You put your heart and soul into your nonprofit. You’re doing amazing work, but you’re just not getting the buzz you want, and your following and donations are not growing as you hoped. Are you marketing the same way you did in 2013 and expecting new results? If so, it’s probably time to assess your marketing strategy and determine how to make your efforts more effective.  Let’s take a look at 10 ways you can make your marketing more effective to truly generate more interest in everything your nonprofit is working on. 1. Make Sure You Understand Your Target Audience To market effectively ..read more

Having a website that ranks well on Google searches for your target keywords used to be so simple. Just blast your page with that keyword 50 times and you’d have a good shot at dominating! It led to some pretty terrible keyword-stuffed content doing well on search engines. That world is gone though (thank goodness!).  Today there are a LOT of factors that go into having your website rank well. They apply to any site, nonprofit or business, and it’s a challenge to even know where to begin if you want to be found by the people who are searching for you! Image Source: Wyquest Sear ..read more

Sharing stories is how nonprofits grow. It’s a fundamental truth that all nonprofits have to contend with. Nonprofits who understand this and work to improve their storytelling grow awareness for their cause, make more connections, and receive more support. Storytelling comes in many forms, and there are many platforms to choose from. If you ask most nonprofit directors they’ll say that there are too many options. However, if you want to connect with the people who will care most about your cause, you need to make some choices and put your energy into the platforms that you believe will make t ..read more

Running a successful nonprofit requires attracting people to your cause and pulling in resources to keep your operations moving. There are a lot of ways to do this, like hosting events, fundraisers, crowdfunding campaigns, and more, but most nonprofit organizations are ignoring a method that much of the business community is already working to perfect: online funnel marketing. The concept behind the type of funnel marketing I’m referring to is actually very simple. It’s all about turning people who visit your website into supporters and evangelists for your cause!  Most nonprofits have we ..read more

Video is clearly one of the best ways to communicate your nonprofit’s message. I’m sure I don’t need to convince you about WHY you should be creating videos that highlight the work your nonprofit does.  It’s the HOW part that trips people up.  In this post we’ll look at some brief nonprofit videos that do a great job at communicating a message. To me, one of the best things about these videos is that you don’t necessarily need a ton of video production experience to be able to emulate them for your own nonprofit.  I think one of the major takeaways from these videos is that you ..read more

2016 was a doozie of a year and 2017 is shaping up to be a battle for nonprofits on all kinds of levels. Growing and raising even more awareness about the causes you champion is more important than ever, as nonprofits become one of the last lines of defense against a reckless and uber-conservative government. Fortunately, plenty of people certainly still care about the work that nonprofits do, as evidenced by the massive donations collected by Planned Parenthood, the Anti-Defamation League, and the American Civil Liberties Union shortly after the election. However, if your cause doesn’t direct ..read more

The holiday season is a time when you’re kicking your fundraising efforts into overdrive. This is the time of year that people are feeling the most generous, and it shows in the results: According to Charity Navigator, “56% of all the donations that flowed through Charity Navigator’s Giving Basket in November and December of 2015 occurred in the last 5 days of the year. And 25% took place just on New Year’s Eve.” Those generous New Year’s Eve donations clearly have tax deductions for the fiscal year in mind, and the last-minute nature of their giving indicates that nonprofits should make onlin ..read more

Knowing where to find the right online tools can be a game-changer for nonprofit leaders. There is SO much software out there, and it's tough to know where to begin to seek out tools that will work for your organization's efforts. Anything that makes marketing easier and provides an edge is key. This is why I've put together a list of 61 of the best online tools for nonprofits. This list is based on comments from nonprofit professionals in the outstanding Facebook group, 'Nonprofit Happy Hour' (go sign up!). All of the online tools below are recommended by nonprofit leaders in that group! I'v ..read more

Often labeled as a "lazy" generation without the drive to succeed, millennials have nevertheless become an essential part of the financial support received by today's nonprofit organizations. With millions of baby boomers reaching retirement and seeing their salaries transform into rigid, fixed incomes, nonprofits have seen a shift in giving to the younger generation. Is there a secret to getting donations from millennials? Are they truly as selfish and self-centered as pop culture would have us believe? Statistics gathered by CNBC recently revealed some interesting facts about millennial ..read more

Is your nonprofit's email communication with your list disorganized and sporadic? Do you have trouble coming up with things to say? Are you more focused on communicating with your followers on social media? If your answer is 'yes' to these questions, you may want to consider developing an email storytelling strategy!  Why? Here's one stat for you:  Social media consulting company Edgerank Checker found that between February 2012 and March 2014, a Facebook page’s organic reach (the reach of non-boosted posts) dropped from 16 percent of its fan base to 6.5 percent. Meanwhile, MailChim ..read more