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Does Your Nonprofit Need to Do a Little Spring Cleaning? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
It’s spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s about time after a frigid winter here in the Boston area, although I can’t say it’s been that warm right now. A lot of people use this time of the year to do some spring cleaning. I envy the people who do that because I’m usually not…
Is Your Donor Engagement Actually Engaging? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
You may think you’re practicing donor engagement by sending thank you letters and newsletters, but is the content actually engaging? It’s often formulaic and just downright dull. Many nonprofits send all their donors the same appeal and thank you letters. In these letters, they never thank a donor for their past support or acknowledge they’re…
Why It’s Important to Pay Attention to Your Donor Retention Right Now | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Donor retention is a perennial problem for nonprofit organizations. Many organizations spend a lot of time and energy on acquiring donors, concentrating more on volume, and don’t seem concerned that they’re churning through different donors year after year. Another perennial problem is uncertainty and disruption in our world. Right now we’re dealing with cuts in…
5 Best Practices for Nonprofit Employee Onboarding | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Your nonprofit needs a skilled, dedicated team to advance its mission. Use these onboarding best practices to set your new hires up for lasting success. By Debbie Willis Every new employee brings passion, talent, and a fresh perspective to your nonprofit. However, recruiting and retaining these essential team members is not always easy. In fact,…
Remember These Four Words – Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
It’s important for you to remember these four words - Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat If your nonprofit follows this fundraising formula, you should be more successful. Many organizations just practice Ask, Ask, Ask. If that’s what you’re doing, are you raising the money you need? Because what’s most important is to thank and report before you…
Create an Attitude of Gratitude at Your Nonprofit | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
We all like to feel appreciated and that includes your donors. Thanking your donors should be a priority for your nonprofit organization. Is that the case? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Thanking your donors is not just something you do after you receive a donation and then do nothing for a while. You need…
5 Revenue Streams to Strengthen Nonprofit Sustainability | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Diverse revenue streams provide a sustainable financial foundation for nonprofits. Explore revenue streams your nonprofit should pursue in this guide. It’s important for you to diversify your revenue sources. This is especially important now because of the current chaos of eliminating (and then not eliminating, at least for now) federal grant funding. We also saw…
How to Create an Engaging Nonprofit Impact Report | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Is your nonprofit still producing one of those multi-page “annual reports”? If so, why? Anything that’s more than four pages is too long. Besides that, they’re often boring, they focus too much on the organization and not on the donors, they require a lot of time and effort from staff, and there’s no guarantee donors…
Go All In on Monthly Giving | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Monthly giving is one of the few types of fundraising that does well. If your organization doesn’t have a monthly/recurring giving program or it’s fairly small, why is that? Whether you’re a big or a smaller organization or your fundraising went well last year or it didn’t, monthly giving makes so much sense (or cents).…
How Are You Building Relationships With Your Donors? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Why does making a donation often feel like a transaction? Organizations get so caught up in the raising money part that they forget about building relationships with their donors. Giving Tuesday is the worst example of this, with Year End close behind. Generally, it happens way too often. Remember this – Building relationships is just…
How to Make 2025 a Successful Year for Your Nonprofit | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s already 2025. I hope 2024 was a successful year for your nonprofit organization. If it wasn’t, you can work to make 2025 a better year. And if you were successful, you want that to continue. Many individuals make New Year’s resolutions and set goals. Your nonprofit should do…
Improve Your Donor Engagement by Creating a Communications Calendar | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
I always like to emphasize the importance of keeping in touch with your donors throughout the year. I hope that’s a priority for you, too. Your donors want to hear from you and don’t just want to be blasted with fundraising appeals. The good news is that better donor communication (thank yous and updates) can…
How to Encourage Donations on Your Nonprofit’s Website | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Your website can be a great marketing tool, but it can also help your nonprofit raise funds. Learn how to encourage donations on your nonprofit website. By Ira Horowitz Your nonprofit’s website is more than just a hub for your online presence—it’s a versatile platform that can help you connect with supporters, amplify your mission,…
