Humor is the lubricant for spreading great ideas
I love helping nonprofits communicate their story more clearly. Last week, the tweets from the “Great Super Bowl Blackout” provided a great object lesson in how to harness social media platforms like Twitter for getting attention. Even for getting free media coverage....
![[Question Marc] How do we get more people to open our email?](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/02231313/questionmarc.jpg)
[Question Marc] How do we get more people to open our email?
I recently received this question from a reader in South Africa: Just a quick question.... Do you have any resources or help that can ensure that we get more people to read our mails? We have an extremely low rate of about 11% at the moment. My answer: Getting more...
Future fundraising trainings…near you?
I love speaking to groups, helping people get excited about fundraising, and helping groups communicate more effectively. My team is looking at expanding the number of trainings I do. Every month we have people asking to attend a public session near them. If you’re...
Did Charities Sleep Through The Great Super Bowl Blackout?
Last night the power went out at the Super Bowl for 33 minutes and 55 seconds. And brands had a field day using Twitter to add humor and garner brand recognition. CNET reports that during the blackout, Twitter activity was around 231,500 tweets per minute! Tamsen...
Nonprofit Blog Carnival: How do you keep your donors wanting to come back?
I am honored to have FundraisingCoach.com host February's Nonprofit Blog Carnival! Last month the Carnival looked at Your Big Dream for 2013. This month, we're asking: how do you keep donors engaged for a second gift? According to studies in the USA, the average...
3 ways fundraisers can slow the revolving door
Last week, I mentioned the new report by CompassPoint called UnderDeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising that is getting lots of press. Two of the findings the press and bloggers are reporting on are: more than half of all fundraisers...
The Art of Fundraising – as a 140 second Icarus Presentation
Wednesday, I had the opportunity to join over 375 people to hear Seth Godin speak at MIT. He was sharing ideas from his new books The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? and V Is for Vulnerable: Life Outside the Comfort Zone. After he spoke, he invited six of us...
3 ways CEOs can slow the revolving door
A new report by CompassPoint called UnderDeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising is getting lots of press. Two of the most sensational headlines are that: more than half of all fundraisers want to leave their job, some even the entire...
How to get donors to enable images in email
As a rule, I don't enable images in emails. And I've blogged about how annoying it is to get blank emails from businesses and nonprofits I'm interested in. The solution obviously is to send emails in both text and HTML. But that doesn't look as pretty and it makes it...
How to get donors to enable images in email
As a rule, I don't enable images in emails. And I've blogged about how annoying it is to get blank emails from businesses and nonprofits I'm interested in. The solution obviously is to send emails in both text and HTML. But that doesn't look as pretty and it makes it...
100 Donors in 90 Days – 25% off
The "100 Donors in 90 Days" program works. There are some pretty incredible results. Even nonprofits that only do half of the ideas in the program have seen over 100 new donors! Start the year strong To help you get a jump-start on 2013, we're offering 100 Donors for...
How you can add an extra month of fundraising in 2013
As we start 2013, I thought I’d share with you an idea from the beginning of my latest book, Fundraising Kick: how you can create an additional month of fundraising this year. Sounds over the top, doesn’t it? But if you devote 1 hour a day for each work day to...
Put together the pieces of the Donor Retention Project in 2013
I am working with the folks that created the 100 Donors in 90 Days program on a new product that will be released in the first few months of 2013. Labeled “The Donor Retention Project,” we’re interviewing a dozen experts to give very practical insider information,...
3 ways to make the most of the last days of December
For most of the thousands of people receiving this email newsletter, there are only 5 or 6 business days left in 2012. This is typically an odd time for fundraisers: we're stuck between the sense that everyone is celebrating a holiday and the reality that a large...
4 Tips for Successful Online Fundraising this December
Are you looking at the next 3 weeks as time wasted for fundraising? Are excuses like "Everyone is going to a holiday party" and "No one will want to hear from me" filling your mind and mouth? Stop it. A recent seven year analysis of online giving conducted by Network...
