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Expert Holiday Fundraising Tips and Tricks

Posted by ksammons on November 12th, 2012

Erica Tavares, International Medical Corps’ Director of Resources Development gave an insightful webinar on setting up a holiday fundraising strategy. We were so lucky to have Erica an expert on fundraising share strategies for getting donor support during the holiday giving season. If you missed Erica’s webinar, don’t worry below you can find a recording and summary of the webinar.

To access Erica’s presentation click here.

Start Early

  • It’s time to get started! Don’t wait until the holidays to begin asking for support.
  • Thank your supporters first. Thank them for their dedication to your cause so far.
  • Show progress. Let donors know how their donations have made an impact.

Use a Campaign Approach

  • Create a holiday communication schedule.
  • Thank and report out first. Keep your communication snappy and to the point.
  • Ask in November and December. You don’t get credit for not asking, so keep it up!
  • Don’t forget year end! International Medical Corps sends out an email once a week leading up to the holidays and one every day on December 29th, 30th and 31st.
  • Show impact. Give examples of what a donor’s contribution can do.
  • Test if you can. What subject lines are working? International Medical Corps found that the more vague an email the better the open rate. Example subject lines, “Don’t stand in line this holiday season” & “A gift that gives back”

Use a Multi-channel Approach when Contacting Donors and Supporters

  • Email
  • Mail
  • Website
  • GlobalGiving, use campaigns like the Recurring Donation Campaign to get the word out
  • Social media like Facebook, twitter, YouTube
  • Online acquisition
  • Holiday giving lists

Thank your Donors Quickly

  • Email and mail
  • Segment if you can, break up thank-yous and asks
  • Give supporters other ways to get involved – social media, forward a friend
  • Continue to report with success stories and progress

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GlobalGiving’s Holiday Promotions – Matching Recurring Donations & Gifts for Good

Posted by Alexis Nadin on October 26th, 2012

Ok, so you know the trends and you’ve got a strategy, but what is GlobalGiving doing to help you with online fundraising throughout the holiday and year-end giving season?

This year, we’ve got two exciting promotions lined up to help you mobilize and attract donors in November and December: the Recurring Donation Campaign and Gifts for Good. We’re also continuing to offer our great donation-as- a-gift feature, which makes it easy for a donor to make a donation as a gift in honor of a friend or family member for the holidays. Read the details below!

Recurring Donation Campaign

The Recurring Donation Campaign is a great way to motivate one-time donors to become long-term givers, just in time for the new year! During the month of December, GlobalGiving will be offering 100% match on all initial recurring donations up to $100 per donor. We have $25,000 in matching funds available and matching will last until December 31st or until funds run out. The top 5 projects that recruit the most recurring donors by 11:59 ET December 31, 2012 will win $500 bonus award each. To qualify for the match and for bonus awards, donors must give for 3 consecutive months following the initial donation (for a total of 4 months).

Like GlobalGiving’s Bonus Days a leaderboard will be provided so you can track your success and share your progress with your supporters. See full terms and conditions below.

Recurring Donation Campaign Terms & Conditions & Prizes

  • The Recurring Donation Campaign begins December 1, 2012 at 12:01 am ET and ends December 31, 2012 at 11:59 pm ET.
  • Recurring donations must be initiated between December 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 in order to be eligible for matching and prizes
  • Recurring donations created on GlobalGiving.org will be matched 1-to-1 up to $100 per donor per project. Eligible recurring donations of $101 or more will be matched at $100.
  • GlobalGiving is offering $25,000 in matching funds. Matching will last until funds run out.
  • To be eligible for matching there must be a first initial donation as well as at least 3 automatic recurring donations (for a total of 4 months).
  • Recurring donations that are cancelled after the initial donation but prior to the third automatic recurring donation are not eligible for matching.
  • Only recurring donations created on GlobalGiving.org are eligible for this matching offer. Donations made through GlobalGiving.co.uk and employee giving sites are NOT eligible.
  • Only donations made by credit or debit card are eligible for matching.
  • Organizations that have participated in the Winter Open Challenge are not eligible for participation.
  • This is a one-time matching donation to the project. It is not a repeating monthly match.
  • The top 5 projects that recruit the most recurring donors by 11:59 ET December 31, 2012 will win $500 bonus award each. Projects must have at least 10 new recurring donors to qualify for a bonus award. (Same conditions as matching apply. There must be the first initial donation as well as at least 3 automatic recurring donation in order to be eligible.)
  • Matching funds and prizes will not be received by the project until April 2013.
  • Unique donors are determined using numerous criteria, including name, email address, credit card number, mailing address, and IP address. We are monitoring these and other parameters in our system to ensure that only unique, distinct donors are counted towards the donor bonus award.
  • GlobalGiving maintains the right to make a final decision on all matters concerning bonus awards and matching.
  • Still have questions? Contact Katherine at ksammons@globalgiving.org

