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Post-Pandemic Fundraising

May 13, 2021 by Grace Nielsen

As we watch the world slowly return to a new normal after a global crisis, it’s important to assess which fundraising strategies we have used during the pandemic are worthwhile to continue. Traditional and long-standing fundraising plans have been replaced with more flexible and innovative ideas. Some nonprofits enjoy and find value in online fundraising while others anxiously await in-person events. 

Did the pandemic strengthen or strain your organization’s online presence? No matter how your nonprofit decides to fundraise post-pandemic, here are five resources that may offer ideas and guidance. 

The European Fundraising Association surveyed over 800 charitable organizations on the skills they have relied on to persevere during the pandemic and reported that digital fundraising capabilities and strategic financial planning are two of the most crucial skills to maintain in a post-pandemic world. 

The Chronicle of Philanthropy covers what fundraisers hope will stick post-pandemic, which could mean changing the traditional rules of fundraising and relying on donor trust to fundraise for unknown potential and possibilities. 

NonProfit Pro provides examples of innovative uses of online fundraising and how they can remain useful post-pandemic. Volunteers of America Illinois utilizes Facebook for donor acquisition, United Service Organization conducts virtual fireside chats to connect with donors, and the Boys & Girls Club of America has begun to evolve their fundraising messaging to be more strength and equity based. 

Nonprofit Tech for Good lists fundraising trends which resulted from the pandemic such as virtual events, recurring giving, strong connections with other organizations, and more. 

AFP outlines fundraising planning in 2021 and preparing for a new era with suggestions such as holding hybrid in-person and online events, re-examining your donor database, and remaining intentional about increasing diversity in all aspects of your nonprofit. 

Grant Writing Basics

October 5, 2020 by Grace Nielsen

With billions of dollars given away through grants each year, it’s no wonder nonprofits often rely on them as major components of their annual funding. Grants are an excellent way to fundraise for your organization—however, the process can be intimidating. 

Grant writing is the process of requesting funding provided by a private, corporate, or government grant maker. Grant seeking can be competitive, which is why it is important for grant writers to write clear, logical, and tailored proposals. 

The Writing Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison examines the basics of planning and writing a grant proposal. 

One way to begin is to obtain background information on your potential funder. What are their goals and values? How does your nonprofit align with them? This way you can adapt your proposal to further persuade your potential funder. Make sure to review the grant’s expectations to make sure your organization meets the requirements and follows the instructions. 

To establish credibility, present your organization as knowledgeable, capable, and forward thinking. Reference past accomplishments where appropriate. Outline your information knowledgeably and concisely—don’t be afraid to be direct! 

Once you are ready to start writing your proposal, review the main elements generally included in one: 

  • Short overview/abstract summary: Present the most important elements of your proposal—such as an introduction of your organization, your purpose or goal, expected outcome, and how you will measure your success. It may be best to complete this last, as it is an abbreviated version of your proposal. 
  • Statement of need: Establish value in your project by explaining the problem it will respond to. Include data if necessary. 
  • Description of project/strategies and tactics: Describe your project’s goals, expected outcomes, methods to achieve these outcomes, and the timeline for your project. 
  • Budget: Through tables and figures, clarify what you are asking for with justifications of costs. 

Other sections may be required. For nonprofits, funders may ask for organizational qualifications in which you would describe the nature, mission, and function of your organization. 

For more grant writing tips: 

Candid’s free introductory training on proposal writing

The Modern Nonprofit’s Essential Grant Writing Tips 

Grants Plus’ Nonprofit Grant Writing

Digital Transformation for Nonprofits: It’s not just about online fundraising events.

July 7, 2020 by The Spokes Team

Quick show of hands: how many of you had never used Zoom or GoToMeeting before the Covid-19 pandemic?

Now, how many of you have come to rely on virtual meetings to connect with friends, family or colleagues weekly?

Virtual meetings are so easy and inexpensive to attend and have become so second-nature that many of us will continue to rely on them for years to come, long after the coronavirus pandemic is far behind us.

Right now, businesses – profit and nonprofit alike – are undergoing dramatic digital transformations and many of those changes (e.g. virtual board meetings) will most likely become new operational norms. At Spokes, we know our nonprofit members are feeling pressure to quickly to find new ways to raise funds online, work remotely, safely train volunteers and check in on their clients virtually. So, we’d like to offer a few tips to help guide your process.

