How Fundraisers Are Tripling Their Campaign Performance

Posted on June 22, 2023July 17, 2024 by EmMa Matern

INTRODUCTION

Are you ready to revolutionize your fundraising efforts? Discover the power of donor segmentation, personalized messaging, and captivating storytelling to unlock unparalleled success in your campaigns. Engage donors, maximize impact, and foster long-term relationships for your organization. In fact, a recent direct mail handwritten fundraising campaign we did for NYU “beat the control 3 to 1.” And yet another recent campaign done for Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston found that “donors who received a personal note gave nearly 29% more than those who did not!” In a third test, a large Canadian nonprofit found that the response rate using handwritten cards in handwritten envelopes was 8%, double their annual average response rate of 4% when using printed mail. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to amplify your campaign reach and maximize your impact!

Key Topics
1. How do you Personalize Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns?
2. How to Effectively Employ Storytelling in Mail Campaigns?
3. How can Mail Piece Design Improve Campaign Performance?
4. How to Increase Effectiveness of Omni-Channel Direct Mail Campaigns?
5. How to Follow-up a Direct Mail Campaign?

1. How do you Personalize Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns?

At Postalgia, we recognize that donor segmentation is the key to successful fundraising campaigns. By tailoring your messages to resonate with each demographic, you can create a deep and meaningful connection with your supporters. Every communication should make your donors feel valued and appreciated. That’s why it is important to incorporate donor-specific information into your handwritten letters. Whether it’s mentioning a previous donation, acknowledging their specific interests, or simply using their name, a personalized approach creates a powerful bond between your organization and its supporters.

It is important to align donation requests with donor preferences and giving capacity. Ensure your team crafts customized donation appeals that are not only compelling but also considerate of each donor’s unique circumstances. Analyze your donors giving histories and patterns to ensure that your requests are tailored to maximize engagement and increase the likelihood of a positive response.

REMEMBER THE YOUNG DONORS!

Developing effective follow-up strategies is crucial when cultivating and maintaining relationships with donors, especially when targeting younger demographics. It is vital not to overlook the potential of younger donors and actively engage them in philanthropic efforts. Encouraging smaller donations and active participation in campaigns, while also providing volunteer opportunities, creates a sense of ownership and pride in their contributions! Incorporating digital elements such as QR codes, online giving portals, and having a social media presence, can make it convenient and accessible for younger donors to contribute and engage with your cause. These strategies enable fundraisers to build lasting connections with younger supporters, ensuring their long-term involvement in fundraising efforts.

2. How to Effectively Employ Storytelling in Mail Campaigns?

One powerful approach is to create an emotional connection by sharing genuine stories that evoke emotions and resonate with donors. By sharing narratives that tug at heartstrings, you can create a sense of empathy and inspire action. Whether it’s through personal testimonials, heartfelt anecdotes, or compelling case studies, these stories should showcase the impact of the cause in a way that resonates with donors’ values and experiences.

When it comes to effective communication, authenticity and transparency are paramount. Fundraisers should share real-life experiences and factual information to demonstrate their commitment to transparency. By providing donors with clear and honest insights into the organization’s work, fundraisers can establish credibility and foster trust. Donors want to know that their contributions are making a difference, so it is crucial to communicate the real impact of their support. Presenting clear goals and outcomes is crucial for fundraisers to engage donors effectively. Sharing measurable objectives and progress toward those goals allows donors to understand the tangible difference their contributions can make. When donors see the direct connection between their support and the outcomes they care about, they are more motivated to invest in the cause.

Including personal anecdotes in storytelling helps fundraisers create relatable connections with donors. By sharing stories of individuals connected to the cause, whether they are beneficiaries, volunteers, or donors themselves, fundraisers can humanize the impact of their work. These relatable stories bring the cause to life and allow donors to connect on a deeper level. When donors can see the real faces and experiences behind the statistics, they are more likely to feel a personal attachment to the cause and be inspired to contribute.

Fundraisers should actively seek feedback from donors and share donor stories and testimonials. By inviting donors to share their experiences and perspectives, fundraisers show that their opinions matter. Sharing donor testimonials not only provides social proof but also allows donors to become advocates for the cause. These stories and feedback strengthen the relationship between fundraisers and supporters, fostering a sense of community and shared commitment.

