1. Be picky about where you work and how you invest your time.

Work for a boss who inspires you and coworkers who you genuinely enjoy being around. It will make going to work not seem like work (even when you’re taking 20 credit hours in the second semester of senior year). In the nonprofit world there are a lot of people who settle on working for the first organization that benefits a cause they like that’s hiring.

It’s a constant struggle for nonprofits to find and hire talent that breathes life into their office and brings a killer set of skills with them. How do you do it? You develop awesome company culture (and no, that doesn’t necessarily cost a lot money). I will be forever in awe by the bond we’ve developed at The Hub over the years. If your nonprofit’s culture is lacking or getting stale, perhaps it’s time to change things up.

2. Say yes more than no.

This was a particularly hard lesson for me to learn throughout college. I was a homebody, comfortable with my existing circles and slightly uneasy about meeting new people and trying new things. Fortunately, I avoided being woefully under-socialized by learning to say “yes.”

Say yes to that meeting with a grant foundation that you might not get. Say yes to a lunch with another local nonprofit (because even though you’re somewhat competitors, we’re all aiming to improve our local or global communities in someway). Say yes to random coffee field trips at work, after-work hours or going to see your coworker wrestle on a Saturday night (yes, this happened)—because it will bond your team more than meetings and strategy sessions. I assure you, you won’t regret the times that you break the comfort of your routine.

3. Don’t be afraid of change.

Ew, what a horribly cliche thing to write in a post-graduation blog post. (I know and I’m sorry.) Graduation brings a whole lot of change and not a lot of time to adjust. You get handed that diploma and then shoved off the plank to fend for yourself. But we’re fighters. And we will prevail.

Nonprofits are scrappy. Give us a problem, and we’ll probably find 12 different ways to solve it (on a budget, no less). Don’t fear moving forward with your cause. It will bring change. Change is scary. And for some, that’s reason enough to do nothing and remain stagnant. Find people who are interested in your cause who want to push you further—challenge your NPO to embrace the challenge of change. And take a lesson from this freshly graduated student: change leads to good things. Promise.

Are there any lessons that I missed? (I’ve become very open to life advice lately—go figure.)

The post What I Learned from College and Working 4 Years at The Hub (And What You Can Take From It) appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

After running about fifty different hashtags based on top ranking nonprofit hashtag lists through Keyhole (a free social media analytics resource) for April 20-27, 2015, the following hashtags yielded the highest amount of reach. It’s important to note that due to Twitter’s most recent search algorithm update, you no longer have to hashtag these keywords in order for them to show up in searches.

1. #volunteer

Managing volunteers and calling up new ones is hard enough without highlighting contributions from your nonprofit’s helpers. Spotlight the good work of your nonprofit volunteers with this hashtag. You can also use it to publicize opportunities for supporters to get more active in your organization.

2. #causes

This somewhat general hashtag can be utilized in many forms. Calls to action, sharing beneficiaries’ stories and general announcements from your nonprofit’s marketing team would be well-matched with this versatile hashtag.

3. #donate

This hashtag dramatically outperformed its related hashtag of “donors”—it pays to do a little research before composing social media posts. Use this hashtag when making calls to support your NPO financially, or when asking for support of other causes.

4. #change

While this one is quite general, it can be smart to incorporate wide-sweeping hashtags to reach a broader audience.

5. #activism

Nonprofit organizations aren’t the only ones on Twitter to use this popular hashtag. Many individuals add #activism to tweets with comments on current events. Include it in yours when appropriate to join the conversation.

6. #nonprofit

This term might be wise to incorporate into your post, not as a hashtag, but in the context of the post.

7. #dogood

#DoGood is a more recently popularized hashtag. Utilize this when showcasing how your nonprofit is helping the world.

8. #charity

Use this hashtag when making general remarks on your nonprofit organization or highlighting another charity whose cause you support.

