It’s finally starting to feel a little more like spring here in NC. Let’s celebrate with some Mixed Links! I’ve reopened the application process for our Nonprofit Marketing Guide Mentoring Program for communications directors and executive directors who do it all. The new six-month session begins July 1 and we have 10 slots open. We’ve already…
I presented a webinar on email newsletter strategy for CharityHowTo last week, and one of the key messages was to make the email itself very skimmable, with links to your website where the bulk of the content would be. In the email itself, you can include short teaser content. This is especially important for newsletters that…
It costs much less to keep the donors you have than it does to acquire new ones, plain and simple. Of course, knowing that and implementing a fundraising program built on it are two different things. Between our 2013 Nonprofit Communications Trends report and the recent email newsletter survey I conducted, nonprofit communicators still think…
In my new book, Content Marketing for Nonprofits (coming out in late August), I talk about the power of becoming a favorite nonprofit and how you can use your content strategy to become the favorite. I just came across this video, which makes the same point, but about business “Love Brands.” Bob Kupbens, Delta’s VP…
If you have taken my “new and improved” annual reports webinar, you know that I am not a fan of those long lists of donor names. I think they take way too much time and effort to get right, and do not produce the value that nonprofits think they do. You have many more opportunities…
It’s been a stressful week of book editing. I could use some good Mixed Links. The Nonprofit Blog Carnival for April is up on Katya Andresen’s blog. April’s theme was “Your Best Career Advice” so you won’t want to miss it. This month’s carnival is hosted by Erik Anderson of DonorDreams and he invites you to tell…
Tomorrow on the blog, Haila Yates from Greenlights for Nonprofit Success is going to share a great example of how her organization is using personas to make smarter marketing decisions. That made me realize that I hadn’t really talked about personas in awhile. So, today I am sharing the worksheet I gave Haila as a…
Happy Friday! I’m back home after a great week in Alaska at the Alaska Nonprofit Summit. Let’s dive into some Mixed Links . . . Nonprofit Technology Conference Round Up, Including Some Great Sessions We Missed Cartoonist Rob Cottingham shares his Sketchnotes from 13NTC. Check out his awesome illustrations of several interesting sessions, including one I…
Cary Walski of MAP Techworks, a wonderful resource for Minnesota nonprofits, interviewed me at the Nonprofit Technology Conference about what content marketing for nonprofits is and how it’s different from traditional marketing. Here’s Cary’s original post.
Communications isn’t just about writing anymore. Your supporters expect a good experience when they donate, visit your website or open an email from you. The technology tools you use to create those experiences can make or break you. Next week, we are hosting a “show and tell” webinar featuring tech tools we can’t live without.…
I use so many metaphors in my writing and presentations that it is always fun to see which ones really resonate with people. At the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Minneapolis two weeks ago, it was definitely “The Broccoli and the Cheese.” People told me that they heard it brought up in sessions after mine, and even in…
Do you track any data regarding your email open rates? What about your click-through or response rates? The eNonprofit Benchmarks Study by M+R Strategic Services and NTEN found a 27% decline in click-through rates for fundraising emails. Is that in line with what your organization is seeing? While reports like these are important for spotting overall trends and establishing a jumping-off…
