All Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising Articles
Episode 021 – Nonprofit Startup Funding
Whether you’re at a brand new nonprofit, are revamping a fundraising program, or need creative ideas for fundraising for a new campaign or project, this episode will give you actionable fundraising ideas.
Episode 020 – Donor Psychology – What moves someone to donate? Part 2
In this second part of a two part series on donor psychology, you will learn the reasons why people give. Jeremy has identified 15 different psychological triggers that moves someone to donate to your nonprofit. In this episode, Jeremy explains the second 7 motivations, or donor psychological triggers, that help someone make a decision to give to your nonprofit.
Episode 019 – Donor Psychology – What moves someone to donate? Part 1
In this second episode of a special series of fundraising education, you will learn donor psychology and the reasons why people give. Jeremy has identified 15 different psychological triggers that moves someone to donate to your nonprofit. In this episode, Jeremy explains the first 8 motivations, or donor psychological triggers, that help someone make a decision to give to your nonprofit. This is a fascinating look at why people give and how you can change your messaging or produce events that create more donors. For major donors, general donors, and monthly donors.
Episode 018 – Nonprofit Donor Motivations
Recently, my 15 year old daughter Emily has shown interest in nonprofit marketing and fundraising. In this special series of Nonprofit Answers episodes, you’ll learn all aspects of the fundraising process. In this episode, you will learn donor motivations and how your nonprofit presents an appeal or campaign to specific types of donors. You’ll start learning the foundations of donor psychology and how to motivate donors to give.
Episode 017 – 5 Secrets to Successful Fundraising
In this special episode, I reflect on the lessons I’ve learn over these years and share the five secrets successful fundraisers know. You’ll learn how to demonstrate urgency, how to be more direct with your ask, a mistake you’re likely making in how you talk to donors, a lesson on using facts to motivate donors, and key insights into showing gratitude. These lessons, learned over the course of raising tens of millions of dollars, will help propel you forward as a nonprofit fundraiser.
Episode 016 – Effective Nonprofit Storytelling
Storytelling is the foundation of excellent nonprofit marketing. Jeremy is frequently asked, “how do I effectively tell our story?” In this special episode, Jeremy Reis explores effective nonprofit storytelling that produces results. You’ll learn the tips and tricks to writing great nonprofit stories that raise funds and builds relationships with your donors and stakeholders.
Episode 015 – How to Define a Major Partner Email Strategy
In this episode, Gary asks what, if anything, should we email major donors? Jeremy teaches you how to define a major partner email communication strategy and recommends which emails to send based on which segment the donor is in.
Clarity Results in Better Fundraising
Are you looking to raise more money for your cause? Then you need to start with clarity. When it comes to fundraising, clarity is key.
Episode 014 – How Do I Grow My Email List?
Growing your email list is an essential part of digital marketing for your nonprofit. You will be able to create a new source of donors through adding people who have an affinity for your cause. In this episode, Jeremy explores several ways you can add new names to your email list.
5 of the Most Creative Ways to Show Gratitude to Donors
Are you looking for a way to raise more income in the short term and long term? Thank your donors quickly and often. Beyond a thank you note, how do you creatively thank your donors? Showing gratitude to your donors is a key way to build a healthy donor relationship and continue to develop people down … Read more
Fundraising Ideas – Dave the Development Director
“Dave, in our weekly staff meeting, our programs team came up with these 37 ideas for fundraising,” Phil says. Dave reads the report, “Number 4, educate more and ask less. Number 13, use more facts and statistics.” Phil remarks, “I think Number 27 is the best.” “Ask the Gates Foundation for a grant.”
Want Better Email Fundraising Success? Make It Easier to Read
You spend countless hours crafting the perfect fundraising appeal, but all your hard work could be for nothing if potential donors can’t understand what you’re trying to say. In order to ensure that your message is getting across loud and clear, use these tips to make your fundraising appeals easier to read.
How to Tell an Impactful Fundraising Story
Story is embedded into who we are. The best stories feature focus on a single character. This character could be a beneficiary, a donor, or any stakeholder. The best fundraising stories communicate how the reader can make an impact. When I first arrived at Food for the Hungry, our direct mail appeals used vivid stories … Read more
Complete Guide to Great Fundraising Appeals (with Examples!)
If you’re new to fundraising, writing an appeal to raise funds is different than you might expect. Once, I hired someone who had sales and marketing experience but no direct nonprofit experience. He tended to write appeals that were very fact based, “1 billion people live in poverty” or “You can help 10,855 people right … Read more
5 Secrets Experienced Fundraisers Know
When I joined Food for the Hungry, I thought I was going to blow right by expectations in fundraising. I came in with a consulting background and an MBA … I could figure out the secrets to fundraising quickly and knock a home run in our digital fundraising in no time. What I discovered is … Read more
10 Email Fundraising Tips You Need Right Now
Email may be the best kept fundraising secret for your nonprofit! Not because you aren’t already using it, but because there is so much opportunity to change and test different parts of a fundraising email to see the impact on results. Today, we’re going to discuss some ideas of things you can put into practice right … Read more
8 Steps to a Timely Disaster Fundraising Response
It can be very frustrating not being able to get out a timely appeal. I remember a specific incident where we were sitting five days after a disaster, and we had not yet sent out our email appeal. At that time I made a decision that that wasn’t going to happen again, that we weren’t … Read more
Are You Bothering Your Donors?
Why are we afraid we’re “bothering” donors? We ask questions like “how soon is too soon to ask for a second gift?” or “best practices say I should wait nine months for a second gift, what should I communicate before then?” Can you imagine a meeting at Amazon where executives debate like this, “We should … Read more
Episode 013 – How Do I Position the Donor as the Hero?
Your donor is the hero. This is one of the hardest concepts for nonprofit staff to accept. In this episode, Jeremy answers a question about how to position the donor as the hero in your nonprofit communications. Using examples, Jeremy teaches you how to write active copy that presents an appeal from the point of view of a donor.
Episode 012 – What is Retargeting?
Retargeting, also known as remarketing, is a technology to show ads to a warm audience. In this episode, Jeremy discusses what retargeting is, how it works, two different types of retargeting, and how your nonprofit organization can use retargeting to get more supporters and deepen your relationship with existing donors.
Episode 011 – How Often Should My Nonprofit Blog?
Blogging is not dead. Far from it. In today’s episode, Jeremy answers a question from a nonprofit executive about how much blogging is right for his organization. This executive is being told by his team to blog every day, but doesn’t understand why.
Mistakes That Will Sink Your Fundraising Campaign
I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve had to learn a lot of hard lessons. Nonprofit fundraising isn’t always easy. There are many rules and guidelines that industry pros have learned through expensive testing over decades. When you learn these lessons, some come from your own expensive mistakes, you will learn how to best fundraise … Read more
Episode 010 – How Do We Stop Fighting Internally Over Income Sourcing?
In this special edition of Nonprofit Answers, Jeremy is live at the Christian Leadership Alliance with a timely question. At the conference, a nonprofit leader asked Jeremy how to properly give internal credit for income without causing problems with attribution and to reduce internal fighting over “credit” for donations.
4 Essentials Required for Donor Thank You Communications
Whether you send a thank you video, a note of gratitude, a welcome gift, a thank you email, or other creative way to thank the donor for their donation, you need to communicate in a specific way to have the biggest impact on your donor. Sending your thanks is a key way to continue developing … Read more