Writer-for-hire Rick Grant is back, and this time he untangles a fundraising website.
Richard Deveau
Yes, the millennials, those born between 1981 and 2000, are coming. And, yes, they are the largest generation in American history. (Sorry fellow boomers, we’ve been usurped.)
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Writer-for-hire Rick Grant takes on a lapsed-donor case.
Fundraising pros Dane Grams and Richard DeVeau offer some general tips for small and midsized nonprofit organizations.
While time might be on your side if you’re the Rolling Stones, just the opposite is true if you’re attempting to raise funds through direct mail, online or on the Web. When asking donors to give to your organization or cause, time is your largest obstacle and greatest enemy — assuming, of course, that all the other elements of successful fundraising communications are in place: a compelling reason for giving, a strong offer, a powerful emotional connection, and a persuasive sense of urgency. If any one of these elements is missing, then your time with a donor will be over before it even starts.
I thought jumping onto the social media bandwagon was going to be an exciting new adventure. I was looking forward to meeting new people from all over the world, connecting with groups with whom I share common interests and reconnecting with some long-lost friends and colleagues. Not to mention family. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been all of these things. But no one ever warned me of the twinge of pain I’d feel every time one of these new connections is broken or reversed.
Today, Web sites are like opinions — everyone has one. This is certainly true for just about every nonprofit organization in the country.
There’s nothing funny about people losing their livelihoods, their homes or their dignity. There’s no humor in the collapse of the stock market, the housing market or the job market. But with every single news medium bombarding us each and every day with doom and gloom that seems to be even doomier and gloomier than the day before, and everyone we meet professionally, at the supermarket or in our neighborhoods repeating the same news as soon as we enter into a conversation, I’ve been finding myself close to collapsing under all this negative weight. If you’re like me, then you probably need a break right about now, too.
What comes to mind when you hear the words, “The breakfast of champions”? What if I said, “Don’t leave home without it”? How about, “Just do it”? If you’re like most people, you’ll quickly reply, Wheaties, American Express and Nike. And therein lies the power of a good tagline. Power that also is available to nonprofits: strong words.
The nonprofit world has a population problem. The number of nonprofit organizations has increased by 42 percent in the last decade alone. And with the IRS granting nonprofit status to an average of 83 new organizations every day, it’s clear this is becoming a very crowded environment. As a result, the nonprofit sector also has an identity problem. In a marketplace that’s this crowded, how do you distinguish your organization from all the others rivaling for donors’ attention and funds? How can your organization stand out in such a large and continually growing crowd and still get noticed? How can you make your mission resonate