3. How can Mail Piece Design Improve Campaign Performance?

When it comes to mail-piece design, fundraisers have the opportunity to create impactful and compelling materials that resonate with donors. To capture your audience’s attention, it is crucial to incorporate visuals that stand out. Whether it’s vibrant colors, striking images, or unique illustrations, the design should immediately catch the eye and pique the recipient’s curiosity. Creating visually captivating designs, increases the chance of mail pieces that get opened and read.

Pairing attention-grabbing visuals with compelling headlines is a winning combination. The headline should be engaging and thought-provoking, motivating the recipient to delve further into the mail piece. It should create intrigue and clearly communicate the purpose of the campaign.

Clear and concise messaging is essential to ensure that the campaign’s purpose and call to action are communicated effectively. Fundraisers should aim to convey the core message in a concise manner, using straightforward and impactful language. By clearly articulating the purpose, fundraisers can ensure that recipients understand the campaign’s mission and know how they can contribute.

Maintaining a consistent visual identity throughout your mail-piece is important for brand recognition and cohesion. Fundraisers should incorporate consistent branding elements such as colors, fonts, and logos in their mail piece designs. Consistency creates a sense of professionalism and trust, reinforcing the organization’s identity and making it easily recognizable to donors.

To make the campaign stand out, fundraisers should incorporate unique design elements that differentiate their mail pieces from others. Creativity and innovation can leave a lasting impression. Whether it’s using unconventional layouts, interactive elements, or incorporating unexpected materials, unique design elements can make the campaign memorable and increase donor engagement.

Visual hierarchy plays a crucial role in guiding the recipient’s attention to key information. Always consider design principles such as size, color, and placement to emphasize the most important messages and calls to action. By creating a clear visual hierarchy, fundraisers ensure that recipients can easily grasp the main points of the mail piece and understand the desired actions.

Readability is essential for effective mail-piece design. Always ensure that the design is easy to read and understand at a glance. Using legible fonts, appropriate font sizes, and clear formatting will enhance readability. By making the content easily accessible, fundraisers increase the likelihood of recipients engaging with the mail piece and taking action.
Discover the power of donor segmentation, personalized messaging, and captivating storytelling to unlock unparalleled success in your campaigns.

4. How to Increase Effectiveness of Omni-Channel Direct Mail Campaigns?

It is essential to embrace technological advancements rather than resist them. We believe that integrating digital components into your mail pieces can revolutionize your fundraising efforts. By incorporating digital elements into your direct mail, such as scannable QR codes, it provides seamless access to online platforms and makes engagement effortless.

One key aspect of omni-channel campaigns is data integration. Fundraisers can synchronize data from direct mail and digital channels to gain a comprehensive view of donor engagement. By leveraging the data collected from multiple channels, fundraisers can gain valuable insights into donor preferences, behaviours, and interactions. This data-driven approach enables fundraisers to tailor their messaging and strategies more effectively.

Personalized follow-ups are another significant benefit of omni-channel direct mail campaigns. With digital channels, fundraisers can deliver personalized messages based on donor actions. By tracking donor engagements, fundraisers can segment their donors and send targeted follow-up messages that resonate with individual interests and motivations. This personalization enhances the donor experience and strengthens the relationship between organization and donor.

Incorporating scannable QR codes in direct mail pieces is a valuable technique in omni-channel campaigns. QR codes provide a convenient and quick way for donors to access online platforms. By scanning the code with their smartphones, donors can be directed to dedicated landing pages, online donation forms, or specific campaign websites. This integration of offline and online channels simplifies the donor’s journey and encourages them to engage further with the cause.

5. How to Follow-up a Direct Mail Campaign?

Follow-up strategies are crucial for fundraisers to maintain and strengthen relationships with their donors. Expressing gratitude is a fundamental aspect of effective follow-up. Personalized thank-you letters should be sent to donors, acknowledging their contributions and expressing sincere appreciation for their support. By personalizing these letters, fundraisers can demonstrate the individual impact of each donor’s generosity, making them feel valued and recognized.

In addition to personalized thank-you letters, regular newsletters serve as a valuable tool for keeping donors informed about the campaign’s achievements and future plans. These newsletters can highlight the tangible outcomes made possible by donors’ contributions, reinforcing the value of their support. Sharing impact reports further enhances this effect, providing concrete evidence of how donors’ contributions have made a difference in the lives of those benefiting from the cause. By demonstrating the direct impact of their support, fundraisers can reinforce the donors’ connection to the organization and inspire them to continue their involvement.