Get Ready for the Recurring Donation Campaign!

Join GlobalGiving’s social media and communications guru, Alison Carlman, to create a communications plan for the Recurring Donation Campaign.

Date: Tuesday, November 6
Times: 9 am EST (This time in your city) and 3 pm EST (This time in your city)
Webinar link: anymeeting.com/globalgiving1
Sign up for a reminder email here.

Give a gift get a gift – GlobalGiving’s Gifts for Good Campaign

Attract new donors to your projects during the holidays through our Gifts for Good campaign! Give away a gift—jewelry, scarves, and more—in exchange for donations of a certain amount ($25, $50, $75). Your gift will be visible in GlobalGiving’s Gifts for Good “store,” which will be featured in our holiday outreach. Use this opportunity to get your project in front of GlobalGiving’s 100,000 newsletter subscribers, 50,000 Twitter followers and 40,000 Facebook fans.

The Gifts for Good Campaign will run November 21-December 31, 2012.

Participating organizations are responsible for the gift fulfillment (including shipping and handling) of the gifts. GlobalGiving will provide you with the mailing addresses of participating donors. In exchange, you are required to mail (at your organization’s expense) the gifts to the donors. GlobalGiving will automatically notify donors once their items have been shipped.

Interested in Gifts for Good? Please fill the Gifts for Good form by November 9th. We ask that you send us one supply of your item. We will be taking professional photos of your product at our office to feature in our outreach as well as our Gifts for Good “store”. The Gifts for Good form and one supply of your gift are due November 9th. Only organizations based in the U.S or with volunteers in the U.S are eligible to participate

Send one supply of your gift to:

GlobalGiving Foundation
Attn: Katherine Sammons
1023 15th Street, NW
12th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Questions? Katherine Sammons at ksammons@globalgiving.org for more information.

Donations as Gifts

Did you know that donors can make donations to your project as gifts to friends and family? It’s the third giving option under the orange “donate” button on every project page. Donors can choose to make a donation in honor of some special and GlobalGiving will send the gift recipient an email, print-at-home, or physical tribute card. (Holiday cards coming soon!)

Donors can even elect to give email or print-at-home cards that are customized to your project page! GlobalGiving uses the main photo of your project page to create these special cards for your project. Get creative! Consider uploading a holiday-themed photo to your project page for the holiday season.

This donation-as-a-gift option makes giving to your project during the holiday season fun and practical. Not only are your supporters investing in a worthy cause, they are also acquiring a meaningful holiday gift and crossing names off their holiday shopping list!

Not sure which promotion to use?

Sign up for a one-on-one call! We would be happy to work with you develop a holiday fundraising campaign that is right for your organization.

Posted in Campaigns, GlobalGiving, GlobalGiving Tips, Trainings | Comments Off

Get Ready for Successful Holiday Fundraising!

Posted by Alexis Nadin on October 26th, 2012

Have you heard the news? November and December are the largest donation volume months of the year! Last year, GlobalGiving raised $4.5 million in November and December. Read more here. What is your organization doing to take advantage of this popular giving season?

What do successful organizations do to engage donors during the holidays?