9. #fundraising

Add this hashtag to your nonprofit’s tweets about upcoming fundraising events or other donation opportunities. We also like the idea of thanking donors who have a Twitter account with this hashtag.

10. #philanthropy

Use this hashtag when promoting general news around your nonprofit organization.

Bonus! 11. #SocialGood

Mashable created this hashtag along with the Summer of Social Good. It’s a general hashtag appropriate in tweets related to the intersection of philanthropy and social media.

Your nonprofit’s social media strategy will be bolstered by a relevant Twitter feed that’s engaging and, above all, conversational.

Are there any other hashtags you’ve had success with recently that I missed? Let me know in the comments.

If you’re looking for more info on hashtags you should use every week, check out this post.

The post Top 10 Nonprofit Hashtags to Spark Social Good appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

I apologize in advance for this stereotypical millennial fangirling about to go down, but if you give me five minutes, I think Queen Beyoncé and I could teach you a few things about marketing.

She is unapologetically herself.

She doesn’t try and please everyone (even though everyone I know loves her).

Your nonprofit’s cause won’t resonate with everyone. And it doesn’t have to. Beyoncé isn’t trying to tap into the country music market by putting out a single featuring Jake Owen or Tim McGraw. (Although, never put anything past her.) She has her niche, and while she’ll occasionally branch out, at her core she knows her strengths and has a strong following as a result of consistency killing it—practice makes perfect.

Your nonprofit doesn’t have to fix the entire world, although I know you aspire to—keep that. Your nonprofit has unique strengths, so before you fulfill your “need” to expand your market, ask yourselves if you’ve really done all that you can in your established markets. Chances are, there’s always more work to be done. Rather than branching out and spreading your team thin, dominate your established niches.

She’s not afraid to take risks

This one is a bit of a stretch, but roll with me. Beyoncé released an album with no prior marketing or PR—that’s bold.

So many nonprofits are afraid to take marketing risks because they’re the little guy compared to the large corporations with a huge budget. You are afraid that if you do something ballsy like Queen B, you’re metaphorical album won’t sell. But it will. If it’s well planned.

I’m not saying you should throw a fundraiser and not send out invitations, but don’t be afraid to mix it up. As someone whose boss is regularly invited to events (apparently I’m not cool enough to earn these invites yet), on his behalf please don’t throw another black tie silent auction. Or if you do, figure out ways to make it different and exciting for your attendees. (Entertainment? A fabulous catered meal from a new up and coming chef? A beer or wine tasting? A unique space other than a reception hall or hotel? You get the idea.)

This lesson from Beyoncé doesn’t solely apply to marketing fundraising events. It encompases a philosophy that can be applied to your organization as a whole. Marketing is another huge area which I encourage you to mix things up. Don’t be predictable as in, each Thursday don’t post a Throwback Thursday post of your NPO 10 years ago.

I see you trying. I applaud you, but don’t schluff off social media and marketing as something that can be done in five minutes at the end of the day. It is your nonprofit’s life’s blood. Your organization will live and die by the strength of your marketing. It’s the difference between competing with TOMs and charity:water and being a nonprofit that 12 people know about.

She has a ‘Beyhive’

Through consistently pumping out compelling social media content, Beyoncé has secured a devoted fan base who are all willing to spread the word about her latest and greatest ventures without even being asked.

The lesson here is to create your own beehive. Easier said than done, I know. At the heart of this goal is one element: effort. Create engaging content that is worth something. Show your followers that they’re more than a notch in your social media belt. How? Pretend that you’re on a first date. No, really. It’s your chance to woo and impress. Do your hair, shower, get them flowers and don’t take them for granted. Don’t look at your number of followers each day and expect them to stay—you have to earn them each day. A few ways to show them you care include:  following them back, giving them public thank you shout outs, sharing their content and offer exclusive content or deals. Above all else, strive for genuine interactions.

Are there more lessons from Beyoncé that you think are worth mentioning? What have you learned from Queen B? Let me know if I missed any in the comments below.