To foster ongoing engagement, fundraisers can provide exclusive updates or behind-the-scenes content to donors. This approach makes donors feel like valued members of the organization’s community, keeping them engaged and invested in the cause. Hosting special events exclusively for supporters offers a unique opportunity to deepen their connection to the cause. These events can provide a platform for members to interact with the organization’s team and beneficiaries directly, strengthening their emotional connection and encouraging ongoing support.

Collecting feedback from donors through surveys is invaluable for understanding their preferences, improving the donor experience, and enhancing future campaigns. These surveys provide an opportunity for donors to share their thoughts and suggestions, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs are met. By actively seeking and implementing donor feedback, fundraisers can strengthen relationships and create a donor-centric approach to their work.

CONCLUSION

Successful fundraising campaigns require a targeted and personalized approach that resonates with donors. Compelling storytelling, authenticity, and clear goals are key elements in effective communication. When it comes to mail piece design, attention-grabbing visuals, compelling headlines, and clear messaging make a lasting impact. Omni-channel direct mail campaigns, incorporating digital components and data integration, enhance donor engagement. Follow-up strategies, including gratitude, regular newsletters, exclusive updates, events, and donor feedback, strengthen relationships and foster ongoing engagement. By embracing these strategies, fundraisers can drive meaningful impact and cultivate lasting connections with their supporters.

Authentic Communication with your Donors

Posted on June 8, 2022October 10, 2024 by EmMa Matern

Key Topics
1. HOW TO BE TRUE AND CONSISTENT
2. HOW TO ATTEND TO YOUR DONORS
3. HOW TO CREATE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

INTRODUCTION

The nonprofit sector has the fundamental goal of people-helping-people. Consider the powerful motivator that authentic connections bring to this noble cause.

The three key takeaways are simple yet profound: Stay true and consistent, prioritize your donors by showing genuine interest, and craft personal experiences. Enhance your communication methods with personalized and specific details, making a meaningful impact on your donor relationships.

1. HOW TO BE TRUE AND CONSISTENT

All nonprofit organizations have a cause that they are passionate about. Before you communicate with your donors, you need to establish a set of values and beliefs that your organization follows. Make sure when you set up those values, you are being true to yourself and to your cause. To have authentic communication, you need to BE AUTHENTIC.

Once you identify your core principles, you must represent them in every message and any form of communication. You may not be popular with everyone, but at least you will be showing community members that you are true and consistent. The main point is to stick to your set of values and beliefs, but there are more Principles for Authentic Donor Communications that Build Relationships.

2. HOW TO ATTEND TO YOUR DONORS

Make sure to put effort into focusing on your donors. Remember, without your donors you can’t support your cause! Maintain relationships with donors by consistently communicating and creating opportunities to connect with them.

There are various ways to stay connected with your donors and maintain authentic communication. You can schedule regular meetings in person or virtually to provide the opportunity to interact with them. This is the time to have discussions about your organization’s progress and get the opinion of the members. You can ask questions like: Why are you passionate about the cause? What is your preferred method of communication? How would you like to take action?

You can also connect with your donors by sending them information via digital and physical communication methods.

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH YOUR DONORS
Social Media
Community Events
Newsletters
Impact Reports
Thank You Notes
Website Blog
Google Forms Questionnaire

The main focus should always be on your donors, so you can build authentic relationships.

3. HOW TO CREATE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

To keep up with authentic communication, you can create personal experiences! How do you do that? Well, make sure to keep donor profiles and use their names when sending emails, newsletters, donation cards, impact reports, and postcards. It is also important to consistently send messages to donors and volunteers to let them know your organization is working hard for the cause.

A little bit of effort goes a long way, especially when you want to create personalized experiences. Emails and text messages only go so far and are often overlooked, so it is important to seek other forms of communication. Sending handwritten note cards and direct-mail packages addressed to specific donors, tells your members that you value their support.

CONCLUSION

To summarize, figure out what your nonprofit is passionate about helping, stick to your values and beliefs, focus on including your donors, and organize personalized experiences that show your donors how much effort you put in.

BONUS TIP

Put the effort in and delight your donors with a handwritten note.

Increase Donor Loyalty With Our Best Practices

Posted on April 18, 2022October 13, 2024 by Ilan Mann

One of the advantages that nonprofit organizations have is that often donors are looking for authentic personal connections with the nonprofit. Donors want to feel connected, like they are a part of something bigger, and feel like they belong.

As a nonprofit, one of the best ways to increase donor loyalty is by showing up. These days virtually can be almost as effective as in person. Donor loyalty is driven by human connection, which means personalizing your communications with them will ensure that your donors reach out to you again in the future.

