Small Shop Blog

Certified Fund Raising Consultant, Coach and Trainer,  Author of "Tag, You're IT - Now Raise Us Some Money" available at http://bit.ly/Tagyoureit.  Follow me on Twitter at @AydaSC. Contact me at www.aydasanver.com

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWQi8u6mexk)

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My board, when I talk about fundraising...

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Truth! This is why I love training board members who are eager and willing to learn!

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When someone says “stewardship isn’t a priority, we need money now”

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Love this!

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Free Webinar on August 4! 10 Blogging Best Practices for NGOs: http://buff.ly/1JfPc8V

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New to fundraising? You might find this helpful. http://amzn.to/1HwHTo7

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Red Nose Day is May 21 - a day dedicated to raising funds for children living in poverty: https://www.rednoseday.org

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Effective Nonprofit Marketing

Here’s some tips for effective nonprofit marketing-

1) Keep it SHORT and REAL.  Avoid programmatic jargon. Make it so your grandmother would understand what you are saying. 

2) TELL STORIES! Your stories of success showcase your work. Use real people, images, videos, and their words.

3) RE-PURPOSE CONTENT!  Did you post a neat story on your social media page? Then share it in an email too, and post it on your Web site. Repetition.. it’s a “good thing!”

Wishing you greater abundance for your nonprofit work,

Ayda

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Listen to my lively 20-minute podcast interview with John John Genovese of Fundraiser Solutions Podcast!  We both share great ideas here!  http://www.fspodcast.com/10/

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SMILE when you ask for a donor "Advice Visit!"

16 Ways to Get a Meeting With Your Major Gift Prospect via Gail Perry!  Fantastic advice here! http://www.gailperry.com/2015/02/16-ways-get-meeting-major-gift-prospect/

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You Already Have the Gold Mine

I just had to create this post to share with you something I've noticed recently as a fundraising consultant. So many clients say, "I need more donors!" When I probe them further about how many donors are in their database, and how many have made a gift of a certain amount (say $500 or $1,000 or more) in the past year or so, then they give me an uncertain look, but with a pretty decent answer, such as - "I think we have had 50 people give $500 or more."

I say, "Stop right there!" Your "gold mine" is already in your database. Then, I ask a series of questions, like-

What have you done in the past year to reach out to those donors, individually?

Are your board members giving and inviting their friends to give?

When was the last time they attended an event, and when major donors were there, what did you do JUST for them? Seat them with a board member, for example?

The list goes on and on....

The answer is usually "no." We just treat them like any other donor and send them our emails, mass appeals, and our newsletter.

Or, they might say, "Well, I invited such-and-such for a tour, but I never heard back."

Folks, your gold mine is already in your database. These people are already giving to your nonprofit and loyal to your organization. WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR? Do you fear that you will be "bothering" them if you pick up the phone and ask? Not if you get to know them, create a strategy, and have multiple "touches" with them throughout the year. Treat them like the caring human beings that they are! I've seen it work, you will get more gifts with an individual major donor strategy. And, if your board members are not involved in that process, then you really need some help, and they need some training and encouragement.

For those in the MD/DC/VA region, I'm hosting a 2-hour "Major Donor Boot Camp"on March 18. For details, click here.

I welcome your comments. Happy Fundraising!

Ayda Sanver, MBA, CFRE www.ayda.us

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Mobile Internet Use Surpasses Desktop

    We knew that the day would come when mobile device use for everything from banking to online shopping to making donations would surpass fixed internet desktop use. Is your web site mobile compatible?  Have you checked your Google Analytics lately (it's free, by the way!)  This article explains the trend. Don't lose site visitors because your website links look garbled on mobile.  http://bit.ly/1cjAdpn

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"Universe. Give me abundance so that I may share it with others."

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So simple, yet so true.

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Helping friends and family members during time of extreme loss, sickness or hardship continues to be a natural human instinct regardless of the speed which consumes our daily lives and despite the reality that so many of us are buried with our noses in our electronic devices— eliminating...

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If I could be useful to another human being, even for a day, that would be a great thing. It would be greater than all the big thoughts I could have at the university.

Muhammad Yunus, the banker to the poor with his pioneering efforts in Microcredit or Microfinance where the poorest people of society are encouraged rise above poverty. Yunus was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, along with his bank that he founded (Grameen Bank).  (via charity)