Ocean Conservancy

The most meaningful information you have to share should be at the forefront of your website with options for next steps. Giving your visitor too many links, too many choices or too much information divides their attention and detracts from the bare essence of what you are trying to achieve. You’ve got to make it easy for them.

Google got it Right! Google. Now, this is a website we all can relate to. But imagine this … What if Google were a nonprofit? Here’s what its homepage could look like.

Blackbaud announced the winners of its first ever Impact Awards. The winners were honored at bbcon, Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits, held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.

It was a big year for the Gold Awards, folks! 2010 marked the year with the largest number of entries to date. All told, the 108 submissions represented 15 nonprofit organizations and 30 agencies. We're thrilled, and want to say congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated.

With this mailing, the Ocean Conservancy isn’t just presenting its mission, educating donors and asking for donations, it’s creating activists — “soldiers of the sea,” if you will. Sent in a 6-inch-by-9-inch four-color outer with a picture of a whale splashing in the sea, the mailing includes a sheet of personalized name and address labels, an “Advocate for wild, healthy oceans” decal and an offer of an Ocean Conservancy windbreaker — along with membership to the organization — with a gift of $15 or more. But the Ocean Conservancy doesn’t just give prospects the tools to pass on its brand and message; it educates them

The struggling economy has made it a challenging time for fundraisers. With disposable income harder to come by, there are fewer dollars to be had and the same number of nonprofit organizations — or even more — competing for them.  

Tough economic times also mean there are more people who need the help that charitable organizations provide.

So how can fundraising professionals determine how much to ask from donors? What formulas should they use — or not use? What else should they consider when determining the “ask”?