This article will discuss how to increase donor loyalty by utilizing these 8 tools.

Challenges With Donor Loyalty Today

Put yourself in the shoes of your donors. You have finally selected a nonprofit organization whose mission and values align closely with your own. To begin, you choose to donate $100 to them. While your contribution may not be a massive donation, it’s still a significant contribution to the cause.

A week goes by following your donation, and you’ve received no response from the organization. Another week goes by, and still, there has been no response. You’re disappointed in the organization at first, but eventually, you simply forget about the whole thing.

While you may have forgotten about the whole ordeal, the critical thing to remember is that you will never give again.

Don’t let your nonprofit organization follow this path. Here are the top 8 ways to increase donor loyalty with our best practices!

Top 8 Ways to Increase Donor Loyalty

Even though nonprofits have notoriously stringent budgets, you’ll be happy to know that it doesn’t take much money to increase donor loyalty. Here are the top 8 ways to increase donor loyalty with our practices.

1. Connect With Your Donors Regularly
As previously mentioned, the primary method to increase donor loyalty is by staying connected. By regularly engaging with your donors, you are helping to build upon the emotional connection between them and your organization.

Some of the ways you can stay on top of your connections include:

Building a website
Updating your website weekly
Sending out newsletters
Provide video content
Post engaging content on social media

You should take the time to research your donor demographic’s preferred method of communication and hone in on developing those areas of your marketing efforts. And remember, don’t just post boring things. Find ways to engage directly with donors and personalize your efforts as much as possible.

2. Donor-Stewardship
Donor-stewardship is the process of building a relationship with your donors after they make a gift. The main aim of stewarding your donors is to encourage them to donate again. Creating a relationship with your donors will make them feel loyal and increase future fundraising.

Keep in mind the donor pyramid and varying levels of engagement within it. The different levels within the donor pyramid include:

-Occasional donors, volunteers, and event participants
-Annual and recurring donors
-Major gift donors
-Planned gift donors

3. Offer Opportunities for Your Donors to Get More Involved
Remember that your donors can contribute to your efforts more than simply donating money. Always have opportunities for your donors to get more involved with your organization, even if they don’t have the funds to donate at this time.

Here are a few different ways you can get your donors more involved with your organization:

Set up a donor advisory board
Ask donors to like and share social media posts
Host new donor onboarding sessions
Organize informal focus groups
Send out surveys to donors
Create a group chat on social media

4. Thank Donors in a Personal Way
It doesn’t matter what the size of the donation is. Any contributions your donor makes towards your cause should always be thanked. Believe it or not, thank-you mail can make or break a relationship with a donor.

While it can be challenging at times, writing thank-you notes to donors is a great way to show them that you appreciate them. Luckily, with the help of services like Postalgia, you can get the job done quickly and easily.

Postalgia will pen your individualized donor thank you notes on your letterhead with high-quality card stock, taking care of all details, including the address verification, postage, and mailing.

Many of us have grown accustomed to receiving countless messages by email, social media, and text every day that these days, a handwritten note is rare. Therefore, sending a handwritten thank-you card or letter makes your organization stand out and instantly creates a unique and personal connection with the recipient.

Penned by robots but remarkably human, our handwritten letters, notes, or cards to your stakeholders are written using genuine ink. We’ll print and mail these personalized handwritten donor thank-you notes for you for the ultimate convenience.

5. Develop Trust
Another surefire way to increase donor loyalty is by developing trust. To help promote confidence in and amongst your organization, consider interacting with donors face-to-face. There are plenty of different ways to help build trust in your organization. Some ideas might include:

-Hosting an in-person event for supporters
-Hosting a virtual event
-Invite donors to tour your offices
-Ask donors to join your team for a hike

6. Get as Personal as Possible
The perfect world for the nonprofit organization allows you to have a one-on-one relationship with every donor. Unfortunately, that’s not the most realistic expectation for most nonprofits.

Still, you can personalize your content as much as possible by tracking and measuring all of your interactions with donors. Some critical information you should constantly be tracking includes:

-Motivating factors
-Donor demographics or segments
-Preferred communication channels
-How new donors are driven to your organization

7. Remember It’s About Relationships, Not Donations
Instead of focusing your efforts on more donations, change your mindset to instead increase donor loyalty. Rather than funds being the ultimate end goal, you want to view your relationship with donors as an opportunity to make a more significant impact in the long run.

