marketing resources, your sponsors will be more likely to help with promotion, and you’ll ensure you’re providing all potential supporters with the resources they need to attend.

3. Offer your sponsors audience insights

As you may already know, collecting data about your supporters can help your nonprofit to improve communication and direct your marketing efforts. Businesses sponsoring your organization can use this data in the same way!

Your sponsors will have access to your audience through your event, and providing them with information about the demographics you target will allow them to market your event effectively and promote their own services as well. If they understand the audience you’re trying to reach, your sponsors will be able to promote your event to the right people through the right channels and with the right messaging.

For example, if you’re targeting adults in their 30s and 40s to attend your organization’s event, your sponsors may want to focus on Facebook content in their social media promotions since Facebook is the preferred social media site of many people in that age range. These supporters will also be more likely to read long-form content and may be interested in unique graphics alongside the text.

But if you’re trying to attract attendees in their teens and early 20s, your sponsors could create video content for newer social media sites like TikTok. Images and audio are more appealing to this generation than text-heavy content, and partnering with influencers will add credibility to your sponsors’ posts.

4. Add sponsor logos to event merchandise

Hosting your event virtually or in hybrid form doesn’t mean you can’t produce merch for attendees. They’ll still enjoy getting free stuff, and your marketing message will be spread even further leading up to the event.

According to Feathr’s list of top marketing ideas, product marketing encourages spreading awareness of your nonprofit’s brand through word of mouth while providing additional value to your supporters and attendees. When supporters bring a water bottle with your logo to the gym or put a sticker on their laptop, other people will notice your name in public and ask the product’s owner about it, leading to a discussion about your mission and work.

In some ways, virtual and hybrid events lend themselves to product marketing more than in-person events. This happens because you can strategically send out merch ahead of time, which helps to personalize your marketing strategy. A few ideas for advanced product marketing:

  • Include a sticker or button in your direct mail. This will encourage supporters to sign up for your event by showing them immediate value from your event materials. When you send this direct mail, make sure it’s easy to take action immediately by including a registration URL or phone number in your letter.
  • Send packages with larger items to advance registrants. They’ll be able to show off their merch before the event, spreading the word to their friends and family. Items like t-shirts and sweatshirts generate additional excitement as well as marketing opportunities.
  • Promote your event merch on social media. Again, people love getting free stuff, so a post telling your followers what they’ll receive if they sign up for your event will help you pick up momentum. You can also link to your event registration page in the caption of your post or in your bio so that it’s easy for supporters to find.

To involve your sponsors in product marketing, ask their permission to add their logos to your event merch. Once you design your products, allow each sponsor to place an order for their organization. That way, they can distribute merch to their team and to attendees who sign up through their marketing channels, expanding reach for themselves and for you.

5. Tier sponsorship packages

When you look for event sponsors, you’ll often end up contacting organizations of different sizes and scopes. So, not every sponsor will be able or want to give the same amount to your cause. A nationally recognized brand will have a lot more capacity to contribute than a local business, although the local business might be more eager to support an event in their community.

To get a variety of sponsors on board, create tiered sponsorship packages. Let each potential sponsor know what benefits they’ll get in each package so they can make the choice that’s best for them. You could set up your sponsorship packages in three tiers:

  • Tier 1 could include putting the sponsor’s logo on your event t-shirt and a shout-out post on your social media.
  • Tier 2 could include everything in Tier 1, a blog post promoting the sponsor, and their logo on other event marketing materials — ads, email promotion, direct mail, etc.
  • Tier 3 could include everything in Tier 2 and the opportunity to have an organization representative speak at the event.

This is just one example of tiered sponsorships. You may need to change your approach based on your nonprofit’s expectations or the type of event you’re hosting. Some events just require more funding, while others would benefit from in-kind donations as well — for example, items to sell at a virtual auction or water bottles for a hybrid fun run. So, make sure to account for the value of these in-kind contributions when designing your sponsorship packages.

