fundraising

The critically acclaimed AMC television show Mad Men has been captivating audiences since 2007, showcasing the exploits of an evolving set of characters at a 1960s advertising agency in New York City. While there is a lot to unpack in regards to the socio-economic messages the show conveys, there is  also much wisdom that nonprofit organizations can learn about their CRM from watching the show.  We’ll examine a few of these here.

Kodak Moment: Use your CRM to get the full picture
One of the series’ most brilliant scenes comes from a season one episode entitled “The Wheel,” in which series protagonist Don Draper explains to the executives of Kodak that their new invention, a slide projector enhancement, shouldn’t be called The Wheel but The Carousel.

The takeaway from this scene is that making a meaningful connection between what you provide and who it affects should be the basis of your organization’s operations.  Turning your CRM into a powerful tool to connect with your constituents in a meaningful way should be a high priority.  Mad Men shows us that:

We’ve all experienced it - the sense that we’re starting to ask our donors for too much, too often.  Multi-channel fundraising can become a double-edged sword. So what can we do to avoid donor fatigue and ensure that our donors aren’t feeling nickel and dimed?

There are a few strategies that we’ll explore below to do just that. We’ll touch on creating a strategy for your solicitations, social media usage for fundraising, and the all-important area of making sure your donors feel appreciated.

Create a strategy for your appeals process
Many organizations have several projects and events occurring at the same time that have their own budgetary needs, which can create confusion as to where a donor should apply their contribution.

Formulating a plan for how your organization solicits donations is of vital importance.  The ability to brand individual campaigns and events while tying it to the broader mission will give donors a streamlined understanding of where their contributions will be going. Some things to keep in mind:

This is part seven of our blog series The Fundraiser’s Guide to the Annual Fund. Our team will be exploring how to turn your database into an integral tool for raising the general operation funds necessary for your success.

Sometimes your donors have an absolute intention of giving, but they just can’t do it at the time of your ask. This typically happens most often in the initial push of your annual fund process . Setting yourself up to not only track but also acknowledge and follow up on pledges throughout the year will be your strategy for success.

We’ve talked a lot about stewardship, but there are never enough ways to say thank you to a future donor. The key to pledges is that they are an intent to give and you should treat your future donors with the same level of stewardship that donations in the door receive.

Structure your annual fund to handle pledges

One of the best parts of being a part of the Z2 Systems community is seeing how different organizations utilize the NeonCRM to achieve the goals of their mission.  We'll be spotlighting one of those today - Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support.  We talked with Megan Nichols, their Development & PR Director, to discuss one of their biggest events - the Walk for Remembrance & Hope.

Written by guest blogger Anne Potter of Extreme Consulting, Inc.

Don’t get stuck in a Data Conversion Nightmare!

So here it is… the scariest month of the year. Ghosts and goblins, mummies and vampires, you have the recipe for a scary night ahead! Hopefully, if you keep your eyes open, you will spot a superhero or princess every now and then!

The last thing you need this month is the frightening thought of a messy data conversion while you consider moving to a new constituent management tool. Perhaps you’ve been thinking about moving to a new fundraising/member management/constituent management tool (CRM). Perhaps the CRM database tool you currently use is too expensive. Maybe it’s too hard to use, or too clunky and old, too slow. Or maybe you’re looking for an online, cloud-based solution that allows you to do your work anywhere, anytime.

Blackbaud's (BLKB) announcement this month that they are going to "retire" the recently acquired Common Ground product has put many nonprofit organizations in a very challenging position. Common ground is used by over 400 nonprofit organizations to manage their fundraising efforts and during a town hall meeting on September 12th Blackbaud announced that they will be closing down the Common Ground product in March of 2014.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the Money for Our Movements 2012 conference in Oakland, California. It was organized by the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training and was a chance for social justice fundraisers and organizers from across the country to build and strengthen collective resources, grassroots fundraising skills, and vision for their movements.  They made very good use of NeonCRM to manage the people, donations, and event registrations surrounding the event.

One of the most important revenue streams your nonprofit organization can have is the annual fund. The annual fund is defined as an organized effort to obtain gifts on a yearly basis to support, at least in part, general operations of a nonprofit organization. While it doesn’t have the flash of a fancy gala or the concrete goals of a capital campaign, the annual fund is a consistent reminder to folks of the importance of your mission. Developing a well thought out and multi-year approach to your annual fund will mean more donors and greater flexibility in your day to day work.

I have always wanted to give back.  When I was ten years old, I organized an Easter Egg hunt for kids in my neighborhood.  I knew where all the eggs were in my neighborhood but that wasn’t the point.  The point was that other kids got to find eggs filled with candy on their own.  I was a weird kid, always trying to organize something for other people, like a carnival for the neighborhood.

So when my 30^th birthday party came around, I knew I had to do something epic -- something unique.  Something that might change how people thought about giving back, volunteering, donating to a cause, or bidding on a live auction.  So I turned my birthday into a massive fundraiser that benefited four charities, including Neon CRM client Reading With Pictures.  And it was successful, so much so that the Chicago Tribune owned RedEye featured it both in print and on their blog.