The post 3 Nonprofit Marketing Lessons from Queen Bey appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Unfortunately, my abilities enabling me to be in more than one speaker at the same time are severely lacking. While I wasn’t able to attend every presentation that day, I know that every speaker dished out some seriously awesome knowledge to our lucky attendees. So for those of you who weren’t able to make it, here are a few of my favorite moments:

1. “Our efforts are diluted and often we end up doing not a whole lot for anyone,”

Kristina Halvorson said in reference to why nonprofits need to streamline their content strategy by creating a plan for creation and delivery of content marketing. According to Halvorson, too often nonprofits focus so much on the “what” of content creation that they overlook other essential questions such as “Qhy are we doing this?” “What is our desired outcome?” Or “Why do we think our audience will respond to this specific content?” Halvorson went on to compare our content to landfills. A lot of times, we have no idea what’s in there. Nonprofits continually push out content without an end goal in mind—and this may hurt you in the end.

2. “Appreciation is key to donor retention,”

Steven Shattuck stated in response to the statistic that nearly six out of 10 donors do not give more than once. Shattuck went on to recap the events of The Great Donor Communications Experiment of 2014. He donated $5 to 50 nonprofits and was shocked and saddened by the gift acknowledgement habits of many. According to Shattuck, gift acknowledgement needs to be be fast, personalized and communicate impact.

3. “We cannot sit on crappy chairs while helping the world,”

Vu Le said on why nonprofits need to be willing to lose funding in order to get people to support the organization as a whole, and not just the things that make us feel warm and fuzzy. Le observed that funders regularly restrict funding, making it difficult for nonprofits to function. No one wants to pay our electric bills, but electricity is vital for nonprofit offices to function (as are comfy office chairs). Le advises nonprofits to stop perpetuating the idea that 100% of donations go to programming, as it makes it difficult for organizations to find funders willing to pay other components. “The message it sends to our donors and funders is that programming expenses are good and everything else is like fundraising terrorism,” he said.

4. “Know when to DIY and when to hire and expert,”

Mike Sukraw said about video storytelling. Sukraw explained that when there’s a critical objective and your video needs to impress someone, it’s often worth it to hire an expert. When looking for a video production company, nonprofits should look for budget and culture alignment, work that moves them and a group that knows how to tell stories.

Were you at Cause Camp 2015? Let us know about your favorite highlights in the comments. Thanks to everyone for making it a success, and we’ll see you at Cause Camp 2016.

The post [Cause Camp] Roundup: Donor Appreciation, Avoiding Crappy Chairs and Other Key Lessons We Learned appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

You don’t go out on one date and call it good. You go on many dates—some are duds and some are worth further investigation. You don’t write one grant and expect it to end like a fairytale. It will probably end in frustration, some ice cream and a good movie. You probably won’t get it right the first time. You will learn, rework, resubmit new proposals, and eventually land the perfect one and put a ring on it.

Now for the slightly scary stuff. There are over 1.5 million registered nonprofits in the United States. That’s a lot of nonprofits gunning for the same money. But foundations and corporations award roughly $50 billion dollars annually. So, you know when your mom always told you that there are a lot of fish in the sea? It applies here too—there’s a lot of grant money to be had if you’re willing to go after it.

If you’re ready to start the courtship, here are my dating and grant writing tips for finding the perfect grant:

Do Your Research

If you’re at the point where you’re looking for “the one,” you don’t go out on dates with any ol’ guy or gal. You look into them. You creep on them extensively on social media. Take the time to get all of the facts about the grant you’ve chosen to apply for, and realize that most grants have very specific requirements. Don’t waste your time applying for grants that don’t perfectly fit your nonprofit organization. If you’re going to commit to applying for grants in the first place, be willing to commit to the needed research that precedes the actual application process.