The more you have a two-way relationship with your donors, the more invested they will be in the growth and success of your organization.

8. Create a Donor Loyalty Program
Although you want to thank all contributions to your cause consciously, significant donors need to be thanked with a bit of extra care. Create a donor loyalty program to help maintain the momentum of your top supporters. Ideas for programs might include:

-Branded gifts
-Networking opportunities
-Special tickets to events
-Member-only events
-Exclusive member-only newsletters

Conclusion
The best ways to increase donor loyalty are linked to personalizing the experience. Getting to know your donors, what they like, and what you can do to maintain your relationship with them are critical components of the donor-stewardship.

After all, it’s about PEOPLE. There’s more to building donor loyalty than the basics, of course, but if you start doing these 8 things, you’ll be off to a good start.

Postalgia can help you deliver that personalized touch by creating physical media such as newsletters and fundraising campaigns and also produce beautifully handwritten personalized thank you letters to donors at scale.

Finding Your Next Major Donor is as Easy as 1,2,3…4,5,6

Posted on April 13, 2022October 13, 2024 by Ilan Mann

Whether you’re running a venture-backed Startup company, a Fortune 500 telecom giant, or a mission-driven non-profit organization, you need more resources – usually cash – to build your team, grow your reach, and scale whatever it is that your organization does best.

In the context of charities, foundations, and philanthropic organizations, if you were to ask anyone who works in a fundraising capacity what their top goals are for the month, the quarter, or the year, they might answer that they are working on stewardship, donor engagement, transitioning one-time donors to monthly donation programs, or acquiring new donors, but it all boils down to one thing: Money coming in.

That boils down to a few different elements of your broader fundraising strategy:

Acquisition – How are you acquiring new donors who have never given before?
Solicitation – What is your approach to raising money from current donors?
Monthly Giving – Are you turning your one-time donors into monthly donors?
Reactivation – How are you reactivating lapsed donors?
Legacy Giving – Do you have a program that allows your donors to make an impact after they’ve passed on?
Major Giving – Can you move donors into higher and higher giving brackets?
Stewardship – How do you keep donors connected so that they stay donors?

Many fundraisers correctly focus heavily on soliciting existing donors – after all, the most likely source of new charitable dollars is past givers who are already connected to and inspired by the mission of your organization.

But donor churn – your donors deciding to stop giving to your organization – is an inevitability, not a hypothetical. Excellent organizations may experience lower levels of donor churn than the industry standard, but with The Association of Fundraising Professionals Fundraising Effectiveness Project pegging 2020 retention rates at 43.6%, that means that you can expect to keep fewer than half of your donors year over year if you run a typical fundraising operation.

Of course, the longer a donor is with your organization, the less likely they are to stop giving (hence the importance of monthly giving programs and stewardship), and a big chunk of the almost 57% of donors that didn’t come back in 2020 were first-time donors themselves (more than 80% of first time donors made one gift and never returned).

But that doesn’t change the fact that you need to replace the donors that you’re losing every year with fresh, new additions to your donor base.

So, without further ado, here are 6 tips to growing your new donor base:

1. Survey your current donors

Before you embark on an involved, time-consuming, and/or expensive process of attracting new donors through what you assume is the way to do so, it is worth asking your existing donors a few simple questions:

How did you hear about our charity, non-profit org, or foundation?
How long after did you donate?
Did you have any involvement with the organization before donating?
Why did you decide to donate to our organization?
Were you asked? If so, by whom? How? Through what channel?
What was the process like when you gave your first gift?

If you have candid conversations with some of your best donors, at different giving levels, ages, and years of involvement, you’ll find strong patterns start to emerge.

If your charitable organization is like most, you’ll find that many of your donors have a personal connection to your organization, had involvement with the organization before giving, give for similar reasons, and were asked to give in similar ways.

This crucial first step will give you a good idea of where to look for new donors, and help you in the next step as well…

2. Create a donor profile for digital advertising

Once the patterns in your donor stories have begun to emerge, you should be able to create a donor profile.

A donor profile could include demographic, geographic, ethnic, religious, professional and income information, all of which can be used to target acquisition campaigns.

For example, if you are fundraising for a children’s hospital in the downtown area of a major metropolitan city, you may discover from your donors that they are mostly suburban parents of 2 or more children, working as professionals (dentists, lawyers, accountants, etc…).

3. Create issues or opportunities-based campaigns

One of the most important things that you will learn from talking to your existing donors is what moved them to donate in the first place.