How Will You Welcome Your New Donors? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Year-end fundraising is in full swing. I hope your campaign is going well so far. Perhaps you also participated in Giving Tuesday. The latter often brings in new donors, which you never want to take for granted. These donors saw a need and found a connection to your cause. Or maybe they were drawn into…
Financial Sustainability for Nonprofits: 4 Considerations | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Effective financial management is critical for your nonprofit to grow and thrive long-term. Explore four considerations for achieving financial sustainability. By Jon Osterburg If you work for a new nonprofit, your team’s primary goal is probably to get your operations off the ground and start furthering your mission. But once your organization has existed for…
Focus on Generosity and Building Relationships on Giving Tuesday | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Your email inbox can look downright scary these days. This was especially true during the long U.S. election season. Soon we’ll be bombarded with Cyber Monday and Black Friday ads. And then there’s Giving Tuesday. All of this can be too much, too much, and many of these messages look like spam. In an ideal…
The Importance of Showing Gratitude to Your Donors | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Year-end fundraising coincides with the gratitude season, which includes Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the December holidays. This is appropriate since thanking your donors is part of the fundraising equation, even though many nonprofits don’t always realize this. Now is a great opportunity to show some gratitude to your donors. You could hold a thankathon,…
Why You Need to Plan a Multichannel Fundraising Campaign | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Year-end fundraising season is here. I’m already seeing appeal letters in my mailbox and this is just the beginning. Speaking of appeal letters, you should plan to send one by mail. I know email is easier and less expensive, but people respond better to mail and it’s well worth the investment. However, if you just…
Why Segmenting Your Donors Makes Sense | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Segmenting your donors makes sense on every level. If you’re running a campaign, you can send different letters to different types of donors or segment by gift amount and encourage them to upgrade. You can also create a new donor welcome series, a special thank you mailing for monthly donors, or reach out to lapsed…
How Will You Thank Your Year-End Donors? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
I imagine many of you are working on your year-end fundraising campaign. You may have started working on your appeal letter, which is great, but how much time have you spent thinking about how you’ll thank your donors? Maybe not that much. If that’s the case, you’re making a mistake because it’s just as important, if…
How to Reach New Audiences With Your Nonprofit’s Message | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Want to reach new audiences to expand your nonprofit’s supporter base? Explore these ideas to engage with new groups of potential supporters. By Jay Love Is your nonprofit looking to reach new audiences with your fundraising appeals, volunteer events, and advocacy opportunities? You’re in the right place! Reaching new audiences is critical to growing your…
Raise More Money With a Fundraising Appeal that Stands Out | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Can you believe it’s already September? Depending on where you live, you may or may not be getting that nice refreshing air September often brings. After a hot summer, I’m ready for that. September also brings us to the start of the busiest time of the year for nonprofit organizations, especially if you’re doing a…
4 Key Lessons Nonprofits Should Learn from Businesses | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Although nonprofits and businesses seem different, they share many similarities. Discover lessons nonprofits can learn from their for-profit counterparts here. By Kyle Cannon Although businesses and nonprofits operate in two different worlds, governed by their own unique rules, these organizations are more alike than one might initially think. Certain strategies apply to organizations in both…
Improve Your Donor Engagement by Creating Some Great Stories | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Stories come in many forms. You can tell a story with words, pictures, and videos. I prefer written stories, but others are drawn to videos. Some people might not have the time or energy to look at anything but a photo or infographic. Your nonprofit organization needs to share stories using all these forms. Sharing…
Creating a Thank You Plan Will Help You Let Your Donors Know How Much You Appreciate Them | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Thanking your donors is just as important, if not more important than fundraising. Yet many organizations spend a lot of time putting together a fundraising campaign and then treat thanking their donors as an afterthought. Donor retention continues to be a problem. One of many reasons is because people don’t feel appreciated. Prioritizing gratitude and…
The Time to Start Planning Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign is Now | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Can you believe it’s August already? Time flies and soon it will be September. I know It’s hard to think about fall when it’s been sweltering in many parts of the world, including places where it’s usually not that hot. Even so, September will be here before you know it. I’m already starting to see…
4 Tips for Uncovering Your Donors’ Giving Motivations | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Donor motivations are the “why” that drives their support of your nonprofit. Learn how to uncover those motivations and inspire more support in this guide. By Ryan Carpenter For the last several years, nonprofits have struggled to make ends meet due to falling revenue, rising inflation, and an increase in community needs. Charitable giving saw…