Last year, the Chronicle of Philanthropy polled non-profits during the year-end giving season to better understand successful strategies for donor mobilization during this time. Check out the article here. Here are some key findings from their survey:

  • Groups that reported increases in year-end donations attributed them to “creative twists in online appeals and efforts to show their impact more vividly to donors.”
  • World Vision said that donations made through their online gift catalog jumped by 10% during the first week of December.
  • Charities that worked to improve their storytelling also saw success. Meals on Wheels Association of America sent an appeal from a donor who explains why he volunteers and why he gives (they even used his letterhead!). Some donors who received the letter increased their giving by 10%.
  • Meanwhile, small organizations got creative online using gift card and email cards to incentivize donors to give!

What should you do to get ready?

Make a strategy! Fundraising doesn’t just happen. You have to plan for it. Here are some basic tips for creating a holiday fundraising plan:

1) Set goals. Take a look at your holiday fundraising volume from last year. How much did you raise? How much do you need to raise this year? How much would you like to raise this year? How much do you think you can raise online? In checks? Via text-to-give? Give yourself a specific monetary and donor goal. You may even consider sharing your goals with your donors in your messaging.

2) Mobilize through a campaign. You won’t be the only organization fundraising this holiday season. You will be competing with other organizations for donations from your donors. Use a campaign to galvanize support. Looking for ideas? GlobalGiving has great holiday promotions going on this year. Read more here.

3) Create a communications calendar. Determine how you are going to communicate with your donors—email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.—and when. Think strategically about important dates in November and December:

Remember that you want to be present in your donors’ minds as they’re making giving decisions throughout the holiday season! Check out this graph of year-end donation activityon GlobalGiving in 2011. You can see that there’s a huge spike in donations during the last 3 days of the year. Make sure to send out one final annual appeal in those last few days of the year.

4) Develop your messaging. What are you going to say to stand out this holiday season? What photos are you going to show to introduce your donors to the people that they’re helping? What stories are you going to tell to help your donors understand the impact of your organization’s work?

Remember to keep your emails, project reports, and Facebook posts short and sweet. Make your messages about your beneficiaries—what they need and how your donors can help—not about you and your organization. Include a clear call to action and a link to your project page in each of your messages.

5) Evaluate your progress and prepare to be flexible. Why do you set goals? So that you can set benchmarks and evaluate your success. Set some time aside each week during the holiday season to evaluate your fundraising progress. Determine if you’re on track towards meeting your goals and, if not, what you need to do to meet your fundraising goals. Be prepared to be creative and to make last minute changes to your plan.

Want help developing your holiday fundraising strategy?

Join us on Tuesday, October 30th for our Holiday Fundraising Training or sign up for a one-on-one call with GlobalGiving to help plan your holiday fundraising strategy.

Date: Tuesday, October 30th
Times: 9 am EDT (This time in your city) and 3 pm EDT (This time in your city)
Webinar link: anymeeting.com/globalgiving1 *
*Audio will be available via the webinar link.

Sign up for a reminder.

Posted in Fundraising Tips, GlobalGiving, GlobalGiving Tips, Trainings | Comments Off

Holiday and Year-End Giving Trends

Posted by Alexis Nadin on October 26th, 2012

On average, organizations throughout the U.S. raise 30 – 40% of their annual income during the last few weeks of the year (according to our friends at Network for Good and Charity Navigator).

Why the spike in online giving?

In the U.S., all tax deductible donations to non-profits must be made before the end of the year (Dec. 31st) to be eligible for deduction from that year’s taxes. December is also the month of popular American holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah. Last year, US retail e-commerce spending for the entire November – December 2011 holiday season reached a record $47.6 billion! That’s an increase of 16.8% from the previous year!

In the U.S, year-end fundraising traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), otherwise known as Cyber Monday (last year, Cyber Monday was the largest online spending day in history!) but it starts to ramp up for several weeks before. The fundraising seasons lasts until the end of the day on December 31st.

GlobalGiving Year-End Giving Stats

Last year, GlobalGiving raised $4.5 million in November and December, setting a new record for funds raised during the holiday season on the site! Where were all those donations coming from? Well, we have some exciting statistics to share:

  • 19,000 gift cards were redeemed for a total of  more than $1 million;
  • More than 6,000 donors made donations as gifts for more than $400,000;
  • About $500,000 came through employee giving portals; and
  • 400 donors signed up for monthly recurring donations for a total of $10,000 a month!