Figure Out Which Category You Fit Into

You know how there are certain dating sites for different types of people? (Christian Mingle and FarmersOnly for example.) There are different types of grants and it’s vital that you look into which category your NPO fits into the best. The grants given out by foundations or corporate giving programs fall into one of two categories:

• Operational general purpose support grants

• Program development

For more details on how each of these categories break down, take a look at the Minnesota Council on Foundation’s Common Types of Grants article.

Use Your Resources

In college it’s usually your roommates who approve of your outfit and restaurant choice before the first date. Later in life it could be your pet, Snapchat followers or your bathroom mirror. You use outside references to ensure a solid course of action. Take a look at these grant writing resources to get off on the right foot:

• Instrumentl’s Guide to the Best Grant Research Tools
• Research Guide’s Grant Proposal Writing
• Our very own Lyndsey Hrabik’s 10 Grant Writing Mistakes That’ll Cost You the Mother Lode
• Non-Profit Guide’s Grant Writing Tools for NPOs
• Step By Step FundRaising’s Secrets From A Grant Reviewer
• Our Executive Director, Randy Hawthorne’s Fresh Ideas for Your Next Nonprofit Grant Writing Session

Understand That Most First Attempts at Grant Writing Don’t Work Out

It’s a hit and miss process filled with lots of red editing ink. Heading into the process with a good attitude is half the battle. If you expect to find the perfect grant the first time, you’re going to get stood up. Try to have a positive attitude throughout the whole process—which is like saying “try and have a positive attitude after getting dumped.” It will be difficult, but I believe in you.

What great grant writing resources have you come across in your research? Any great grant writing tips that I missed? Let me know in the comments section below. And good luck with your grant writing dating adventure.

The post Finding Your Perfect Love: Grant Writing Tips for Nonprofit Organizations appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

I asked a few of the top professional fundraisers for their best fundraising tips for startup nonprofits, medium organization and/or large NPOs. Here’s what they had to say:

1. Jeff Giddens of NextAfter

Jeff would give the same three recommendations for organizations at each level, since he’s seen these tips work for startups to powerhouse nonprofits.

Forget about “big data”—pay attention to your small data.

“Big data is great, and holds a lot of promise — but chances are, your nonprofit isn’t able to harness the true power of it yet. Instead, focus on the metrics that affect revenue. For online fundraising, there are only three: traffic, conversion rate and average gift. Each one of these has an identical (and powerful) effect on revenue. Grow traffic by 25% while keeping your conversion rate and average gift steady and watch revenue grow. Or, convert more of your traffic (or inspire them to give more generously) and watch revenue grow. Google Analytics gives you lots of metrics to watch — but there are only three that directly contribute to revenue.”

“Check out NextAfter’s free tool that will generate a report of how your nonprofit stacks up against industry benchmarks in these three areas (traffic, conversion rate, average gift).”

Want to increase fundraising results? Work on your value proposition.

“Fundraising is so close to marketing that it can be hard to tell the two apart. The essence of marketing is the message, and the essence of the message is the value proposition. Your organization’s value proposition answers the question: “Why should I give to you, rather than some other organization, or not at all?” How clearly you are able to answer this question is directly correlated to your fundraising results. We’ve surveyed CEOs who answer this question less effectively than their secretaries. Including an “only statement,” which highlights exclusivity, can be a powerful tool. Lots of organizations wonder why they send tons of direct mail and email and get dismal results — it’s most likely because the value proposition is weak.“

“If you want to link to something, here’s a cool case study about the tremendous effect of clarifying the value proposition.”

Question every “best practice” through testing and optimization.

“To quote Flint McLaughlin of MECLABS, “many times, best practices are nothing more than pooled ignorance.” Someone else is doing awesome P2P campaigns? Great! Test it. The Obama campaign does a four-step giving form? Great! Test it. Some other organization only asks for recurring gifts? Great! Test that too. There are plenty of “expert marketers” — but it is worth much more to be an experienced tester. When your boss forwards you an article with some wild fundraising strategy, test it and let data be your diplomat. Opinions are a dime a dozen — numbers are hard to argue with.”