Deciding to give money is a big step for many people. Chances are that for every donor you have, you have thousands if not tens of thousands of people who support your mission in non-financial ways, even if just quietly and privately in their own minds.

You’re probably asking yourself what good that does you – a non-profit organization with mouths to feed and a mission to undertake.

But today’s donors are yesterday’s activists who were the day before’s volunteers who were themselves quiet supporters the day before that. As the proverb goes, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

In this case, it’s very difficult to fundraise from anonymous supporters that you don’t know exist, but approaching strangers and asking them for money is likely to get more doors closed in your face than not.

Asking for small expressions of support, however – like “sign this petition” or “click to email your congressman” are not big asks. What they do, however, is help you build a list of people who are supporters of your cause, and may one day financially contribute to your philanthropic endeavors. You now have the names, email addresses, and possibly addresses and phone numbers of people who support your organization enough to put up their hands and self-identify. That list is worth its proverbial weight in gold.

4. Turn stakeholders into activists

Speaking of building lists, chances are that many of your donors had interactions with your organization as non-donors before they ever cut a check.

If you’re fundraising for a school, certainly your alumni are a great place to start; but what about their parents and grandparents? If you’re a hospital foundation, studies show that over 80% of grateful patients feel good about donating to the hospital at which they received treatment, to say nothing of their relieved and grateful families.

The people that you helped are not the only stakeholders in your community.

Congregants, community members, teachers, and volunteers of all types often go on to become amongst the most prolific and involved donors in any charitable organization.

5. Create volunteer opportunities, community events, and open houses.

That’s why creating volunteer opportunities is one of the most powerful long-term acquisition strategies that you can pursue. Nothing binds a supporter to a nonprofit organization’s mission like giving their time and energy to the cause.

Ironically, giving in this way makes donors and supporters more invested than receiving does.

Bringing people together through volunteerism, showing off the good work that your organization does, and creating community through causes that people are passionate about takes a lot of work, but the result is that you will attract people who are much more mission-driven, much less transactional, and much less likely to leave after giving once.

These mission-driven people will make up the beating heart of your donor base. They are exactly who you want to make up the core of your organization, and you’ll wish that you could clone them.

6. Have your current donors bring a friend

The next best thing, however, is to have them bring like-minded friends, family members, and colleagues along for the ride.

A lot of fundraisers are afraid to ask their donors for anything other than money; their mentality is that if the donors have already given to the organization, the last thing that you want to do is impose on them in a way that risks alienating them by making them feel put upon.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Your donors are along for the ride for a reason. They are the most passionate believers in the work that you are doing, and nothing makes them feel better than having more opportunities to help in ways that don’t make them feel like they are only viewed by you as a source of more and more money.

Giving them opportunities to bring in friends – especially to community-building events – would be welcomed by your donors as a new and unique way to contribute.

And just like that, your fundraising list just got bigger.

Putting it all together

Suppose you’re fundraising for a hospital foundation. You speak to your current donors and see patterns start to emerge. You learn that most of your donors are parents with young children, living in one of the suburbs of your city, working as young professionals. You find out that they donated because they’re passionate about combating childhood cancer, something in which your hospital excels. You learn that many of them were asked to donate after being solicited by an existing patient – a loved one, friend, or colleague. Now you have a donor profile.

You use that information to create a targeted digital campaign. The message: a former patient asks parents to please sign a petition calling on the state government to invest more in combating and treating cancers that affect children. For every signature, a major donor will donate a dollar to your hospital foundation.

You collect supporters through that campaign, and add them to your existing lists of stakeholders (which you may have at the ready, or may need to build). In addition to fundraising off of this large, curated list in future direct mail and digital campaigns, you also advertise volunteer opportunities: “Come volunteer with kids in the cancer ward.“

New faces turn up to your volunteer opportunities. You send out a direct mail piece to all existing donors, inviting them to come to a community event to raise money for a state of the art pediatric cancer treatment center, and to bring a friend, because every dollar given by a new donor will be matched by a major gifts donor.

Somewhere on your list, whether it’s one of the petition-signers who now receives your community newsletter, a new volunteer who is moved by the hopeful faces of smiling children, or someone whose colleague brought them to a fundraising gala for the first time to have their first donation matched, is your next million-dollar lifetime donor, just waiting to shake your hand and to thank you for giving them the opportunity to change lives and make a difference.