Classy.org, a company that offers an online fundraising software for nonprofits, recently published a very helpful blog article on this subject titled “3 Secrets to a Successful Nonprofit Digital Transformation”. Below are a few other questions to ask your staff and board as you decide how and where to start your nonprofit’s digital transformation:

What’s not working?

What basic operations in your organization need to be re-worked in light of social distancing requirements? What activities or programs are stalled but must continue and, therefore, become digitized? What are similar nonprofits doing well digitally that your organization is not doing?

What has worked well in the past?

Take an inventory of all the meetings, events or programs your organization has conducted digitally to date. Which were most successful? Who participated? Are there common denominators among your successful digital events? If so, focus on building on those commonalities and successes first.

What is your primary audience? How does that audience use technology?

Your nonprofit organization may have more than one key audience and each audience may have different comfort levels with technology – both what tools it likes to use and for which activities. Be careful not to build a digital strategy that leaves your most committed or important stakeholders behind.

What is your nonprofit’s long-term vision?

Things will get better. There will be a Covid-19 vaccine someday. Don’t waste time and energy trying to solve short-term problems when defining your larger digital strategy. Focus on creating digital systems and solutions that will consistently move your organization towards your long-term goals. For example, instead of creating a new virtual fundraising event, put more energy into finding new ways to consistently and meaningfully connect with donors through technology. Event attendees come and go, but strong donor relationships will help to carry your organization’s mission year after year. How can you use technology to enhance your donor stewardship efforts?

One Step at a Time

Your nonprofit’s digital transformation will require both internal and external behavioral changes. To be successful, you will need a considered and well-defined plan and lots patience for the people you are asking to make the changes required. Contact Spokes if you need consulting or other resources to help you in your process and remember to measure your success in progress, not perfection. You may even eventually find yourself wondering why you ever bothered to drive and attend a board meeting in person.

Donor Communications in Uncertain Times

May 16, 2020 by The Spokes Team

This year, nonprofits are facing challenges that they have never seen before. However, even in the midst of all of the uncertainty, we have hope. Nonprofits, more than most organizations, are used to having to do more with less and adapt and evolve to best accomplish their missions. Organizations who are strong in these skills and are open to looking for creative opportunities to best serve their clients during this time will survive and be able to eventually thrive again. One important key in this is to have clear and consistent communication with donors and prospects that you have been cultivating in order to sustain support.

Get your nonprofit in order

Before you can communicate with donors, you need to be very clear about how your organization is shifting operationally, staying true to its mission by adjusting to your client’s needs and what plan or plans need to be in place for sustainability. These plans must demonstrate an understanding of the current nonprofit landscape and how your cause fits within that landscape. Strong leadership is needed and some difficult decisions may need to be made during this time to move forward in the most responsible way. Some nonprofits are seeing a need to go into hibernation for a time or reduce staff or services. 

Once your organization has clear plans in place, they need to be sure that those plans can continue to be supported financially. Communication to donors is vital to nonprofits surviving this time. Because crises tend to bring clarity to what is really important, nonprofits have the opportunity to present and plead a very clear case to donors for support. 

When to use enewsletters and mailers

There are a variety of channels for communication that can and should be utilized to maximize outreach during this time. For a wider donor base, nonprofits should be using social media, enewsletters and mailers. We discussed social media platforms in last week’s blog, A Nonprofit’s Guide to Online Communication, and those channels are best used for brief updates on what your organization is accomplishing during this time to keep your audiences informed and engaged.

Enewsletters and mailers can be effective tools if you are very intentional with communication and understand what your audience is feeling and what will resonate with them. Many people are reporting currently feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information and updates they receive in their email inboxes during this time. Because of that, many nonprofits are turning to more traditional mailers to reach their donors. Both methods can be effective if the content is relevant and cuts through high volumes of communications. Enewsletters should be used for consistent concise communication with a clear purpose and relevant information. They can also be used for special announcements or to share stories. Mailers can also be effective when used to announce something important or tell a story and can be exciting for an audience that is feeling stuck at home. Mailers are more of an investment so it is important to look at what return you can realistically expect to receive back compared to the cost to ensure that it is a good investment for your nonprofit.

Tips on messaging

When designing content messaging for either newsletters or maileres, nonprofits must first identify what their objective is for each specific communication. Understand who you are trying to reach, what they care about and what you want them to do in response to your message. 