2. Devon Reeser from Fundraising IP

Devon advises small nonprofits to:

“Figure out if their services are really needed before they form an organization. I’ve been working with too many start ups that would have been better off selling their project idea to an established partner organization instead of having their own 501(c)(3). Ego gets in the way of achieving goals, and it is a costly mistake to them. Track records have become almost a requisite for funding, so unless they have a generous board member or backer supporting their start up costs, they are going to have trouble.”

3. Fundraising Coach Marc A. Pitman

Marc has three pieces of advice he’d like to share

Nonprofit organizations just starting out:

“Start building support – fundraising and volunteer – before you think you’re ready. Even if you can’t yet process credit cards, figure out what gift levels you need and start getting commitments. Some people love being on the ground floor. So share your story, your process and your impact on social media, building your email list, and in personal visits. There isn’t any “magic Rolodex” of donors pining away trying to figure out where to give their money. You need to do the hard work of earning the right to be heard.”

“And as you’re starting out, come to grips with the fact that fundraising is a core part of your existence. It’s not a “necessary evil.” It’s not something that should be relegated to one position or department. Write fundraising into each job description. Everyone has stake in seeing the nonprofit well funded so allow them to participate in the process. It’s much easier to bake this expectation into the system now than to try to put it in later. And it unleashes the creativity of everyone on your team, making your fundraising efforts stand out from the crowd of nonprofits clamoring for attention.”

Medium-sized nonprofit organizations:

“Don’t succumb to the “get rich quick” promises of crowdfunding or that special grant opportunity. Recommit to the hard, boring work of creating a solid fundraising plan and executing the plan. The “magic” of fundraising is in the basics. It’s in the boring process of calling a fourth, fifth, and even sixth time to get an appointment. Of going over your assignments yet again to make sure you know where everyone is at in the process.”

“Just like NBA basketball players still need to do layups, we fundraisers still need to make the basic steps that bring in the money.”

Larger nonprofit organizations:

“…Whether it’s enterprise data solutions like StartusLIVE or regular meetings to review prospects, make sure you’re treating donors as complete individuals. Donors just see your organization, not the separate departments. Certainly not any turf wars you have. So show them the respect of seeing them as human beings, not ATMs. And let this impact what you say to them in your meetings and communications.”

Thanks to all of these awesome fundraisers who made this article compilation possible. (Can we get a virtual round of applause please?)

Any amazing fundraising tips that you’ve received that we missed? Feel free to shoot an email my way or let me know in the comments below.

The post Three Fundraising Pros Share Their Tips for Nonprofits of Every Size appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

it looks a more like a scene from a movie starring Zach Galifianakis.

(Cue the horrible mental images of kids making poor life choices at 9 a.m. on a beach somewhere—sorry, parents. Take a moment to text your children.)

Now, for those nonprofits wanting to engage college kids looking for something with a bit more meaning, let’s talk about spring break volunteering. I know, you can practically hear the eye rolls coming from the college kids. However, volunteering over spring break can be a blast if done right. Many of the folks working in your organization likely have college kids, so you already have a great resource to reference when trying to get collegiate volunteers during the March recess. But if you’re looking from input from a genuine college senior, here it goes:

1. Make the Offer Soon

Unlike other parts of their lives, spring break gets planned down to the tee nice and early. So if your nonprofit wants to get in on a crop of volunteers for this year, start strategizing how you’ll reach out to this audience—might I recommend various forms of social media? Share a link preferably to a designated landing page about volunteering over spring break on several platforms soon—as in get the marketing team together tomorrow and figure out a posting schedule ASAP.