Top 6 Non Profit Marketing Ideas

Posted on March 9, 2022October 13, 2024 by Ilan Mann

It is crucial for marketing and communications professionals to have a marketing plan, even if the budget is low. Marketing plans set goals, develop tools for communication, define the mission, and generate an effective strategy for approaching and engaging donors.

Nonprofits often have limited marketing funds, but no matter the budget size, good and strategic marketing is the most effective way to increase awareness and raise funds.

Challenges with Nonprofit Marketing Ideas Today

The biggest hurdle for nonprofit marketing ideas today is that most believe that a large budget is necessary to be effective. While having a marketing budget is important, much can be done with a small budget.

Here are the top 6 nonprofit marketing ideas that will help boost your marketing footprint today!

Top 6 Nonprofit Marketing Ideas

A giant marketing budget is not necessary in order to be effective. For nonprofits, this concept is especially true. Here are the top 6 nonprofit marketing ideas.

1. Build a Website and Update it Weekly

Your website is your first impression to donors, volunteers, employees, and supporters. It provides information about your cause and purpose, as well as statistics and stories.

Maintaining a weekly blog on your website will help keep your audience engaged with your nonprofit’s news and success stories. Fresh weekly content also increases your relevance to search engines and brings in new visitors which is the best low cost way to increase awareness and find new donors.

2. Send Out Newsletters

Donors always like to know what’s new in your nonprofit. Thankfully, you can share nice and exciting content, your monthly successes, numbers, etc., by sending out newsletters. A very convenient way to create a newsletter is to draw much of the content from your weekly blog content.

This can be done via email, or for increased engagement, Postalgia can print and mail your newsletters directly to your donors.

3. Engage Your Audience with Video Content

Videos are visually stimulating and dynamic. They can boost your audience engagement because they can be educational, emotional, and easy to share. As a nonprofit, you can make testimonial videos. Building trust is the key to donations.

Content marketing is all about building trust and long-term relationships. Provide people with exciting and valuable information instead of selling to them.

Additionally, Google loves videos. Videos boost the time spent by site visitors. The longer the site has been online, the greater the trust it gains from search engines and the more relevant it appears to search engines. Video-embedded websites are 53 times more likely to appear first in Google searches.

A cool app to make easy videos is Vidyard.

4. Have a Social Media Marketing Budget

Promoting posts on social media is an often overlooked yet effective way to increase your views without breaking the bank. No matter the size of your organization, it can be helpful to designate a specific amount to promote your cause on social media. Your presence on the Internet will be established, and you will reach a broader audience. You can acquire 1,000 views for under $10 on most social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube). When a post gains a bit more traction with an account’s followers it is a good sign that it will be worthwhile to boost views with a small post promotion.

5. Post Engaging Content on Social Media

Your organization can use all its social media channels to raise awareness for upcoming events and raise funds for your cause. Increase social media shares by posting visual content such as video, images and breaking news. Posts visual representations of data tend to be more virally shared than text alone. You can also create contests or polls that allow your followers to vote.

A regular schedule of events gives supporters something to look forward to consistently, so their involvement remains high. In addition to bringing new people into your organization, events are also opportunities to introduce them to your cause.

6. Thank Your Donors in a Creative and Original Way

Thank-you mail can make or break a relationship with a donor? Writing thank-you notes to donors is a great way to show them that you appreciate them, but it can be challenging.

By using some sample thank-you donation letters or a handwritten letter service like Postalgia, you can get the job done quickly and easily. We will pen your individualized donor thank you notes on your letterhead with high quality card stock. We take care of the address verification, postage, and mailing.

Show sincere appreciation and leave a good impression next time by saying thank you to donors, volunteers, and suppliers with a thoughtful, handwritten message. Penned by robots but remarkably human, our handwritten letters, notes, or cards to your stakeholders are written using genuine ink. We’ll print and mail these personalized handwritten donor thank-you notes for you for ultimate convenience.

What’s more original than a handwritten letter? These days, a handwritten note is rare because many of us have grown accustomed to receiving countless messages by email, social media, and text every day. A handwritten thank-you card or letter not only stands out but also instantly creates a unique and personal connection with the recipient.

Show your appreciation with handwritten donor thank-you notes.

Conclusion

The best nonprofit marketing ideas boil down to having a plan in place regardless of the budget size. Getting to know your donors, what they like, and what they would like to see is key to growing your marketing reach.