Renew The Heart & Soul of your Non-Profit for a Chance To Win $10,000
From time to time I introduce you to my friends on this blog. This post is from John Haydon, a great guy and a social media whiz! Enjoy! By John Haydon, www.JohnHaydon.com If you're like most people who work at nonprofits, you’re inspired by quietly changing the world...
EXTENDED THROUGH GIVING TUESDAY: Amazing Cyber-Monday Offer on Fundraising Training Tools
UPDATE: This offer is extended through midnight "Giving Tuesday," November 27! Cyber-Monday seemed like a great excuse make an offer on fundraising training. Today only, when you purchase the Ask Without Fear! DVD set, the Board Retreat Party Pack, the Board Bundle of...
Are you using “the phrase that pays”?
A couple weeks ago, I got to lead a storytelling training with presidents of community colleges from around the country and their board chairs. They were a refreshingly lively group! As these board presidents shared, many of them told stories of students who’d...
A 2-step fundraising letter audit
With Thanksgiving sixteen days away here in the USA, it's a great time to do a quick 2-step gratitude check. Pull out your most recent fundraising letter. (You sent one in September, right?) Or your next one. (You have one queued up for late November/early December,...
3 Ways Google Plus can Drive Donors to Your Nonprofit’s Website
I was honored to see my 3 Ways Google + can help drive donors to your website featured today on MovieMondays. Clicking on the image will take you to the video. In this short video, I share why Google+ can be one of the most important parts of your nonprofit marketing....
Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7 Giveaway Winners Announced
Ask Without Fear! turns 5 on April 1, 2013! But I'm starting to celebrate now. 🙂 Over the last few weeks, I've been emailing people on why fundraising tips email list and on Fundraising Kick and telling people on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ that I was giving away...
Donor retention: Dance with the ones who brung ya
Did you know the average nonprofit loses 7 donor out of 10 every year?! Indiana University's Adrian Sargeant, author of great books like "Building Donor Loyalty [Amazon affiliate link], has done statistical research proving this. But even ordinary, non-academicians...
Is announcing your goal killing your fundraising?
Fundraising is a funny thing. When combined with casting a vision, telling people how much you're trying to raise can be a powerful motivator. But could announcing your goal kill your ability to raise funds? Neuroscience and goal setting Watch this 3 minute video by...
How PBS can turn the presidential debate into fundraising gold
First off, I didn't watch the debates tonight. I find political debates to be more akin to rehearsed speeches than engaging in dialogue. But my Twitter stream was filled with tweets about the presidential debate. Tweets were all over the place. But Big Bird got a lot...
Want to drive online giving? Send a fundraising letter
Studies continue to show that online giving is the fastest growing fundraising channel. But not every nonprofit is experiencing this stellar growth. The best way to grow online donations So what's the best way to grow online donations? A firm called Dunham+Company...
Political junk mail can hurt your fall fundraising letters
If you're like many nonprofits, you've sent a fall fundraising appeal this month and you plan on sending one towards the end of the year. You might want to reconsider that plan. NPR did a great piece on political direct mail. It's definitely worth listening to, but...
Free Nonprofit Academy Telesummit
Last spring, I was privileged to be part of the first Nonprofit Telesummit. It was so popular, we're doing it again. This fall's Telesummit is being held from September 26-28...right at your telephone! Since it's free, you can come to one session or join them all. 12...
Lying to donors or good business sense?
There have been some pretty high profile news stories of direct mail firms and telemarketers pocketing 75% to 85% of the money raised for a charity. The latest was reported yesterday on NPR reporting on a Bloomberg investigation of InfoCision's work for charities like...
Fundraising Training in Lewiston, Maine
I'm honored to be doing a fundraising training in Lewiston, Maine today at 11:00. It's open to Chamber members and non-members. I'm sure you can pay at the door but since lunch is included with the price, I bet they'd love a call so they can have enough food. Call...
3 more contrarian tips for writing successful fundraising letters
Yesterday, I sent my Fundraising Kick members 3 contrarian tips on writing successful fundraising letters. Here are three more tips that seem to go against what we'd expect. These tips come from an amazing new book by Jeff Brooks called The Fundraiser's Guide to...