The first step to learning how to balance new and traditional media to better connect with donors is to accept that we're living in an interconnected age. So said Mitch Maxson, senior creative director, and Scott Henderson, vice president of marketing, for MediaSauce in their session the 46th AFP International Conference on Fundraising, which took place last week in New Orleans.
On Feb. 25, FundRaising Success hosted the webinar, “Integrated Direct Mail 101: An hour with Roger Craver.” Joining Roger, a fundraising guru and founder of Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co., for this lively conversation was his colleague Ryann Miller, managing director at the newly formed consultancy, DonorTrends.
“Diversify, diversify, diversify.”
This has been, and will continue to be, the mantra when it comes to planning and securing funding. As a nonprofit professional, you know that snapping your fingers will not make dollars magically appear. Building new, sustainable funding streams that align with your mission takes time, energy and a lot of patience, and must occur in the midst of the countless day-to-day activities keeping your organization running. Yet, to help sustain your organization for the long term, diversification is a must.
Whenever the economy enters a recession, parts of the fundraising industry and much of the commercial industry enter “crisis mode.” The two most vulnerable giving channels are probably 1) corporate donors, sponsors and partners (particularly among corporations hit hardest by the recession) and 2) foundations, because their assets have decreased so significantly.
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
From a big- picture perspective, fundraising is fundraising, whether it’s online or offline. That said, understanding the differences between the two channels, and the advantages of integrating them, is critical to your organization’s ability to build strong constituent relationships and maximize donations. Traditional offline marketing and fundraising tactics will continue to be a part of every development director’s toolkit. Direct-mail acquisition efforts elicit higher response rates than e-mail and provide a scalable way to source new constituents. One-to-one fundraising is equally as important because donors respond well to face-to-face, personal interactions. Although traditional offline marketing has its benefits, it is not free
Savvy nonprofits have seen both the vision and value of multi-channel fundraising and are actively using multiple mediums to support their fundraising efforts. The process of integrating channels — that is, working to ensure all mediums used in a campaign share the same message, branding and call to action — is not without its share of challenges. In fact, it’s not enough for nonprofits simply to use e-mails, Web content and direct mail in a fundraising campaign; the mediums must work together to support the same end goal.
Are you having fun yet? You should be. As technology takes on an increasingly prominent role in what you do for a living, it offers myriad opportunities for that outside-the-box thinking you’ve been hearing so much about.
But the brave new world of the World Wide Web doesn’t come without its pitfalls, among them the temptation to look before you leap into technologically enhanced development, according to Katrin Verclas, newly appointed executive director of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network.
When used in concert with each other and with your other fundraising strategies, omnipresent technological companions such as TVs, cell phones and computers can help you net more quality donors and perhaps even nudge them into the fundraising holy ground that is monthly giving.
A Three-Step Conversion Strategy FS Advisor: March 21, 2006 By Abny Santicola, editor, FundRaising Success Advisor In a presentation at the DMANF 2006 Washington Nonprofit Conference last month, representatives from the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity shared the multi-channel fundraising strategies that helped them raise massive amounts of money to respond to 2005’s various natural disasters. For both organizations, the multi-channel effort began with contacting donors via the method with which they seemed most comfortable. According to Tim Daugherty, Habitat’s senior director of direct marketing, the organization’s “Integrated Agency Campaign” was comprised of three parts: Step One: Reach out to donors via
