News and Resources
Make Something Go Viral? No Problem
John Haydon is a fundraising consultant and blogger who, simply put, knows his stuff. His recent post – The Secret Behind Viral Content – is chock full of good tips for producing engaging content. Go read it, then come back and finish reading this post… Back? Cool. John suggests in his post, as many social … Continue reading »
Knowing Your Audience is (Still) the Key to Good Content
To produce online content that gets shared, commented on, liked, retweeted, pinned and what ever else requires knowing what your core audience likes to share, comment on, like, retweet, pin, and whatever else. This is nothing new. Producing content your audience enjoys has always required knowing a thing or two about your audience. The difference … Continue reading »
Hospital and Health System Philanthropy E-Newsletter
Welcome to the Hospital and Health System Philanthropy Newsletter. This quarterly newsletter will serve to inform you about emerging trends in Hospital and Health System philanthropy. New Changes in HIPAA The Department of Health and Human Services issued its...
A Sweet Day for Alumni Engagement and More News and Ideas for Your Alumni Program
Valentine’s Day Is a Sweet Time to Engage Alumni Loyola University Chicago sends Valentine’s Day greetings to college sweethearts, reaching out to alumni who met on campus. Cornell University invites alumni to share their “Big Red Love Stories” on a special alumni webpage, with over 160 postings to date. University of Missouri-Kansas City asks alumni […]
Online Giving Continues Its Rise While Overall Giving is Nearly Flat
Overall giving to nonprofits in 2012 was nearly flat. According to a recent Blackbaud Report via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a survey of more than 3,000 organizations combined saw a 1.7 percent increase in giving. That’s down from the 4.2 percent increase in 2011. But it wasn’t all bad (or neutral) news for nonprofits, smaller … Continue reading »
A Promising Year for Global Philanthropy
Three important activities are shaping global philanthropy. (1) the House Committee of Ways and Means is looking at tax deductions for charitable deductions; (2) the US Department of State recently emphasized the significance of the US philanthropic model and the strategic role it can play on international civil society; and (3) data is increasingly highlighting the importance of global causes.
A Powerful Video Campaign
Take a minute to watch this great video that was put out by Water is Life. Key takeaways when you’re thinking about creating a video campaign. 1) Identify a theme.2) Choose impactful images.3) Keep it short.4) Make the ask. The only issue I see is that it should be easier to make a gift but […]
Saturday Mail Delivery? Outlook not so good.
See the article below from the Washington Post. The USPS is set to announce a suspension of Saturday delivery services beginning August 1.
Saturday mail delivery to end Aug. 1.
A shining example of the power of, well, filing
Did you see this amazing New York Times story of manuscripts and other Timbuktu artifacts being stored away for protection? (click here, but may be subscription-based) While the circumstances there are dramatically more dramatic than any development shop, I was moved by the care in handling these materials. And, at the risk of seeming glib, […]
February is National Constituent Record Filing Month…
…and thankfully, this is the shortest month of the year. All those who loathe filing (digital or paper), say “Aye!”. Newton had his law of gravity. Einstein devised E=MC2. My law (for this month anyhow) is that filing is universally reviled. Don’t get me wrong, Cannon’s Law of Reviled Filing doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. It doesn’t […]
Online Ambassadors–the Key to Online Fundraising
Columbia University recently raised $6.8 million in just 24 hours. Nearly all of the gifts came in online. While such a massive amount raised online in such a short time frame is incredible, it's not necessarily surprising when you consider the tactics used. First,...
What’s your GCR?
“My what?” you ask. It’s your online Giving Completion Rate. It’s the percentage of visits to your online giving form that turn into gifts. Why is this important? Because all of your efforts—from developing the greatest direct mail pieces to telling impact-of-gift stories on your website to engaging your community in conversations on social media […]
What a $4 Million Super Bowl Ad Could Buy in Digital Fundraising
Not many of even the largest nonprofits will be spending several million dollars on ad space during Super Bowl XLVII. But let’s pretend for a minute that one of the more well-known international names in philanthropy decided to gamble with their budget and make a push for America’s biggest TV audience on February 3. Super … Continue reading »
Facebook’s (continued) move into online giving
This month has focused on Business Intelligence, the process of gathering all your organization knows (typically through a centralized database and a cool data visualization tool, etc.) and improving your analysis and decision making. A key component to great BI is how to get at all of the data relevant to your constituents–bio-demographic, giving, activities, and, […]
Children's Healthcare Philanthropy E-Newsletter – January 2013
Welcome to the Children's Healthcare Philanthropy Newsletter. This quarterly newsletter will serve to inform you about emerging trends in children's healthcare philanthropy. This edition includes several new significant gifts around the country and an important...