If You Want Better Donor Engagement, Practice The 5 C’s of Good Nonprofit Communication | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Are you having trouble with your donor engagement? If you answered yes, it may be because your communication is well, just meh. The remedy I like to recommend is the 5 C’s of good nonprofit communication. Keep these in mind when you’re writing a fundraising appeal, thank you letter, update, or any type of donor…
Don’t Take a Vacation From Your Donor Communication | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
It’s summer! I hope you’ll get a chance to take a vacation or just some time off. It may be quieter at your nonprofit, but you don’t want to be too quiet and ignore your donors. Summer is a great time to do some relationship building. You should communicate with your donors at least once…
Why Your Nonprofit Needs to Keep Things Simple | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Over the years I’ve realized the importance of keeping things simple. We have so many ways to fill our time (many of them involving screens), but I often find pleasure in simple things such as taking a walk, reading, and doing yoga. Keeping it simple doesn’t have to mean a bare-bones existence. There’s a Swedish…
We’re Halfway Through 2024. How Is Your Nonprofit Doing So Far? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Believe it or not, we’re halfway through 2024. The midpoint of the year is always a good time to see if you’re meeting your fundraising and communications goals. For this post, I’m assuming your fiscal year is the same as the calendar year. If you’re on a different fiscal cycle, you can make the appropriate…
7 Donor Segmentation Strategies for Personalized Messages | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Segmenting your donors allows you to send personalized messages that resonate with them and increase engagement. Check out these donor segmentation strategies. By Gabrielle Perham With so much information available at their fingertips, it can be overwhelming and difficult for your supporters to fully absorb it all. Among the thousands of brands, businesses, and other…
What Kind of Experience Are You Giving Your Donors? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
What kind of experience are you giving your donors when they interact with your organization? Is it good, bad, or somewhere in between? It’s important for you to look at things from their perspective, not yours. Let’s examine some of the different aspects of fundraising and donor communication to see what kind of experience you’re giving your…
How to Make Sure Your Audience Understands You | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
I believe one of the most important aspects of communication (written and verbal) is to make sure your audience understands you. There are many reasons this doesn’t happen. In nonprofit communication, organizations will overcomplicate things or use jargon and other language donors don’t understand. Some people like to show off their big vocabulary or only…
How to Form Mission-Aligned Partnerships for Your Nonprofit | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Partnerships with organizations that share your values can yield much-needed support for your nonprofit. Learn how to find a like-minded partner in this guide. By Casey Dorman In 2022, 360MatchPro reports that companies donated $21 billion to nonprofits, and 88% of all public companies have Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Clearly, giving back is…
The Power of a Postcard | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
People used to send postcards when they went on vacation, especially back in the days before we had email and social media. Now people are more likely to post pictures on social media, sometimes posting more than you want to see. We don’t use postal mail as much anymore and many nonprofits are a part…
How Making Wise Investments Can Help You Raise More Money | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
In most instances, nonprofit giving declined again in 2023. If you’re interested in the numbers, here are the latest results from M + R Benchmarks. If your giving has gone down, you may have cut back on some expenses. While that’s understandable on one level, you need to be careful before you nix something you…
Future-proof your fundraising: 3 ways to thrive long-term | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Is your nonprofit poised for long-term growth? Check out these future-proof nonprofit fundraising strategies based on today’s top philanthropic trends. By Patrick Schmitt Achieving your mission takes time and resources. As a nonprofit professional, you know this all too well and likely implement all kinds of cost-saving and efficiency-boosting practices into your work. But can…
How Your Nonprofit Can Stand Out in a Sea of Information | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
Our world is packed with information, too much at times. When I was growing up, we just had a few TV channels to choose from. Now there are countless streaming options. We also have email, the internet, and social media, just to name a few. It’s a lot! How does your nonprofit organization compete with…
Is Your Nonprofit Newsletter Engaging or Boring? | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog
In theory, a newsletter can be a great way to engage with your donors. In reality, that doesn’t often happen because most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. They’re too long and filled with boring articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is. A newsletter is a vital part of…