 

Aidan Augustin head shotAidan Augustin

Co-founder & President, Feathr

linkedin.com/in/aidanaugustin

Aidan Augustin is the co-founder and president of Feathr, an industry-leading tech company building marketing tools specifically tailored to the needs of associations and event organizers. Feathr has helped over 800 associations and 5,000 conferences, trade shows, and virtual events grow attendance, member engagement, and digital sponsorship revenue. Based out of their Gainesville, FL headquarters, Aidan leads the sales and marketing functions of Feathr and spearheads industry engagement. He is an actively involved member of both ASAE and IAEE and a regular speaker on the topics of digital marketing and event/association technology.

Aidan Augustin is the co-founder and president of Feathr, an industry-leading software company making digital marketing more accessible to nonprofits and event organizers. Feathr has helped over 800 nonprofits and thousands of events know, grow, and engage their audiences. When he’s not steering the ship at Feathr, he’s playing strategy games, singing karaoke, or reading books about people who changed the world.

Grow Your Supporter Network: 4 Tips to Attract Volunteers

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A guest post by Russ Oster, Grassroots Unwired

Why volunteers?

Most nonprofit organizations are accustomed to having a lot of work to do and limited staff members available to accomplish it all. This is why volunteers are such a valuable resource, especially for small and mid-sized nonprofits.

With a healthy supporter network, your nonprofit can rely on a steady base of volunteers to help with your events, fundraisers, and advocacy campaigns. Plus, volunteers not only help nonprofits manage their workload, but often active volunteers become regular donors!

Whether you’re running a silent auction or a community 5k fundraiser, you’ll need to attract and recruit volunteers. However, finding those volunteers can sometimes be a challenge, especially for small and less well established nonprofits.

Four tips for attracting volunteers

To help your nonprofit grow your supporter network and create a reliable pool of volunteers for your upcoming events, this article will explore four tips for attracting volunteers:

  1. Create a compelling campaign message.
  2. Write detailed volunteer descriptions.
  3. Offer a variety of volunteer opportunities.
  4. Build a strong volunteer program.

1. Create a compelling campaign message.

Volunteers want to dedicate their time to causes they care about. Your recruitment posts should explain to them why your mission matters through a compelling campaign message. This message should be specific to your organization’s brand identity, while also working to connect with volunteers on a personal level.

When crafting your campaign message, consider using the following strategies:

  • Emphasize your campaign’s impact. Your volunteers should know what your campaign is trying to accomplish. By explaining your goals, you can convey your overall impact and demonstrate how your supporters will be making a difference when they volunteer with your nonprofit.
  • Use storytelling strategies. Most people volunteer to work with causes they have a personal or emotional connection to. Your recruitment posts can help build this connection with storytelling elements. Getting Attention’s guide to nonprofit storytelling specifically emphasizes the importance of invoking an emotional response, then providing next steps readers can act on, such as signing up to volunteer.
  • Add visuals to your posts. Visuals can go a long way towards attracting attention to your cause. For digital campaigns, a striking visual can help your posts stand out from the crowd, raising the chances that they will be seen by potential volunteers. Additionally, photographs help volunteers better visualize exactly what work they’ll be doing and what their efforts will support.

2. Write detailed volunteer descriptions.

It might sound obvious, but your volunteers will want to know what they’ll be doing at your nonprofit before signing up. Plus, by providing more details about your volunteer positions, you can improve your chances of attracting volunteers with the skills and qualifications you need.

When writing your volunteer recruitment posts, be sure to specify the following:

  • Responsibilities. Give your supporters a basic overview of what they can expect when they volunteer. This should include their daily duties and any other information associated with their responsibilities. For instance, if you’re recruiting door-to-door canvassers for your next advocacy campaign, you would want to add details about the necessary physical requirements. This will allow volunteers to choose opportunities based on their own accessibility needs.


  • Required skills. If your nonprofit needs volunteers with specific skill sets, make sure your post explains what those skills are in detail. For example, if your nonprofit needs someone to help manage your virtual event’s live stream, your post should mention all necessary technical proficiencies.