2. Cater to Their Social Habits

Despite their blossoming independence, college students like to travel in packs. They’re likely envisioning a warm, sandy break with a group of their closest friends. If nonprofit volunteering weeks are to stand a chance against their currently imagined break, make sure that they can volunteer in groups. Also, find tasks that they’ll be good at—perhaps they could brainstorm some great social media content for you for the next month, or help plan a marketing strategy that helps reach millennials. You could even get specific into their majors—for example, if you have some graphic designers or architecture students, you could have them work on an infographic for the week. Basically, don’t plan on them licking envelopes for the week. They’ll never come back.

3. Make it Meaningful

Piggybacking on my last point, make whatever job you do give them mean something to them (even if it’s office work). I realize that some nonprofits aren’t in a financial position to fly students to the international locations they help, which facilitate some obvious connections with your cause. Most alternative spring break companies such as B.A.D., United Planet, or United Way offer traveling work trips abroad that students pay for. (And your nonprofit could certainly set up a program that eventually becomes integrated to your nearby University’s lists of alternative spring break trips, as this is a guaranteed way to reach students.)

But if you’re not currently in a state where you can arrange international travel (or if your nonprofit deals with more local or community-based issues), consider the volunteering opportunities that you can offer that will leave a mark. You want these volunteers to feel something after working with your cause for a week. How can you include them on a deeper level to feel like they donated their time for a reason?

Any organizations out there with current spring break programs want to chime in? Shout out some of your top tips in the comments.

The post 3 Ways to Recruit College Students for Spring Break Volunteering appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

If you’re tired of reading between the lines, I’ll skip right to the point: embrace millennials as co-workers. We’re inevitable in the nonprofit workspace.

More than that, we can be valuable assets to your nonprofit board of directors, as we bring a unique perspective to the table. Here’s what we offer:

1. We could potentially manage upcoming technology. I’m sure that someone within your organization is perfectly capable, but if you’re looking to ditch that burden, technology comes naturally to most millennials. Even better, millennials will be aware of the latest and greatest trends in technology.

2. We know how to talk to, and engage, fellow millennials. Our generation likes to get behind causes. Whether you’re for volunteer manpower or a boost in your social media numbers, your millennial board members will have good ideas on how to accomplish these goals.

3. We’re motivated by personal development and yearn for a community. Studies show that millennials are less motivated by money than previous generations. Instead, we seek jobs that we feel will be fulfilling (and bonus: we’re willing to start at a lower salary than most baby boomers). Millennials are also the most educated generation yet!

4. And finally, every new generation brings a fresh perspective to previous traditional approaches. Millennials care about the success of the organizations and activities we’re involved in.

Does it sound like working with millennials could work for your nonprofit’s board of directors? Then check out the article below to learn what to expect when working with millennials:

What to Expect When the New Nonprofit CEO Is a Millennial [Huffington Post]

The post Why Your Nonprofit Should Have Millennials On Its Board of Directors appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Even within the nonprofit sector, there are underdogs (and underdogs under those dogs). Then there are giant nonprofits like TOMs and charity:water that cast a shadow over many smaller nonprofits. And smaller nonprofits (especially just starting out) wonder how they’ll ever catch up or grow to that magnitude.

But that’s not the point. I’m as competitive as the next gal (no one is safe when Monopoly comes out of game cupboard), but nonprofits can’t live in constant competition of each other, because slowly that becomes your focus rather than your mission.

So rather than look at large, successful nonprofits as your competition, see them as inspiration and motivation.

January is all about challenging yourself and others to improve, right? I challenge you to go seek out five large nonprofits you think are successful, and then look for one thing from each you can apply to your own organization. Perhaps it’s their brand presence online, or how their website is structured or their donation page layout.

Now, write lessons down and figure out who you’d need to talk to within your organization to implement real change. It’s not enough for you alone to read this challenge (that won’t cause your nonprofit to grow). Now set the meeting. Get a group together and discuss these changes. They can start small—a facelift to your social media pages or a slight change in your marketing material voice to make it more relevant—and then build upon that growth.