The Benefit of Thanking Your Customers

Posted on August 10, 2021October 13, 2024 by Ilan Mann

Gratitude. It’s such a simple word to say. In reality, it has so much meaning. And it means different things to different people. It can even anchor your business strategy. One thing about gratitude, though, is that it takes practice. The more you practice offering thanks to those you interact with, the happier and better satisfied you (and the recipient) become. That’s good for your business – and you.

Showing gratitude to others is one way you can make them feel appreciated, which is something that offers surprising rewards if you’re willing to initiate. In fact, the art of thanking others can be what sets you apart and builds loyalty among customers, donors, and employees alike. Here’s what you need to know about thanking others, the psychology behind it, and how to maximize its value for your business.

How You Benefit From Gratitude

Gratitude isn’t just about your customers, it can offer big benefits for you. Thanking someone is a small thing that breeds enormous results. The more frequently you practice thanking others, the more thankful you feel about your own life, at least according to Harvard Medical School.

As you take on a grateful mindset, you’ll begin feeling thankful for more and more things. If you have trouble verbalizing gratitude, you might begin by creating a gratitude journal or writing thank-you cards to people in your circle. The more you practice these actions, the easier it will be to offer your thanks to your customers and tell people around you that you are thankful for them.

In business, this isn’t only for customer appreciation. You can show appreciation for employees or even individuals (even vendors) who have given their money, time, and talent to support your business.

Psychology Of A Thank You

Thanking your customers will make a huge difference to your bottom line if you leverage the power of expressing gratitude. in addition to the personal benefits that practicing gratitude and thanking others offer, you’ll enjoy the benefit of more loyal customers.

Why? One big factor is that offering and receiving thanks is actually less common than you’d think. According to a recent study published in Psychological Science, most people underestimate the value of saying thank you – so they don’t do it.

Researchers discovered that when people thank someone, they underestimate the positive sentiments that their statement of appreciation elicits. That might explain why some individuals don’t express their gratitude more frequently.

In several experiments, participants picked someone who positively influenced them and anticipated how the recipient would react to receiving a letter of thanks. The researchers sent letters to the recipients of the thank-you letter and asked them to evaluate the individual thanking them.

According to the survey results, those expressing gratitude significantly underestimated how positively the recipient would rate them. They notably underestimated the competency rating, indicating that looking silly or inept might be a significant barrier to expressing thanks.

What Does Cultivating Gratitude Mean for Businesses?

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop.

When you thank your customers, employees, and others you come in contact with, it makes them FEEL good. If you do it consistently, those good feelings become something they associate with you and your business. They will seek out those experiences over interactions with other people because of how your company makes them feel.

In other words, it creates loyalty.

People will often turn down higher-paying jobs if they feel appreciated and valued in their current jobs. The same holds for customers. They will drive out of their way and across town to do business with a shop or store that makes them feel appreciated rather than going to one nearby that does not.

Even with e-commerce businesses, customers will return time and again to websites that make them feel appreciated rather than going to those that make them feel like a nameless, faceless number instead of a valued customer. The way you make people feel matters. Thanking them is a crucial method for making them feel valued and appreciated by you and your business.

Practicing Gratitude in Business

When you make people associated with your business feel appreciated, they will be much more loyal to your business than those who do not. This means expressing gratitude is an incredible way to build loyalty for your business.

Here are a few ideas on how to make your customers feel appreciated:

Add bonus items or small extras to packages when delivering items.
Offer free products or samples to customers.
Start a loyalty program that provides discounted or free items with repeat purchases.
Provide discounts on future purchases.
Offer employee appreciation benefits.
Spotlight customers, employees, etc. in weekly newsletters or social posts.

Another easy way to express gratitude is with a handwritten thank-you card. It may seem like a simple gesture, but it makes an impression on your audience. In fact, a handwritten thank-you note carries far more weight than you may realize because:

People don’t deliberately say thanks all that often.
A handwritten thank-you card is more likely to stand out in the mail.
Handwritten cards are more likely to be read and remembered.
The fact that someone wrote the information makes gratitude appear more authentic.
It’s an easy method to show customer appreciation.

Because you practice gratitude, show appreciation, and give thanks, you continue to enjoy the mental health and physical benefits that being grateful provides. Plus, you enjoy the benefits of loyalty from your customers and employees. It’s a real win for businesses and individuals from all walks of life.

Of course, you can thank your customers and employees in many ways. But the most important thing is to actually thank them. More importantly, show them you are grateful for their business and be thankful for things each day as they happen. Do this consistently enough, and over time you will enjoy greater customer loyalty as your business grows.