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Effective messaging for your target audience

Posted by ksammons on October 9th, 2012

We were honored to have Ruarai Mckenna an expert on online fundraising host a webinar last week on using effective messaging to target your organization’s unique public. Ruarai currently works for Kosovo-Addis a marketing, fundraising and interactive organization focused on helping non-profits with their online presence. Did you miss Ruarai’s presentation? Don’t worry below you will find a summary of Ruarai’s presentation as well as the link to the slides and recording.

To access the recording and webinar click here.

Key Take Aways

First, differentiate between your target audience and your target public. Your target audience is anyone who can receive your message. Your target public is the specific demographic you actively target with discipline, precision and repetition.

How can your engage you target public?

Your target is more likely to engage if they’ve heard of your brand. Extend your donor reach by following the steps below:

1)      Create Awareness

2)      Make sure interested parties are familiar with your organization’s mission and vision

3)      Work to create consideration, so your public feels that your organization is relevant to them

4)      Engage your supporters. Create volunteer opportunities and other avenues for your target audience to show their support

 What exactly is a brand?

Branding is the authentic essence of who you are and where you’re going expressed in a compelling way to a defined target public.

  • Branding IS the online fundraising strategy for many peers
  • Branding is what could make organizations poke through the 1.2M charities and trillions of messages that the U.S. public sees
  • Branding is very much an internal engine, generating heat, staff morale, recruiting of staff, volunteers, board members and partners

 Tactics Employed to Leverage your Brand to Reach, Expand and Cultivate Your Target Public

When messaging it is important to find out what type of messaging works for your organization. Experiment to find out what type of messaging attracts your target.

Take this campaign for example. What messaging do you think was most effective A or B?

A                                                         or                                                         B

                                                                          

 

Audiences were more response to B. Find what works best for your organization. You don’t need fancy software to track the effectiveness of messaging. Just change one variable and see what type of response you get from your audience. For example, investigate if you received more donations using negative messaging or more using positive messaging.

Ruarai is open to your questions, please feel free to email him at ruarai@Kosovo-Addis.com

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Human Centered Design with Sean Hewens

Posted by Alexis Nadin on September 13th, 2012

We were lucky to have Sean Hewens from IDEO give a webinar on human-centered design and storytelling in the social sector. If you were unable to attend Sean’s webinar you can find a link below which will take you to his recorded presentation and slides. Sean shared valuable information on storytelling, including 5 reasons to tell your story and shared 11 tips on how to effectively get your message out. Please find the link to Sean’s webinar here.

Why Tell your Story?

1)      Creates excitement. Telling your story gets people excited about your project.

2)      Telling a story promotes the continuation of your project. Storytelling assists with documentation. This is especially helpful if you are a volunteer run organization.

3)      Helps others learn from your successes and failures. Admitting to your failures and sharing this with others is beneficial to the learning process.  Sean suggests referencing AdmittingFailure.

4)      A good story makes a great prototyping tool. It can help you imagine the future. Sean suggests using stories during your organizational and project design process.

5)      Stories are a great synthesizing tool, allowing you to focus on key parts of an event.

11 Tips for Telling a Good Story

1)      Stop trying to write, just start writing instead. It can be difficult to get started, but just go for it!

2)      Simplify

3)      Know your audience. Ask yourself who you are telling your story to, ex: volunteers or donors? Tailor your story depending on the audience.

4)      Have a beginning, middle and an end.

5)      Have a central message. Be concise.

6)      Have a goal for your story. Try to finish this sentence when deciding why you are telling your story. “This story will be successful if…”

7)      Make is personal. Don’t be afraid to have a point of view.

8)      Powerful stories touch hearts, not just minds. Numbers are great to have, but heart is important too.

9)      Paint the scene. Little details can make a huge difference.

10)   Pair your stories with powerful photos and videos. Take lots of photos and videos. You never know which photo will capture that moment!