  • Expected time commitment. Each of your volunteers has a unique schedule, so make sure they know upfront if their availability lines up with when your nonprofit needs volunteers. For instance, you will want to specify if a position is recurring or will be a one-time event. For recurring roles—such as helping out with your local initiatives, doing administrative work, or helping with long-term fundraising—consider making permanent posts on your website so new volunteers can view them at any time. These postings should include expected hours during the week and specific days you need volunteers to come in.

Additionally, be sure to let volunteers know what they can stand to gain from working with your organization. While all of your volunteers are invested in advancing your cause, many of them are also interested in learning new skills, meeting like-minded people, and completing work that they enjoy and is fulfilling.

3. Offer a variety of volunteer opportunities.

Each of your volunteers has their own skill set and is interested in doing different kinds of work. You can accommodate more volunteers and grow your network by offering a variety of ways to get involved.

For example, nonprofits running advocacy campaigns can offer at least the following three different volunteer opportunities:

  • Door-to-door or street canvassing. Volunteers who live near your nonprofit or in your campaign’s target community can help out by becoming canvassers. These volunteers need to be friendly and ready to talk to a variety of people about your campaign. You can help these volunteers out by arming them with canvassing software and training sessions on how to discuss your campaign.


  • Virtual canvassing. Virtual canvassing is a more accessible alternative than door-to-door and street canvassing for your supporters who live far away or may be unable to travel to your targeted areas. These volunteers would instead canvas via virtual conferencing tools, allowing them to have the same conversations as your traditional canvassers from the comfort of their homes.


  • Peer-to-peer campaigns. Peer-to-peer campaigns make use of your volunteer’s personal relationships to earn additional revenue and add even more connections to your supporter network. This volunteer opportunity would be a good choice for volunteers that actively use social media and are interested in discussing your campaign with their friends and family.

 

Giving your volunteers options can also benefit your long-term supporters. For instance, a recurring donor may be interested in getting further involved with your organization, deepening their connection with your nonprofit in the process.

4. Build a strong volunteer program.

Volunteers who had a positive experience may discuss your nonprofit with their friends and family, helping build your overall network through word-of-mouth. These personal recommendations can be one of your nonprofit’s most effective marketing strategies for gaining new supporters..

While every organization’s volunteer program will look different, most can improve their overall approach by:

  • Ensuring help is always nearby. Your volunteers work hard, but situations where they need help will come up. Whether your volunteers are working in-person at an event or assisting remotely from home, make sure they have the tools necessary to reach out to a supervisor for assistance at a moment’s notice.


  • Letting volunteers play to their strengths. As your volunteers get to work, you’ll likely start to notice their individual talents and expertise. Some volunteers may even approach their supervisor, and ask if they can work in a role better suited to their strengths. For example, Grassroots Unwired’s canvassing tips guide discusses how canvassers tend to do better when volunteering in their home communities, due to being more familiar with the people there.


  • Following up after your campaign. Once your campaign wraps up, be sure to reach out to all of your volunteers to thank them for their work. This follow-up could be a simple thank you message, a package with a few gifts (such as pins, water bottles, or other merchandise your nonprofit has on hand), or even a volunteer appreciation event.

Once volunteers have worked for your nonprofit for a certain number of hours, they may qualify for a volunteer grant. Volunteer grants are donations made by your volunteers’ employers when their employees donate their time to charitable causes like yours. Help your volunteers research their eligibility and complete any forms to help claim these funds for your nonprofit.

 

Russ Oster head shot

Russ’ first experience in the world of grassroots organizing came when he was an infant and his mother pushed him in a stroller door to door to collect signatures for the Impeach Nixon movement. Eighteen years later he embarked on his college career in Washington, DC and during that time developed a passion for campaigns and elections that started with an internship on the campaign of the first woman ever elected to Congress from the State of Virginia.

For the next 15 years Russ lived and breathed campaigns, running field operations in a wide range of races and for a number of coordinated campaign efforts. When it became obvious to Russ that the technology existed to make field efforts drastically more efficient and accountable but the solutions did not, he launched Grassroots Unwired and has worked every day since to keep GU on the cutting edge, pushing new features and enhancements to meet the needs of every evolving grassroots organizing efforts.

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