So you’ve done the hard work of obtaining a quality mission-story for your organization. You’ve identified the “character” or person you serve, the struggle they’ve faced, the goals they want to achieve, and how your organization helped create change for them. You’ve shared your nonprofit success stories and gotten a great response. Now what? Re-purpose […]
nonprofit communications
6 Steps to Get the Press to Tell Your Story
Almost all media now feature feel-good stories about people and organizations that do good. Even so, getting attention from the shrinking, but highly diversified, press pool still takes persistence and creativity. Here are 6 steps to get the press to tell your story: 1. Don’t wait for them to call That’s like waiting for lightning to […]
5 Building Blocks of Strong Nonprofit Brands
Nonprofit branding is all about how others view your organization and your efforts. If you know what American Red Cross, UNICEF, or AARP does regularly, you know that nonprofit branding works. Creating a brand leads to more recognition, clarity and potential donations ― all in all, making your nonprofit more successful. In a perfect world, […]
Communications New Year’s Resolutions for Fundraisers
Important question, fundraiser. What portion of your job is communications? Answer: more than you probably realize. After all, two very large portions of the development cycle (cultivation and stewardship) involve a lot of communications. The nature and format of these communications can vary depending on whether you work with annual level donors or major donors. […]
The ABC’s of Winning a Lapsed Donor Back
Imagine this scenario: Your organization received a donation from a donor once or twice but have not received anything this year. Some nonprofit professionals may say well that donor is gone, time to find a new one. WRONG! Studies show that it costs less to retain, or re-engage, a lapsed donor, then it does to […]
Capturing Attention During Year-End Fundraising
Let’s face it: Each year-end fundraising season seems to get noisier than the last. With millions of nonprofits around the globe asking for donations on Giving Tuesday, throughout the holiday season, and in the last two days of December, it’s no wonder donors (and staff) have a bit of a fundraising hangover come January. For […]
How and When to Let a Volunteer Go
Chances are, as a nonprofit manager, firing volunteers ranks very low on your list of job duties. However, as with any relationship, sometimes you have no choice but to cut ties. Letting a volunteer go is uncomfortable, difficult and downright awkward, but hopefully we can alleviate some of that weirdness with these tips. Preventative measures […]
11 Fundraising Emails Best Practices to Drive High Response Rates
Fundraising emails provide a significant stream of income for many nonprofit and cause-based groups. However, this fundraising technique requires your recipients to take action not once, but twice. First, you need to get your recipients to open the email and then you need to get them to respond to your message. Do it right, and […]
3 Ways to Improve Your Nonprofit’s Customer Service
Whether you’re a nonprofit of one, 20, or 100, customer service permeates your entire organization. The way your nonprofit reacts when supporters reach out with questions, concerns, or complaints, can greatly impact donor relations. While you should have some predefined engagement strategies, your staff must also be able to think on their feet and deal […]
Staying on the Same Page: Communication Tools for Nonprofits
Communication is key. Whether you’re trying to coordinate with your team or reach out to current and potential donors, it’s important to stay on top of your game. Here are a handful of communication tools we’ve been using and raving about. External Communication Tools Sprout Social Sprout Social isn’t just for social media scheduling. It […]
How Startup Nonprofits Can Get the Grant of Their Dreams
Getting that perfect grant can be a make or break situation for a startup nonprofit. When Nonprofit Hub was at its beginning, we were lucky enough to receive a grant that helped us get our feet on solid ground. But that was because of a relationship I had built with the organization over several years’ […]
Messaging to Build Your Nonprofit Brand
Building brand awareness can be a challenge for many but, if you’ve read Part 1 – The Secret to Building Brand Awareness and done your homework, you’re already running smoothly and ready to advance your brand by developing your messaging strategy. Branding can be even more effective in the nonprofit sector than the for-profit sector […]