11)   Don’t just talk about the good parts of the story. People learn more from mistakes. This is one of our values here at GlobalGiving as well. Listen.Act.Learn.Repeat. .

For more resources on human-centered design feel free to reference IDEO’s human-centered design tool-kit, which can be found here.

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Mobilizing Votes for the Photo Contest

Posted by Alexis Nadin on July 25th, 2012

A big thank you to all the organizations that submitted photos to GlobalGiving’s Photo Contest! Our outside judge, Bud Force  is currently choosing the finalists; we can’t wait to see the results!

Katie Meyler from More than Me Foundation  (the winner of GlobalGiving’s past two Photo Contests) hosted an insightful and energetic webinar on July 18, 2012.  Katie shared tips on getting supporters excited to vote for your photos.

If you weren’t able to attend the webinar you can find some of Katie’s tips below.

Mobilizing Voters

  • Think outside of the box! Instead of solely using e-mail to contact prior supporters build your network by getting potential supporters involved in person.  Go to a coffee shop with your lap top and ask people to vote right then and there.
  • Identify enthusiastic staff members or volunteers who feel comfortable talking to potential supporters and getting them to vote for your project’s photo. This is a great volunteer opportunity! 
  • Use social media.  Even though voting will not take place on Facebook, you can still send your Facebook connections the link to the Photo Contest on the GlobalGiving site.

Finalists will be notified by July 30, 2012! Get excited to mobilize!

If you have any questions, please email Katherine Sammons at ksammons@globalgiving.org

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The Inside Scoop: Dell’s International Strategic Giving

Posted by Alexis Nadin on July 1st, 2012

This June, GlobalGiving is hosting a three-part webinar series on corporate giving. On Thursday June 27th we were excited to have Deb Bauer, the Director of Dell’s Corporate Giving host the final webinar in the series, The Inside Scoop: Dell’s International Strategic Giving. Deb spoke about Dell’s strategic giving, community engagement and how to foster a good corporate partnership. If you missed Deb’s webinar or would like a re-cap you can find some highlights below as well as a link to her slideshow and discussion:

Listen to Deb’s presentation and view the slides here.

Background on Dell’s Giving

Dell began giving locally, wanting to represent where the company was working and where Dell customers are.  As Dell began growing globally, so did their span of giving. Dell now works and gives around the world. When deciding what types of projects should be their focus Dell examined themselves as a company and decided to stick to their roots, focusing on young people, the under-served and education initiatives. Dell looks to partner with projects utilizing technology to better their communities. Dell is a 1% company, meaning they give 1% of their annual pre-tax profits.

How Dell Gives

  • Business-led donations
  • Matched employee giving
  • Strategic programs

Types of Projects Dell Works with

  • Youth leadership
  • Social innovation
  • Pediatric cancer
  • Disaster relief

How Dell Identifies Project Partnerships

  • Through employee engagement and referral
  • Reaching out to GlobalGiving to learn about possible project partnerships
  • Call for proposals (only for US organizations)

What Makes an Organization Ready to Work with Dell?

  • Open to employee engagement
  • A respectable track record
  • An innovative idea
  • The ability to make a measurable impact
  • Open to building a transparent relationship

Helpful Resources

As our corporate giving webinar series comes to an end we wanted to touch on two re-occurring themes all three of our presenters spoke about:

  • Volunteer relationship are invaluable; if you are interested in partnering with a company get employees involved through volunteer activities. Think about tailoring your volunteer activities to employee expertise. For example, Dell looks for volunteer opportunities that are technology based. Employee volunteers can help to advocate for your organization within the company.
  • Having a good track record is important. Companies like to work with organizations that have a strong track record within the community and among partner organizations and rigorous financial and organizational documentation. Reflect on your organization’s impact record and how the community you serve views your work.

Thank you to all who attended and participated in the Corporate Giving Webinar Series!