Messaging that will cut through the noise and stand out will be focused on establishing a human connection. People want to feel strongly about what you are doing in order to support your cause. An example of this could be to tell stories about donor impact rather than just reporting your fundraising metrics being met. 

Many nonprofits aren’t sure what length will work best for their communications. It is important not to include irrelevant or unorganized content. This can overwhelm the readers and cause them to stop reading. Only include a message that is related to your objective. On the other hand, when trying to be concise in your message, it is also important not to just boil content down to the top three bulleted points and miss out on telling the story that will result in establishing a human connection with the audience. 

Communications with major donors

Nonprofits must connect with their major donors during this time. Rather than relying on mass communication channels, calls should be made or personal letters sent. It is important to remember that relationships can become stronger when you face difficult times together so this is an opportunity to build even stronger relationships. Your donors haven’t forgotten you and still care about your cause. 

Remember also that a relationship goes both ways and you need to be sure that you are there for your donors and understand where they are and how they feel. What are their current needs or concerns? Are they still able to support your organization? 

With donors who have capacity there could be opportunities for you to work together to brainstorm innovative new ways to serve your clients. Some donors may not have the capacity to be faced with more challenges so it would be important to focus on communicating about what you can do and solutions rather than problems. 

Remember, they know you need money. Let them know you need them. Each relationship is unique so be sensitive to what each donor is dealing with and continue to build these vital relationships during this time.

2020 Trends in Nonprofit Fundraising

December 13, 2019 by Spokes For Nonprofits

It’s time for planning year-end appeals as well as your 2020 fundraising strategies. Raising money for nonprofits is never easy, but it’s a perpetual necessity for survival. As 2019 comes to an end, it’s important to take the time to learn about new fundraising trends for 2020.

A report from Giving USA 2019 revealed a decline in donation from mid-level donors who make gifts less than $250 and between $250 and $999 respectively. This was expected due to the 2018 tax reforms that allowed a standard tax deduction for individuals and couples without having to itemize donations. That’s why nonprofits will need to become even more proficient at engaging donors by highlighting their good works and relevancy of their missions.

Take Advantage of the “Election Effect”
Many nonprofit leaders are surprised that an election year can have an impact on philanthropy, especially if the focus of your nonprofit mission has been in the news. For instance, research showed the 2016 elections resulted in a flood of donations to issues and causes related to civil rights, social action, and advocacy organizations. Donors acquired during election periods prove to stay with a cause for around 18 months or more. Just be sure you avoid getting involved with politics and focus on advocating for your mission and educating the public about what you do to avoid jeopardizing your nonprofit status. Are there ways you could take advantage of this election season to find people who are passionate about your mission? 
 
Put Effort into Building Donor Loyalty
Donors are developing a new attitude about giving as they don’t want to be just a “number” to a nonprofit. Instead, donors want to develop a special connection with a nonprofit’s cause through personalized attention and communications. That means taking time to build relationships with current and potential donors. What are their cares and concerns? Get to know what donors are really concerned about and keep them informed about how your nonprofit addresses those issues. Share examples of how supporting your mission has made an impact on a cause they care about via newsletters, emails, articles on your website, social media posts, and individualized thank you-letters.
 
Make Giving Easy
Donors might want to donate to your nonprofit but it might be difficult to give a lump sum all at once. Some nonprofits are seeing an increase in giving by providing recurring subscription donation opportunities. This is another area that was found to be particularly relevant following the 2016 election when awareness of certain social causes was high. In 2018, it was found that donor membership programs accounted for 77% of total online revenue for nonprofits who offered them. These programs boosted donor loyalty as well as total revenue. Establishing opportunities to give smaller amounts on a regular basis can help expand the donor base. Consider creating a membership program that offers benefits related to your mission for regular donors. 

Also consider promoting the option of corporate matching gift programs to your supporters. Many employers have programs to match funds their employees donate to nonprofit causes. In fact, according to Double the Donation, an estimated $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year. If donors make a gift to their nonprofit and then apply to their employers to match those funds, the the donor can essentially double their contribution to their favorite nonprofit!
 
Keeping fundraising trends in mind can be very helpful as you plan your 2020 giving strategy. Check out the additional resources for more ideas.
 
Additional Resources

Top Five Fundraising trends in 2020 


12 Nonprofit Trends We’re Likely to See In 2020, According To Experts 


 

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