I went looking for great donation pages designed with an audience in mind and featuring well-packaged asks. Here are a few of the best I found. OXFAM Audience: Those who want to help eliminate poverty and care for the environment. This catalog features items that promote sustainable and environmentally friendly aid. Note the array …
Packaging your donations is an effective way to increase the volume of giving and the size of the average gift.. Before you start contemplating packaging, however, you want to be sure that you’ve identified your target audience(s). If you have not yet done this in any sort of structured way, I strongly suggest that you …
Brian Sooy is a designer, volunteer, donor, and nonprofit board member. He is the principal of Aespire, the design and marketing firm that empowers mission-driven organizations to create purpose-driven communications through positioning, design, marketing, and web site development. For this guest post, we asked him to share some of the insights from his recent book …
Creating a “Why I Give” page on your website is a brilliant idea for two reasons. First, when existing donors publicly voice their support and fondness for your organization, their engagement is deepened. The psychological tendency that each of us has to demonstrate consistency will influence them to respond favorably to future requests for support. …
In his fascinating book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. explores 6 fundamental psychological principles that direct human behavior. Using straightforward language and fascinating anecdotes, he unveils the mystery behind how we react to influence and offers valuable insights for those who rely on their persuasive ability. If you ask yourself questions …
BOOK REVIEW Years of marketing and social media experience inform the advice offered by author Tania Mulry in her book The Cause: The Power of Digital Storytelling for Social Good. Written in a conversational tone, this quick read is infused with inspiration and practical how-to advice. Each chapter identifies a common challenge confronted by …
The Cause: The Power of Digital Storytelling for Social Good Read More »
A good story can simultaneously inform & inspire. It can be triumphant or sad or joyful or revolting. As nonprofit organizations work to build content and engage online audiences, storytelling plays an essential role. But knowing what stories to tell and how to tell them is not always an easy task. The following articles that …
In a former life, I studied literature and creative writing, so it’s no surprise the mantra “show don’t tell” is one that will forever ring in my ears. When I see something like Apple’s holiday TV ad, I am impressed to see someone get it so right. Let’s see what Apple did here, and what …
Apple ad – brilliant example of “show” not “tell” Read More »
If you’ve ever been to a concert, you know that the opening act is in a tough position. Most of the crowd is impatient to see the main event and doesn’t know a single song. If the band doesn’t find a way to capture the attention of the sea of someone else’s fans standing in …
The Challenge Recruiting and retaining students (future funders) is an increasingly competitive endeavor in today’s higher education environment. Endowments are shrinking, funding at the local, state, and federal levels continues to diminish, and the projected decrease in college-age students over the next decade is alarming. At the same time, the economy in recent years …
Creating Sustainable & Self-Perpetuating Fundraising in the age of the Millennial donor: Read More »