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GlobalGiving’s Approach to Building Relationships with Corporate Partners

Posted by Alexis Nadin on June 26th, 2012

This June, GlobalGiving is hosting a three-part webinar series on corporate giving. For part two of this webinar series, we were happy to have our very own Ingrid Embree, Director of Strategic Partnership here at GlobalGiving give a fantastic webinar on GlobalGiving’s Approach to Building Relationships with Corporate Partners on June 20th. Ingrid discussed how to identify prospective corporate partners and how to build relationships. Ingrid also spoke about how GlobalGiving selects partners to recommend to corporate partners.

View the presentation slides here. Contact Alexis Nadin at anadin@globalgiving.org for a link to the training recording.

Prospecting for new corporate partners

  • Make cold calls after researching various businesses
  • Commit to a set number of calls a week and track the progress (Ingrid makes 40!)
  • Take advantage of travel time. So, if you travel to a conference check if there is a company you could visit/meet with
  • Be confident in what you have to offer – you’re a subject matter expert!
  • “Layering” through multiple interactions both on and off-line establishes trust and builds relationships
  • Be opportunistic!

Volunteers can be your biggest asset

  • Employee volunteers are a good “foot in the door;” get employees interested in your project and have them volunteer
  • Virtual volunteering is an easy way for people to get involved with your organization

The best way to contact potential partners: calls vs. emails

  • Emails are easy to write, but also easy to delete
  • For layering purposes email first unless the situation better fits a phone call
  • Make a personal call in situations where you would be able to meet in person, for example already being in the area for another meeting or conference
  • Phone calls can be uncomfortable, but effective
  • Postal mail is still a great option and unexpected!
  • Use your judgment and vary it depending on the company

Learning from experience

  • Be tenacious, but patient
  • Your integrity will be appreciated
  •  Look for a good fit not just a good sale
  • Referrals are often your best leads
  • Ask questions and research: Who have supporters been in the past? Who would be interested?
  • Examine corporate culture before reaching out

GlobalGiving’s corporate partner programs

  • Corporate partner relationships all look different, at GlobalGiving we are flexible, ex: some companies like gift cards, some like employee giving and some prefer cause-marketing

Suggestions for making your project attractive to corporate partners 

  • Donors spend on average 30 seconds looking at a project page. Keep your page visually attractive by making sure your main photo is in high resolution, close up and that your project title is inspiring and catchy
  • Cross-list your project accordingly by choosing all themes which apply
  • Strive to be a Superstar! Make sure your project is active and visible by taking advantage of GlobalGiving’s Project Rewards program
  • Find additional tips for taking advantage of corporate partnerships here
  • Find more information on GlobalGiving’s Partner Rewards Program here.

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Introduction to Corporate Giving

Posted by Alexis Nadin on June 26th, 2012

This June, GlobalGiving is hosting a three-part webinar series on corporate giving. On Thursday June 14th we were pleased to have guest host, Kim Patton from the Foundation Center, join us for the first webinar in the series! Kim answered questions about corporate giving and offered suggestions for how your organization can create corporate partnerships. If you missed Kim’s webinar you can find some highlights below as well as links to her slideshow and discussion:

Listen to Kim’s presentation here and view the slides here.

Are you wondering if corporate partnerships are right for your organization and how your organization can find a possible corporate match? Kim suggests you reflect on the following questions:

  • How does corporate fundraising fit into your overall fundraising plan?
  • What are the types of companies with which you do/don’t want to work?
  • How will your various constituents react to a potential corporate donor?
  • How much time and effort can you put into securing corporate partnership?
  • Does your organization have volunteer opportunities for corporate employees?
  • Do corporate employees benefit from your organization’s work?

Putting your organization in the best position for securing corporate sponsorship

  • Utilize the contacts you have in the corporate world, network
  • Know what corporations are working in your community
  • Gauge your organization’s capacity to publicize corporate support

Finding corporate partners

  • Find companies located near you
  • Find companies which may be interested in your work, for example: Is the company’s work geared towards women?
  • Find companies providing the type of partnership that you need, example: volunteers, in-kind donations

How to approach a corporate supporter

  • Find out who in the company is the best person to speak with
  • Find an employee who is passionate about your cause
  • Come up with talking points that will help you connect

Resources to help with your corporate sponsorship search

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