Whatever the lesson, realize that we’re all in this together hoping to improve the world in a way we feel called.

Need a jumpstart to this challenge? Check out the article below for five lessons from the digital manager of charity:water and apply them to your nonprofit, no matter the size.

5 Ways Your Nonprofit Can Raise Money Like charity:water [JC Social Marketing]

The post Why Your Nonprofit Doesn’t Need to Compete with the Big Kids appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

In our January/February 2015 edition, we explored how to keep donors around all year. To reserve your free copy of our next issue, sign up today. 

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A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to chat with Paul Strawhecker, an insightful nonprofit titan who has worked in the nonprofit sector for his entire career. His experiences range from fundraising and marketing to PR and grant writing (to name a few), so we thought he’d make an excellent interviewee for a follow-up story for our latest Nonprofit Hub Magazine issue focusing on donor retention.

Since your kids are freshly back in school from the holiday break, teachers are struggling to keep their attention after a long recess of sleeping ‘til 10 and watching cartoons until noon. And since you’re likely still getting into your 2015 work groove, I’ll keep things interesting using famous song lyrics.

Pay close attention—here are the key takeaways I got out of my phone call with Paul Strawhecker.

In the words of the famous final track of The Breakfast Club:

Don’t You Forget About Me

Don’t Don’t Don’t Don’t

Don’t You Forget About Me

(Or if you’ve missed out on one of the greatest films of all time—according to most accounts—but remember the significance from Pitch Perfect, shame on you, but use that reference.)

According to Strawhecker, the biggest mistake that nonprofits make after receiving their first gift from a donor is not acknowledging the gift. I can sense many of you saying this as you read: “well, we do thank them, it just takes a while.” He noted, most often it gets done, but not in a timely manner. “Giving is emotional and a timely acknowledgement builds on the positive emotion a donor feels when they make a gift”, states Strawhecker. Wait too long, and you will have missed that chance altogether.

Lesson number two stems from a more recent artist by the name of Jessie J and her radio hit “Price Tag.” The chorus goes like this:

It’s not about the money, money, money

We don’t need your money, money, money

We just wanna make the world dance…

Now, these lyrics aren’t exactly true. Because as a nonprofit, you do want their money, but you can’t build a relationship based solely on the ask. I questioned Strawhecker on how nonprofits could best go about building relationships with donors without it seeming like all we want is access to their wallets. He suggests, “looking into a donor’s particular interest, and looking for specific programs within your nonprofit which speak to those interests”. Segmentation is huge here. Don’t treat all of your donors the same—they have passions that fit within sectors of your nonprofit and it’s important to research their gifts and look for patterns.

For our final lesson, let’s focus on this month (January) and on into February and March. When the holiday season ends, I feel like the whole nation is in a state of lazy recovery. No more family obligations or cooking dinner for 20—it’s time for binge-watching Netflix and savoring a couple days of worry free vacation. Which brings us to our third and final song by Bruno Mars: The Lazy Song.

Today I don’t feel like doing anything.

I just wanna lay in my bed.

Don’t feel like picking up the phone,

So leave a message at the tone.

The end of December brings an apparent break in your fundraising and donor retention efforts. The craziness of the “year-end ask” period has ended and your fundraising and donor retention teams are breathing heavy sighs of relief.

But I’m here to tell you that now isn’t the time to put the phone down. While Strawhecker admits that the year-end giving period is a wise time to reach out to donors, he also stresses the importance of looking for lulls in the fundraising calendar. “February, for example, is a pretty uneventful month (with very few organizations looking for marketing opportunities)”. Strawhecker often advises his nonprofit clients to consider strategizing a creative fundraising ask or other method of engagement with their donors during a time when they won’t compete against many asks. Your donors will hear your messages more clearly when you aren’t trying to stand out among the noise.

Did we miss one? What donor retention strategies does your nonprofit use?

Feature image via: The NY Post

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